By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
The National Resistance Movement (NRM) Secretary General, Rt Hon Richard Todwong has said that outbursts against the NRM by a Kenyan opposition legislator, Junet Muhammad, Suna East constituency member of parliament on ODM ticket, are expression of a high level of ignorance about Uganda.
He is accuses of his unfortunate outburst against the National ResistanceMovement Party (NRM) of Uganda, in his press conference video following Kenya’s denial of travel VISA to the country’s Vice President William Ruto – (DP) to Uganda.
In a 1:48s video dubbed ODM chides DP Ruto over aborted trip, the legislator defends decision by Kenyan authorities to abort Ruto’s trip to Uganda whom he allege was coming to seek for political and military aid from his darling president Museveni as the country prepares for presidential elections which Ruto is taking part.
In a press statement, MP insinuated the following outbursts against the NRM in the quest to sound an “alarm” to Kenyans;
1.That the “tactics” of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) to capture power in Kenya should make all Kenyans very afraid.
2.That you do not need to borrow from other countries’ political habits whose results can lead to chaos and backwardness of your country (Kenya).
3.That the NRM records on human rights arenot worth borrowing.
4.That the NRM records on democracy arenot worth borrowing.
5.That the NRM records on good governance arenot worth borrowing.
6.That the NRM records on the freedom of the press arenot worth borrowing.
7.That the NRM record on expanding civil society is not worth borrowing.
8.That the NRM record on fighting corruption is not worth borrowing.
9.That the NRM record in creating a cohesive society is not worth borrowing.
10.That the NRM record in uplifting people from poverty is not worth borrowing;
11.And that the NRM is a party of lifetime presidency.
MP Junet further attacked the person of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa of the republic of Uganda.
On receiving the insults, the high voltage NRM SG Todwong could not settle for less to Hon Junet’s words and the team. He in a 10 pages statement exposed the legislator and his ODM team as ignorant about Uganda’s politics.
“I write to draw your attention and those of your ilk to the individual and collective comments you made against the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party, the sovereign Government of the Republic of Uganda and above all, the personal disrespect and insults you accorded His Excellency General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of Uganda and the entire Country. Your unfortunate utterances were indeed out of a possible deep-rooted internal political misunderstandings within your country.” opens paras of the letter.
“We believe that yourproclamation does not represent the official position of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) in Kenya against the well-established historical ties between the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party and the people of Kenya.”
Todwong in a statement reminds the legislator of his 10 yr’s spent in Kenya’s parliament a period he believes is quite significant for one to have understood the social, political and economic history of a neighbouring country to warrant him/her articulate issues with empirical evidence.
He however said that the legislator and his team exposed inadequate knowledge and understanding of the National Resistance Movement Party.
He added that Ugandans under the NRM sacrificed their lives to attain the democracy they enjoy today.
“Unlike Kenya, the democratic equilibrium we now have in Uganda was through patriotic sacrifices of the gallant sons and daughters of Uganda. Their unwavering sacrifices helped to secure the much-needed peace by January 1986 (nine years after you were born), possibly you were too young to appreciate this.
“You were lucky that your ancestral land-Somalia-is undergoing serious challenges that would have necessitated you as the first Kenyan Somali to attain a democratic seat in the National Assembly of a neighbouring country,” Todwong said.
Click here to read Full statement
Boasting about lasting peace, stability in the country, SG Todwong has urged the ODM legislator to promote the unity among people of Uganda and Kenya as a whole.
In response to MP Junet’s utterances which he (Rt Hon Richard Todwong) term as falsehoods, he listed 9 points reactions asking the legislator to cross check his records and present issues with an informed mind.
1.The National Resistance Movement(NRM)party does not and will never interfere with the internal affairs of any country. One of our key attributes is the promotion of the pan-Africanism spirit of brotherhood. We don’t do this to undermine or to “capture power” in any country as you alleged. We neither stop any visitor from entering our country as long as such a visit is not of security risk to our people.
2.The assertion that Kenya doesn’t need to borrow from other countries’ political habits is very correct, and indeed you should never even think of it just like we equally don’t. This is because our social, economic and political trajectories are premised ondifferent core values and principles.
3.That the NRM records on human rights arenot worth borrowing. I suppose you meant that our record on human rights is very poor. Honourable Member, I hope you recall the post-election violence of 2007/08 in Kenya andhow more than 2,000 innocent Kenyans were lost in only two weeks of the riots with about one million made homeless. I am sure you may well know the causes of all the above in Kenya and such has never happened in Uganda. The NRM party is strong and has ledUganda for the last 35 consecutive years because peace, security and human rights are our major pillars.
4.You asserted that the NRM records on democracy arenot worth borrowing. This can only be rightfully said by one who doesn’tnderstand the generic history of Uganda and we forgive you for expressing such a level of ignorance about Uganda. Uganda has more than 70,000 villages, more than 10,595parishes and close to 2184sub-counties. Each of these administrative units ispresided over by locally electedleaders. They campaign on various political platforms without interference. Our National Assembly has the representation of all special interest groups on affirmative tickets ie (women, youth, persons living with disability, elderly). Our President whom you insulted is massively elected by the populationevery time we go forgeneral elections. Your statement is an insult to the sovereignty and integrity of Ugandans who always elect their leaders as mentioned above.
5.You claimed that the NRM records on good governance arenot worth borrowing; indeed, please, don’t borrow our records because it is serving us as a country very well. For your information, our Governance system is structured at local and national levels. We have local administrative units that are being properly governed by our local governments which aredemocratically elected. Through theseservices, wearereaching the lowest person in ourvillages. The decentralization formula we adopted is working very well for our country, and indeed we request that you don’t borrow it. Secondly, our national infrastructure projects such as national roads, energy generation, etc, are progressing very well. We are a country that has been growing and expanding without hardship. Our GDP
8ratio has been growing from USD3billionin 1986to USD41.2billion in 2021.
6.You claim that the NRM record on the press is not worth borrowing. This is laughable. We have more than 300 FM radios, more than 50 Television stations, plus a high proliferation of Online and Digital media thatare free in cyberspace.
7.You speak from sheer ignorance when you claim that our record on corruption isn’t worth borrowing. Uganda’s record on fighting graft is laudable, we have a well-functional institutional anti-corruption mechanism thathas drastically reduced corruption at all levels of government.We promote an open government system.
8.The NRM party has united the different societies and peoples as one Nation. Our people are united under a common purpose and identity. The Ugandan Nation isnot balkanized under petty politics of identity, tribes, religion or colour. We are more focused onNational Development goals other than promoting tribal chiefdoms.
9.I won’t dwell so much on poverty. Recent studies show that Ugandans are the happiest lot in the region with the majority of the population able to afford the necessities of life. This is why
most refugees from the region including Kenya do flock into Uganda.
“Honourable Junet, please crosscheck your records so that next time you are better informed as a Legislator.” Todwong advised.
He further noted that the NRM government aim to promote and are committed to the East African Treaty that encourages sovereignty of countries and non-interference in the affairs of other countries.
“We believe you could be having internal political issues which we cannot be invited to be part of. We respect the independence and sovereignty of Kenya as a country and we appreciate the continuous cooperation between our leaders and people. No amount of diversionary statements from individuals can make us think otherwise. We are one people of the East African Community.” he said in a letter copied to the NRM National Chairman & President of the Republic of Uganda and the Kenyan High Commissioner to Uganda.
