News from Uganda

Time for the thinking cap.

At 12:26pm on Monday 15 Feb. 10, this article appeared on the Daily Monitor website. I have not seen the print edition, so I am not sure that the article was actually in it.

Now, it is more usual for the Daily Monitor to post on its online edition on the stroke of midnight. So, maybe this was an article of breaking news. Ssempa had told the world that there would be a Million Man March to support the Anti-Homosexual Bill. It would be on the 19^th of Feb 2010, and it would be in Kampala.

Kampala

On Sunday, Police moved to halt a planned demonstration in support of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill saying that the government is still sorting 'issues out' as pro-gay activists under the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala secretly met to condemn the same bill.

Pastor martin Ssempa, one of the organisers of the demonstration confirmed that the Inspector of Police Major General Kale kayihura had contacted them and proposed a meeting on Tuesday before the Wednesday demo.

“It is true Gen. Kayihura sent us a text message that he hasn’t cleared the demonstration. He said we should meet him on Tuesday to forge a way forward,” Pastor Ssempa said.

Gen. Kayihura confirmed that he hasn’t cleared the demonstration and said, “We asked them to postpone the demonstration because government has some issues to sort out and they agreed,”.

So, the gist of it was that the government would not allow Ssempa to have his much touted march.

I was told Ssempa was in some ‘crisis’ meetings. My ear to the ground, from the trusty ‘rumour’ machine that runs beneath the pot hole ridden street of Kampala.

Then, this evening, came news from Jinja, that Ssempa had held a march there. And, it was on the evening tv news.

Very interesting. Kale Kaihura is the Inspector General of Police in Uganda. Did he tell Ssempa that he could not hold the march in Kampala, but in Jinja?

From what the Monitor reported, they were actually supposed to have a meeting with him on Tuesday 16^th Feb. That is tomorrow as I write. Was there a miscommunication?

Or, is Ssempa going rogue?

That gentle man has an ego. He would not want to give up his march, even if he knew that he would be met by teargas and flying battons. The govt is known for doing that for all opposition rallies. And, the timing was kind of funny. If he is to meet Kaihura Tuesday, then why hold the march today? Did he expect to be told that there would be no march?

Or, was there some tacit approval on the part of the government for Ssempa to hold the rally? Purely personal speculation, of course.

Jinja is 100km from Kampala. It is (?) Uganda’s second largest city. Certainly not as big as Kampala, but, the press would follow him there, and, they would love to see what he did. Did he show his lurid XXXX rated porns to the crowds that came out to wow him?

I am not sure.

I think the trick is, he wants the government to be caught in the fear of a popular backlash, and their own desire to have the bill become law.

But, Ssempa being Ssempa, has gone about it in his own inimitable way, causing irky raised brows to both friends and enemies…

Now, my lover is insisting that we go to bed. He will not wait for me to wait for the Monitor to post its articles, so I will sign out here.

Have a good evening. Me, I am off to bed to hold my lover in my hands.

And, he approves. Very, very loudly!!!!

Be well

gug