Kadaga did not choose to land at Rugby ground

Let me first use this opportunity to congratulate The Monitor for making 25 years since inception in 1992. It’s no mean achievement in an industry faced with several disruptions.
Of course, I have always publicly declared my admiration for the founders of The Monitor. Their contribution to the country is historic.

My personal journey in life would be incomplete without The Monitor where I started a career as a first year university student.

I salute Mr Wafula Oguttu and his colleagues who founded The Monitor for their tolerance of highly energetic, dynamic, committed, opinionated and near-rebellious young men and women they employed and nurtured. We enjoyed journalistic freedom, including telling off the founders in their faces without fear of losing employment. We felt we had the intellectual stake in journalism and in how The Monitor was run. Bravo The Monitor!
However, those with whom lies higher responsibility, more is needed of them. Daily Monitor’s editorial on its 25th birthday carried insinuations against the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga. The tone of the editorial was that the Speaker was desirous of landing on the field of play and disrupt proceedings. No attempt was made to seek Parliament’s side of the story even when I am a call away to explain the circumstances under which the Speaker landed on the field. Instead, the newspaper took an editorial position that portrayed the Speaker unfairly. Here is our story. The Speaker received an invitation from the Uganda Rugby Union to officiate at the game, which was originally slated for a 4pm kick-off. She agreed to be chief guest at the stated time. The Speaker adjusted her diary and scheduled other activities on that date. These activities included presiding at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Pilkington College Muguluka on Jinja-Kamuli road at 10am and also officiate as a special guest at the 25th Source of the Nile National Agricultural Show in Jinja at 1pm.

When the rescheduling of the rugby game was done to allow for the live telecast starting at 2pm, the Speaker was not involved. The organisers later informed her about the changes, but insisted on her presence. The changes greatly affected her planning for the day. She had earlier given her commitment to attend the three events.
Ms Kadaga is a leader who never commits to something and then fails to honour her commitments, especially when it involves her office’s interaction with the people. She is ever reminding us who work with and for her that public duty is a duty to the citizens first- it’s why her office is always full of citizens from all walks of life. She meets them personally without segregation. Since commitments to attend all the three events had been made, it was deemed fit that she uses a helicopter in order to be able to attend all of them. Indeed on the said day, she was able to go to the East and attended the other two events.
At the Legends Rugby Ground, a protocol officer from Parliament had been deployed and was coordinating with the president of the Uganda Rugby Union Andrew Owor and other match and security officials.
The officials were informed that the Speaker was flying from Jinja to come and preside at the game having taken into consideration the change of kick-off time.

The protocol officer was in contact with the team that was with the Speaker, including the helicopter pilots, who asked whether it was possible for them to land across the road at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds.
The president of the rugby union placed a call to the management of Kyadondo, who gave the all-clear that there was no event there and the chopper could land there.

When the players finished with the warm ups and went back to the changing rooms, another call was placed to those on board the chopper and they said they were eight minutes from landing, which information was passed on to the rugby union officials.
Following consultation with other officials, Mr Owor informed the protocol officer that it was okay for the chopper to land at the grounds.

This information was immediately passed on to those on board, who informed the pilot of the same. Indeed, in less than three minutes after that call, the chopper appeared and landed at Legends.
It is, therefore, wrong to publicise insinuations that the decision to land at the venue for the game was made by the Speaker or the pilots.

The Speaker values the contribution of all sectors and could have in no way intended to disrupt the start of a game of such importance.
Like she told the president of the union, she is committed to supporting the game of rugby in the country and will be available again when called upon to preside at other games. The media could help harness the buy-in of all stakeholders to promote the good game instead of sending out innuendos that except live coverage, other stakeholders are only a disruption.
To the rugby fans, who might have felt offended because they did not have the information on how it happened, the Speaker is ready to rally support for the game you so love.

Mr Obore is the director, communication and public
affairs Parliament of Uganda. [email protected]