A convention meeting for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party members in the diaspora flopped over the weekend after most of the invited guests and Ugandans failed to turn up.
Ugandan activists in Germany disrupted the convention preparations, making it almost impossible for the organizers to convene for the meeting.
On June 30, 2022, Nile Post reported that Germany had halted the NRM meeting following a protest letter to the mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter from Uganda exiled activist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija.
In his letter to Munich, Kakwenza said that the convention was being held under the auspices of President Museveni, who he described as a brutal dictator that continues to oversee human right violations in Uganda.
The exiled writer said that the convening is disturbing, especially to them as Ugandans living in exile and other stakeholders who are concerned about the violations in Uganda. The Munich Mayor said in response that Kakwenza’s protest note had left them stunned and pledged to discontinue the convening which was initially scheduled for July 1-3, 2022.
Nile Post understands that after the cancellation, the NRM promoters in Munich postponed the event to the weekend of July 15-17, 2022 at a venue they did not reveal to the public for fear of being blocked again.
Now sources in Munich revealed to this website that their worst fears came to pass as the new venue they had booked also cancelled on them at almost the last minute, when an NRM delegation from Kampala had already traveled to Munich.
Writer and activist Kakwenza again claimed responsibility, saying that he got to know about the new venue and asked them not to host a group of people that he says is responsible for the suffering of Ugandans.
When contacted by this reporter, Kakwenza said that: “Yes, they went 45km away from Munich and got a hotel in Sternberg. I contacted the management and they cancelled out on them,” Kakwenza said.
This website could not independently verify Kakwenza’s claims as he refused to share with us the statement from the hotel saying that they asked him to share, or mention its name anywhere.
Nile Post however understands that the event never happened as scheduled.
Another source in Germany told us that after playing hide and seek with a group of opposition activists and their sympathizers in Germany, the convention turned out to be an outing for a few summer travelers.
“We did not have a complete delegation, only those who live here and those who travel back. It was almost like a drinkup..” a German filmmaker who preferred anonymity told this reporter.
One of the guests for the convention, Stella Nyanzi took to her social media platforms to post that they could not accept to sit and talk with the very people who are the reason why they are in exile.
“I celebrate the second foiling of NRM’s Diaspora Convention in Europe rescheduled from 3rd – 6th July to this weekend of 16th July 2022. Munich Bavaria cannot give temporary exile to political prisoners such as myself, and simultaneously host my violent prosecutors! We resist NRM,’ she said.
When contacted, Lillian Ikulument who was the chief organizer denied the flop allegations and said that they held the meeting successfully.
She could not share with us any proof to counter the proof from the sources in Germany.
The convention was supposed to be held under the theme of “Cultivating a Future for Uganda” and hundreds of NRM chapter members and Ugandans in the diaspora were expected.
