Ear To The Ground: How Binaisa and folks like Sam Odaka became strange creatures

His passing therefore marks the end of an era of a strange Ugandan political creature. He is the only man to have been in office at the start of the “nation building” phase, and held the highest office in the “limbo” phase.

I can think of only one other person alive in Uganda today who comes close – Obote 1 Foreign minister and Obote 2 minister of Planning, the delightful and shrewd Sam Odaka, who is ailing.

Binaisa was the last person to try and lead Uganda on the basis of some kind of mutual consent. Ever since he was deposed, no president has been able nor tried to govern Uganda without a personal army holding a gun to the country’s head, just like the colonialists did.

*cobbo@nation.co.ke