Slum dwellers speak out to Muntu

BY IRENE ABALO OTTO

irene.abalo@gmail.com

The Alliance for National Transformation, ANT party flag bearers went into their second Presidential campaign day in Kawempe Division in Kampala expecting the pomp and flare that welcomed them in Makindye Division on Monday but the team were bombarded with questions from the potential voters.

What normally happens in campaigns is that candidates present themselves and their manifestos before the electorates and are later voted on how the voters perceived and viewed their leadership abilities. That is how democracy makes a candidate compete in a free, fair and credible election. 

But the people of Kalerwe, Ssebina Zone in Kawempe South did more of the talking than listening to the ANT, presidential candidate, Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu Gregg who labored to express himself Luganda, the local dialect of majority of the mainly Muslim slum community. 

“What are you going to do for us? We are tired of empty promises. Some of us lost our cattle during the Luwero War and property in the Luwero war and we are here suffering as if we had nothing before. Look at our children, they are at home and not going to school. Even when you try to borrow a loan for your business, the interest rates are too high and you cannot save enough for the future. How are we supposed to live?” An elderly woman kept shouting from one of the tents as she is seconded by others. 

It looked more like a carefree town hall meeting. The crowd threw random questions at candidates to highlight their personal life struggles, some contrary to what the speaker would be saying. Others were questioning why they should trust ANT leaders because those in power had abused their mandate and misused state resources to enrich themselves.

Gen Muntu came clear on this and told the crowd that he never stole any money as an army commander for the 28 years that he served in the military. He assured the crowd that his name is clean and whoever wants can check his record.Munut wanted to mingle with the ordinary Ugandans, so he chose slums within Kampala where he is selling his presidential bid because he believes the lives of the people in the slums represents the living conditions of the majority of Ugandans who live in deplorable conditions. 

35 year old Ms Namakanga Margaret was among the most active women in the crowd of more than 300 people in two tents, others standing, who not only cheered the general but shouted her issues for him to respond to as he laid his manifesto people his potential voters. 

“I have been in this area (Kalerwe Slum) for over ten years but I cannot even educate my four children without a sponsor. My first born got pregnant at 14 years and went off with a man when she was just in P.6. We all live in that one room and the rent is high, Shs100, 000 per month. My husband is a gardener, he works so hard but all we can get is just money for food.” Laments Ms Namakanga who hails from Luweero district. 

She says she will only listen to a candidate who is willing to provide a solution to their problems and enable them access credit to boast her business in tomatoes and other vegetables which she sells at her stall in front of her shack house.A narrow path that should have been a draining sips water past her verandah.

The children play and run around a heap of dump garbage near less than ten meters away from Ssebina playground where Gen Muntu’s team organized the campaign event. 

Ms Fauzia Baluku, 30, a single mother of three sat in one of the tents with her hand in her chin. She tried to pay attention to the different ANT candidates in various positions but seemed distracted by her distant thoughts. 

“I came here to hear if their coming into leadership can give us any hope. I want to hear him talk about the education of our children. My children need bursaries or sponsorship so that they can study. My first born is in primary seven this year and I do not know how she will join secondary school. I am a street vendor but KCCA keeps chasing us away. At Kalerwe market here, I am not making enough money to cater for my children.” Explains Ms Baluku. 

She laments that there are government programmes that come to the slum dwellers but a few selected people benefit. “The Youth are always rowdy and chaotic because they are idle. Our education system does not train a child to be productive after school but rather look for jobs that are not there.” Says Mr. Mayanja Musaazi Yakubu, ANT candidate for Kampala Lord Mayor. 

Ms Rachael Mutesi, 30, a resident of Kalerwe says all her life, she has live in Kalerwe and watched with pain how the area never gets any project to clear the drainage, construct schools for children or plans for decent and affordable housing for the people. 

“How do we let people stay here in the numbers that they are and still have decent housing. Borrowing from Countries like South Africa where there are flats for the poor but they pay subsidized rates for rent or mortgage. Then Children can have a playground, the drainage can be sorted and people can live in a better and healthy environment without all this garbage piles.” Says Ms Mutesi.

