10 and still counting: Besigye campaigns that have yielded nothing
Last week, Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president DR Kizza Besigye launched yet another campaign dubbed Tweraneko, that he said would dislodge Museveni’s government from power.
This was the tenth campaign by Besigye and following nine other previous campaigns all aimed to provide the same results in vain.
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Nile Post looks at the different campaigns by Dr. Besigye and how far they have gone over time;
Tweraneko (October 2019)
Last week, Dr. Kizza Besigye, flanked by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and FDC president Patrick Oboi Amuriat launched yet another campaign dubbed Tweraneko aka 'Article 3 Campaign'.
Besigye said the campaign will seek to address the ongoing injustices in the country. He and his team urged citizens to come together in a convention and discuss matters relating to rising criminality, inequality and rising injustice.
Asked how it will operate, Besigye said citizens will devise means to the ongoing problems in the country and avail solutions.
A journalist put Besigye on spot to explain why he has launched a new campaign despite several failed attempts at other campaigns and he said a poultry farmer can attempt rearing goats when poultry fails.
“We are in a struggle for justice, it's like a struggle for survival. You are a journalist, and I am sure, if you want to survive under this economy, you must be having other projects where you earn something that contributes to what you earn on your job. Such projects are the same as the various campaigns in which we start to compliment each other and contribute to the various strategies we are using to achieve our goal,” Besigye said.
There could be the benefit of the doubt that Besigye can finally pull off this campaign but from the look of it all, negative results could still haunt him.
2019 year of action (December 2018)
On December 21, 2018, Besigye declared the coming year (2019) would be a year of action. He made the statements while at his home in Kasangati flanked by Democratic Party's Betty Nambooze, FDC chairman Wasswa Birigwa, FDC party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat, former Bukhooli Central MP Wafula Oguttu, Kawempe South MP Mubarak Munywagwa among others.
Besigye said in 2019 they will work with all political actors to achieve the same goal of reclaiming back the country because without the country it is useless to get another leader.
With the year 2019, almost folding, it would be fair to say that Besigye’s only action has been launching another campaign, again nothing yielded.
Besigye hoods campaign (June 2018)
Although not necessarily started by him, Besigye's followers jumped on a directive by President Museveni to ban hoods in the aftermath of the assassination of Arua Municipality legislator, Col Ibrahim Abiriga.
The Besigye fanatics that identified themselves with his famous hooded jacket took to social media to claim they would proceed with hoods.
Makerere University LC5 councilor and ardent Besigye support Doreen Nyanjura in a Facebook post indicated she had purchased a Besigye-like hooded jacket and would be selling to those who were interested.
All of a sudden, there was an increased demand for the hoodies on social media, but that was it all, nothing yielded from them, they were never spotted on Kampala streets, not even in a protests organized by those who bought or procured them.
This may not really qualify to be a Besigye campaign and can not be counted as thus, but it being in his name, he can not be eliminated from its failure
Tubalemese (January 2018)
In January 2018, Besigye launched a campaign ( to disable government) in which he would run a parallel system just like the government. He said this would help awaken Ugandans and organize them to take back their power.
By that system, they would generate a government to run in a structured way and he would head that government. He said the tubalemese campaign was to foster the transition of power and restore the sanctity of the constitution
The plan also was intended at isolating (politically, socially and economically) members of parliament that voted to scrap the age limit from the constitution and give Museveni another go at power.
Verdict: The isolation worked for some time, but soon public forgot and the MPs are back with their usual business. Besigye managed to continue running a people’s government and they even have a parliament session. The campaign is as quiet and never existed, hence fail.
People’s Government (2017-date)
The People’s Government is the most persistent campaign Besigye has ever launched after Walk to Work. They held a parliamentary session amidst scorn and shame with many of the Ugandans they seek to liberate calling it ‘drama”.
Many have been appointed to different positions in the cabinet of People’s Government, d they have a budget or offices? What is their actual work, how best have they helped the masses to understand their intentions? Fail.
This also looks like another of Besigye’s campaigns that will end the way it is.
Walk to Work part 2 (October 2017)
Following the end of the initial walk to work campaign, Besigye chose a new way to resurrect the campaign in October 2017.
Addressing media at his Katonga road office, Besigye announced a new phase of peaceful protests against the ruling government.
Besigye asked Ugandans who drive to work to leave their cars at home once every week in protest against the mooted plan to scrap the presidential age limit from the constitution.
"Leave your vehicle at home and go by the (public) means. Go with a Boda boda, or a bus or a taxi … It would be good on such a day to see only public vehicles, of course with some emergency transport, ambulances, fire attendants,” Dr. Besigye said.
The next day and the days after that came like they always do. The sun set from eat and fell in the west. There was the same traffic gridlock and no one recorded to have left their cars home- Total fail.
Free my Vote campaign (March 2016)
Besigye on March 7 2016 launched another campaign dubbed ‘free my vote” that sought to boycott activities by President Museveni and those of musicians deemed to be sympathetic to NRM.
Speaking at the FDC party headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the party spokesman, said the campaign, which will “be very peaceful” seeks to alienate those oppressing Ugandans.
"Starting this Thursday we will not be going to work every Thursday of the week and we call upon all Ugandans who voted for [Dr. Kizza] Besigye to stay home that day,” Ssemujju said.
Erias Lukwago also announced that the musicians and their music should be boycotted.
"If they come to a function you all leave. If they play a Chameleon [Joseph Mayanja] song when you are in the taxi you leave. This is going to be a peaceful demonstration," Mr Erias Lukwago said.
People reported for duty every Thursday, Jose Chameleone released a number of songs that recorded serious hits on airwaves, Bebe Cool also released three songs that hit, while Rema sang Tikula and got everyone dancing. The campaign fell on its face.
I can’t Breathe Campaign (March to June 2016)
Following Besigye’s loss in the 2016 elections and consequent house detention, his supporters in the FDC launched a campaign dubbed I can't breathe. They printed black t-shirts with the words emblazoned and distributed at large.
They also sought the services of energetic pastor David Ngabo to take them through prayers every Tuesday.
The government passed the back door and Ngabo’s wife was cited in a fraud. She was arraigned in court and bailed. On seeking her passport, she disappeared and left the country. Ngabo has since gone ‘missing’ while those that trusted him and his wife like Lukwago to the extent of standing surety are wailing over a huge debt she left behind. Verdict: Fail.
Besigye swears in as president (March 2016)
March was a month of action, Besigye and the FDC swore organized his swearing-in ceremony and he indeed swore in as the duly elected president of the Republic of Uganda.
He assumed the title of President and his house in Kasangati was named State House. In one of the days, even Daily Monitor mistakenly called him President Besigye in a tweet that was deleted moments later.
Needless to add verdict, the President of Uganda is just one, HE President Yoweri Museveni Kaguta and he sits at State House Entebbe and Nakasero. Besigye was arrested after swearing-in.
Defiance (November 2015)
Besigye ran a campaign dubbed defiance, which aimed liberating power from 'dictatorship' back to the people. The campaign struggled to find its ground since Besigye was also running for Presidency having been duly nominated.
The defiance campaign did not stand while Besigye ran around seeking for votes. Many asked why he was defying yet he was seeking election. The campaign remained on paper and never materialized. Fail.
Walk to Work 2011
The most successful campaign by Kizza Besigye, perhaps because it involved everyone including civil societies.
The campaign was ended by FDC claiming that many lives of Ugandans were being lost. However Democratic President Norbert Mao claimed ‘certain people’ went off script following intrigue by the government of Uganda.
All the same, it failed.
Defiance Nov 2015
Walk to Work 2011
