By Bernard Ddumba

9^th Jan 2012: I used to be one of Andrew Mwenda’s biggest admirers.  It pains me to say today that my faith in Mwenda’s journalism has been brutally crashed by none other than Mwenda himself.  Over the last few months, I have been bitterly dissappointed by what I can only describe as Mwenda’s “irreversable degeneration” as a Journalist.  In fact in my eyes, Mwenda’s Journalism now is as good as Kony’s democratic credentials.

Because of his childish bragging on Capital FM’s morning show with Allan Kasujja about how he advises Museveni, I now rarely read his articles.  On the few ocassions when I read them, I treat everything he says with deep suspicion.  I am now thoroughly convinced that everything Mwenda tells Ugandans publicly is exactly what he will have advised President Museveni to do during their private strategy meetings at State House.

Frankly, I am shocked that instead of trying to rediscover his old self, Mwenda has taken to defending his “unjournalistic” and indefensible PR jives for his great hero Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.  I have just read his article “Museveni’s post-election black swan” published on 20^th December.  I am surprised that some people still think this was a rigorous peice of Journalistic analysis.

As he discusses Museveni’s possible impeachment and Besigye’s possible rise to the presidency in his “Black Swan” article for example, Mwenda says, “…two things that seemed almost impossible and improbable at the end of March this year are increasingly becoming possible and probable…one was that…Kizza Besigye would never be President…and the other was that the NRM-dominated Parliament would never impeach…Museveni because he had effective control over it. Today, both scenarios are possible and probable.”

Since Mwenda has declared to the world that he regularly advises Museveni, I can’t help but conclude that what he is now presenting to us as “analysis” may actually be his private warning to Museveni to watch his back.  Indeed, he goes on to highlight some recent political developments like the 9^th parliament’s tough stance against Museveni’s corrupt Ministers and the walk-to-work protests as evidence of Museveni’s increasing vulnerability.

Mwenda’s final exposure, in my eyes at least, then comes at the end of his article when he said what I think was also his private advice to his “client” Yoweri Museveni.  “…So, if Museveni does not re-assert his authority now, Parliament may run out of control.  If this happens, it may even gain the confidence to try to impeach him. And if Besigye can rekindle the Walk to Work fire, it may give him a chance at the presidency.” Mwenda says.

I think it is ethically wrong for Mwenda to continue masquerading as an independent minded Journalist.  It reminded me of what Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alistair Campbell once told a TV host here in the US when he was promoting his book.  When he was asked why anyone should take him seriously as a Journalist, Alistair Campbell came clean and said he has never pretended to be an independent minded Journalist.

If I was Andrew Mwenda, I would also come clean like Alistair Campbell and say I am an NRM-leaning Journalist.  That way, people will know who they are dealing with.  His views would then be put in the same context as NRM spin doctor Ofwono Opondo’s twisted views.  Like Ofwono Opondo, Mwenda presents as “fact” the grotesque fallacy that Museveni won 68% of the vote.  “…He [Museveni] had resoundingly defeated Besigye in what was perhaps the freest, fairest and least violence-ridden presidential election ever”, Mwenda says.

A fair and balanced Journalist would have also pointed out that ALL opposition leaders rejected the results of the 2011 elections.  Mwenda does not mention anywhere that FDC’s independent result tallying centre had been literally shut down by Museveni’s government.  Neither does he mention anywhere that Besigye had been denied access to several radio stations to spread his message.

Instead, this is what Mwenda says:  “…His [Besigye’s] claims that he had been cheated of victory sounded like sour grapes. He had been beaten in his northern stronghold, failed to gain ground in Buganda, lost significant ground in Teso and the entire East and made no inroads in western Uganda. He had called upon his supporters to demonstrate against electoral fraud and no one turned up.”

How could Ugandans turn up in great numbers to protest against election theft when Museveni had deployed blood thirsty soldiers, tanks, Mambas, and even Jet fighters on every inch of the country?  Goodbye Mwenda and the Independent Magazine.  I wish you well but you will never catch me dead reading anything that you, or your Independent publish in future.

My advice to those who continue to read Mwenda’s articles is this:  Be careful.  Don’t be fooled.  Read between the lines.  Mwenda is very good at burying pro-Museveni PR under a blanket of dodgy analysis.  END:  Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.

bmddumba@yahoo.com