She believes that for any candidate to get votes from slum dwellers, they must address the unique challenges that slum dwellers face daily. But Gen Muntu responded to most of these issues saying that the people in slums need to elect leaders who can be trusted to equitably allocate and efficiently utilize the available resources for the development of all. 

“It is possible to life the standard of living for all the people in these slums. Ensure that there is low cost housing. It has to be planned well. Some of these are public while others are private land. So it requires negotiation with the land owners to buy from them, build but you must also ensure that they have the means to pay for those mortgages. There is no way you can say that a country is developed when there are still slums in these areas.” Mr Muntu explained to the media after speaking in the local dialect to the crowd. 

He later campaigned in Kampala Central and heads to West Ankole region on Wednesday beginning with Ntugamo district. 

Muntu launches presidential campaign in slums

BY IRENE ABALO OTTO

irene.abalo@gmail.com

Alliance for National Transformation, ANT yesterday launched their Campaigns in Makindye Division with a call to Ugandans in deplorable living conditions to trust the party leadership for the change they want.

“We started our campaigns in Makindye because the lives of the people in this area reflects the lives of other people in other urban settings in this country. Even if you go to Karamoja, you find the same problems of poverty and poor service delivery in those areas.” Said Ms Winnie Kiiza, the national campaign coordinator for ANT candidate.

“Look at the issues that Ugandans have and who can solve them before you vote for any leader,” Mr. Kasim Kyaze, the Makindye incumbent MP, told crowds gathered to listen to candidates speak and lay their manifesto before them.

The party Presidential candidate, Maj Gen (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu Gregg told the people of Nsambya, gathered near Gogonya play ground that their situation reflects what majority of Ugandans are going through and it is upon them to choose the right leaders who can efficiently use taxpayers’ money for holistic development.

“I am not asking the people of Uganda to like me, I am asking you to trust me because I can be trusted. Do not put feelings in politics, it is about interest. I am not asking you to trust me out of the blue, I have been there. I served in the Military for 28 years where I saw money being carried in sacks. But you can check my records, I never stole any tax payers’ money.” Gen Muntu told the people of Nsambya.

Gen Muntu laid his campaign manifesto before over a hundred people gathered under tents and others braved the brief afternoon drizzle just to have a glance at the retired army general turned politician. 31 years ago, Muntu became a commander and Major general in the UPDF in his early 30s and is among the longest serving army generals in Uganda.

As the crowds cheered on and listened to him, there was a general confusion of his campaign slogan, People First, a New Future’ and that of former FDC Presidential Candidate, “One Uganda, One People.” The masters of ceremony were patient with people one leaders after the other, they emphasized the new slogan.

Usually, Gen Muntu would speak in his soft and diplomatic tone, but when he spoke to the people of Nsambya, he spoke with vigour and energy. His eyes creased and focused to the unknown, he labored to explain to the crowd why the current government needs to change to save Ugandans from poverty and untold suffering in the hands of security agencies who are supposed to protect them. With time, the crowd adjusted and adapted to the slogan.

Gen Muntu told the people of Nsambya not to look at development in terms of the roads, electricity and other infrastructures but the livelihoods of their fellow citizens.

“If you want to see the level of development of a country, look at the widows and orphans. Look at the most lowly people and where their level of livelihood is. That is what we want to be measured by. Not by roads. Not by might, not by power but by the levels in which we intend to lift the lives of orphans and widows. The impoverished, lift them from where they are to where they are meant to be. By God’s grace, we will achieve that.” Said Gen Muntu in a rather louder voice than the soft spoken general people are used to hearing or seeing in the media.

A mother who chaired the party president all through his speech, clutching a toddler with her left hand later followed the candidate to where he was to board his car. Shockingly, she did ask him what he will do to become president since in most elections, candidates who claim to have won complain of vote rigging.

Muntu calmly asked her and those around him to be present during vote counting so that ballots are not secretly added and counted after voting.

Flanked by his national campaign coordinator and former Leader of Opposition in Parliament Ms Winnie Kiiza, Makindye Member of Parliament contestant, Mr. Kasim Kyazze, other party flag bearers, the lively one hour interaction left many following him to his car as he boarded off to his next campaign venue in Kisenyi, a major Kampala slum.

