OF MWENDA’S OPPORTUNISM, INTELLECTUAL BANDITRY, AND THE THREAT OF POLITICAL RETALIATION: LEAVE OTAFIIRE ALONE
By Asuman Kiyingi
The report published by Mulengera News on 13 October 2026—detailing a coordinated plot by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) to engineer the unconstitutional purge of Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire from Cabinet and install Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye in his stead—unmasks a chilling reality: political disagreement in Uganda is no longer met with debate, but with threats of political execution.
Even more alarming are the inflammatory pronouncements attributed to journalist Andrew Mwenda, threatening total political annihilation for anyone daring to cross General Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s path.
Let us dispense with the polite fictions. Political actors have every right to advocate for administrative changes. But when the language of policy debate mutates into the language of mafia-style retribution, we have crossed the Rubicon from political competition into intimidation.
The profound tragedy here is watching Mwenda—a man who built his entire public reputation on the altar of fighting arbitrary authority and defending free speech—transform into a chief apologist for martial overreach. The intellectual betrayal is absolute: a once-trenchant critic of state coercion now acts as the megaphone for a creeping military-backed succession project.
The Fallacy of Intellectual Banditry
Mwenda is entirely free to worship at the altar of Muhoozi’s political ambitions. He may champion generational shifts or critique Otafiire’s record until he is blue in the face.
But proximity to a general’s epaulettes does not confer constitutional authority.
Association with military might does not grant anyone a license to police civilian thought or dictate who sits in the executive. Mwenda’s historical defense of accountability rings hollow when weaponized to silence dissent. If Otafiire is ineffective, produce the record. If he has erred, present the evidence. But do not dress up political thuggery as reform. The credibility of public commentary is measured by consistency of principle, not transactional loyalty.
Otafiire, Sovereignty, and the Right to Dissent
Otafiire’s friction with the MK axis must be viewed through the unyielding lens of our constitutional order. Under Article 1, sovereignty belongs exclusively to the people—not to a bloodline, a pressure group, or a military faction.
Otafiire owes no fealty to a succession matrix. His history in the protracted struggles that birthed this nation does not make him infallible, but it grants him the moral clarity to call out the dangerous conflation of military command with civilian governance. The proper retort to a historical leader pointing out uncomfortable truths is reasoned argument—not a backroom conspiracy to strip him of his office.
The Wider Canvas of Impunity
Mwenda’s crusade against Otafiire cannot be viewed in isolation; it is part of a systemic erosion of liberties across Uganda:
- The legal battles surrounding Dr. Kizza Besigye’s liberty and threats against his life;
- The high-handed detention of lawyer Elias Lukwago for simply pursuing lawful remedies;
- The silencing of veteran constitutionalists like Miria Matembe for daring to question military conduct;
- The persecution of opposition figures like Muwanga Kivumbi;
- The brazen seizure of Charles Rwomushana live on Radio Simba;
- The chilling disappearance and detention of young activist Aloikin Praise Opoloje.
These are not isolated anomalies. They are symptoms of a rotting political environment where critical thought is treated as treason and dissent is met with the boot of security forces. When influential commentators rush to sanitize this climate of fear, they become architects of autocracy.
Cabinet Is Not a Feudal Spoils System
The presidency holds the constitutional prerogative to appoint or dismiss ministers. But a cabinet reshuffle driven by the coercive demands of an unconstitutional pressure group is a direct assault on institutional integrity.
The playbook being rolled out against Otafiire bears the ominous hallmarks of past political witch-hunts—reminiscent of the tactics deployed against former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi. Let us be clear: organizational discipline is one thing; using the shadow of military coercion to purge independent thinkers is an internal coup against the Republic.
Conclusion: Leave Otafiire Alone
Uganda’s destiny will not be dictated by decrees of inevitable succession or the arrogant posturing of outlaws hiding behind military fatigues.
Leave Otafiire alone. Challenge his policies in the open market of ideas, contest his positions through lawful avenues, and test his record under the bright lights of accountability. But abandon the delusion that proximity to guns equals a mandate to rule by fear.
The Republic belongs to the citizens of Uganda, not to the loudest opportunist or the most heavily guarded faction. The writer is a senior advocate and former Minister.
