While the untimely death of former police commander Sam Omalla may have overshadowed other conversations, it should not distract us from an insightful remark by Naome Kashariria, widow of Major John Kazoora, and current Member of Parliament for Rushenyi County.
At a memorial service at All Saints Cathedral last week, she shared a poignant reflection that could offer hope to Dr Kizza Besigye, a long-time critic of President Museveni.
As reported by a national daily, Kashariria said: "I tell you, these people may have differences, but when it comes to anything that touched those who went to the bush, His Excellency the President will not sit back and would not sit back...
"The President cannot forget those who fought with him in the bush. Whether what, or what, he will come in," she emphasized.
This statement invites hope, not only because of Shakespeare's assertion in Measure for Measure that "the miserable have no other medicine but only hope," but because there are concrete examples from the past of individuals whom President Museveni has not forgotten—despite differences and at times, deep political rifts.
Brigadier Eriya Kategaya (RIP) was not just NRA soldier number RO002 after President Museveni, who held the number RO001. The two were childhood friends and remained close for over 70 years.
Despite their enduring bond, they fell out over the term limit debate, leading to Kategaya’s dismissal from cabinet. He spent nearly a decade on the political sidelines before they reconciled. Before his death, he was reappointed as the Minister for East African Community Affairs.
Patrick Amama Mbabazi, once hailed as the “super minister,” stood against Museveni in the 2016 elections and was briefly arrested. Yet in 2021, Museveni brought him back into the fold, appointing him as a Special Peace Envoy to South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Similarly, General David Tinyefuza, aka Sejusa (RO00031), fell out with Museveni numerous times but was “forgiven” each time. Despite spending over two decades in and out of court, Sejusa was eventually brought back into the fold after fleeing to London in 2013.
General Henry Tumukunde, once a presidential aspirant, was arrested in 2020 and charged with treason after making inflammatory remarks. He too was eventually forgiven and has since lived a quiet life.
In 2018, former Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura, arrested on charges including aiding and abetting kidnapping, was held in military custody for 76 days. After his release, he was seen in public with the President, suggesting that his rehabilitation was in progress.
Colonel Anthony Kyakabale, former commander of the People’s Redemption Army (PRA), allegedly aligned with Dr Besigye, fled Uganda for several years before quietly returning. Recently, he was appointed as Senior Presidential Advisor on Reconciliation.
If President Museveni can forgive those who stood in opposition or fell out with him over the years, despite the gravity of their actions, why should Dr Kizza Besigye be an exception? After all, Besigye served as Museveni’s personal doctor throughout the bush war.
It is not merely wishful thinking to suggest that Museveni may have already extended an olive branch to Besigye. In his public statement regarding Besigye’s arrest and detention, posted on his personal Twitter feed on February 18, 2020, Museveni said:
"We are not for vengeance… Nobody in the world can give us lectures on reconciliation and forgiveness because that is part of our doctrine right from the 1960s."
Now, it is up to Dr Besigye to decide how he will respond to this olive branch. Reconciliation, as history has shown, requires two willing parties. This is a lesson that former close allies of Museveni, such as Brigadier Eriya Kategaya, Amama Mbabazi, General David Tinyefuza, and others, have all learned to their benefit.
The decision to pursue reconciliation instead of conflict may be guided by wisdom, as both the Bible and Shakespeare suggest:
“What king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counsellors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?” – Luke 14:31.
“‘Tis best to weigh the enemy more mighty than he seems” – Shakespeare, King Henry V.
Museveni may be a master of political brinkmanship, deserving of a doctoral thesis, but he is not a political killer. As I noted in my minority opinion piece, ‘Museveni Can Claim a Higher Moral Ground Above Other African Leaders Who Kill Their Opponents’, published the day after Besigye’s abduction from Kenya, the abduction could have been a chance to silence him for good. But it was not.
The abductors had ample opportunity to kill Dr. Besigye during the night-long journey to Uganda, but they did not. This speaks volumes: Museveni, perhaps, instructed them to bring Besigye back alive.
Dr Sam Akaki is a Uganda citizen