Museveni calls out Babu Owino for ‘inciting chaos’ in Uganda

By Peter Ochieng

Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, apparently, has a bone to chew with Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino.

Speaking during the launch of ODM Party leader, Raila Odinga’s African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship bid at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, Museveni accused Owino of inciting violence in Uganda.

“There are some individuals in Raila’s group who don’t know what they are doing,” said Museveni who is in his 38th year as Uganda President.

“You know, I am a consumer of intelligence services. I always see intelligence service reports, there is a character called Babu. I always see Babu! Babu! Babu! dealing with anti-NRM groups in Uganda. I have never accused him, so now I am accusing Babu.”

NRM refers to Uganda’s ruling party, National Resistance Movement. The second term Embakasi East legislature is a buddy of Uganda’s opposition leader, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.

Wine, a musician turned politician cum an activist is the party leader, National Unity Platform (NUP). He is among politicians who have heavily suffered under Museveni’s rule, having faced arrest, house arrest and torture in his attempts to dislodge President Museveni from power.

It is believed that Babu Owino had been in Uganda severally, before he was banned from visiting the East African country five years ago. The Ugandan minister of Internal Affairs Haji Abubakar wrote to Kenya's then Foreign Affairs CS Monica Juma accusing Babu of undermining President Yoweri Museveni’s government.

“Our attention is drawn to the joint subversive activities of Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as Bobi Wine and his Kenyan counterpart Babu Owino to undermine the legitimately elected government of the Republic of Uganda,” wrote Abubakar, then.

“The purpose of this letter is to make it known that Honourable Babu Owino is officially declared as persona non grata within the borders of Uganda and will not be permitted entry without special clearance from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

The ban came days after Owino hosted Wine in Kenya, where according to Ugandan authorities, the “duo uttered inflammatory and seditious words against the democratic and legitimate rule of President Yoweri Museveni.”