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THIRTY YEARS: Museveni vs Besigye

Museveni and Besigye have been at each other’s neck for 30 years.

Besigye, Museveni – Their 30 year fight ahead of 2021

Kampala, Uganda |  IAN KATUSIIME |  “Winnie, would you accept to be our candidate for President?”

Col. Kizza Besigye posed that question sometime in early October 2000. His wife, Winnie Byanyima was surprised.

“You as who? Who are `we?” she asked Besigye. And the conversation soon became even more serious.

Winnie said: “It would be suicidal. How would you take him on? I wouldn’t do that! How can you, in this short time take on Museveni?”

“People are fed up with him,” Besigye said.

“I guess they are, but it takes some time to turn discontent into votes,” Winnie countered.

Days later, on October 20, 2000, Besigye dropped another surprise on Winnie.

“I am going to run for president,” he told her that night.

Again she answered with a weighty caution.

“I will support you but I hope you realise that this is a one-way ticket. We are defying Museveni. He is going to fight us to the end.”

This drama is captured in Daniel Kalinaki’s book on Besigye titled ‘Kizza Besigye: Uganda’s Unfinished Revolution.”

A week later, on October 28, 2000 at a little known restaurant in Kampala, Besigye publicly declared his intention to challenge Museveni in a press statement.

Besigye campaigns in a past election

Nineteen years later, Winnie appears to have been prophetic on both counts:  First, although he has challenged Museveni in four presidential elections over 16 years, Besigye appears to have failed to “turn discontent into votes”. Secondly, Museveni and Besigye appear determined to “fight to the end”.

Kalinaki published his book in 2014, with the 2016 presidential battle between Museveni and Besigye already looming. Once again, as the 2021 presidential election nears, most Ugandans are asking whether Besigye will again challenge Museveni – for a fifth time. And what will be the result? Is this the time when Besigye will finally succeed in turning popular discontent into votes?

This November marked 20 years since Besigye penned his famous dossier titled ‘An insider’s view on how NRM lost the broad base’. The document stirred the hierarchy of the NRM, then known as the Movement, when Uganda was in the throes of a one party political system.

In his missive, Dr. Besigye criticised the creeping autocracy under President Yoweri Museveni who was then in his thirteenth year in power having taken over Uganda in 1986. Besigye started off writing “I have taken keen interest and participated in the political activities on the Ugandan scene since the late 1970s. This was during a period of intense jostling to topple and later succeed the Idi Amin regime.”

He added, “I am therefore, fully aware of the euphoria, excitement and hope with which Ugandans received the Uganda National Liberation Front/Army (UNLF/A)…” The dossier resulted into the court martialing of Besigye, at the time a Colonel in the UPDF, “for airing his views in the wrong forum.”

Besigye accused the NRM of sectarianism and of being a one man dictatorship. It culminated in his declaration to stand for the presidency in the 2001 elections. Since the 2001 election, Besigye has stood three more times against Museveni. In that period, he has incurred the wrath of the NRM regime with trials, teargas, constant arrests, torture and blockades on his home.

9 comments

  1. Dr Kiza besigye kifefe is the only one shows Ugandans,what happens in Uganda.and he is the best politician who teaches Ugandans their rights to stand for your rights.and he inspires so many politicians in Uganda and around the globe.besigye is the person who what’s someone to be who your in you and in your country.thats why I love him.THE PEOPLES PRESIDENT rtd Col dr KIIZA BESIGYE KIFEFE.one Uganda one people FDC raaaaa chaaaa.

    • Mr. Mugisha you must be chocking on bank cheques from Besigye.
      in my own opinion he is driven by power hunger just like the person he is opposing.

      • But Simon Wonder, what is power hunger? And since when have you heard Dr. Besigye ever giving out blank checks or cash to any of his fans or supporters?

        Otherwise there is a big difference between being loved for what one is than for what s/he gives out or feared. E.g. Jesus had nothing, not even somewhere to put his head (house and a pillow), but he was/is still loved because of his compassion and truthfulness.

  2. No politician in Uganda can go through what Dr Besigye tests, he is to be remembered as a savior for the common people,Mentor and a person of high integrity who 100% respects rule of law and the constitution of Uganda. One Uganda one people raaaaaa

  3. I really believe that if all opposition member had a sillar or related mindset, we have been far as political growth is concerned. Am very much convinced that many of our politicians talk much as children without any growth of political science. For example are they so blind to see that Mr. Museven can’t leave power through words and voting. Thats just a waste of time. I prophecy this that not until an action is taken, M7 will die in power.

  4. Did pwr hunger fail people lyk Mandela of SA

  5. In Uganda we lack strong presidential candidates who are even financial strong… Mr Besigye has done his best

  6. Mukomba Godfrey Kato

    Give your compititers a thousand thoughts Museveni I give him a credit because he is a smart politian

  7. NRM HAS PROVEN POWER OF PERSUASION
    SO OPPOSITION SHOULD BE SHAPED

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