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R 171053Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY KAMPALA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 1610
INFO AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE
IGAD COLLECTIVE
RWANDA COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS KAMPALA 000788 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM RREL UG
SUBJECT: UGANDANS APPLAUD POTUS MESSAGE; ASKS WHAT'S NEXT? 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The U.S. Mission held a series of public 
outreach activities surrounding the President's July 11 
speech in Accra, Ghana.  Overall, Ugandans were very 
receptive to the President's message on democracy and good 
governance, combating corruption, and building a brighter 
future for all Africans.  The call to action for Africa's 
youth was particularly well-received, but despite the 
speech's parallel message about self-responsibility, many 
wondered just how the President would address the economic 
realities that constrict their potential.  Not all reactions 
were positive, however.  Some commented that the President 
was lecturing Africa, calling it more of the same from the 
West.  Others noted that "America will only do what is in its 
own interests."  Aside from a comment from one of President 
Museveni's aides affirming that "Museveni did not need 
lecturing to," the Government of Uganda has been silent on 
the speech.  End summary. 
 
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Background 
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¶2.  U.S. Mission Uganda kicked-off its President Obama Ghana 
Speech Outreach Plan on July 13, replaying the speech at the 
Charge's residence for a cross-section of key government 
officials, civil society leaders, business people, and 
journalists.  Following the speech, the Charge led a lively 
open discussion of the President's key messages. 
Additionally, the Mission sent short message service (SMS) 
messages to more than 200 Ugandans highlighting key points of 
the speech.  We reached out to Public Affairs programs 
alumni, Information Resource Center (IRC) visitors, students, 
and other key members of society for their thoughts on the 
meaning and implications of the speech.  The Charge on July 
15 participated in a live radio panel to discuss the speech. 
 
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Democracy Message Resonates 
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¶3.  Ugandan audiences responded enthusiastically to key 
messages in the speech about fighting corruption, 
strengthening democratic institutions, and conducting free, 
fair, and transparent elections.  Many reacted strongly to 
the President's reference to men who change constitutions to 
stay in power, drawing an immediate connection to the Ugandan 
Parliament's 2005 decision to abolish presidential term 
limits at the behest of then and current President Yoweri 
Museveni.  At the July 13 viewing of the speech, Member of 
Parliament (MP) Betty Amongi and others agreed with the 
President that "it is not enough to hold elections."  She 
said Uganda needs to implement electoral reforms and 
pre-election preparations in advance of its 2011 presidential 
elections.  These reforms are an important part of 
strengthening democracy in Uganda, she said. 
 
¶4.  Guests emphasized that good governance requires a 
collective effort from the executive, legislative, and 
judicial branches of government and that there needs to be 
balance of power among these branches.  Many wondered how 
long it would take to achieve this kind of democracy in 
Uganda.  Uganda Journalists' Association President Joshua 
Kyalimpa reiterated the importance of a free and independent 
press as a "vital institution to democratic governance." 
Although freedom of the press is included in Uganda's 
Constitution, he said, it does not exist in practice. 
 
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Strongmen or Strong Leaders 
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¶5.  A number of guests either misunderstood or deliberately 
chose to ignore the President's message that "Africa doesn't 
need strongmen, it needs strong institutions." In what was a 
very interesting and humorous play of words, some of Uganda's 
key political leaders debated the difference between a strong 
"leader" and a "strongman."  Outspoken northern Ugandan MP 
Reagan Okumu argued that "there can be no democracy without 
institutions, and that Ugandan institutions are weak."  One 
guest disagreed, adding that Africa needed strong "leaders" 
like Museveni. 
In the end, there seemed to be agreement among most that 
Uganda needs strong leaders AND strong institutions. 
 
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Economic Opportunity Key 
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¶6. Business and civic leaders responded positively to the 
sections of the speech on growth and opportunity.  Executive 
Director of Enterprise Uganda Charles Ocici was particularly 
impressed by the President's comments that Africa's future 
lies in the hands of Africans.  He said "Africans must 
develop businesses to provide the government with the 
necessary revenue to escape dependency on the West."  Ocici 
said the "entrepreneurial spirit" is strong in Uganda and 
people can make a good living.  MP Henry Banyekazi agreed, 
but felt that many of the financial and economic policies 
established by the United States and Europe have hurt small 
farmers in Uganda and Africa.  He asserted that in the 
current global economic system, agricultural subsidies for 
small African farmers are "essential" to enable farmers to 
compete.  Banyekazi and others called for action and 
implementation of polices that would enable African farmers 
to compete in the global market. 
 
