The Observer (Kampala)
Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda
6 March 2008
The drama associated with hosting the maverick Libyan leader, Col. Muamar Gadaffi, is about to unfold at Entebbe International Airport.
The Libyan strongman who has ruled this oil-rich country for nearly 40 years has written to President Museveni informing him of how he will arrive in Uganda in the company of five others heads of state.
Gadaffi is expected in the country on March 17 to close a 10-day Afro-Arab Youth Festival at Speke Resort Munyonyo. President Museveni will open the 2,000-delegate conference on March 7.
Gadaffi plans to arrive with presidents; Gen. Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Gen. Omar el-Bashir (Sudan), and Pierre Nkurunziza (Burundi).
Others are Niger's President Tandja Mamadou and Chad's Idriss Deby.
Gadaffi is also reportedly sweet talking Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to include him in his entourage.
However, diplomatic sources told The Weekly Observer that Uganda was uncomfortable with hosting five or six other heads of state, more so not officially invited by Kampala, but Tripoli.
The government had kept the Afro-Arab Festival as a low profile meeting of the youth. The only ministry involved in organising this conference is that of Gender, Labour and Social Affairs. However, a source told The Weekly Observer that Gadaffi's letter to Museveni detailing his itinerary was reportedly kept away from him. The source said that when President Museveni delayed to respond to Gadaffi's letter, the latter sent an envoy to the former to confirm whether Uganda had approved his itinerary. It was at this point that President Museveni expressed ignorance about the letter.
The President's delayed response is said to have infuriated the Libyan leader whose relationship with Museveni is already strained by Uganda's support for a non-political African Union, a view advanced by South Africa, as opposed to Libya's preferred one continental government.
Our sources intimated that Gadaffi almost cancelled the visit, before the meeting between the Libyan envoy and Museveni resolved the matter.
In turn, President Museveni who also wanted Gadaffi to sponsor the festival, dispatched a delegation to Libya late in January.
The delegation was led by the Minister of Gender, Hajjat Syda Bumba. Other members were NRM Youth League Chairman; Abasi Agaba, Sunday Opio (Festival Finance Committee chairman), and Mary Mutesi (NRM Youth League). They were in Libya for about a week.
Bbumba delivered a letter from Museveni to Gadaffi in which, our sources say, the Ugandan leader asked his Libyan counterpart to donate Shs 2 billion to facilitate the festival.
Second festival
The Kampala festival will be the second such event after the first one was held in Khartoum, Sudan, in 2004. The festival takes place every after three years, and interested countries apply to the Afro-Arab Youth Council to host it.
In 1979, foreign ministers of Afro-Arab countries agreed that the youth should meet periodically in order to strengthen the relationship among the members. This agreement was later backed by the African Union.
Gadaffi partly sponsored and attended the first meeting in Khartoum.
While in Uganda, the Libyan leader will also officially open the magnificent Old Kampala Mosque, which he helped build. Gadaffi will later address the East African Community Summit due in Kampala on March 20.
A source in the Foreign Affairs ministry told The Weekly Observer that because of Gadaffi's programme, they have had to adjust the meeting of the East African heads of state from March 19 to March 20.
Cash fight
To help the festival's preparations, President Museveni directed the Ministry of Finance to release Shs 2 billion to the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development. He later ordered the release of another Shs 300 million.
The total budget for the festival is Shs 4.5 billion with Col. Gadaffi expected to donate another Shs 2 billion. The Weekly Observer has reliably learnt that as soon as the first batch of the money was released, quarrels over who should control it began.
The NRM Youth who actually attracted the festival to Uganda insisted on controlling it. But the Ministry of Gender insisted that taxpayers' money should be subjected to the normal government procurement procedures.
"The youth fought the Ministry of Gender and kicked out the technical staff after a lot of intimidation and threats," our source said.
Mondo Kyateka, an Assistant Commissioner for Youth who had been appointed by the ministry to head the organising secretariat, was summarily kicked out by the youth.
They also told the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Christine Guwatudde, to keep out of their festival. After successfully dislodging the ministry staff, State House aides and the NRM Youth League members formed the National Organising Committee and sub-committees.
Abasi Agaba became the over all chairman while Sunday Opio, a State House aide, is the chairman of the Finance Committee. Peace Mutuzo, another State House aide, is the general secretary of the organising committee.
"They appointed a colleague who studied medicine to head the health sub-committee and another colleague Charlotte Aheebwa is in charge of transport," our source revealed.
Even the suggestion by the Presidential Assistant on Political Affairs, Moses Byaruhanga, to contract first family in-law Odrek Rwabwogo's Terp Consult to manage and organise the event was reportedly rejected by the youth.
As a result of the struggle over control of the money, our source says the preparations have been negatively affected. However, the Minister of State for Youth, Maj. James Kinobe, denied anything of the sort.
In an interview with The Weekly Observer, Kinobe said the festival is organised by the youth with his ministry only supposed to provide technical guidance.
Kinobe added that the service providers are directly paid by the Ministry, so the youth leaders don't make any procurements.
Abasi Agaba, the chairman, echoed Kinobe's comments, adding that because the ministry got involved in organising the event, some aspects of the preparations are lagging behind.
According to our sources, President Museveni has written to the Head of Public Service, John Mitala, complaining about the indifference shown by government officials toward this event.
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