To him, the campaign journey started in one slum but ahead awaits 145 districts who equally deserve to hear his message of peace and tranquility in his promised new future for Uganda.

The 64 days before he faces other candidates in the ballot box may come sooner than he or any other candidate wished, but Ugandans will on February vote to elect in a democratic election who their next president and parliamentarians will be.

Yesterday, the electoral commission released a complete roadmap that bears campaign schedule for Gen Muntu throughout his campaign period. He is campaigning within Kampala Central tomorrow before heading to Ntungamo district. On Sunday, Muntu’s campaign team were troubled after failing to have a harmonized campaign program at the Electoral Commission as required by law to avoid clashing with other candidates campaigning in the same area.

Inside Gen Muntu’s Manifesto and Campaign team

BY ABALO IRENE OTTO

iaotto@ug.nationmedia.com

Alliance for National Transformation, ANT on Friday unveiled a national and sub-regional campaign team that saw him launch presidential campaigns in Makindye, Kampala today ahead and the January 2021 presidential elections. 

On May 22, 2019, ANT was launched. The party has fielded a presidential candidate, Rtd Major Gen Mugisha Muntu Gregg whose slogan is, The Change You can Trust. On Friday the pasty president gave highlights of their manifesto and unveiled the 47 man campaign team planning to traverse the 146 districts of Uganda within the 65 days allocated by the Independent Electoral Commission.

The team which comprises of regional leaders including prominent leaders like Ms Alice Alaso (former Deputy President FDC), Mr. Wadri Kassiano(MP Arua City), Mr. Paul Mwiru (Jinja East MP) and Mr. Gerald Karuhanga (Ntugamo Municipality MP) is to be led by Ms Winnie Kizza, the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament as the National Campaign Manager.

“Majority of these are sub regional and district coordinators. We envisage expansion more so at the sub regional and district levels.” Rtd Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu Gregg the ANT presidential flag bearer told the media at the party headquarters on Buganda Road in Kampala

Whereas the party planned to launch their campaign roadmap on Friday, the party president said there were hindrances and the harmonization programme with the electoral commission was incomplete. Candidates whose campaign roadmaps had not yet been harmonized are to meet the electoral commission on Saturday. Presidential campaigns are slated to begin On November 9, 2020 will end on January 12, 2020.

Ms Kizza called upon the electoral commission to ensure that there is a leveled campaign ground and the opposition candidates have equal opportunities to interact with their potential voters just like the incumbent Gen Yoweri Museveni is likely to enjoy.

“As you talk about the 70 people to be met, put a torch on NRM to ensure they also have 70 people in their gathering. If we are to practice democracy, we need to level the ground for all candidates to equally campaign.” Said Ms Winnie Kizza.

Gen Muntu also asked the people of Uganda to support the ten presidential candidates financially so that they are able to traverse the whole country within the 65 days and meet their voters.

“We are not shy about asking for money. We need money. Put money into the parties (of your choice). Do not sit back waiting for change. If each Ugandan gave Shs5, 000, that would be about two billion shilling to cushion the opposition during their campaigns.”

He added;

“Let’s leave emotions out of this election to have the change we want. Elect capable people who have value and integrity.”

Inside Muntu’s draft Manifesto

ANT Pledges to do the following in the next five years once they assume power after successful elections in 2021.

1.       Tolerance of divergent views. Respect and mobilise people to embrace national development.

2.       Preach peace and foster conflict resolution.

3.       Anti-corruption; creation of public awareness. Enforce punishment after conviction. Demonstrate exemplary leadership. Strengthen Anti-Corruption institutions to recover proceeds of corruption and make corruption very risky.

4.       Economy: Ensure there is an agricultural value chain established. Increase funding for agriculture from the current 3.5 percent in the budget up to ten percent. Reinstate cooperative bank, start an agricultural bank, and properly capitalize Uganda Development Bank. Reinstate properly managed marketing boards based on public private partnerships for key products, attract investments where Uganda has comparative advantages. Develop transport infrastructures, railways, marine services, air cargo and tourism and its facilities. Ensure prudent management of oil, gas and petrol industries. Develop all electricity sources; hydro, thermos, wind, solar.

