OPINION: NRM Youth Could Drive Uganda Into A Bloody Succession War

By Sam Evidence Orikunda

Robert Mugabe left the throne unceremoniously because of the excited youth of ZANU PF who started presenting and campaigning for Grace Mugabe as the successor of her husband.

This happened as Zimbabwe suffered inflation, corruption and absolute poverty of the local people.

 The ZANU PF led by their youth league Chairman, who I think was in bed with Grace Mugabe  would chant her name in ZANU PF gatherings and even print her pictures,  distribute and portray her as President Mugabe’s successor.

In a week’s time, uprisings began and President Mugabe was overthrown by his army. 

Some of those youth were arrested and I guess change happened when they were in coolers. 

 Also, a succession war was possible in Zimbabwe if President Mugabe insisted or if Grace Mugabe demanded to succeed the husband in a backdoor deal.

The same thing is in the offing in Uganda; some youth are printing t-shirts and openly campaigning for the first son as the possible successor of President Museveni.

When you disagree with them about it, they insult you and give you names. Supporting him and luring him into politics wouldn’t be bad but is it the right time to do so?

Has President Museveni told any of these youth that he is tired and he needs a successor? 

Obviously No, these are greedy, excited and tribalistic youth who want to take our country into chaos.

They’ve not considered the aftermath of what they’re pushing.

We in the Bakiga culture, have a proverb that says “a stone which the hoe has seen can’t hit it”.

It should be the responsibility of other right thinking youth to make sure they stop this kind of madness before it goes far and bring us problems.

The youth who don’t have god fathers in the current Government or those ones whose parents did not take part in the struggle that brought this Government in power are frequently told to be patient and persistent each time they ask for any kind of help.

If you reject that advice, they will say that you’re impatient and indiscipline. One wonders why these ones who are pushing the first son can’t be patient now that Mzee is still strong and still available to serve Ugandans.

This is selfishness and taking Ugandans for granted.

Most of the things in Uganda start as a joke before they become serious. When you’ve not followed them well you may wonder how they started and how they got to the level they’ve reached. 

A monkey in the bush laughs loud when the small part of the bush is on fire until it spreads to other parts of the bush and swallows up the monkey.

At that moment, the monkey can’t get itself out of the fire and it’s helpless hence dying.

The movement which the youth are focusing on started as  rumour from different sources and has  since then grown to what we see today.

The NRM has for the last thirty years achieved a lot of things for the country, but we’ve not done one thing and that’s peaceful transition of people. Uganda has had several Presidents but each time we are about to have change there must be shading of blood.

I think we ought to learn from our history. When Amama Mbabazi came, he said he wants to lead the country into a peaceful transition of power from one generation to the other which he had waited for in NRM but in vain.

 Gen Tumukunde also comes speaking about it, that a peaceful transition of power is so much needed at this point of time.

These men are wise and I think they’ve many years in our country’s Politics. The reason as to why this point keeps arising each time we approach elections is that it’s important and Ugandans want it.

Even when you talk to people in their communities, they’re worried about transition in Uganda.

 They will tell you how violence is possible in Uganda in case anything unplanned happens.

Away from that, some people in other regions say they would want to have a chance of leading Uganda.

They argue that westerners have held the position of President for long.

In fact Bobi Wine and People Power bases themselves  so much on that particular point.

It has become clear that for them, it’s one of the agendas they’re pushing. One wonders if the Youth in that project have really considered what is on the minds and on the lips of other Ugandans from other parts of the country and if it’s important for every Ugandan to take part in our country’s Politics and leadership.

If anyone is blocked, they may consider other means which could be costly and painful to the country.

The NRM has been at fore front of fighting politics of tribalism, nepotism and sectarianism. However, every day people complain of tribalism being practiced in different departments of Government.

They also say that it’s very difficult to get a position in the current Government if you don’t have any relationship or connections with some people in higher offices, if what these youth are advocating for happens the tribalism people complain about will have matured and we will have no sounding reason of defending it.

Uganda will not be far from experiencing what Rwanda went through and what Kenya went through.

We’ve made a mistake as a party to involve money in our Politics. In Uganda, money takes center of any Political activity being Campaigning or casting of votes.

We over did the other time when Kusasira Catherine, one of the people mobilising for the party in Kampala was filmed posing with millions of money.

And as she  does so, the youth who are unemployed are watching, those poor Cadres who do most of the work for the  party without any coin are also watching.

It’s not only unfair but it is an insult to those groups of people and which pains and incites them.

 What Catherine Kusasira is doing with the approval of the President is same as eating food as a hungry little kid is watching, is not only against culture but it is  inhumane. 

After all these years NRM has spent in power, we have been telling  people that we have built democracy where by elections takes center of choosing the leaders we want.

I hope the Youth who are now focused on the succession battle will consider having their successor on the ballot such that Ugandans may have to make a choice. If he wins genuinely in a free and fair election I don’t think there will be any cause for alarm.

Our elders, now holding Government positions have been telling the youth that their time shall come to have chance of leading and enjoying state power, I hope the elders who have been saying so will not interfere with the Youth as they make a choice on who should be in front and  who shouldn’t. If they do so they will not have guided us well and they will leave the country in turmoil which will take years to be solved.

Uganda at the moment suffers unemployment and absolute poverty, we would want to see a working economy that favours both poor and the rich, we would want to see unemployment being reduced, if that’s not the focus of our elders then they’re betraying us and we will have no choice but to help ourselves.

No wonder the people power Youth struggle seem to gaining some weight in the central part of Uganda. These are some of the issues that are pushing the youth and should be answered with a satisfactory reply.

The first son could be having the ambitions of leading Uganda just like any Ugandan, but I believe in the army there could be other young officers who feel they can make good President of Uganda.

 Those ones should be given a chance and a platform too and if they’re not we might find ourselves in a bloody and senseless succession war which will cause a lot of problems and also destroy what has been done in the last 30 years that NRM has been in power.

Conclusively, our country’s leadership should never be handled like a family affair.

It should never be a son after the father unless it has democratically been done and in a genuine process that all Ugandans will understand and participate in, if by mistake it’s done by Force or intrigue, just like how most positions are awarded in NRM these days our country will be in ruins once again.

 We will go back to the times of 1980s and a lot of blood will be shed. I am not saying so because it’s what I would want to see but am saying so because I want to see a peaceful Uganda today and tomorrow when President Museveni will not be President. If the peace we are enjoying today is not extended to the generation of the youth, the NRM and President Museveni will be blamed to have planted a seed of violence and turmoil all the achievements will therefore be useless.

The writer is a passionate cadre of the Movement and aspiring western youth member of Parliament.