As Zimbabwe, and Africa at large, comes to terms with the unexpected fall of Robert Mugabe, Kampala, more than any other capital in East Africa is following the events in Harare with more than fleeting interest.

The shocking end of Mr Mugabe has fed directly into the combustible debate in Uganda about ongoing efforts to amend the Constitution to extend President Yoweri Museveni’s rule.

According to some analysts, the quick succession of events over just two weeks that eventually showed Mr Mugabe the door indicate that while President Museveni projects firm control of both military and political affairs in Uganda, as Mr Mugabe did in Zimbabwe, such control is usually premised on wrong assumptions and whittles away pretty fast.

“Two weeks ago, when Mr Mugabe removed Emmerson Mnangagwa from the post of vice president a lot of people jubilated. Two weeks later, when Mr Mugabe is removed from the chairmanship of ZANU-PF people also jubilated. That shows that actually in these banana republics of ours the so-called political support is actually manufactured, artificial support,” says Makerere University historian Mwambutsya Ndebesa.

While President Museveni appears to have successfully purged the army and the party of his war comrades, his hold on the latter is sustained more by money and coercion and less by genuine belief in his ideology, according to Andrew Mwenda, who informally advises him.

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2 thoughts on “Mugabe’s exit causes excitement in Uganda

  1. Yoweri Museveni must resign as he can’t rule Uganda forever. It is in his dreams.
    For God and my Country
    He believes no one can be a president as he still breathing

  2. Its time that Muzee should go peacefully instead to wait for humiliation. We have seen since 2011 up to day how many african dicactors called leaders have ended.

    I recall during Libya war when Muzee 7 was interviewed by international television and asked he simply said, the question of Libya and Gadaffi cannot be solved by Western powers, infact Gadaffi would be alive if he accepted to flee to South Africa, but because of bad advisors like Muzee 7 Gadaffi died like a rat, pulled from trenches of ghettos like Karerwe. Mr M7 you might end like Gadaffi, your family might find themselves in refugee camps.

    Ngu eyanga kuzaguruka, ezagururwa umurasha

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