Written by Tony Owana Friday, 30 July 2010 08:21
Of course, he wasn't the first one to try to cast himself as a fearless unbwogable contender ready to take the fight to the almighty leader of the NRM.
Indeed many were quick to dismiss Ruhinda Maguru as a mere joker while others referred to the little-known retired soldier as an indisciplined cadre intending to take the shine off the revolutionary leader many would want to go through unopposed.
Of course Felix Okot Ogong, despite his arguably bigger profile as Member of Parliament and former minister, had tried it during the 2005 NRM delegates' conference.
But even then, the reaction his bid received from the party's top brass indicated that competing against President Museveni wasn't a joking matter.
Many may remember that Major General Kahinda Otafiire, then delivered perhaps the most unforgettable statement towards Okot Ogong when he said: "I envy his courage and question his wisdom."
Ruhinda Maguru's campaign poster which appeared during last month's NRM National Executive Conference in Namboole that showed him posing in army fatigue elicited even more anger among party faithfuls.
Many could not come to terms with the fact that a retired junior officer intends to stand against Mzee - the Commander in Chief of the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).
Ruhinda Maguru however defended himself saying that declaration to vie for chairmanship of his party is not a sign of disrespect for Mzee, as President Museveni is fondly referred to by party supporters.
Maguru argues that his candidature means that its time President Museveni gave up the seat of party leader so that he can concentrate on other national duties as well as coach the party's leaders who will replace him when he is retired.
The retired captain sites African statesmen Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Daniel Arap Moi of Kenya as examples of leaders who stepped out of party leadership in time to give their supporters a chance to build their parties into institutions instead of imposing on them their will.
Who is Ruhinda Maguru
Ruhinda Maguru joined the then National Resistance Army (NRA) forces as a 17 year old teenager years ago.
But because he had been one of the Kadogos (young soldiers) Ruhinda Maguru got a chance to go back to school following the successful taking over of power by the NRM government in 1986.
With full sponsorship from government, Ruhinda Maguru successfully and impressively managed to persevere with studies until he obtained his first degree in law from Makerere University. He continued his academic pursuit to masters level still at Makerere university where he got a masters degree in Economic Policy Management from the same university.
Until his retirement Ruhinda Maguru ranked among the most highly learned soldiers in the UPDF. Ruhinda Maguru is also remembered for his long and loyal relationship with President Museveni's young brother Gen. Salim Saleh with the former having served as a key player in the latter's business dealings.
According to Guma Rutahigwa and Amon Bagarukayo of the Pan African Movement, Ruhinda Maguru was among the group that was given Ushs 40m by General Saleh to run the Pan African magazine that failed to take off.
Others also note that Ruhinda Maguru has always been someone with a longing for the limelight which many link to his declaration to stand against the most popular politician in the country.
In the NRM party circles though, Ruhinda Maguru is not a new face neither is his wife Mary Mutesi, a former contestant for the Makerere University Guild President.
In 2005 Ruhinda was beaten by Engineer Ndaula Kawesa for national party treasurer. His wife Mary Mutesi, a lawyer and lecturer at Kampala International University, was also beaten by Abbas Agaba for the post of National Chairperson of the NRM Youth League.
Earlier in 2001, Ruhinda Maguru had contested in the NRM Member of Parliament for Rubaga North but he lost to Tom Kayongo who also lost to the then FDC strong lady Betty Kamya in 2006.
Still, many consider it almost suicidal for anyone to stand up to Museveni, especially considering the long history of the president's former contestants who have fallen on the wayside or been forced into opposition.
FDC's Augustine Ruzindana is one of those who have contested against Museveni and in his series of the Museveni I know, he has referred to him as a person who does not take any challenge lightly.
Also, those who know Akena P'jok, the guy who stood against Museveni for the UPM leadership in 1980 elections say Mzee has never invited P'jok to work with him, even during the days of broad-based politics when he attracted people from all political backgrounds.
Some like Dr. Elizabeth Nabatanzi, who had declared her intension to contest against Mzee in 2005, have played it safer and reaped the benefits. Nabatanzi was persuaded to drop out of the race in exchange for a juicy position as one of the aides of President Museveni.
Some observers indeed suggest that it could be that Ruhinda Magururu's plan is to persuade the president to give him a job because the guy has been on Katebe for long anyway.
This view is supported by people like Steven Asiimwe of the NRM Electoral Commission, who says that President Museveni is known to work with anyone as long as they denounce rivalry and pledge undue loyalty.
Some indeed say that it was through such arrangements that in the early 90s he appointed DP's Paul Kawanga Semogerere and CP's Joash Mayanja Nkangi, both formerly from different political backgrounds into ministerial positions. blog comments powered by Disqus
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