Uganda’s iron fisted dictator, Yoweri  Museveni, is in the middle of a hurriedly arranged tour of Buganda under the pretext of promoting  ”Bona bagagawale” (”prosperity for all”).  However, Mr. Museveni has attracted such small audiences that his state house has banned all newspapers from publishing photos from the rallies. The decision was taken as soon as Museveni’s handlers observed that when Museveni went to Kyaggwe, in the Kisoga area, he received  crowds that were substantially smaller crowds than the ones his opponent, Kiiza Besigye, had attracted  a few weeks earlier. To further complicate matters for Uganda’s warlord, his crowds tend to be dominated by village idlers and pickpockets and are not always friendly.

One email from a source close to Museveni’s state house says: “The state house simply had no choice but to stop everyone from printing pictures when the crowds in Kyaggwe and Rakai do not even come to even 20% of what Kabaka would attract. And they are also clearly smaller than what Besigye gets. To make things worse, when Kabaka goes places, people roll themselves in the dust on the road asking him to walk over their back. When  the president goes anywhere, people ignore his length speeches and as soon as he finishes start complaining  about everything from terrible roads, land grabbing by ‘foreigners’ and drunkard husbands. In a couple cases he has been asked to explain why he does not leave Kabaka alone.”

In a related development, another Uganda government source who is in contact with Mr. Museveni’s convoy in Rakai, Kooki county, sent us an email to say that Mr. Museveni is spending two days in the area to have more time with his local spies regarding the deteriorating security situation in both Buddu and Kooki counties. And, reportedly, to dish out bribes to local NRM operatives and other locals with a long-term goal of undermining  both Omutaka Kabumbuli and the Kabaka in Kooki.  Museveni reportedly gives out the bribe money  during secret night meetings and, while in the Kooki area, he is sleeping only about 3-4 hours a night.