5.       Natural resources; Increase environment conservation, the planting of 40 million trees over the next five years. Protect water sources, lakes, rivers, swamps and water catchment areas. Ensure mining, mineral beautification up to the finished product. Immediately build the oil refinery and pipeline without further procrastination.

6.       Social services; Primary and secondary education must be for all children. Vocational schools must be in all sub regions of Uganda to train for those who cannot continue to universities. District bursaries and scholarships must be on merit. Syllabus and programmes should not be segregative for rural and urban pupils and students. Provide uniform scholastic materials and teaching aids. Education should foster National Unity.

Health sector should promote primary care alongside curative measures. Equip hospitals and health centres and ensure medicines are stocked. Reduce brain drain of health professionals and reduce medical tourism by government officials and use the funds to equip hospitals and remunerate the workers well.

7.       Related Development services: Recreation, awareness, participation, civic education, encourage sports, music, dance competitive festivals, encourage cultural competitions like cooking traditional dishes, encourage community development centres with libraries, encourage gender equality, balance and equality for both girl and boy children, women in leadership, care for the elderly person, make sure there is medical insurance for all Ugandans and National Social Security Fund for all workers.

8.       Foreign Affairs; encourage economic diplomacy, respect the concept of territoriality, reciprocity, national interests, pan Africanism, foster advancement of peace, human rights and conflict resolution. Observe ratified conventions, fully implement the diaspora compendium, dual citizenship, vote rights and investment at home.

9.       Armed Force; promote civil-military relations, professionalise the forces, involve the armed forces in economic production to improve welfare. Make sure the armed forces are in the barracks and not used for political interest of leaders.

10.   Local Government; The Local Government Act must be fully implemented to build capacity of local governments to be productive and sustainable. Increase funds for essential services, popularize local governments to serve people and make systems work for improvement of revenue collection.

“Human capital shall be the core focus of our manifesto implementation. Uganda is not the same under our leadership. We hope for rapid social economic and political development. People First, A New Future,” General Muntu concluded as he read out part of the draft manifesto yet to be launched ahead of their campaign trail.  

Muntu chooses Winnie Kizza as his national campaign manager

BY IRENE ABALO OTTO

Rtd Maj. General Mugisha Muntu Gregg has officially declared former Leader of Opposition in Parliament Ms Winnie Kizza as the national campaign manager in his presidential campaign as he plans to traverse the country for votes within two and a half months of the campaign period. Muntu believes Ms Kizza has energy for the youth to demand for change and trust for equitable distribution of resources and development.

“Youth, you have the numbers. Use these numbers to bring change to this country with discipline and focus,” Said General Muntu while addressing his supporters and some members of the Alliance for National Transformation for which he is the presidential flag bearer at the party headquarters on Buganda Road, Kampala.

Gen Muntu said the campaign will mainly focus on building confidence and trust in the leadership of Uganda by restoring dignity and involving the youth in the affairs of the country.

His campaign kick starts on November 9, 2020 after presenting his manifesto to the nation with a formidable campaign team to travel throughout the country. Muntu has the backing of other leaders like Ms Alice Alaso who accompanied him to the nomination centre at Kyambogo University ground during the day.

He is the first flag bearer for Alliance for National Transformation, ANT. He was all smiles as he walked side by side with his wife Mrs. Julia Kakonge Muntu. General Muntu’s was yesterday was given a green light and duly nominated as a candidate to contest as a presidential candidate for the 2021 general elections by 3:40pm.

“Today, we start a journey of making history. To all Ugandans, we ask you to trust us and give us your votes. You will not be disappointed,” Said Muntu after his nomination.  

He looked jovial and calm throughout the nomination process. He easily moved through the traffic clear Jinja road to Kyambogo University Nomination grounds with his wife Mrs. Julia Kakonge Muntu by his side.

Despite being a year and six months old party, ANT so far has about 185 duly nominated candidates for various political offices with 126 vying for parliamentary seats. Gen Muntu believes that a value driven campaign with his team is what will bring trust and win him the presidency. 

