When I saw the Ugandan youth escorting Comrade Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to nomination at Kyadondo Road in Kampala seeking to be NRM Chairman to-be and Presidential flag bearer on Saturday June 28, 2025 terrorizing and stealing from their grandparents, parents, relatives and friends, I concluded in fear that there is a shadow of death looming around the country.
But before this happens, I wish to counsel the youth to read on:
A MAN IS LIKE A TRAIN:
At 20 years he is like the locomotive, it stops at every station.
At 30 years he is like the special hire, it stops only at the large towns.
At 40 years he is like the express, it stops at the big cities.
At 50 years he is like the old locomotive, it stops often to lubricate.
At 60 years he does not leave anymore, it remains in the yard and
A WOMAN IS LIKE THE WORLD
At 20 years, she is like Africa, Semi-explored.
At 30 years, she is like India, Warm, mature and mysterious.
At 40 years she is like America, technically perfect.
At 50 years she is like Europe, All in ruins.
At 60 years she is like Siberia, everyone knows where it is
But no one wants go.
Perhaps each of us in Uganda has heard this adage ‘’when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade.’’ And reading the above statements, I believe the following advice fits in the current political situation.
Young men and women, surely no deal overrides reality and gravity. I have lately, tearfully observed that those killing and being killed on the streets, politically and in broad daylight are our youth especially if one remembers the Gen Z demonstrations in Nairobi and other major cities in Kenya. I, too was once a youth but for me nature handed me very organized, strict and disciplinarian, now deceased parents (the late King’s African Rifles – KAR father Kaloli Wamoto and wife Maria Masibo Mutonyi) supported by an equally cohesive, knitted-together Bagisu community regulated by revered, traditional norms, values, precepts passed down from generation to generation. These elders insisted on ground discipline.
In 1980, I joined UGANDA PATRIOTIC MOVEMENT (UPM) then led by youthful Yoweri Museveni aged 34 years at the time, having been particularly influenced by articulate men like Perez Musamali, Victor Wanyoto, Eriya Watyekyere, Maumbe Mukhwana, Israel Mayengo, Matia Kasaija now Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development, the late Ali Muwabe Kirunda Kivejinja, Dr. Kizza Besigye, Fr. Okoth, Jabeli Bidandi Ssali, Eriya Kateregaya, Ruhakana Rugunda, Chrispus Kiyonga, and others.
I had returned from the Republic of Kenya on 11th March 1979, exactly one month before the fall of Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada to ready myself for the dreaded and revered IMBALU (male circumcision) which surgery I underwent a few months before the December 1980 general elections which culminated into the Luweero Triangle people’s protracted war up to 1986.
I was an indomitable but cautious activist of UPM’s Museveni and group. Cautious as mentioned earlier because my parents (Catholics hence members of the Democratic Party) interrogated me as to where I knew young Museveni from when I had just returned from Kenya. My father, a liberal veteran KAR understood my reasons that UPM was my only cup of tea. I was therefore left to freely do my politically radical things of my youth days but there remained a general community responsibility and rule that we, I mean the youth of the time must be home not later than 7:00 pm without fail.
UPC’s A.M. Obote took over power and later, I retreated from the public eye because in my village in Bukhura – now J.B Nambeshe’s Manjiya constituency in present day Bududa district where I had been nicknamed Museveni which put my life and movements in danger. I relocated to Kampala by train on 6th February 1981 not aware that Museveni and his colleagues had fled Kampala and attacked Kabamba military academy the same day. I survived death because in my brief case I had put my UPM Literature. Some few people were killed at Kireka Army Barracks (now Police Special Investigations Unit) as the train from Malaba was blocked. I survived because the Tanzanian soldiers in the country at the time realized I knew the Kiswahili language.
Kampala was deserted when the train arrived at the main railway station. So, I loitered in the city until I was late and in breach of curfew hours. I was walking towards the line of fire as I was strolling downward to Centenary Park (then known as Yard, a very serious life and death roadblock had been set). Later, I got a menial job at then Coffee Marketing Board (CMB) as I waited for my Swiss Scholarship at Kenya Utalii College Nairobi through Hon. Patrick Masette Kuuya who was a powerful UPC Minister, and his Undersecretary, the late Andrew Kidiya at the then Ministry of Rehabilitation.
Mind you, Politics is nothing unless God’s favor is upon someone. We wanted Obote to fail, but he won and we were forced to be obedient. You can be the same today as you wait for your sweet government, just as I did.
In 1985, the Nairobi Peace Talks (Museveni and Okello Lutwa) found me at Kenya Utalii College. The National Resistance Army (NRA) stormed out of the talks many times. I knew president Moi’s weak spot because I studied with most of his Caterers. He (Moi), the host and chairman of the Peace Talks was determined to steer the talks to a successful conclusion expecting a Nobel Peace Prize. President Moi through his student staff contacted me and the late Joseph Basekezi Ssenyonyi (current LOP and NUP’S Joel Ssenyonyi’s father). President Moi facilitated us to mobilize Ugandan students at Kenya Polytechnic and Kenya Utalii College to stage simultaneous, peaceful (just carrying huge placards) to Harambe House (Kenya’s President’s Office) and at Hotel Inter-continental where the NRA delegates were residing. This was a double score for us students, President Moi and Uganda. In 1986, NRM/NRA had captured power, then again luck handed me the now First Lady Janet K Museveni and her then young family (kids) General Muhoozi was 12 years old at Utalii Hotel (the College’s Practical Unit) where I was a finalist trainee manager attending to them.
My last encounter with a member of the first family was when God’s favor handed me Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, popularly known as Salim Saleh at the Senior Command and Staff College at Kimaka in Jinja City. My story says this in short: Don’t die quickly. Fight with wisdom, please wait for your good government with good conduct, prayer and peace, not troublesome riotslike what we saw at Nile Avenue where even the former Director of C.I.D Ms Grace Akullo and her son were almost killed.
NabendehWamoto SP (0776658433)
Email: simonwamoto@yahoo.co.uk
