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When Busoga NRM youths turned guns on their own
Dr. Joseph Muvawala
Politics is proving to be a divisive factor even among people of common cultures and and language. The latest example is the war that recently errupted between the NRM camp and the Democratic Party camparising from the support by the the Busoga Kingdom Prime Minister Dr. Joseph Muvawala towards the DP candidate.
The furry stems from comments that were allegedly made by Muvawala on a WhatsApp group in which he reportedly made disparaging comments against Justine Kasule Lumumba, the NRM Secretary General, also a Musoga, and his own deputy Ahmed Osman.
Dr. Muvawala has reportedly expressed support for Ivan Tibenkana, the DP candidate for the mayoral race who previously served under him as Busoga Minister.
Muvawala allegedly attacked Lumumba and Osman for rallying Busoga NRM Youth to mobilize for the NRM candidate Robert Kanusu for the Jinja mayoral race.
Now a group of NRM youth have petitioned the Kyabazinga of Busoga William Nadiope to relieve Muvawala of his duties, accusing him of partisan politics and tribalism.
A post made by one Juliet Gaswaga a member of the NRM youth group states that: “By openly supporting a DP Candidate in Jinja Mayoral race, the Premier is acting partisan, divisive, undermining government and NRM Party’s bid for the 2021 victory and therefore violating the known decorum for a civil servant and a cultural leader as is the case for Dr. Muvawala.
The blogger adds: “His statements are construed to be the position of the Kyabazinga His Majesty William Wilberforce Gabula Nadiope IV since the known practice here is that the Katukiro (Premier) speaks for the King.
Muvawala is also accused of belittling Justine Kasule Lumumba by calling her a “mere woman” who shouldn’t decide for the people.
“Dr. Muvawala is undermining the woman emancipation cause and promoting the male chauvinist sentiments that are a shame for man of his caliber.”
The angry youth have asked Dr. Muvawala to either resign from his job of Katuukiro which they say is not supposed to be partisan, and instead join active politics.
They further say that Muvawala’s comment about deputy Katuukiro Osman as a Somali, are tribalistic.
“His reference to his deputy as a “Somali” who shouldn’t decide for the Basoga invokes tribal and sectarian emotions that shouldn’t be taken lightly. It also points at a poor leadership style and exposes the internal rift between Dr. Muvawala and his Deputy but also explains the performance gaps at the Bugembe establishment.”
But some keen observers might find the accusations levelled against Muvawala especially regarding his apparent display of political bias, as petty.
This is because the Premier has for close to decade now openly served NRM by as a high-ranking government official at the helm of the National Planning Authority but they had never come out to accuse him of bias until now.
What’s clear though is that in a politically charged season, seemingly insignificant positions can be exploited to someone’s or a group’s disadvantage.
For now though, Dr. Muvawala has yet to give his position on this story.
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