Reaction to Captain Guma Gumisiriza's statement about Federo

Captain Guma Gumisiriza David
MP Ibanda County North
Dear Guma,
RE: A Statement made by Captain Guma on Federo
I wish to take this opportunity to write to you on a serious matter regarding the future of our country. I am not new to you having been classmates through at Makerere University and not only sharing the same Hall of residence Mitchell; but also meeting for Economic classes. It is true if I remember very well, after academics at Makerere; you joined those who were in the bush to help in the effort to get sanity to this country. While you are fortunate that among the many graduates who left for the bush many are dead and some did not even reap the fruits of the war; the reasons you went there should still be ringing in your mind. It is absurd to hear you among others spearheading the NO FEDERO talk! Why should you? Are there no models of success where federo arrangements are plactised?
I am one of the pioneer staff of Nile bank, and you are aware that I met my problems in my banking career not because of my own making. It was then when Hon. Richard Kaijuka was Minister of Energy in the NRM Government that a Uganda Electricity Account was opened there. You can be sure that because of corruption in Uganda since 1991 justice has never been done. I was sacrificed by among others a cabinet Minister in the NRM Government. And you ought to be aware what it means losing a job in the bank, it is hard to get another job against that background. You are well aware of the hard ships we went through at Makerere just to get qualifications. In this role, I cannot excuse the NRM Government. If some players in the NRM Government were responsible for my problems, why do you want to suffocate the possible alternatives?
You ought to be aware that Buganda Government is taking on a number of educative programmes; meanwhile off loading some of the responsibilities the central government would. What is bad with that? All these efforts are to help the people of Uganda out of poverty, but then you come and say no President can grant us FEDERO. Sincerely, Guma, you should not be corrupted. As an academic you should have the right view of things. Assuming you were part of the Buganda establishment and you found that the Government is intentionally sitting on rents due to you, would you be happy? Guma, I wish to tell you that some of us are not happy with Government. I have communicated to people in Government about my innovation of Good Governance School Clubs (GOGOC), which I believe was hi-jacked and ‘sold’ to Government and is now Patriotism School Clubs, but my pleas that Government pays for my role has not received any response yet no body has come up to say that the originality of the idea was x, y and z.
So, my Brother Guma, power corrupts, but be objective. Uganda has highly learned people and many are aware of the possibility of a peaceful co-existence of federo states with the central government. The truth is that no body can eat all the monies made say in Uganda. As a leader, one needs to have his share and also leave others to have their share. To throw some little light on the recent riots taken as a Baganda issue this is just erroneous. The people are concerned with the sharing of the national cake; and as NRM Government fails to listen to the wishes of the people, the more we are in trouble as wrong diagnosis of problems is thought.
You may be aware that Kabaka Mutebi is soon going to visit his county – that is Buwekula; but when you learn from Hon. Bwerere Kasole and how he has prepared for the visit, it is the right approach for a Uganda where we can all co-exist. For the visit; all tribes have something to offer and if a similar strategy had been used in Kayunga there would have been no riots at all. So, my brother, my advice is that you should not be party to the forces that may be ready to get our country miles back. As a Member of Parliament the issue is that the suggestion being made for federo and not by only Baganda is workable and can lead to a more peaceful country.
Best of Luck
Willy Kituuka
(Former classmate at Makerere University 1980 – 1983)
Mitchell Hall