As we head into the 2026 elections with nary a whisper about comprehensive electoral and political reforms to guarantee free and fair elections, toward that elusive goal of peaceful political transition, we must ponder the tools in the feeble citizens’ hands.
Feeble because our political history and culture has conditioned us to be more accepting of militarism- the gun means power, power to ‘stabilise’ Uganda. Thus, do not be offended too much when Musa Ecweru, the state minister for Works and National Resistance Movement (NRM) member of parliament (MP) states, “For now, President Museveni is the cement that holds this country together. He may have his shortcomings and we all have our problems but he remains the glue that unites Uganda”.
January 2026 will mark 40 years of the NRM regime yet here we are sanitizing its deterioration. It is a grave letdown of the National Resistance Army (NRA) revolution that 40 years later, we are beholden to a man.
A man who famously quipped that Africa’s problems lay in the hands of leaders who overstayed in power. Perhaps somewhere in State House sits the mythical fountain or tree of immortality (for can one overstay if one is not immortal?). Now, while Museveni still lives, reigns and commands influence, the NRM has a fleeting chance to change course—by truly listening to Ugandans. Resistance may be the party’s founding ethos, but, as the internet meme goes, “resistance is futile.”
Change is inevitable. My elders watching the self-immolation of the NRM spearheaded by the First Son and chief of the defence forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, are melancholic. A sigh escapes one of them as he flips through the newspapers. He marvels at the display of might, the grandness of political impunity.
One is forced to sit up when they start comparing the turbulent yesteryears of Idi Amin and Milton Obote to current events and finding similarities – not the good kind. They reminisce about the powerful ruling party that was the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC).
They smirk to see the raggedy banana fiber-doll UPC is today, a plaything for the NRM. The elders and historicals in the evening of their lives have taken to grandparenting with premium enjoyment. After all, they are too old to go to the bush, too old to run, too old to hide.
When they pull themselves away from the entertaining antics of their own cherubic-cheeked bazzukulu, they watch warily the young and restless, the tayaad firebrands of the opposition whose radicalism is fanned on by the growing militarism of the NRM regime.
Online, the young firebrands blame the old farts for saddling Uganda with the NRM that refuses to unhand Uganda from the shackles of impunity and injustice. The young radicals demand that the old historicals should step up once more and set Uganda free.
The elders, slightly incensed by the rudeness and entitlement of the young foot soldiers, retort that their work is done. They did what they could for their generation. It is now time for this generation to do the heavy lifting.
Somewhere in the middle of the old and the young, are the wise sages sitting on the rickety fence lecturing young people on how to avoid oppressing the oppressor. On X, news anchor Samson Kasumba, dispenses caution to young braggarts.
He writes, “As a kid at Nakasero primary school, I recall vividly walking past that Nakasero torture facility now swallowed by State Lodge. The pungent smell of decomposing human flesh from inside it never leaves me. You simply did mind your own business never saying what you saw or smelled. We are a generation that grew up knowing how to manage ourselves around people with power. I am not sure that is a skill common in this generation of young people! I just know what to do when I encounter absolute power!”
What must Ugandans do when they encounter absolute power? Should they wait to take the place of decomposing bodies or become the next traumatised generation sticking its head in sinking sand?
Meanwhile, in April, Deputy Premier Moses Ali, one of the longest-serving members of the NRM regime and pre-NRM, caused a stir on social media when he declared his intention to run for parliament again.
Moses Ali, 86, has been in office longer than some bazzukulu have been alive. In the viral video, Ali is evidently frail, his body lurching constantly, a young woman stands beside him acting as his spokesperson. The whole scene is a haunting circus. The ailing old man seeking another term in office.
The much younger crowd cheering him on. The soldiers guarding the circus, one of them decked out for battle. Beyond revolutionary leaders hanging onto their glory days, the constant in all these scenes are the people.
People clapping, cheering on the impunity while also begging for services. Even as we lament and rant, perhaps God has forsaken this land, that the curse upon us is too heavy to break, we cannot escape ourselves.
