The Danger Of NUP'S Latent and Overt Support for Criminality: A Myopic Strategy

By Jonah Ruhima

In the recent past, Bobi Wine has been using different media platforms to do what he calls Kulabisa, but all this is just insults and false accusations.

During his media interviews, Bobi Wine serves as both judge and jury, with no one to challenge him or any independent means to verify his allegations.

In conferences, Bobi, anti-Uganda forces, and tribal chauvinists have used the media to lie, divide people, fight, and belittle Uganda’s development.

Using his art of false propaganda, he has maligned targeted government officials and our country to win sympathy and support.

In a recent media interview organized by the Kenya Human Rights Commission, an NGO started by individuals in Odinga’s group (long-time allies of Col. Besigye), influential leaders of the Ugandan opposition together with some civil society group leaders paraded individuals who they claimed were victims of torture.

Later it was established that some of these alleged torture victims, like Moses Simbwa, were actually accident victims.

Another story that went viral was one where they used pictures of the Kenyan comedian Eric Omondi, claiming he was one of the torture victims, and yet the same photo had been used with different names, claiming they were also torture victims.

This platform was not given to the Ugandan Opposition because they had genuine concerns that they couldn’t address in their own country or because this NGO was a balanced, honest, and unbiased group trying to support Uganda in addressing its challenges, it was because the proprietors of this NGO are strong critics of President Museveni, and they will do whatever it takes to defame him and support any forces against his leadership.

This criticism originates from their political egos rather than the genuine interests of Uganda or Kenya. They’re still nursing the wounds of a terrible defeat from a man who holds a lot of respect for President Museveni, whom he addressed as the father of our region amidst a cheering mass of Kenyans.

These critics obviously don’t represent the views of Kenyans or Kenya, which has Uganda as its biggest trading partner and food basket. Any wise leader who wishes well for their people —not the Kyagulanyi types—who are extremely green in economics, would never support any plans to destabilize Uganda.

We are aware of the fake and negative reports different groups have been releasing against Uganda, and most of these are based on false accusations and exaggerations.

These have been evident in anti-EACOP campaigns; we all remember “the famous Map of East Africa” that showed the stretch from Albert to Tanzania as having more rivers than the entire world.

They have gone on and on to post stories claiming different financiers have pulled funding from EACOP, yet these individuals have never been in any form of business with EACOP.

While addressing people in Europe, Nubian Li, Bobi Wine’s confidant, said that Museveni has killed over 50 million people. The gullible whites clapped, cursed M7, and sympathized with Nubian Li by giving him some dollars as the image of Uganda was being ruined! The fact matter is that the total population of Uganda is 45 million, and there’s no way M7 could have killed 50 million people.

On November 24, 2022, Bobi Wine, using his verified Twitter handle, posted about a meeting he had with over 50 supporters who he alleged had been released from court.

Here, Bobi Wine contradicts himself in his campaigns where he's trying to show Uganda as a lawless society where his supporters are being persecuted, and he also affirms statements that he persecuted AG Mr. Kiryowa Kiwanuka for.

This is evidence enough to affirm that the Ugandan government arrests only suspected criminals and takes them through a just court system run under the laws of our country.

These are the same laws where Bobi Wine and his group have been able to get justice not only once, but many times and those found innocent are always released, just like those 50 supporters he was meeting, but the convicted go on to serve their sentences.

In an investigation, many people may be arrested not because of political persecution but because of their direct or indirect association with criminals or threats to national security.

Justice in some incidents may delay, but it is never intentional because Uganda, as a country, is still developing with many challenges including a still-growing justice system, criminal investigation, and intelligence services.

Just like many other developing countries, Uganda has constraints of limited resources. Fighting crimes is a sector that is becoming more expensive across the globe as technology dominates criminality, defence, and the development of different countries.

As criminality rises, as a result of population growth and global economic constraints exacerbated by imperialism and exploitative policies, we must support the proper financing of our defense infrastructure because criminality affects us all, and ill-facilitated defense delays justice and makes our country vulnerable to enemies and regional stability challenges.

You understand this so well, but you want to exploit the ignorance of your gullible supporters for your selfish gains. It is the government's responsibility to maintain the rule of law and order, and while doing this, arrests will be made.

In all honesty, Bobiwine and the entire Ugandan opposition are not as innocent as they want to posture. On several occasions, they have violated the law out of arrogance and feeling of importance because they feel they are too powerful to be held accountable.

They also try hard to use their genuine arrests to attract sympathy and win political capital.

The writer is a concerned citizen