General Muntu, the former incorruptible and loyal officer to the president

BY IRENE ABALO OTTO

Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu is what many have described as a diplomat with a soft spot for democracy and the rule of law. Even as he vies for the most coveted seat at State House ahead of the 2021 general elections, Gen Muntu is your calm candidate who can easily spit Venom with a soft tongue.

The Russian trained soldier who fought alongside General Yoweri Museveni during the NRA liberation struggle in the 1980s fell out with the regime and became leader of the main opposition Forum for Democratic Change from 2012 to 2019.

But he had a rather smooth ride in the current regime as an incorruptible and loyal officer to the president before things got sore for his political ideologies. Gen Muntu became army commander in 1989 after the ragtag National Resistance Movement stormed the capital, Kampala and took over power. He was in his early thirties, the youngest ever to take that position. Gen Muntu was one of Uganda’s longest serving army commanders from 1989 to 1998. When the National Resistance Army was renamed the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), General Muntu became Commander of the UPDF. That post was later renamed Chief of Defence Forces of Uganda. As army chief, he oversaw the demobilization of many sections of the army. He was removed from the army after disagreeing with the President and appointed a minister, a position he politely turned down.

Political analysts believe he maintained close ties to the President throughout the 1990s till he openly fell out with the president in 2005. In November 2001, he was selected by the members of the Ugandan Parliament to serve as one of the nine Ugandan representatives to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

When he joined the FDC party, Gen Muntu was the secretary for Mobilisation and contested for party president against Dr. Kizza Besigye in 2008. He lost. Eventually, he became party president in November 2012. He then embarked on rebranding the party.

Whereas the regime adversaries saw Gen Muntu’s rise to active politics as a blessing since the main antigovernment figure Dr. Besigye had handed power to a seemingly weaker politician at the time. The general public opinion after the 2016 general elections was for a figure that could step into the shadows of Besigye at the election podium, a character many did not see in the calm and soft spoken General. But Gen Muntu continues to challenge all manner of narratives about his personality.

In September 2018, he parted ways with his successor in the FDC presidency, Mr. Patrick Oboi Amuriat citing ideological differences. He then silently mobilized to bring to life his new political ideology that birthed The New Formation that later changed to Alliance for National Transformation, launched in 2019.

The man from Mugisha Muntu, 62 year old Gregory Mugisha Muntuyera, a retired military officer turned politician is not your piece of cake. His demeanor of a soft tone conceals a principle so calculated one must touch the right buttons to crack his mind.

He is now the Party President of Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) challenging his former boss in the NRA, incumbent President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta who has been in the highest office in the land for 34 years. Ugandans are yet to see how he penetrates the President’s patronage system to obtain the seat of power.

Mugisha Muntu hails from Kitunga village in present-day Ntungamo District, Ankole sub-region, Western Uganda. His parents Enock Ruzima Muntuyera and Aida Matama Muntuyera gave him an affluent childhood as his father was a strong government functionary and close friend of Ugandan leader Milton Obote.

Since 1992, he has been married to Julia Kakonge Muntu. They are the parents of one son, born in 1993, and one daughter, born in 1996.

Why Kampala’s Non Motorised Transport is out of order

BY IRENE ABALO OTTO

Kampala Capital City Authority is finding difficulty in enforcing order at the pilot Non Motorised Transport, NMT corridors stretching from Namirembe Road to Luwum Street that were completed during the coronavirus lockdown to ease walking and traffic downtown.

The cycling lanes are two meters both sides and the walkways are four meters wide to allow vehicle access in restricted hours especially night and early morning. But the political season is playing an invisible hand in messing up the area with motorists flocking the area. Namirembe Road and Luwum Street were redesigned to a 1.95km Non-Motorised Transport Pilot Corridor (NMT) in 2018 to create wider spaces for pedestrians and cyclists for whom priority was to be given. The bigger picture was decongesting downtown. But that was easier said than done.

Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago told a meeting for media engagement on NMT in Kampala on Friday that he would rather walk from City Hall to Luwum Street to attend an event than get stuck in crazy traffic to the same place but fear the congestion in the streets.

