Olara Otunnu: The unlikely beneficiary of two grave mistakes during mourning

In the run-up to the 2011 presidential elections, Olara Otunnu, arguably a little known, lanky, bald gentleman with a kitenge signature shirt was given the flag by Uganda People’s Congress to try his effort at upsetting the two-horse race in NRM’s Yoweri Museveni and FDC’s Dr Kiiza Besigye.

The rationale of the choice was based on the fact that UPC wanted to score a diplomatic card, throwing Otunnu in at the deep end of the pool and banking on the complexity and demeanour he exhibited as the oar of hope in the rising tides of Uganda’s dirty politics.

Otunnu willingly referred to as Ambassador by those who appreciate round table conversation on politics with wine or hard whiskey in hand, indeed was the only candidate with an auspicious CV, having sat at the UN for five years in addition to his indefatigable experience with American politics of class and directional leadership.

His slogan was fit to the occasion: “Let us take Uganda back”.

However, Otunnu, just like he had come, would soon disappear off the scene, maybe on the realisation that Ugandan politics was more cumbersome than he was complex.

Of course, it came off a poor show at the polls, managing only 1.58% (125,000 votes), a good number below Democratic Party’s Norbert Mao who came third in that race.

Otunnu’s complexity was misjudged, he was instead found wanting and there were more questions regarding the suspicious absence of a woman in his life, rather than what relationship he wanted with Uganda.

Eloquent but very slow for a rally setting, typically English, unimpressive in fashion, green with his dance moves and a yard boring to the muntu wawansi, Otunnu would soon retreat to himself, once in a while coming out to read the political weather and again taking cover.

On one of these occasions and the freshest image of Otunnu clinging to Ugandan, Politics is during the walk to work protests when a jet of pink water shot from the Police truck soaked his Kitengi, it is then that he looked like he had quit!

Unknowing to him, even a one Omara, a comedian who had mastered the art of mimicking him was erased from the celebrity board with the same pink water, both Otunnu and Omara would never be heard of seriously for over a decade after that day.

Otunnu returns following two grave mistakes

It is said that whenever you have value, something will come up and you will be required. Indeed, Otunnu’s time was yet to come.

It took two grave mistakes by two important people for the winds to blow Otunnu out of his hiding.

On 24^th March, probably engulfed by emotions, Chief Justice Alfonse Chigamoy Owiny-Dollo while addressing mourners at Jacob Oulanyah’s home in Muyenga accused Baganda of double standards.

Dollo stated that he was disappointed when Baganda abroad led a group of protestors against the treatment of Oulanyah abroad yet they were mute as their “ethnic leader” enjoyed the treatment of Ugandan government resources in Germany.

Dollo’s statements were cheered at the funeral but they would later cause a stir. One of the people who demanded that Dollo apologise for his statement was National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu alias Bobi Wine.

Dollo, true to his class would quickly put together an entourage headed by Olara Otunnu and he paid a courtesy visit to Bulange Mengo where they went grovelling.

Ironically, however, Bobi Wine who had been demanding such an apology from Dollo and his entourage would find himself in need of Olara Otunnu as it turned out he had to make a harder journey to Omoro where he was to kowtow to Nathan Okori, the father of the man he said wasted government’s money to be flown for treatment.

In a flashback, Bobi Wine while at the burial of Mathias Walukaga’s father insinuated that Oulanyah was a complete waste of the taxpayers’ money because he was chartered alone in an aircraft to the tune of Shs1.7b when he was already cold dead.

Bobi’s statements were not very far from what irked the Acholi parliamentary group following the protests of People Power diaspora groups just outside the hospital where Oulanyah was battling for his life.

Bobi Wine had demanded an apology from Dollo for his statements about Buganda King, Dollo sought Olara’s company. Now it was time for Bobi Wine to cut his cloth to fitting and he chose the same man- Otunnu.

Otunnu was a central figure in the meetings Bobi Wine held in the Northern Region, and he hosted Bobi and the group at his home in Gulu.

“Very grateful to Dr Olara Otunnu for co-ordinating the visit, hosting us at his lovely home and for the wise guidance. With unifying and patriotic leaders, we can still dare to dream of a United Uganda,” Bobi said upon his visit to the North.

While at the home of Oulanyah’s father, Bobi Wine found it hard, but it could have been worse without Otunnu. The same man was also his translator during the mass at the church later, before both addressed a press conference with Otunnu roaring.

Otunnu had long been forgotten, had long been written off, maybe he had rested his revered Kitengi, and buckled up for the retirement train. However, it took two men to lose their emotions in very short intervals to upgrade Otunnu’s ticket to the VIP section of a connecting flight to a new political Uganda.

Otunnu is reborn, he owes too much to the men, especially one whose political ambitions are as sure as hunger. In this country where rewards play an ultimate goal in politics, Otunnu’s show leaves us with no other option but stake on his appearing somewhere in the 2026 races.

And who would have thought that in the period of the death of Oulanyah, in the midst of verbal missiles, in the bit of the burial budget chaos, and in the event of winds carrying tents up, Otunnu would be a distant beneficiary?