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A Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) leadership contender has vowed to apologize to the Baganda for the way his party desecrated the kingdom of Buganda.
 In an exclusive interview with Drum Radio, which is part of the Uganda Citizen, Joseph Ochieno vowed that if elected to lead one of Uganda's oldest political parties, he would find no problem in going to the Kabaka, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi and apologize for the part the UPC played in dismantling the Buganda monarchy.
The Kingdom of Buganda along with several other minor Uganda kingdoms, was abolished by former UPC and Ugandan President Milton Obote after the 1966 clashes that resulted in Uganda being made a republic by the late Dr Obote.
Speaking to Drum Radio with regards to his throwing in his hat to fight for the UPC leadership, Mr Ochieno said he considers himself a friend of the Baganda. "I have good friends within the Buganda Royal Family and I believe our party (the UPC) owes the Baganda an apology for having abolished their kingdom," he said. The Buganda monarchy was re-established in 1986 when the current Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni captured power after a five-year guerrilla war against the Obote regime.
Ochieno who originates from Eastern Uganda, is UPC's current representative in London. He says that as soon as he returns to Uganda he will travel all over Buganda and offer the Baganda his willingness to work with them and rebuild the country. He strongly believes that Uganda badly need new leadership after more than 22 years of being under the 'dictatorial regime' of President Museveni.
 Asked how he would match the spending power of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Mr Ochieno gave the example of how the current US President won the US leadership even though his main opponents had vast war chests in terms of campaign finances.
The contest to succeed Mrs Miria Kalule Obote as UPC leader has recently gained momentum with two new contestants joining the now long queue. Her tenure ends next month and she has told the party she will not offer herself for re-election.
Three new contestants in the names of Sam Luweero and David Nyekorach Matsanga and Jimmy Akena have this weekend joined the quest to lead one of Uganda 's oldest political parties. These join Henry Mayega, Joseph Ochieno, Sospeter Akwenyu and Barya Tumwesigye who have already thrown their hats into the ring.
Although Ugandan newspapers have put former UN Assistant Secretary General Olara Otunnu on this lost, the diplomat himself has told Uganda Citizen that he is yet to make up his mind on joining the fray. In a telephone conversation from his New York residence, Dr Otunnu refused to accept or deny he was running for UPC leadership. In response to questions put to him by this writer, Dr Otunnu said he had been away from Uganda for a very long time and that what he needed to do first was to return to the country from where he would plan his future.
UPC's new leadership contestants have all very interesting, if not, colourful histories.
To most Londoners Matsanga is well known for running a string of nightclubs that he sold on to others. In other words, he has for many years been known in London as a businessman.
But for the last five to seven years, Matsanga has changed colours. He disappeared from his friends only to hear he had become a spokesman for the Zimbabwe dictator Robert Mugabe. Then later on, he was to become known as the spokesman for the Lords Resistance Army (LRA). Until very recently he was still in this post when all of a sudden it is reported he is returning to Uganda to contest the UPC elections next month. In Uganda during the Obote II regime, Matsanga was the UPC Youth Leader.
Sam Luweero received his fame when he was appointed by the late Ugandan leader Milton Obote as Managing Director of Nile Breweries. When Obote's government fell in 1985, Luweero fled to Nairobi and later to London where he became very successful as an insurance broker. But in the 1990s Luweero was enticed by Museveni to return to Uganda where he was put in a five star hotel and literary forgotten there by the NRM. He quickly backtracked and returned to self-exile in London . This is therefore the second time he is returning to Uganda to rejoin the political arena.
Jimmy Akena is one of the four sons Miria Obote the current UPC president, bore to her late husband Milton. Now a Lira Member of Parliament, Akena, if elected UPC leader, would be trying to emulate his father who led the party from its inception in 1955 till his death a few years ago. While Mrs Obote would love to hand over the party's torch to her son, it is questionable whether Akena has enough support among UPC members to mount a credible campaign, let alone stand a chance of beating Museveni for president.
While Olara Otunnu is yet to declare his candidature, he has made it known that he would prefer the Uganda opposition to join hands and fight a strong and credible united opposition against the NRM come 2011. He told this writer that he would be approaching all opposition political parties in Uganda to find ways in which a united front could be organized to fight the 2011 General Election.
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Its Federal or the bullet!! (1)
