By Kitatta Ibrahim Almalik
In January and February 2021, Ugandans peacefully went to the general polls and elected leaders into different positions to take the country forward until 2026 following unprecedented campaigns carried out in strict observance of COVID-19 Guidelines and Regulations.
This meant less open public rallies than we were accustomed to and we had fewer physical interactions which also paused challenges as we got oriented into what would later be called Scientific Campaigns.
Notwithstanding the challenges paused by the unfamiliar scientific campaigns, Gen Yoweri Kaguta Museveni whom we now call Jjaja (Grand Parent) also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Candidate trounced his opponents with a resounding 59 % victory. The party went on to sweep Parliamentary and Local Government elections which demonstrated the trust that Ugandans have in both the NRM candidates and the Campaign Manifesto dubbed Securing the Future.
Ordinarily, before the advent of common law with the 1902 Order in Council and formal education which criminalized some African practices and customs, the native African would give birth at the age of about 15 to 20. This literary made most Africans Jajjas i.e grandparents at the age of 40. Bazzukulu is a Bantu-Luganda word literary meaning Grandchildren. The population structure of Uganda by age makes up more than 60% of Ugandans, Bazzukulu of Jajja President Yoweri Museveni.
But, barely six months into the new 2021 – 2026 five-year term, some sections of Ugandans, from both the ruling NRM Party or its likely friendly associates and the opposition parties like National Unity Platform (NUP), the Democratic Party (DP) started actively engaging people, mostly the youth into campaign-like fetes carefully and skillfully choreographed to appear as if meant to set the stage for early 2026 presidential elections.
These actions, both covert and overt are not only misguided, and illegal but also Anti-Movement as per the 1995 Constitutional provisions on democracy. A freshly elected government of the day, ought to be given breathing space to implement the plan as laid out in its campaign Manifesto and voted on by the People of Uganda.
But achieving this needs a collective effort and as such, mid this year 2022, President Museveni appointed Madam Namyalo Hadijah Uzeiye as Senior Presidential Advisor / Political Affairs, Personal Assistant to The NRM National Chairperson and National Coordinator of the Bazzukulu and assigned her a number of tasks to be carried out in the short term, medium term and long term under his direct supervision and guidance.
Madam Namyalo’s appointment came about three years after she had formed The Bazzukulu ba Museveni (Grand Children of Museveni) as a grassroot mobilisation group to rally young people from all walks of life from different political beliefs towards appreciation of the historical works and sacrifices of Jajja Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Mobilise them towards supporting Jajja’s plans to continue with his transformative agenda for Uganda, East Africa and Africa while benefiting from the same, and also awaken their consciousness of the political environment around them so that they can make the right decisions that are good for themselves and their families putting Uganda and its future first.
Resultantly, Namyalo and her team began by relaunching the Office of the NRM National Chairperson (ONC) situated at Kyambogo with a theme: ‘Omalako Jajja Tova Ku Main’, a phrase that has spread across the country at unprecedented speeds, only synonymous with a summer season bush fire carried by fast-moving winds.
The “Omalako Jajja Tova ku Main” phrase is derived from a mixture of Bantu Luganda and English words coined in a phrase literary translated to mean “Grandfather, You are still able, do not stray away from the Main Road, that is, stay on the right course, do not be diverted from the strategic mission ..”
To use an analogy of a bus which is the symbol of the National Resistance Movement (NRM). A bus is synonymous with Long distance travel. It is chosen because it takes more people efficiently. It makes fewer stopovers and it rarely sways off the agreed course. The bus has a driver who must concentrate and do the main task of keeping the vehicle on the main road. Then the bus conductor engages the passengers, collects the fare and informs the bus driver when a passenger is to disembark at the next designated bus stop.
The most important task of the NRM National Chairperson who is also the President of Uganda is similar to that of a bus driver, that is, to steer the bus to the agreed destination. The agreed destination is the NRM 2021 to 2026 Manifesto themed “Securing Your Future”.
In this Manifesto are the five priority areas of focus, that is; Creating Wealth and Jobs, Delivering Education and Health, Ensuring Justice and Equity, Protecting Life and Property and Achieving Economic and Political Integration. This is the real Main Road that the Bazzukulu under their National Coordinator Madam Namyalo Hadija Uzeiye are commanding and partnering with their Jajja Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to fulfil.
My next article will address the 2026 and beyond political questions.
The writer is a Public Relations Officer and Spokesperson of the NRM National Chairman, sits at his Kyambogo Office and can be reached on WhatsApp number 0775549199.
