ROBERT ATUHAIRWE: In defense of Allan Kasujja’s right to promote Gen. MK’s birthday run

I saw an article titled: “When Journalists Cross the Line: The Cost of Proximity to Power” by Leonard Kamugisha Akida on parrotsug.com taking a jibe at the new Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, Allan Kasujja, for announcing the upcoming MK Birthday run. Kamugisha is a journalist himself. He notes in his bio at the end of the article that he is also an advocate for public health issues.

In the deep end of the article, Kamugisha seems displeased with Kasujja, apparently, for losing his journalistic independence and taking on the “language and posture of power”.

While Kamugisha has a right to question, we ought to be fair and grounded in what we are talking about. My reading of the article is that it is meant to portray the new communication boss of government as a sellout. One would think that there is something disgraceful about taking up a corporate job, more so one in government. Obviously, that tells you that the complainers are using a political lens and, more so, having a bone to pick with Gen. MK. The target isn’t Kasujja but the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). For being a son to the president, anything he does or is associated with attracts the ire of those that are not at par with his father politically or otherwise.
If that weren’t the case, what’s the problem with doing a charity activity and using a centralised communications base to inform the world about it? What’s the problem with the head of the unit making the announcement and endorsing the activity? Kamugisha is an activist. What does he use to publicise his activities? What most people don’t understand is that UMC is a unit accessible to any Ugandan to use its services if they are promoting something for public benefit. MK being the CDF, he is official of government, and the press conference where the announcement had other officials and UPDF officers. Meaning that the activity is mainstream, and it’s open to everyone including those criticising it so that they can pick a leaf.

For someone to reduce it to something akin to a just a birthday certainly goes to show how things look different depending on who is looking. A birthday is an ordinary milestone that some of us don’t even mark. But others tag very helpful activities to their date of birth and use it to change the lives of others.

From the start, I always wondered at those who looked at the MK birthday as just a merrymaking thing. Well, the “birthday boy” doesn’t look at it that way because he has more to offer to society than just slaying and cutting cake. But those who have issues with him will likely propose a law banning public birthday celebrations because to them, they come off as politically advantageous to one side but no one will tell us who stopped them “mainstreaming” their own anniversaries.

Back on Kasujja: when he was doing his “independent and neutral” journalism, to who did owe anything? Who chose for him his career path? When he was on Capital and BBC, who sent him there? Whose interests was he serving? Did he have a right to choose his employer? Does he still have that right or entitlement to choose who he works with or for? Which is this public that knows and minds Kasujja’s journalism practice better than the practitioner himself?

It’s the same scenario with politicians that cross from one party to another, or like Nobert Mao of DP, cooperate with the ruling NRM government, then they are derided as being sell-outs, etc. Question is; when they were breaking their political teeth and choosing a side to belong to, on whose orders or opinions were they working? In short, who put Mao in DP and whom did he swear an oath to that he will never cross or work with NRM?

We are seeing dangerous symptoms of intolerance and self-righteousness when people start claiming to hold the power to determine which side others support or where they seek employment. This tells who the enemies of democracy are.

And I say this without ever having met the media guru now heading the UMC in person. That doesn’t take away his right to advance his career in any direction as long as it’s not a criminal enterprise.

The author is a Promoter of African Integration and Greater Public Good

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