Perhaps Sobi was the most excellent student of our time: started out as a victim of the times, appreciated the times, dangerously embraced these times, and excelled at doing what the system has or is trying to turn all us into: thieves. On the one hand, Sobi embodied the many dashed or differed dreams under Museveni.
Yes, Uganda under Museveni is a film script of suspended or dead dreams. (There are minor exceptions, of course). And in this script, many good talents have been turned towards dangerous ends. On the other hand, Sobi was the mirror image of Museveni himself but without letterheads and lead cars.
And perhaps Museveni and Sobi will end the same way – again, Museveni with letterheads and lead cars. Yes, comrade brother Bobi Wine – formerly friends with Sobi – is the young Paddy Serunjogi, whose dreams actually work out. His dreams and talents as a song bird under Museveni – by absolute providence – work out and continued to work out till they faced off with the dream-killer himself, bwana Museveni.
Then, his charm encounters the stumbling block itself, and the dream – a presidential dream – has to be differed to some later date. It should be interesting that while all these men take stage names – Sobi, Bobi Wine, M7 – Sobi never got the chance to fully emerge from his stage name. Bobi Wine recently returned to his original identity — as Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu — as about the same time Museveni started identifying as Tibuhaburwa.
Let me try to unpack Paddy Serunjogi, a man unlucky to die while still in character as Sobi.
FROM THE RING TO THE STREET
Besides his more illustrious criminal life, at which he really excelled – as the politics of the times dictate – Sobi had dreams and talents, which explains why he learned boxing. As an ‘amateur’ boxer myself, I can confirm that this is a gruelling sport, and learning it means great deal of commitment and gruelling exercise.
Perhaps young Paddy Serunjogi believed he could be the next Justine Juuko, or Mugabi ‘the Beast.’ From his bravery and commitment as a street outlaw, I can only imagine the fate of Sobi’s opponents had his dream as a professional boxer worked out.
But while he continued imposing himself onto the sport, he would quickly realise that the cultures of survival had changed from playing by rules in the ring with fair-minded umpires but playing on the streets with jungle rules.
Yes, since the 1990s, our politics under bwana Museveni can be best described as ‘may the best thief thrive.’ And since politics often determines and dictates cultures and practices of survival, Sobi was forced to change working methods. To this end, Sobi became both a victim of the regime of politics – his dream as a professional boxer died – and emerged as one of the regime’s best students.
He sat down, studied the times, and understood them well. He started perfecting the rules of the jungle in Kampala. True, in making this tactical switch, Sobi has never been alone. This is what Uganda has become, and there are innumerable Sobis — failures and success stories — in almost every corner in this country.
The only difference is that the majority of these Sobis, the success stories, are without drama and fanfare. Are silent looters, thieves, murderers – enabled by the quietness of their stations.
MORE PROFESSIONAL SOBIS
The most prominent of these professional, quiet Sobi’s are found inside Parliament. These are the noisiest and most deluded. Other Sobis are ensconced inside Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), Kampala City Council Authority (KCCA), Finance Intelligence Authority (FIA), Uganda Bankers Association (UBA).
There are more in Uganda Land Commission or ministry of Lands.There are Sobis in UMEME, or NIRA, or the Uganda Human Rights Commission. Even inside seemingly innocent institutions such as the ministry of Education or Health, or even the NGO sectors are all overflowing with low-profile Sobis and Sobi-stresses.
(I will not add CMI, UPDF, SCF or Uganda Police because as Sobi himself told us, these were colleagues).
The difference between the more professional and the original Sobi is that the more professional steal, loot, or even murder quietly, sometimes, technically. They never come face-to-face with their victims, since their victims are not of immediate violent death, but of a slow- disconnected death.
These deaths are often described as maternal mortality, HIV/AIDs deaths, school dropouts or victim of road accidents, environmental disasters or famines. These professional Sobis are often humoured as Hons., CEOs, MDs, or other. They use letterheads to steal and kill, and oftentimes use lead cars on the roads.
MUSEVENI AS SOBI’S TWIN
The precision with which Sobi mirrored Museveni is unbelievable. Consider this: Both went around with nicknames (Sobi, Museveni); both had goons to send to their victims (Kifeesi, SFC), and both earned their stars through violence, one on the streets of Kampala, and the other in Luwero – and both had major problems with the people of Kampala.
Consider this also: Both were deployable as mercenaries: While the original Sobi only operated locally (in Kampala, Gomba, and Mutukula), Museveni is more international. He is in Somalia, South Sudan, CAR, and has often rented out his men to Iraq and Afghanistan.
It is fair to say that Museveni is only a cleaner version of Sobi – especially since Sobi lacked a permanent office, had neither a mobile toilet nor a lead car. Younger than his twin brother, it is fair to say, Sobi learned from the Old Man. No wonder, Museveni’s men found kinship with Sobi himself and his men.
yusufkajura@gmail.com
The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University.
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