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The Youth's Call to Action 
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¶7.  With just over 50 percent of the country under the age of 
15 and a president that encourages population growth as a 
means of development, many attendees took special note of the 
President's call to action for African youth.  They described 
the institutional and socio-political barriers young leaders 
face in Uganda.  One person said that the youth are the 
product of an imperfect society, and that broader social 
change and stronger institutions are needed to raise youth to 
be better leaders.  Several participants emphasized the 
importance of empowering African and Ugandan youth to affect 
positive change in their countries, but said that even 
educated young adults have trouble finding jobs.  Suubi 
Kiwanuka, a representative from the Media Center in Uganda, 
explained that youth in Uganda need to understand and embrace 
the "dignity of work." 
 
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Health, Peace and Conflict 
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¶8.  MP Betty Amongi welcomed the President's remarks on 
public health, particularly his focus on expanding assistance 
to improve maternal and child health and to fight malaria. 
She praised the President for continuing to support the 
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and drew 
attention to the fact that the President spoke positively of 
former President Bush's historic AIDS initiative.  We should 
take note of this gesture in our own politics, she commented. 
 On peace and security, one guest said that Uganda's history 
of conflict continues to plague its current politics.  He 
said that until now, "the wounds of the bush war have not 
been healed, and advocated "the need for a departure from the 
current regime." 
 
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Radio Interview: Charge Reiterates President's Message 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶9.  The Charge on July 15 participated in an hour long panel 
discussion on Uganda's Vision Voice radio station.  He was 
joined by journalists David Mukholi, Richard Baguma, Osman 
Bisika, Barbara Omong, and radio host Charles Odongtho. 
Omong called the President's speech a "breath of fresh air," 
but added that she hoped that it would be followed by 
concrete action.  The U.S. should cut aid if democracy 
falters, she affirmed.  Bisika disagreed, calling the speech 
a "lecture" to Africans.  He argued that "America has its own 
agenda and acts based on its own interests."  Mukholi was 
especially critical of the President's decision to speak in 
Ghana about good governance when he had previously spoken in 
Cairo "which is undemocratic and led by a strongman." 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Student Roundtable: Students Stress Accountability 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶10.  On July 16, the Mission invited a group of 10-15 
university students from Kampala to watch and discuss the 
President's speech.  Most students thought Obama had 
correctly identified the main issues facing African countries 
today, but expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of 
foreign aid.  Many said that the "aid goes nowhere" and "aid 
fails" because funding is misdirected and resources are 
mismanaged, pointing to Uganda's Global Fund scandals as a 
prime example.  One student cautioned against blaming donors 
for these failures and said that government and local leaders 
should take responsibility for managing assistance.  Another 
student suggested foreign assistance efforts should focus on 
human development and knowledge transfer, and should partner 
directly with institutions instead of governments. 
 
¶11.  Several students urged international partners and donor 
governments to hold African leaders accountable by 
encouraging closer oversight and auditing of foreign 
assistance funds and building institutions to fight 
corruption.  One student described the ways corruption 
hampers development and accountability in Uganda, saying the 
police system is "broken," the judicial system is 
overburdened and slow, and "entire institutions are dead." 
Two students said that the most important aspect of the 
President's speech was that it gave people hope that such 
corruption could be overcome in Africa and that "there is 
still time to change."  To do that, Africans should work with 
the U.S. to create a culture of responsibility and 
accountability that instills values and ethics in young 
adults and professionals across the government and private 
sectors, students said. 
 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
Top Journalist: "Obama's Trash Talk" 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶12.  Independent magazine publisher and journalist Andrew 
Mwenda, who is no friend to the Museveni administration, 
noted that many "Africans in Africa and the diaspora were 
moved by the speech...because it appealed to people's basic 
common sense."  He argued that the speech did not "deviate 
fundamentally" from the views of other western leaders, but 
that the President's African heritage allowed him the space 
to be more blunt.  Rather than a "moral plea" for African 
leaders to do better, Mwenda posits that it would be more 
effective to identify incentives that would compel African 
leaders to make choices that benefit the people.  In the end, 
Mwenda concluded that there must be African solutions to 
African problems and that the President should "listen" 
rather than "lecture." 
 
¶13.  President Museveni's spokesman, Tamale Mirundi, agreed 
in part with Mwenda.  Mirundi publicly commented that 
Museveni "needs no lecture on democracy, politics, or 
economics from any foreign leader.  Hinting GOU resentment of 
the President's direct reference to leaders who remain in 
power too long, the spokesman said "our president doesn't 
need lectures about Africa.  He is an expert on African 
affairs.  Instead, the other leaders should listen to him." 
 
- - - - 
Comment 
- - - - 
 
¶14.  Overall, the President's Accra speech was well received 
across the spectrum of Ugandan society.  Civil society 
leaders and members of the political opposition are 
particularly interested in seeing the U.S. do more on 
democracy, good governance, and corruption in Uganda.  At the 
same time, some Ugandans were non-plussed by what they 
considered to be yet another lecture from the West.  Either 
way, there is little doubt that the President's speech has 
helped spur dialogue on these vital issues in Uganda. 
 
 
HOOVER