If I were Justice Bamugemereire, I would resign because of the Kamanyiiro

The week got off to an ironical start after it emerged that four soldiers who fended off officials from the Land Inquiry from accessing a controversial piece of land were rewarded with medals.

For those who do not remember in February, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire and other commissioners attempted to inspect a disputed piece of land in Mutungo Nyamiyaga Villa in Nakawa Division in Kampala.

Before they could proceed further, a group of soldiers intercepted them and a bitter exchange ensued.

One of the soldiers even cocked his gun and readied to shoot in case the situation escalated further.

Bamugemereire then said he would call the army leadership and lodge a formal complaint over the way she was treated.

We are not sure if she did. But if she did indeed call the army leadership, then her complaints must have surely fallen on deaf ears.

As it turned out, Cpl Robert Kanyiikira, Sgt Julius Katuriba, Cpl Veneranda Tumusiime and Sgt Siraj Igga were on Heroes Day awarded medals for what government described as exceptional professionalism.

From a layman's point of view, the medals were a kick in the teeth for Bamugemereire who has distinguished herself as a fighter and defender of those whose land rights have been violated.

Why else would people who wanted to push the good judge over the cliff be rewarded?

Indeed, The Rogue thinks they should have been behind bars.

Had the officer who cocked his gun decided to shoot, something terrible and unspeakable might have happened to the judge or members of her team.

Yet like one analyst told The Rogue, Justice Bamugemereire like other people before her is not indispensable.

For me, The Rouge, If I was Bamugemereire I would tender in my resignation because this would be too much kamanyiiro (disrespect).

I  mean, I wake everyday to do a job you gave me. I face all manner of threats. Last time, unknown people attacked my home and then you reward people for harassing me?

So does this mean that whatever I have done, I have done it in vain?

Where is my medal?

For all the years I have toiled, putting land grabbers on edge and trying to dispense justice, and then you reward those who blocked me while trying to do my job?

What happened to justice?

What happened to equality?

Is the president testing my loyalty like he has done to so many other people?

Am I being used like that KCCA woman who used to be praised to the moon only for the big man to tell us that she did nothing other than burden the taxpayer with her huge salary? 

Remember, some people had started auditing the expenditure of the land probe with the aim of finding fault.

They started claiming that we were spending too much money on travels upcountry.

For me, if I were Bamugemereire, I would not allow to be used.

At this moment, I would be penning down my resignation.

In my letter, I would thank the president for entrusting me with such a noble responsibility. I would also express my disappointment for rewarding my tormentors.

Of course may be that is why I am not Bamugemereire. Instead, I am a just a journalist whose main job is to look for rumours, sanitise them and serve them to the public. I normally shoot first and ask questions later.

The Rogue is a satirical column that runs once a week on The Nile Post

Contact the author: +256-788179369/+256-752195226.