President Yoweri Museveni has ordered for the arrest of a man who was recently captured on video uttering comments considered to be sectarian and demeaning to other ethnicities.
In the video which has been making rounds on social media, an unidentified man is seen speaking at a matrimonial ceremony.
The man who is a muhima from the Banyankole tribe states that he can never let his daughter marry a mwiru (the section of Banyankole who are predominantly cultivators).
The President reacted to the statements in a video message to the nation on New Year’s eve and vowed to deal with those who demean and abuse fellow human beings.
“There are some fools and enemies that spoilt my festive season. I watched a video clip from a certain party where one fool was spewing words that were segregative against Ugandans,” a seemingly disturbed Museveni said in his ten minute message delivered from his country home in Rwakitura.
He explained that the words ‘omuhima’ and ‘omwiru’ were used in yesteryears to describe the different sections of Banyankole based on their occupations and skills. The Bahima were cattle keepers while the Bairu were known to be crop growers.
But the President said some clans of the Banyankole tribe, particularly the Bahinda and Bashambo as well as the royals had tendencies of exploitation and confiscation of their subjects’ property. Subsequently, they began to use the term ‘omwiru’ to demean other people, he said.
He said that soon after the NRM government took power, it put in place stringent measures to stop the use of sectarian language.
“The word ‘omwiru’ means ‘servant’. We often use it when we are praying to God. We refer to ourselves as His servants. I myself am a ‘mwiru’ of God and it is gratifying,” the President noted.
“But sectarian people use the word to mean ‘slave’. When you refer to a fellow human being as a slave, that becomes contempt and demeaning to other people”.
In order to weed out the vice which had at one time become rampant, Museveni says “we gazetted this act [sectarianism] as a crime in Article 41 of the Penal Code and it attracts a punishment of not more than 5 years”.
“Fortunately, these fools who made these statements exposed their faces. We are going to find them, arrest them and charge them with sectarianism,” Museveni said.
In the same clip, a police officer is said to have been present at the event where the abusive comments were uttered. The President says that the officer will be investigated to establish what he did when the “foolery” was prevailing.
“We made this law, now luckily, these people will serve as examples to deter the rest from behaving like that,” he said.
Previously, there have been numerous other audio clips circulated on WhatsApp where anonymous persons referring to themselves as Bahima vilify the Beiru often using extremely abusive language. During 2016 elections, audio clips were circulated in which Bakiga vilified Bahima and vice versa.
Whereas I support the president on his strong message against sectarian talk, I also would wish to challenge him into learning how languages evolve and words mildly change meaning, the word Niggar, was a household name for whites to refer to blacks in the better part of the last century, it has since changed, infact the vilified category of blacks now use it casually to refer to each other, it only becomes offensive to the old folks who have vivid memories of the true meaning of the word, an this often happens when an insensitive white says it to a sensitive black.
In Acholiland, we have some sections of the Acholi people (Acholi Muding, Acholi Labwor etc)…..it’s until recently that people no longer find if offensive to be referred to as one!
Whereas I don’t know how miiru and mahima relate, I request to know whether both sects find it offensive to be identified as one.
Thank you.
It’s true to much freedom it has bring all that but people have lost respect of elders the police officers have no secret. Our dear president we honour you but we as your youth you denied us, we’re ready to serve in police
Although i want the president to retire, he was spot on here. There are sections of Banyankole pple with primitive thinking that another section is inferior to them. The same way racists, apartheid promoters believed that they are of superior race. The law should take its course to stop such from flourishing
I see Mr. President! This arrogant muhima could have committed a crime of exposing the concealed secret of other reserved Bahima who don’t talk to show off their pride but instead act with prejudice to mean that they’re untouchable, uncondemnable, unstoppable etc. In my view, they’re equally the same, for this super pride has a root, which is sharing the same kinship with you Mr president. Sorry that you’re learning of it when it’s almost late.