When we have had our fill of quisling leaders—those who betray us at every turn and treat us like beggars—it is ourselves we must confront. We must turn to one another. We must look in the mirror. Ba dia, the ball is in our hands. Feeble they are. Yet, the ball remains in our hands.
smugmountain@gmail.com
The writer is a tayaad muzzukulu.
No normal people go for fake presidential election in today world to ensure 45 years of the same demon ruler!
Rwandese Museveni has already assured he won’t accept opposition, but Ugandans haven’t understood it, why?
Why are tribal leaders still in posts & payed for doing WHAT for subjects?
Why don’t Ugandans understand their only chance for a Uganda without Museveni is UNITY, being ONE PEOPLE, with just ONE National/Common Leader,then coming out to block Museveni?
Why is everything in place to ensure Museveni’s lifetime rule, then transfer of power to his son, in the Uganda that’s their family business?
Thanks Tayaad Muzzukulu,
39 years and counting of the NRM resistance of what its leadership demonized their predecessors. But only to turn full circle to do worse as things are falling apart.
Now that the failure to resist especially the “PROBLEM OF AFRICA” vis-a-vis military dictatorship, corruption, human rights violation, widespread poverty sic unemployment, chaos and urban filth, election rigging and the backwardness that go with these are self-evident for the whole wide world to see; who in his/her right state of mind can still deny that: Gen Tibuhaburwa is after all a BOGUS person and president of Uganda.
In other words, to say that someone/something is BOGUS is not an insult. It is a one word and simple definition/description (measurement) of what someone/thing is, such as: being fake, counterfeit, false, intellectual dishonesty, etc.
And in Mr. M7 case and now his son Gen Muhoozi, deception has been the order of the day.
And now that he is old and falling apart and has run of out deceit, he is reverting to where he started from in 1981: Terrorism through abduction, torture and other naked violence being executed by his Anti people’s Defense Force (APDF) e.g., General Court Martial to prosecute civilians who are suspected of committing capital offenses.
It is what it is…I think the mistake we made so many of us is to think that people like M7, Ali and the likes had any brain to see far and sort out issues affecting the country generations to come…am so lucky at 19 i refused to be part of there shortcuts that was way back in 90s….have been in exile for over 30 years have meet with moses Ali jaja odongo whan he was the defence minister kahinde otafire,pulkol david whaan he was Eso he was with mohoozi only the mohoozi meeting lasted for 15hrs all of tham they could not convince me to come back and join in the eating, the other i told my son who is 15 who am i and what i stand for i felt good because guys like us we kept quiet we lived in fear and it almost destroyed us…and we a re nothing and we will always be nothing we are invisible…we made so many mistakes we went against a regime which was still popular and we paid the price and we accepted and we gave way for others to try, did we become cowards may be we did
Whan I said the other day i told my son who is 15 who am I i felt good…May be is the only person who can listen to my stories because there just stories…there is alot of pain all over the world not only in Uganda people are struggling everywhere for there freedom…the solution is keeping pushing but timing is important…infact timing is everything….our timing was perthetic but we can’t put the clock back can’t we now…timing timing timing
Tayaad, the fact of the matter is, we’re not tayaad yet. The question is, what does M7 need to do in order for us to confront ourselves? M7 has done it all, and nowhere near Amin. Amin was better than M7 by far. However, ba diya, our country is sinking deeper and deeper beyond recovery!
What is our leading opposition figure saying? There’s democracy in Ugandaa and it works!
Tayaad, indeed, the ball is in our hands!
That is Kyagulanyi and NUP who’re only interested in making money out of bogus and violent elections, and whom you want us feel sorry about, right?
Tayaad, as we speak, the opposition has walked out of the parliament because of the militant bill. They are saying that they don’t want to be part of the bill in any way, shape or form.
If that’s the case, it’s a step in the right direction. The question is, will they stay out for the duration of the ultimate goal?
This is not only about the militant bill.