Lule to Museveni: Government deeds making you unpopular

Elder statesman and former Rubaga North Member of Parliament Wasswa Lule has warned President Museveni of an emerging political force riding on the mistakes of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to gain ground.

Addressing a group of youth claiming to have been dispatched by the President to gather public views on why NRM is losing popularity in Buganda region, Mr Lule, also an economist, faulted the government for failing to listen to citizens’ voices.
He cited the growing rights abuses, torture in safe houses, corruption and failure to address economic and social inequalities in the country.

“You cannot have Security ministers claiming there are no safe houses in the country and yet everyone knows they exist. Corruption; your ministers are taking bribes which are stopping them from telling you the truth you need to know to take decisions,” Mr Lule said.
Impunity is manifested among the country’s leaders, he said, citing what he called government’s decision to ignore the nationwide chorus against scrapping the presidential age limit that lifted a key constitutional hurdle to make the incumbent president seek re-election in 2021 if he wishes.

Mr Lule said Uganda is split between classes: the haves, and have-nots; the tax payers and tax ‘eaters’.
The NRM party spokesperson, Mr Karooro Okurut, referred our inquiries to the senior Presidential Press Secretary, Mr Don Wanyama.
Mr Wanyama said he was a non-partisan civil servant and referred this newspaper to the NRM secretariat spokesperson, Mr Rogers Mulindwa, who was unavailable by press time.

Mr Bukuri Kakooza, who claimed to be the spokesperson for the group, ‘Team Thorough YKM 2021,’ said they were originally commissioned to dismantle former premier Amama Mbabazi’s campaigns for 2016 election.
He said their current task is to conduct countrywide research and report directly to President Museveni on why he is losing support.

“The President feels his ministers and politicians around him are not telling him the truth. He asked us to approach people whom he feels are his allies, although they belong to the Opposition, to get their honest opinion and see whether they can also help him [regain] support,” Mr Kakooza said.
We could not independently verify if President Museveni had deployed the team.
Mr Lule whom they consulted on Saturday is also a son of former President Yusuf Lule.
[email protected]