When you are a parent there are certain things you must not do because in the home you have another role of being a teacher.
I do not know how many times my daughter Halima Namwanje Nanziri has struggled to imitate her mother.
My sons Ssemujju II and Ssemujju III also keep imitating me including how I walk and eat. There was a time they saw me limping and immediately they sought to do it.
Parenting doesn't stop with your own children. It extends to people below you when you are in a position of leadership or authority. That is why leaders are supposed to be very careful with their actions or else people below them will copy them.
All of you have seen Prof. Gilbert Bukenya trying to imitate his boss Museveni. There was a time when he forgot names of all people around him and started calling them "nani" because he saw Museveni doing the same. Bukenya was, like Semujju II, being a good son.
The other day I saw Amama Mbabazi with a huge hut similar to one Museveni wears. Museveni may not be a reckless but the casual way in which he handles public resources, makes people below him think that is how things are done. When a head of state begins manipulating MPs to change the Constitution for him to stay in power, legislators will bribe voters to help them stay in Parliament.
The LC chairpersons will pick it up from there and I hear children in primary school also give "logistics" while campaigning these days. When the President of a poor country that is still vulnerable to food shortages, builds himself a Shs70 billion official residence and buys a Shs80 billion jet, ministers will certainly demand for the latest model of Land Cruisers.
When a President of a poor country flies his daughters for antenatal care in Spain, his ministers will seek medical attention from South Africa, India and UK. Such is the effect of a leader or a parent on people below him.
That is why people in Buganda and I guess in other areas, were in the past when they still had influence, very cautious of the families their children married from. While I am angry with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) leadership for cheating history, I think the right person to blame is their tutor.
Those of you reading about this for the first time, need to know the official version in Rwanda at least according to the country's army boss Gen. James Kabarebe is that, "the battle to liberate Rwanda by RPF/A would have failed had President Paul Kagame not been in charge.
There was nobody else to re-organise soldiers after the October 2 1990 setback. The truth must be told. Nobody should lie to you that we had another person like President Kagame." This is how Rwanda has responded to a speech delivered on July 4, by Museveni at the occasion to remember their struggle. Never mind that Museveni received a medal for his role. Some RPF leaders were angry with Museveni for reminding them that Kagame was a youth serving under him.
They were also angry to be reminded that Maj. Gen. Fred Rwigyema was their first commander and some of them killed him in a power struggle. For once I am on Museveni's side. History must be told truthfully with all honesty even if it makes you inferior.
I think people who were inferior yesterday should celebrate most when the history of how they have arisen from obscurity to the top is recounted. Unfortunately some of our leaders have allowed their troubled past to haunt them.
That is the reason Museveni presents himself as having been the greatest fighter, commander and war planner that ever existed on the universe. Because Kagame served under him he has also copied this bad habit. Museveni has sought to rewrite the history of Uganda to make the country appear as if it started when he took power in 1986. And since he parented Kagame, the same tendency has been exported to Rwanda.
If there is anybody who should be given credit for the success of RPF, it is Museveni and not Kagame. What Kagame should legitimately claim is his contribution in bringing Museveni to power. If the agreement was for Museveni to reciprocate, the RPF should be happy and count themselves lucky because those of us in Buganda are still waiting for the agreed promise.
In that respect both leaders should exchange medals instead of belittling one another. I also think it is cheating history when someone attempts to downplay the role Rwigyema played in the RPF war.
In fact if the Bayinganas and Bunyenyezis had not murdered him, he would have been the leader of Rwanda. Kagame would still be in Uganda or in Rwanda, maybe commanding the Police force. All I am labouring to say is that I am extremely happy with Kabarebe and anybody in Rwanda who dismisses the obvious role Museveni played in their struggle. It is a practical and good lesson for our man.
The author is Political Editor of The Observer
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I beg to differ with your piece and Museveni's for that matter. If I understand what you are saying is that Museveni should be credited to be on the ground in Birunga, Ruhengeri, organising troops at HQ in Mulindi and so on? If that is your history, then it is frought with self aggrandissement and undue selfishness. All it shows is that like usual, some people like to take credit for other people's exploits, never mind the evidences on the ground. Now I am not an avid RPA/F supporter, but hear me hear, if you went through your schooling and did all the hard work and got a degree that feeds you today, would you father/mother claim the hard work you've done. Certainly not. That is condescending and belittling all your efforts and certainly your father/mother will not be given a job just because they helped you to pay your tuition fees. This is parallel to what Museveni and Uganda have arrogantly made this out to be. Would you seriously believe that Museveni ever put on army camouflage to give advise at Mulindi? If you are familiar with military strategy, you will understand that this would have been laughable, let alone foolish. He had no clue on what's going on in the South. What Museveni should have credited himself is to organise a well coordinated force that liberated our country and acting as the patron. This honor is duly deserved and rightly so, and us Rwandans do not forget this. What he has tried to do is claim glory at every corner, and like you he is a misguided poor man. What us Africans tend to forget is that your protege can be better than you, and with Museveni this is obviously unsettling to think that that kid he started the guerilla with has outlived him. So what better way to try and steal the limelight. Museveni and you and other Ugandans who believe in this version of history should come down to earth. Maybe once we start a true war museum, all will be clear and you all can get the credit you deserve.
marco
What Ugandans and the rest of the world want is for Rwandese to live in peace and stop murdering each other. History has a way of repeating itslef in the great lakes region. Victories tend to last a few decades only to be followed by fresh cycles of genocide. The Tsusi have the reigns of power, but if history is to repeat itself, we expect them back in Uganda soon!
We Ugandans have sheltered Rwandees for hundreds of years. We hope you find peace and remain in your small corner. Uganda wants to be left alone to enjoy its natural wealth.
Kagame shouldnot dwell on the past. He should try and build a society at peace with itself. Hopefully that will save Uganda from the usual influxes of Rwandese refugees typical every 12 to 15 years
If what you are saying is true then please by all means go ahead and enjoy your wealth. What a joke. This is beside the point and totally untrue because it does not address the point in discussion here. It is if you are trying to divert from the actual discussion to show us the very exact subservient attitude Uganda and almost characterize our entire continent. Uganda should be proud to have been part of the struggle to liberate Rwanda. But nooo... Uganda also has to remind everyone about it..which is off course should not be a problem if the version was told truthfully. And that's where we do not agree.
Mbu that attitude is why Uganda is a very corrupt nation minded. each nation has its own problem and telling the truth is definitely one of yours (Ugandans). So my brother/sister you need to recognise that Rwanda is doing all it can to address that issue you raised and we are not hiding from it. Unlike you lot. You know what we say in Kinyarwanda... tuzabereka munsi y'ibirenge, we will run so fast, while you are still stuck in the same 1986 gear.