I would like to differ with whoever criticizes the recent vetting of members of the new Electoral Commission (EC) headed by Justice Simon Byamukama Mugenyi. My selfish argument is based on who ‘eats’ what, not who delivers what.
Just like Kenya’s Francis Mbuga said in his book Betrayal in the City, some citizens get fruits of independence second-hand. Without objective electoral reforms, even if DP president Norbert Mao, FDC boss Gen Mugisha Muntu or former ethics minister Miria Matembe were to head the EC, elections would be rigged.
My selfish appeal, therefore, is that we officially begin sharing government positions equally among religions, tribes, political parties, etc. We should not leave this spree to supporters of the ruling government, for these are not jobs for service delivery, but plates for eating which require enlargement.
Before I congratulate Byabakama who is leaving the judiciary where he was most wanted, I want to thank the parliamentary vetting committee for considering his deputy Hajjat Aisha Lubega and committee member Hajji Mustapha Ssebaggala Kigozi.
My selfish justification is that after Badru Kiggundu’s departure, it is time for the families of two Muslim members to have a piece of the national cake. The best catchword made by Kiggundu was “Even if they appoint those considered to be impartial, they will meet the same problems I have gone through in the last 14 years”.
To a student of psychology of influence, this message speaks volumes in relation to the eating syndicate; thank God, the engineer was given another juicy job.
The reason Kenya has a fairly-independent EC partly stems from the lessons they learnt from the post-election violence in 2007/8 which triggered action by the regional and international community that resulted in successful mediation efforts led by former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan.
In Uganda, the vetting committee is the only one whose findings are not debated in plenary nor covered directly by the press. The public just waits for white smoke just like it is done in choosing the pope.
Whereas there is no specific requirement for the minimum level of education for EC commissioners, Article 60(2) emphasizes choosing a person with good record, disciplined and capable to be a commissioner.
Efforts by Mao to try to convince parliament speaker Rebecca Kadaga to halt the vetting process until the president and other Inter-Party Organization for Dialogue members agreed on who should be where was wastage of time, because it is good laws that determine the commissioners’ performance.
It is also because Museveni has his own way of doing things: once he is able to panel-beat an opposition politician – Beti Kamya, Nakiwala Kiyingi, Betty Amongi, etc – to do what he likes, he does not need to consult the party leadership.
After his swearing in at Kololo in 1996, Museveni told a press conference at Serena hotel that he would never work with DP’s Paul Ssemogerere, his presidential opponent and former internal affairs state minister. He mentioned two people he would panel-beat from DP.
Shortly after, Museveni appointed Maria Mutagamba as minister for water and another DP member that he took to EC. This time around, he seems to have panel-beaten Ssebaggala, once a strong DP supporter and Makindye division vice-chairman.
But let us not lose all hope. While many remember Byabakama for trying to plug the holes in the fictitious Kyakuwa rape case against Besigye in 2001 when he was deputy director of public prosecutions, he is also famous for fairly handling other controversial cases.
In his 2014 verdict as a High court judge in Lira, Byabakama allowed compensation of Lira district residents whose property was stolen and destroyed by Joseph Kony’s LRA rebels and government. He awarded Lira victims over Shs 500 billion after faulting government for failing to protect its citizens while pursuing LRA.
Don’t you think he can try this fairness in EC?
The author is a journalist in Kampala.
