The events that transpired during the funeral of former Bishop of Busoga, Rt. Rev. Cyprian Bamwoze on the 17th of February, where the former Vice President Dr. Specioza Wandera Kazibwe in her eulogizing of the deceased, spent some 2 minutes (in a 10 minutes speech) criticizing the presence of Kyadondo-East Member of Parliament, Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine have been taken on by the media to paint an image that Kazibwe should not have dared.
The media, being the political players that wish to be, failed to see any fault with the actions of Bobi Wine and instead took aim at the former Vice President because, of course she is a known supporter of President Museveni. But what did she say that has provoked the politically myopic? She simply told Bobi Wine, “If you are going for a funeral, just as other mourners, come in silently and sit down”.
What is wrong with that? Anyone coming to a funeral should not carry their political baggage like Bobi Wine to do at every occasion.
Dr. Kazibwe rightly reasoned that Bobi Wine (I insist on calling him Bobi Wine rather than Robert Kyagulanyi because that is what he is, a brand known as Bobi Wine) was unknown to Bishop Bamwoze and, therefore, had no reason to show up at his send-off.
She was right because he really did not know this prelate and only showed up so as to campaign for his perceived 2021 presidential run while pretending to commensurate with the mourners and what a great actor he is; Bobi Wine has already launched campaigns for the presidency as per his plans to make himself viral at every occasion.
For instance, in a TV interview after the event, Bobi Wine said that, “there is no invitation for people to pay their last respects to dear ones”.
He added that Bishop Bamwoze was a leader who was well known for having stood up for the rights of the people and fought injustice, the reason why he travelled to Busoga to pay his last respects. Campaign talk there can be easily deciphered from his words.
People have, for lack of a better word, blasted Dr Kazibwe’s utterances, saying it was un-African to chase away mourners; that Dr Kazibwe’s actions are unique to her as an individual. Indeed, her words about Bobi Wine prompted many of the mourners to shout her down.
The trick Bobi Wine is using is to say that, those who mourn and bury the dead should include relatives, friends, workmates and the people associated with the deceased whether they were known to by the departed or not.
Bobi Wine knows that out of respect for the deceased, strangers who accompany others to bury their loved ones are often welcomed and acknowledged for standing with the aggrieved in their time of need.
This gate-crusher called Bobi Wine is determined to fight for your rights whether you like it or not. It is his way of attracting audiences – disrupt other people’s assemblies and funerals in this case for your own political gain.
My knowledge of Bobi Wine began with the so called Arua incidents, when I watched the videos of how Bobi Wine conducted himself over there, I was surprised that he never got arrested on the first day there.
There is a video of Bobi Wine disrupting a rally held by FDC’s Besigye who was campaigning for the FDC candidate. This is the type of politician the nation is dealing with, the cheap popular-ism kind of politicians.
What is disappointing is that politicians like Norbert Mao who in the Daily Monitor newspaper of 24th February, 2019 wrote in support of Bobi Wine and castigating Kazibwe as part of the political deficiency problem in Africa, never see this because it does not appear when one looks through the “hate Museveni” glasses they use.
Whatever Bobi Wine is doing is not in line with African traditions, he is exploitative, immature and dangerous. It is Bobi Wine who went for a music show in Jamaica and turned his visit political by meeting the Prime Minister of Jamaica, as if he has an official position in the government of Uganda. As a Ugandan who does not live in Kyandondo East, and therefore do not see Bobi Wine as my representative in anything, I would like to know where he got the idea of purporting to represent me in Jamaica.
The opposition is up in arms, the failing Democratic Party youth’s groups and the FDC of course are demanding an apology from Kazibwe. I pray the good doctor blasts them, because they are indeed behaving idiotic anyway.
