When National Unity Platform Kingpin, Ghetto Gladiator rallied his drug dementiated lieutenants to arrange their youths, many of them drug intoxicated, to form terror gangs popularly known as “Egaali” to descend on whoever attempts to subortage their planned violence against the innocent public, panic, understandably reigned, leaving terror marks over what could befall the beautiful pearl ahead of the general elections which will climax early next year.
Addressing his group at the party head office in Makerere Kavule early this year, Kyagulanyi sounded a clear call upon loyalists to man up and counter the country’s security system in attempts to deter their provocative confrontations that often result in disruption of business and loss of property.
All this while, trusted deputies nodded in agreement and the red bereted followers emerged to acknowledge their leader’s instructions.
And indeed, Kyagulanyi’s trouble-laden directive with extreme precision as in the days that followed, hundreds of “foot soldiers ” were paraded at Kavule conducting military-like drills, clad in military-like uniforms, some with army ranks. The former Ghetto boss, Kyagulanyi would then inspect the parades and hail his gallant “soldiers” for their unmatched courage, and send a stern warning to the government and its security apparatus that their days were numbered.
As a result, many peace-loving Ugandans were sent into panic, taking Kyagulanyi’s instructions of doom as a signal announcing bloody times awaiting the country.s we head into the politically most charged period of the general elections. In every message and self-praise, the opposition outfit has laboured to express their perceived unchallenged might especially among the youth and have routinely threatened to capitalise on this perceived support base to turn the country upside down if they are not handed the country in voluntarily.
These threats have been so enormous to tempt anyone to believe that the group would sweep the youth village elections across the country, leaving almost none for the three ruling sides. Surprisingly, the outcome has spoken otherwise. Preliminary results from the different parts of the country, poll results indicated that NRM on course to register yet another resounding victory over the rest of the opposition groups in the coming general election.
This election came just days after the Kyadondo road-based group secured yet another crucial score in the recent local elections in villages across the country for the elderly and disabled groups.
Well, the defeat for , especially NUP and Bobi Wine wouldn’t have been a big deal had the former Kyadondo East MP severely chest thumped about his impeccable command base among the young population of this country. On numerous occasions, both locally and to foreign financiers, boasted of his power in numbers among the youth, often threatening the government of a possible instigation of this category into rebellion I’d his usually unrealistic demands are not met.
With this narrative appearing to think deeper into the minds of some gullible people, catastrophe loomed when the Kavule group paraded military-like dressed foot soldiers vowing before Kyagulanyi and company to force change undeterred by the security apparatus of the country.
To many, especially those privy to this country’s ugly past of violence infestation, this was a declaration of war, and older people particularly speculated with precision that the trouble that awaited them would come from among their youthful offspring. With days prior to the youth Vote, it must have taken NRM mobilisers a lot to dissuade the elders against keeping away on the actual date of voting for their age group structures. This was, however, achieved and the senior citizens’ voices were heard from every corner of the world.
The country waited to see what Bobi Wine and group had relentlessly said was their region of monopoly- the youth, through the countrywide elections. To many, the speculated landslide for NUP would have meant the declaration of the loss of confidence in the NRM ideology and certainly, rough times ahead for the party that prides in its mass support.
The vigilante ( Egaali) formation as has been rallied by Mr Kyagulanyi to intensify confrontations with the security would have got laleadership across the country and the country would literally be on its way into havoc.
Yet guess what! The very people detractors banked on to stage their instabilities took charge, spoke with courage and distanced themselves from the machinations of the imperialistic tendencies, acting upon the very message of ” protest vote” to rebel and once and for all, should support Patriotism and nationalism.
As we prepare to advance towards the most critical period of this election cycle, the outcome from the SIG votes is likely to not only foretell the result at the subsequent stages but also build the morale of the Victor’s, while also informing the vanquished of the strong need for instituting new strategies and redesigning their message away from the usual ” we have the youths in our palms.
The writer is the Deputy RCC For Nakawa Division in Kampala City
