Kategaya, Arusha, politics

Of the core that disagreed with their boss, the non-confrontational Kategaya chose to return to the fold; diminished but not demolished. He still managed a crack or two like his characterisation of Dora Byamukama’s shameful conduct before the East African Legislative Assembly in Arusha.

Believers in Christendom believe their work on earth is to fulfil God’s wishes. A random question on Saturday crossed my lips, how is Eriya doing? Is he back? News of Eriya Kategaya’s sickness was once addressed by the government spokesperson, National Guidance Minister, Karooro Busingye Okurut.

The media broke news of his death about an hour later in a Nairobi hospital. Kategaya has been part of the history of a political nucleus, that formed a fourth rail in Ugandan politics and successfully captured State power in 1986.

The first rail were the religious institutions, the second were the traditional rulers and systems of kinships, the third was the neo-colonial state and its competing actors; administrators, political parties, followed by the military and later the business class.

The fourth rail at its core succeeded due to its higher levels of education, a semblance of ideological coherence and commitment to capturing state power. The relative youth of its center-fold allowed it to grow in office, minimise its worst excesses and adapt to the changing external environment.

For many years, Eriya Kategaya served as its headprefect or Primus inter Pares. In a historical switch, after a few years as Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, in February 1988, he became First Deputy Prime Minister.

After Dr Kizza Besigye’s dismissal from Cabinet, he assumed the mantle of National Political Commissar. As NPC, he along with now Justice Jotham Tumwesigye and Col. Jacob Asiimwe took over responsibility for the day to day running of the NRM Secretariat.

Kategaya could have been said to have been the only fully functional NPC. The NRM Secretariat lay claim to serving as the shadow government. It oversaw the army of central government representatives, political mobilisers whose lengthy journeys upcountry offered carrot or stick to the regime opponents to join, fold in or risk being obliterated. He wasn’t the only leading political player at the time.

The Army tied up in the north grew into a behemoth, so did intelligence organisations and the rise of a one, Jim K. Muhwezi, outside of the regular army. In the political wing a group of young cadres jostled, for space, but all these groups could all somehow be called to order by Kategaya.

An effusive article written on Kategaya by a then young lawyer-journalist, Robert Mukhooli Kabushenga, at the turn of the century, noted that a security car sometimes scrambled to follow him around when he drove from his home.

Another also unlikely to be repeated article by the same individual at the height of Uganda’s villification for its foray into the DRC mentioned that a number of NRM MPS at the time- it was a mostly NRM dominated Legislature were mentioning the “I” word- I standing for impeachment.

Given the fact that it was Kategaya to whom the task of regional diplomacy fell and who later with the late James Wapakhabulo unsuccessfully sought comrade intervention to prevail on Museveni to honour his promise to stand down in 2006, it is easy to see how much these sentiments earned him scorn from Museveni III. Museveni III was rapidly expanding on his own individual merit and the use of organ-centric, formalists like Kategaya and Wapakhabulo was on the wane.

Of the core that disagreed with their boss, the non-confrontational Kategaya chose to return to the fold; diminished but not demolished. He still managed a crack or two like his characterisation of Dora Byamukama’s shameful conduct before the East African Legislative Assembly in Arusha.

Museveni in a bind for wanting to have his cake and eat it at the same time hid his indecision that pushed Mbabazi and Kadaga to root for Ms Byamukama, as insolence and insubordination to Kategaya. All three, Kategaya included, inspite of being officers of State, have all lamented from time to time that they have major difficulties meeting and interacting with Museveni III.

For the formalists who dreamed of writing an eternal system into history, it turned out to be a pipe dream- Kategaya, its symbolic and sober head has gone to meet his Creator. May his soul rest in Eternal Peace.

Mr Ssemogerere, an attorney and social entrepreneur, practices law in New York.
kssemoge@gmail.com