Man Jose Kayima
Former Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya and his Cabinet colleague Mike Mukula have been drawn into stray shots over allegations that the latter made sectarian statements against the Baganda.
Prof Bukenya, who was vice-president between 2003 and 2011, was apparently irked by a blog post that quoted Flight Captain Mukula as saying Baganda were dogs who cannot be trusted with leadership of the country.
He demanded Mukula apologises.
“I heard that he said the Baganda dogs cannot be given the responsibility of the country. Honestly, it can’t be the Mukula I know but if it’s true let him extinguish the fire and retract the statement,” Prof Bukenya said on Friday during the presser he held today at his Katomi Kingdom Resort in Entebbe.
Bukenya decried the excessive use of social media that has caused a lot of mayhem, misinformed the public with hate speech
“Mike Mukula is a leader and he calls other people dogs, that’s unacceptable. That means Gilbert Bukenya is a dog , the National Vice Chairman of NRM Al Hajji Moses Kigongo is a dog, the Kabaka is a dog, do you see how far it goes?” Bukenya noted.
However, former Soroti Municipality MP Mukula instead took offence, saying Bukenya had probably been misled by a “fake” post by a group of bloggers based in the Diaspora.
“I’m married to a Muganda woman and most of my friends are Baganda, so I can’t associate with such acts,” Mukula, who also addressed the media over the matter on Friday, said.
Mukula said the offensive remarks he is accused of making was shared by The Kampala Journal. He accused the bloggers of attaching offensive quotes to the speech he made at the launch of First Son Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s political party, the Patriotic League Uganda, on February 7.
“I’m always careful while speaking. Above all, the statements I made were published and are all over social media so I don’t see where the problem is,” Mukula said.
Responding to The Kampala Journal’s post on X, formerly Twitter, Mukula said they had posted a “nefarious tweet and a figment of your fertile imagination, meant to mar my image amongst the masses and the people of Uganda especially my in-laws”.
“I have a fully recorded video and audio recording of my speech.”
Gen Muhoozi, a senior presidential advisor for special operations, whose MK Movement morphed into the new political group, paid tribute to Mukula for his speech at the Wednesday launch.
“I want to thank my big brother Mukula for officiating at the Patriotic League of Uganda’s proclamation ceremony today,” Gen Muhoozi said.
“He spoke very well. I want to thank our millions of supporters and well wishers for helping us reach this milestone. Uganda will be great! Safari imeanza tu! (the journey has started really.)”
Mukula threatened to sue the Kampala Journal, saying in his post that he had instructed his lawyers and the police to institute full disclosure and investigate the matter and bring it to justice.
