There have been ominous signs of a creeping armed subversion that appears to be instigated and supported by some dissident groups passing for legitimate political opposition outfits seeking a democrat change in Uganda. They are taking advantage of the plethora of social and traditional media platforms to generate hate politics, drive negative agenda and propaganda, mobilize local and Diaspora support, blackmail and intimidate the state and Ugandans.

In their foolish self-belief, some of them think that because the world is intoxicated with free speech and the Ugandan state is benevolent, they can repeat what Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and compatriots did after the disputed elections on 10 December 1980, when on 6 February 1981 they launched a protracted peoples’ war which brought them to power on 26 January 1986. One can almost see them retracing Museveni’s foot footsteps from the isolated but numerous attacks on some of the poorly manned security installations especially police personnel and outposts scattered around Buganda in the districts of Luwero, Mpigi, Masaka and Kasanda. These people who can be described as poor adventurists really believe they can or will repeat what Museveni did.

They seem to be exploiting a national security apparatus seen to be bloated, complacent, corrupt and probably easy to circumvent, beat or even compromise, after all, Kizza Besigye keeps boasting publicly that he enjoys support in the military although that claim is yet to proved. Clearly, opposition elements involved in these acts of terrorism, subversion, and political armed rebellion are miss-reading the times in Uganda, region and Africa. They will surely meet sad and tragic ends unless they quickly call off their adventurism.

The frequent internal leaks so far suggest that there could indeed be some bad apples inside, otherwise how else does one explain the frequent incidents of brazen torture probably designed to degrade and expose security agencies as no better or perhaps worse than the Public Safety Unit and State Research Bureau of Idi Amin, or NASA under UPC II. 

These fifth columnists often conduct high profile and brazenly clumsy arrests, and sometimes abductions accompanied by evident horrendous torture of suspects under their custody who are later dumped in the dead of the night at police stations or in middle of nowhere to limp back in the hope they find their way home or to good Samaritans. These conducts break every known rule and laws yet it appears none of them has far been brought publicly account for their unprofessional behaviour contrary to existing legal and constitutional standards, and as well official public statements.

The attacks since November 2020 including the violent riots and arson on Kampala streets and other towns in Buganda have had hallmarks of premeditated insurrectionist politics with the backing of opposition politicians who haven’t been unashamed.

Robert Kyagulanyi a.k.a. Bobi Wine two months ago had the temerity to publicly claim that Jamil Mukulu, a terrorist suspect, captured in Tanzania in 2015 while under disguise was a ‘political prisoner’. Surely, for Mukulu to use at least twelve identification documents must have been hiding from the law especially knowing that he had been on public wanted list since the 1996 killing of six policemen at Old Kampala mosque and burning 67 students at Kicwamba Technical Institute in Kabarole district linked to the ADF rebels.

And that fact Kyagulanyi chose to speak for Mukulu at the home of Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago in Masaka isn’t entirely surprising knowing that Lukwago, a Kampala high profile politician, or at least considers himself so, advocates civil disobedience to remove this government. Masaka was also convenient because some NUP elements had soon after last year’s general elections sought to make it their ‘Benghazi’ similar to that in Libya from where the violent ‘revolution’ that overthrew Muamar Kaddafi started.

Many will recall that NUP elements including two MPs are now indicted in the courts of law for murders and other insidious crimes in Greater Masaka region where villagers were being hacked with machetes and other garden implements in an effort to intimidate them or portray government as unable to protect them.

NUP and People Power elements had falsely believed that under the cloud of the receding elections, government wouldn’t act decisively against them for fear of political opprobrium since NUP appeared to the cozy ears and backing of some foreign elements who had offered them money and technical support during the elections.

Although NUP as a political outfit is in parliament, some of its elements, the so-called “People Power”, a militia-style outfit have maintained an aggressive and unrestrained public posture ready to put at display whenever they feel offended. On social and other media platforms they concoct and spread falsified information usually with malicious intent to justification confrontation. NUP and Kizza Besigye’s faction in FDC have tried with modest success to drum Buganda land, human rights, civic space, and public service delivery issues in health, education, roads, electricity, economy, and jobs hoping to make them the Achilles heel for government. But well, these aren’t yet the perfect storm.