From Besigye to Bobi Wine, Uganda’s long walk to freedom

By John Eche

The fact that Colonel Kifefe Kizza Besigye has presently let out word that he would not be contesting in the 2021 presidential polls against his long-time foe and incumbent President, Yoweri Museveni, ordinarily should bring some comfort to the incumbent who has very brashly dominated the Ugandan political stage since his emergence on the scene in 1986. But it is not.

The old war-horse and long-standing campaigner for freedom and the rights of his people has indicated his support for the current heartbeat of the Ugandan opposition, Bobi Wine. And that indeed is a problem.

Like Bobi Wine, who is presently in the eye of the storm and who gets to sleep in detention centres almost every other week, Besigye in the several decades of his standing up to Museveni, also endured a whole lot of beating, torture and deprivation of his rights at the hands of the security services. And quite paradoxically, the medical doctor and businessman had been part of the National Resistance Movement, NRM team that had fought for a better country after the years of dictatorship that had preceded the coming of the NRM.

Indeed, it was on account of his denouncing the slide to despotism of the NRM that he was to fall out with Museveni and that has continued to be the core premise of his continuing opposition to the cult-figure rule of Museveni in Uganda.

Very clearly for Uganda, it has indeed been a long walk to freedom and the polls process in 2021 promises to take the contest even one notch higher.

Kifefe Kizza Besigye, Uganda opposition leader