“Walking is not comfortable in Kampala. It is not enjoyable. That is something we have to find answers to. How do we make walking in Kampala enjoyable? I would like to walk. Those who are enjoying walking are only in upscale areas like in Kololo, but down town Kampala, it is not enjoyable. That is where we should focus our attention.” Said Mr. Lukwago.

“Our challenge with implementation is with the vendors downtown. If they do not see the blue or yellow shirt (uniform for enforcement officers), they will not move. Currently, we are into the political season and enforcement has gone down for purposes of maintaining harmony, which is very unfortunate. That is why you see many vendors onto the streets. What is lacking is the political will to enforce (order in the NMT),” Says KCCA’s Engineer Andrew Sserunjojji.

The Authority engineers say the design of the NMT was to allow easy access to the city centre and businesses to thrive in less congested spaces without interference from motorists.

“We targeted the corridor between Namirembe Road and Entebbe Road because at that time, UN habitat and other stakeholders carried out a study which revealed that that was the most congested areas of the city that deserved to be converted into an NMT corridor,” KCCA’s Engineer Sserunjojji explained.

However, the cycling lanes and walkways especially around Namirembe road that is part of the pilot NMT in the city is currently congested with taxis and other motorists entering the Central Business District. Downtown Kikuubo is always full of vehicles loading or unloading or maneuvering the crowd to access stores in Kikuubo lane. During the coronavirus lockdown, KCCA amazed pedestrians and cyclists with the speedy construction and completion of the Non Motorised Transport Network with a city centre loop and one way directional flow. The city looked clean and beautiful with paved walkways and covered drainage.

“What we found interesting is that all the shop owners in Kikuubo, did not want vehicles there because the vehicles compromise their sales. People park trucks in front to their shops, block and they cannot sell their merchandise. The resistance we got was from the building owners because they are the owners of the trucks. The compromise we had to make was to allow a one way flow from Pride Theatre downstream to Ham shopping Centre.” Says Engineer Sserunjojji.

However, upon lifting of the lockdown and businesses getting back to the new normal, accessibility within the city and the NMT corridors is becoming harder as some motorists park in the NMT areas. The Planning section of KCCA says that sensitization of road users have been done but due to political sentiments, building owners complained of cargo trucks not accessing shops and stores.

“The people going downtown to shop, do not actually need to come with a car to buy their merchandise. All we need to do is create for them infrastructure where traders can load merchandise at night and vendors come during the day and take the merchandise out of the city. That is the strategy we want to implement,” says KCCA’s Engineer Andrew Sserunjojji.

During the effective observance of the NMT use, the middle class were able to shop from the CBD with ease without using their cars. But this was short lived as cars and motorcycles continued to flock the NMT areas.

“The dynamics of managing the city are so many. My brother the Lord Mayor will explain to you that even in the implementation, we had to compromise the design to take into account other stakeholders. For instance from Pride Theatre to Jaguar, we received complaints from the petrol stations that were upstream saying they were to sue KCCA for loss of business. So we had to convert that section into a two way traffic flow. Between Pride Theatre and Jaguar was supposed to be purely NMT,” says Engineer SSerunjojji.

He adds; “What we had initially designed as cycling lanes is what we have converted into a one way route. However, the space for cyclists is still there because it is big, we had provided two meters on either side.”

According to Claire Birungi, the Country Manager of Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, ITDP, streets are spaces for everyone and no one should be chased away when using them.

She advises that KCCA plans and organizes the streets better to accommodate vendors.

“We have the space on the streets but we have not organised the space well. Vendors can be placed in the spaces under trees and shades because it is their livelihood. The space can be organized for everyone including the utility vendor zones,” Ms Birungi explained as she pointed to the original designs of the NMT on her slide during the meeting.

The great majority of Uganda’s roads have no infrastructure specifically designed for use by pedestrians or bicyclists: they must ‘share the road’ with motorised traffic. The NMT was a new idea that created a short lived relief from congestion on the piloted roads, something many pedestrians and cyclists wish had been maintained.