The politics of a broken megaphone

State Messaging, Personal Power, and the Collapse of Coordination

COMMENT | ANDREW PI BESI | Last May, following a meeting with President Museveni, the State Minister for Communication and National Guidance, Owek. Joyce Ssebugwawo, inaugurated a body with the rather grand title National Strategic Communications Committee (NSCC). Its stated purpose was “coordinating and centralising all government communication to promote a more accurate and unified national image.” At an earlier meeting in April 2025, the President had directed that “this committee should meet monthly, or as necessary, to set the agenda for the country’s communication outputs.”

At the time of its launch, my own employment at the Ministry of Communication and National Guidance had come to a rather disastrous end. My insistence on a more pragmatic approach to what President Museveni, back in 2006, described as the Ministry’s core mandate — the political interpretation of all news as a basis for inculcating national ethos and values — had been firmly rejected by the Ministry’s top technocrat and her inner circle.

My argument then, as now, was simple: the Ministry had already failed in its efforts to coordinate and centralise government communication. It had also failed to win the contest of citizen perception regarding national values and ethos.

So before launching yet another high-sounding committee, I argued that the Ministry should abandon the endless talk of “roadmaps” (recall the lavishly launched Communications and National Guidance roadmap at Serena Kigo in 2022, and its cousin at Kampala Serena in 2023) and instead use what already exists: Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, New Vision, the Government Citizen Interaction Centre, and the Uganda Media Centre. These platforms, used intelligently, consistently, calmly, and truthfully, could holistically engage citizens. Done right, they would turn Ugandans — especially the youth — into an ideological firewall for the state.

In an amusing twist, the ministry’s own permanent secretary at last seemed to grasp the stakes when she noted that “the committee should prioritise crisis communication, which is central to the negative narratives often associated with Uganda.” A sharp observation. One might even call it prophetic.

Alas! Uganda, as usual, remains a republic of contradictions. Here is a sliver.

On 17th January 2026, at its Lweza headquarters, the Independent Electoral Commission declared President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of the NRM-O the winner of the 15th January presidential election, with nearly 72% of the vote — his strongest showing since 1996. As in 2021, runner-up Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) rejected the results and alleged rigging. He further alleged that the UPDF had raided his home at Magere and that, in fear for his safety, he had gone into hiding.

What followed was a social media storm led by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Whether one agrees with his tone/strategy or not, the CDF was always going to defend the image and credibility of the UPDF.

Into this storm stepped the Minister of Information, Communication Technologies, and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, who went on national television and radio to insist that the CDF is not the official spokesperson of the government.

And the NSCC? Silent. Still silent. A committee born to coordinate communication, watching a public messaging brawl like spectators at a boxing match.

In their place, an online duel has erupted between supporters of the minister and those of the CDF. Matters escalated when the minister, in an angry 3:04 a.m. tweet on 4th February, defended his record, stressing his discipline, sobriety, and rise through personal merit.

Gen. Muhoozi, true to his no-holds-barred style, fired back with characteristic bluntness: “It doesn’t matter. We are still sacking you.”

So much for prioritising crisis communication. So much for centralising the national voice. So much for a unified image.

What we are witnessing is exactly what some of us have always known: crisis communication defining Uganda’s narrative — except the crisis is now coming from inside the communications structure itself.

This chaos, now available in high definition, is yet more proof that until we reorganise the entire Communication and National Guidance function, we are merely rearranging committees while the house burns.

In the public interest, the Ministry of Information, Communication Technologies and National Guidance — together with the Ministries of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and that of Ethics and Integrity — should be closed in their current form. In their place, two proactive and ideologically coherent entities should be established:

A Ministry of Communication, Ethics, and National Guidance, responsible for shaping national consciousness, values, and strategic state messaging;

and

A Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation, responsible for Science, Innovation, and ICTs in their modern sense — AI, large language modelling, IoT, machine learning, e-commerce, and e-government.

Until such structural clarity exists, we are wasting time. National objectives will continue to suffer the wrath of personal ambition, while ideological disorientation — expressed through a lack of political consciousness — will flourish.

Committees will meet. Tweets will fly at 3 a.m. And the “unified national image” will remain what it is today: A group chat with no admin.

*****

Andrew “Pi” Besi | On X: @BesiAndrew

🗞 Lament and Satire – No. 20: The Politics of a Broken Megaphone – Centralising Confusion