Former Makindye West MP HUSSEIN KYANJO was an outspoken opposition lawmaker in the 8th and 9th parliaments with a bright political career before a throat disease robbed him of his voice.
He chose not to seek re-election in the 2016 general election. Kyanjo, who now runs a printing business in Kampala, is a former president of the Justice Forum (Jeema) party.
At his residence in Buziga, Kampala, Kyanjo talked to Siraje Lubwama about his health, President Museveni’s campaign against the International Criminal Court, and the army’s recent invasion of the Omusinga’s palace in Kasese.
How is your health?
I am a bit okay, I no longer go to India for frequent medical checkups as I used to. I will only go there in June to adjust my body-charging battery.
How do you rate the performance of the 10th parliament so far?
I look at two items, which I have been following. Two committees have performed well; PAC [Public Accounts Committee] and the other on statutory enterprises. But the general performance of the entire House has not been satisfactory because it has a lot of unsettled petitions.
Secondly, some MPs have been rumour mongering too much. Some legislators I don’t want to name have been described as kazanyikirizi [clowns].
The 9th parliament had the NRM wing, which had independent minded MPs like Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga), Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East) and Muhammad Nsereko (Kampala Central). The independent-minded MPs in the 10th parliament have not been distinguished properly yet. President Museveni still whips the NRM MPs throughout and we have not seen dissenting views so far; that is my assessment.
In the past, protesting youths have thrown piglets in parliament’s parking yard, while one activist threatened to throw hyenas at Parliament. What is the best way for people to show their dissatisfaction?
Aggrieved people should mobilize themselves and demonstrate as groups; this is the most common mode rather than involving animals or birds, which have no case. In doing so, they end up violating the rights of these animals or birds.
The founder and executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative [FHRI], Dr Livingstone Sewanyana, does it in a civil way; he could be a very good example for the unsatisfied people.
If you were an MP in the 10th parliament, who would you vote for, for speaker, Rebecca Kadaga or Jacob Oulanyah?
I would vote for Kadaga because she tries very much not to show she is NRM while steering parliament, which is not the case with Oulanyah. I was satisfied with her impartial performance during the 10 years I was in parliament both when she was a deputy speaker and later speaker.
Who between Oulanyah and Muhammad Nsereko would you have voted in as deputy speaker?
I would vote for Nsereko because he has respect for the opposition and for collective responsibility.
Who are your three best- performing MPs in the 10th parliament so far?
I think Speaker Kadaga is my first choice, she has done her best so far, next is the Leader of Opposition Winnie Kiiza and the third is the Opposition Chief Whip Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda.
Can you comment on the recent Kasese palace clashes that killed over 100 people including 16 policemen?
That incident was badly handled and it is unfortunate the Rwenzururu King Charles Wesley Mumbere is in prison with some of his royal guards and loyalists.
Unfortunately, I wanted to get a full brief from the shadow minister for Internal Affairs Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi but he was not in the country when the security and internal affairs parliamentary committee went to investigate the incident in Kasese.
I still lack details on what really happened there. But arresting Mumbere, bombing his palace and killing a lot of people,shows that Uganda has gone back to the 1966 crisis when President Milton Obote ordered [Col] Idi Amin to attack the Lubiri and exiled Sir Edward Muteesa. This time the Kasese deadly operation was commanded by Brig Peter Elwelu on orders of Museveni who earlier blamed Milton Obote for attacking the Lubiri in 1966.
Shortly after swearing in as president in May 2016, President Museveni announced the Kisanja Hakuna Mchezo and said his tough stance against corruption will take Uganda to the middle-income status by 2021. What did you make of this?
I don’t see any sense in the Hakuna Mchezo phrase because he is the same person who has been leading this county, which wallows in obsolete poverty for the last 30 years. I don’t see any value in it.
What is your comment on the rampant killings of Muslim clerics since 2012 and the subsequent arrest of suspects, mostly Muslims?
The continuous murder of Muslim Sheikhs, which has to date brought the number of deaths to 16, has instilled fear in the entire country, not only Muslims. The assassins seem to be experts in what they are doing.
Me as Kyanjo, I am not satisfied with the argument that Muslims kill themselves because if it were so, the killers would have been apprehended long ago. But the continuous murder of Muslims has an invisible hand, which many Ugandans cannot see now but will see much later; this is my own opinion.
President Museveni has appointed a new chairman and commissioners of the Electoral Commission and parliament approved them. What did you make of the president’s choices?
The president has broken a gentleman’s agreement we made under the IPOD umbrella [Interparty political organization for dialogue] that we shall first amend the laws before all parties agree on who should serve where in the Electoral Commission.
IPOD is the only avenue where the ruling party and opposition parties convene and harmoniously agree on some things. Museveni has also not honoured the unanimous recommendations made by a panel of nine justices of the Supreme court in their March ruling on the election petition filed by former prime minister Amama Mbabazi.
There have been complaints of Muslims being marginalized when it comes to government jobs. This time the president picked two Muslims to replace Eng Badru Kiggundu who headed the previous commission. Are you happy?
It is good to give us two posts in the Electoral Commission. If they were say five posts and Muslims got two that would be fair; in cabinet we are not properly represented and in civil service it is worse. Recently we were given only one permanent secretary slot in the name of Asuman Lukwago. This is wrong representation.
The president has appointed opposition politicians in his cabinet; for instance, UPC’s Betty Amongi is the minster for lands. Do you think the president is trying to create harmony with the opposition?
Not at all, Kamya, or Nakiwala are not ambassadors of their respective parties in cabinet. Kamya doesn’t articulate Uganda Federal Alliance’s position in cabinet just as Mrs Akena or Mrs Kiyingi doesn’t represent UPC or DP in cabinet. They implement the NRM manifesto.
President Museveni like some African leaders is threatening to pull Uganda out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and yet he wants the same court to prosecute Dominic Ongwen. What is your comment?
Uganda’s position is contradictory because this is the same country which ratified the ICC statute. At the time I was in parliament, this position was fully supported by government.
Now the change of heart has come because some African leaders who are engaging in illegal actions like the Kasese killings fear to appear in the same court. It would be very sad if Uganda pulled out of ICC at this time. I support Ongwen’s trial there; if he is found not guilty, so let it be.
People say President Museveni may front his son to replace him. Last year, you tried to front your son to replace you in parliament. Winnie Byanyima wants to replace Col Kizza Besigye. Do you support the idea of hereditary leadership?
I explained the issue of my son, but I got Byanyima’s message differently. She was asked if she can stand for a presidential post and her answer was in relation to having the required qualifications, not ambition. I don’t think Byanyima is going to stand.
slubwama@gmail.ug