Fool’s gold: Betty Amongi and Museveni’s poisoned chalice

Many people have made different interpretations of the altercation between Lands minister Betty Amongi and Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire when the former appeared to explain how she controversially acquired a prime land from the Departed Asians Custodian Board. Some people were left open mouthed by the acquisitive appetite implied in the minister’s transactions and the alleged wealth she has accumulated since her appointment as minister. Others thought Justice Bamugemereire exceeded the limits of judicial decorum in her choice of words while admonishing the minister for her impudence.

What nobody has spoken about is how President Museveni has consistently ensnared vibrant leaders opposed to him, taken them to the mountain top, shown them the splendour they would inherit if only they worship him and then hurled them to their political grave. The script is very familiar but his victims real and potential seem not to learn.

Certain prominent names come to mind. In the annals of Uganda’s legislative history, the name Omara Atubo stands out. A lawyer with a gift to articulate issues and simplify the most complex issues so that even the simplest minds could comprehend them, he was a model politician. In his legislative career he was a floor leader with the ability to sway debate and strike compromises. I recall his pivotal role when Parliament inquired into the war in northern Uganda and why it was not ending. We co-authored a historic minority report that shone light into the official neglect and diabolical attitudes that pervaded the government’s counterinsurgency strategy.

In the early days of the NRM he was a minister. Then he got arrested, tortured, jailed and charged with treason. The charges were found to be baseless and politically motivated. On release he found his footing as a fiery lawmaker representing Otuke. One day the country woke up to the news that Omara Atubo was the new Lands minister. It is likely that the power in the office got into his head and perhaps he never got good counsel. That state of inebriation became obvious when in response to some criticism from Buganda on the controversial amendment to the land law he said that as minister he was the “Ssabattaka” - a title reserved for the Kabaka.

Having done Museveni’s dirty work of defending an offensive law, he was dropped suddenly from Cabinet. With the ministerial post gone, he tried to vie for a seat in the East African Legislative Assembly with some support lukewarm from Museveni but he lost the bid.

That rollercoaster ride in the higher echelons of power in the Museveni constellation temporarily made him forget what he knew about Museveni. He fell for the seductive pull of power. How could such a smart man do such a dumb thing as thinking he could be an insider in a system designed to destroy the likes of him? Nowadays, his voice recovered, his eyes reopened and his nostrils unblocked he occasionally speaks out about the precipice to which we are goose-marching as a country.

This brings me to the two Bettys. Betty Amongi and Beti Kamya. Assigned to very high profile and sensitive ministries these two have to tread carefully lest they walk the same road that Omara Atubo walked. The other day I spoke to some well-placed young NRM leader who told me that they would soon start a campaign to force Amongi to resign or have her sacked. “They are taking our posts and giving our government a bad name,” he told me. Unfortunately, Museveni’s poaching has not really helped his efforts to kill the Opposition as he never tires of vowing. Instead more voices of disillusionment keeps emanating from within his camp.

So of what value is Museveni’s ministerial appointment in the current dispensation? It is like fool’s gold. Pieces of iron pyrites, which looks a little like gold but is worthless.