The renewed engagement with Africa in what appears to be a paradigm shift towards mutual, cordial and hopefully progressive benefit to the continent is a good sign that China, alongside Russia, Japan and India are seeking to reshape the world order. Of course we should expect that countries that defined the old world order, some of which are now museums, will try staging rearguard actions to undermine the new shifts.

For the last two years there have been ominous political signs bolstered by political grandstanding and finger-wagging directed against the NRM and President Yoweri Museveni, which make it appear that the revolution is riding under rain before a violent storm descends towards the much hyped 2021 general elections. 

The four month-long running public demonstrations by section of the people of Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory of the Peoples Republic of China, has gone beyond being an agitation for democratic reforms to hooliganism, vandalism, general disrespect for established law and order, and is an imperial attempt to break or contain China. The script is similar to the one that has been used to dismantle and disorganize the Middle East, Arab World, South America, and North Africa.

Next week Uganda commemorates 57th Independence anniversary to be held in Sironko district, Elgon region under the theme “Consolidating National Unity, Security, Freedom, and Prosperity.” As we begin this journey we should dedicate appreciation to all the heroes and hard working Ugandans. In particular, we honour the National Resistance Army/Movement (NRA/M) that took control of national leadership in 1986 to resurrect Uganda from the abyss where it had been dumped.

Three successive events this week is proving that Uganda’s mendacious opposition leaders Kizza Besigye, Patrick Amuriat, Salaamu Musumba, Norbert Mao, Mugisha Muntu, Erias Lukwago, and recent entrant Robert Kyagulanyi may be reaching their final sad destinations. 

Zimbabwean liberation icon Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, 95 years, has finally gone to rest in eternity, but some of those he opposed for the right reasons like British imperialists and neo-liberals he chased out after letting him down continue to chew curd over his dead body. These groups are in the futile hope that they can erase Mugabe’s historical contribution to Africa. 

In the run up to the forthcoming 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Conference slated for September 22 to 29, 2019, in Kampala, Uganda, reflections are abound on the significance, influence and benefits of such large meetings in Uganda, especially when we look back at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held here in 2007, and the controversies that surrounded it afterwards.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in the United States, published a third rate, alarmist and false story which got reproduced locally alleging that Uganda government was working with Chinese technology communication giant, Huawei, to conduct political surveillance on opposition politicians. It’s third rate because, it didn’t quote anyone either in Uganda, China or at Huawei, but merely referred to ‘highly placed security sources,” and as such passed for propaganda and lazy journalism. 

President Yoweri Museveni, and Paul Kagame of Rwanda, this week in Luanda, Angola, signed an agreement to cease hostilities against each other, re-open their common borders to allow free movement of people and trade, refrain from giving counter support to each other’s dissidents, respect mutual each sovereignty, ensure fair treatment of respective citizens in their territories, normalize frosty relations, and establish a joint committee to monitor and follow up the implementation.

Early this month President Yoweri Museveni completed his three month  countrywide working tour to mobilize mainly local leaders on socio-economic transformation which entails uplifting rural households by bolstering their food security, production and productivity, wealth creation for income, and entry into commercial enterprises. This tour is among the many that President Museveni has been engaged in with Ugandans over the years against the backdrop of persistent societal resistance to change and adoption to new ways of production among majority of Ugandans.