Shock, outrage, tragedy, the feelings of helplessness at the hands of personal armed guards and yet none cannot accurately describe murder most foul of Minister Col (Rtd) Charles Engola Mac Odwogo in cold blood by his UPDF military guard who was supposed to protect him. Then the marauding conspiracy theorists of ill-intent spewing political sewage.

For now the actual reasons that trigged the morning burst-up isn’t known yet since Engola and the assailant are dead. The guard, said to have been posted there a month ago opened fire on Aide De Camp Lt. Ronald Otim, then turned on minister Engola before fleeing the compound, entered a nearby hair salon and shot himself dead. The driver and other guards who worked with him that morning and preceding days, the gun used and spent cartridges are available.

The irate Sabiiti who had been a guard to a senior UPDF officer is well-known. He had recently returned from an NCOs course, and knitting the trail of his character shouldn’t be very difficult. ADC Lt. Otim whose shooting made Engola get out of the vehicle probably to ascertain the reason for the fracas is an invaluable witness since he supervised all the guards and should have basic intelligence on each of them.

But it could have been a long abuse the soldier suffered over a period as a guard. Mental illness that has gone undetected and yet the UPDF doesn’t have the means to offer effective support. Drug abuse and mental break-down. A dispute with the ADC over assignment, or rumoured grievances over unpaid personal allowances. Whatever the reason(s), UPDF has a task at its hands. May Macodwogo, a gallant soldier of many battles Rest in Peace.

King Charles Who! In the ever declining empire Britain, a feudal ceremony, the coronation of probably the last Monarch of any global significance-King Charles III is underway today, and may the King not live for long. At 74, Charles could be destined to be among shortest reigning monarchs. After the long-running and controversial extra-marital affairs with now Queen Camilla [Parker-Bowels] which drove his late wife Princes Diana into despair and her own counter-punch with an Egyptian Businessman Emad “Dodi” Fayed in whose romantic arms they both died on a Paris motorway on 31 August 1997, King Charles so tainted, and with him the Monarchy itself. Her famous public complaint was “our marriage is crowded.” That’s even before we consider the British monarchy’s relationship with slave trade, slavery, denigration and global exploitation. One hopes that in the near future, a king as Head of the so-called democratic Commonwealth will be repudiated by its members, majority of them, former British colonies.

Am on the side of those who believe that supporting, let alone swearing unqualified allegiance to a king by whatever description in the modern times, one has got to be an idiot. Look around Uganda and tell me what kingdoms since there restoration have achieved for their peoples save for being an added social and economic burden. Those gallivanting around them simply get richer and richer without doing any work of visible significance.    

And this brings me to the recently re-discovered need by MPs to re-enact a law against homosexual public promotion and practice in Uganda especially by local surrogates supported by western groups against what’s considered cultural conservatism. American and western political leaders in their usual presumed racial superiority, condescending and arrogance have issued ultimatums to blackmail our government to rescind the law or won’t get support for AGOA, malaria and HIV/AIDS. It’s dishonesty to tag health support to laws discouraging homosexuality as if it’s the only law against offences.

But it offers some breather that President Joe Biden is now more a figure of fun ridicule within and around the world than a president in full control. Last week he said “we cannot win this re-election, excuse me, but we can only re-elect Donald Trump” to the loud amusement of assembled audience of Democrats. That should actually cause trepidation because some lunatic could be making decisions a president is supposed to be making about domestic and foreign policy issues.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the humiliation the Deputy Attorney General Jackson Kafuzi suffered at the hands of an ebullient Speaker Anita Among who on record, rejected his legal advise. Apparently Among doesn’t appreciate that it’s the AG’s duty to advise the entire government and represent it in courts of law. It’s my humble opinion that the Speaker could be shooting herself in the foot, in case this matter goes to court because the AG will be conflicted and unable to defend a position he disagreed with on record in parliament, but probably we are surrounded by idiots.

For Peter Ogwang, the youthful sports minister who cheekily mused about what “they” will do if they don’t have women or men in a world where they’re being sent to the ‘wrong addresses’ by the devilish groups, we return to biblical hearsays of no man will put asunder what God created.