FDC asks for Xmas luwombo  as security bosses are dropped

Independent presidential candidate John Katumba showed up at the Electoral Commission (EC) headquarters for an unscheduled meeting with the commission chief, Justice Simon Byabakama.

The EC chief had earlier summoned FDC presidential candidate Patrick Oboi Amuriat, aka POA, and his National Unity Platform counterpart Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, for a meeting over the duo’s continued flouting of Covid-19 SOPs on the campaign trails.

Bobi and POA snubbed the meeting, with FDC in particular flavouring the otherwise volatile campaigns by offering to only be available for any such meeting on Christmas Day.

“Our candidate is too busy and has no time presently, but will be available on Christmas Day. Prepare luwombo,” the party said in a cheeky message.

It is not clear if Katumba misunderstood the luwombo joke, but some Ugandans think the man whose manifesto is as brief to the point as “Katumbe Oyee!” believed that the EC had invited POA and Bobi for a luncheon of the mixture of delicacy served in banana leaves.

There was neither Byabakama nor luwombo for Katumba at EC headquarters. He bounced, leaving some speculating that he was there to raise genuine concerns after he had been molested by security agents during his campaign.

Katumba’s aides need to start making appointments. A whole potential president cannot be bounced like that. The other day it was at the Bunyoro Kingdom palace.

‘No courage to campaign in Kisoro’
Campaigning in the southwestern border district of Kisoro, Bobi said President Museveni lacks the courage to campaign in the area because Gen Kale Kayihura is still in ‘prison.’

Gen Kayihura was sacked as Inspector General of Police in 2018 and remains battling charges before the military court. Ceasing on the mood of the ‘Kisoroans,’ Bobi said he would pardon the former IGP if elected president.

He did not, however, mention giving a job to the man he claimed ignored his advice on working for Museveni, which should be a relief for Ugandans at a time at least two military generals have been removed from their offices or transferred over the actions Kayihura was previously accused of.

Maj Gen Muzeyi Sabiiti was this week defenestrated from the office of the Deputy IGP and placed on Katebe, while Special Forces commander Maj Gen James Birungi was sent to South Sudan.

The decision to remove the two senior officers came fast on the heels of the US sneezing on Uganda following the recent election-related violence in which at least 54 people were killed and hundreds of others maimed for life.

Gen Sabiiti was widely seen as the de facto IGP and for soldiers to be caught on camera shooting at civilians as if they were dispensing popcorn was a major indictment on his command of the military-infested civilian face of the police force.

On December 9, the chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elliot Engel, named Sabiiti and outgoing Birungi among senior UPDF officers that he asked the US government to sanction for alleged rights violations.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then hit the bull’s eye in a rejoinder, saying they were closely monitoring the individuals.
As Gen Sabiiti wallows on the metallic bench (katebe), it would be good for Bobi Wine to campaign in his home area and promise to forgive him and also to give him a job and also to tell the country how he used to work with Sabiiti and also…

Meanwhile, there are 25 days to Election Day and none of the candidates has pulled out yet. Besides the top runners and Katumba Oyee, there are also Mugisha Muntu, Fred Mwesigye, Henry Tumukunde, Nancy Kalembe, Joseph Kabuleta, Willy Mayambala and Norbert Mao.

Mao has pledged to form a new Constitution that bestows more powers onto Parliament in order to advance a democratic government.

The Democratic Party presidential candidate told the people of Amuria and Katakwi districts in Teso Sub-region that the move will address the challenge of dictatorship and corruption in the country.

Trust election campaigns to provide the tail and head of coins. In Rwenzori, Museveni agonised over the same, but in the opposite way.

 He bashed the makers of the Constitution for limiting the Office of the President to merely assenting to what Parliament decides on.

The President said he wants to have power over legislations and budget allocations -- in fact, to have more powers than Parliament.
And to show the fallacy of powers, Museveni’s National Resistance Movement will set up its own tally centre for the election results on January 14, parallel to the EC national tally centre.
It has always been a criminal offence whenever FDC did the same in the past elections.