In this 2 – part series declassify the events that led to my latest and shocking
suspension from Baba Television, first for a correct record and secondly to properly put them in context. What did i do and why did i have to apologize.
The Background
On Thursday, January 26, 2023 I together with colleagues Adam almahad Kungu and
Ssuubo Lukia Mpoza as a Gangamuka Show crew were suspended from Baba
tv.
The much-publicized reason was the satirical or sarcastic clip we had recorded on Tuesday, January 24,2023 at 07:36am in reaction to Parliament’s censure of Lands State Minister and Bukono County MP Persis Princess Namuganza.
In this clip as it has been stated we were heard “demeaning, mocking, ridiculing” the 11th
Parliament of Uganda and impliedly the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Anita Annet
Among and her Deputy Thomas Bangirana Tayebwa.
We immediately apologized to them on the morning of Thursday, January 26, 2023 at
07:36am. We were adhering to the principle of fairness which requires that an apology or correction of that nature must be done in the same space that the offending content was published. The public has talked about both the satirical clip and the subsequent apology with mixed reactions.
But how did I get into the line of fire in a seemingly personal war between Anita Among
and Lands Minister Persis Namuganza?
My History with Speaker Anita Among
I have had a long history with Rt. Hon. Anita Among first as colleagues in the Forum for
Democratic Change (FDC) where she was Deputy Treasurer. Anita is friendly, warm and caring but only to the extent that you do not erode her space.Anita will give you a hug if she feels it will
warm you up, a drink, a snack, a shilling now dollar if she feels it’s what you need to survive to the next minute.She was an inspiration for young people in the party by being closer and
sharing into our challenges no matter how.
Anita and the 2006 EALA elections
So, in 2006, when both Anita Among (From Bukedea) and Proscovia Salaam Musumba
(from Kamuli) stood for a ticket to represent the FDC at the East African Legislative
Assembly elections of 2007, I and other leaders from Busoga rallied behind Anita
against Salaam Musumba.
We were abused, insulted,attacked, ridiculed on all airwaves in Busoga because we were thought to have betrayed the region by supporting a Muteeso against a Musoga!
But as I have explained, many young party supporters said AAA was warmer, she was
down to earth compared to Salamu Musumba then viewed as proud with a sense of
self entitlement. Musumba is a founding member of FDC and had acting party President.
Later in that particular election, the Democratic Party with Fred Mukasa Mbidde and the Uganda Peoples’ Congress with James Opoka outsmarted FDC in a scheme to take the only opposition slots in EALA. Anita Among and Salamu Musumba lost out. I think after that, the now Right Honorable Speaker of Parliament went back to the chess board and realigned her political future to the surprise of many today.
Thirdly, I and AAA as friends of Dr. Kizza Besigye organized public functions one after
the other. In 2012 when the baptism of my son Warren Besigye happened and was
marred with teargas in Jinja, a week before or after Dr. Besigye in Bukedea for yet another public function organized by AAA. Then it was risky to host Besigye for private and public functions.
We were great friends on Facebook, liking and commenting on each other’s posts on my
earliest profile of Taata Warren. So annoying a friend of such a background was least expected.
Enter the Namuganza saga
Early last month, stories emerged of how the Speaker of Parliament and Lands State
Minister were bickering. I was quick to wonder why again it was Namuganza with
another Speaker recalling the nasty showdown she had with Rt.Hon.Rebecca Alitwala
Kadaga. So I wrote in one of the articles on https://smlnews.ug/2022/12/08/namuganzas-bad-date-with-speakers-kadaga-anita-among-why-the-animosity/ I was equally bitter with her. So, when Hon.Namuganza appeared on the Baba Television’s HotCup@9 and I was
asked to host her, I was hesitant for fear of conflict of interest given the article I had authored and after only 5 minutes into the show I walked out and Adam Kungu continued.The show was done in so strong a language that the faint – hearted couldn’t watch it again. It went viral and we were all wondering how bold she had become in her attacks. Little did we know we had entered the line of fire!
Enter the Mwine Mpaka probe
Later a committee chaired by Mwine Mpaka was set up to investigate claims of
Namuganza’s misconduct and misbehavior. Part of the evidence required was a
recording of her appearance on Baba Television where it was alleged, she had gone too
personal against the speaker.
The petitioner had in his own way recorded the show since it had been widely publicized
and therefore awaited.
So, the committee had the video recording but needed two more things to qualify this piece of
evidence. First, the translation of the interview into English since it had been done in a
mix of Lusoga and Luganda. Agatha Atukunda writing as Clerk
to the Select Committee wrote a letter that was later sent to me to authenticate the content. This was another incident throwing me into the line of fire, I simply read the letter every morning wondering what to do. Meanwhile the clerk sent me constant reminders through WhatsApp messages. Every time I read one butterflies grew in my stomach.
Then enter the bribery trap
Along the way, one guy claiming to have been sent by the petitioner asked to meet me
in Ntinda and indeed we met. He asked me to write the letter of authentication and
receive an offer of Ugx 5m, I declined, he said the offer would increase to Ugx 10m I
declined and told him to tell the committee to write again stating the monetary offer.
I told a few friends who advised me to pick the money but I insisted it was a trap I
couldn’t land into because the official channel writing to me hadn’t talked about it.
So, when the Mwine Mpaka committee completed its job against Namuganza leading to
her censure, the video recording evidence was disqualified because it hadn’t been
‘translated’ by the petitioner even if it had been authenticated or had it been authenticated, then the petitioner would have proceeded to translation. What a great relief!
Fate lands me in trouble
Against such a slippery background, I lost two tyres of the right side that burst on my
way from Jinja when my car hit a dangerous pothole around Namataba and I slept on
the road. A friend gave me a lift at around 4am in the morning and I came straight to
work. I had already called a mechanic from Wandegeya to pick the car whose engine had also
broken down requiring up to 6m to fix. So, when I saw an MP who wanted to vote on the
censure motion even before it had been presented on the floor, i wondered what type of legislator he was! What did he want to vote on? Thank God, Mr.Thomas Tayebwa,the presiding officer asked the exact question in his
ruling to the point of procedure raised by the MP.
The MP’s argument was that they were too many and couldn’t fit in the chambers so the
speaker should allow some of them to vote and proceed to other business for lack of
space!
So, when the motion was finally brought, debated and carried, I was already angry with
a man who couldn’t raise an issue of my Jinja – Kampala Road but could
enthusiastically want to vote on a matter un tabled on the floor of Parliament. castigating him and others outrightly would lead me into trouble and opted to speak about it differently and deliver my disappointment. How it became satirical, sarcastic, mocking, demeaning, ridiculing and then went viral is one thing i am still wondering.
To be continued…….
