Hon Mwijukye writes back to Chris Baryomunsi

Mwijukye

By Hon Mwijukye Francis

An Open letter to Dr Baryomunsi, Thank you for learning nothing & forgetting nothing!

Dear Hon Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, receive my warm greetings and quick recovery wishes to you. I write this letter in respect to a response you made to my article regarding the health hiccup you got while in the constituency. Indeed I praise God that the incident happened and has thus generated such an important conversation, especially in respect to the state of social services in our country!

In your letter, you questioned my integrity as a legislator, used demeaning and degrading words to describe me; that I am intellectually disabled, that I eat mandazi in Parliamentary committees & abuse government officials, that I poke my dirty big nose in Kanungu affairs, to say the least! The misguided anger, tone & language that you used doesn’t befit your title “Honorable”.

As a Minister, former Commissioner of Parliament, & a PHD fellow, such uncivilized language was the least expected of you because I expected you to focus on the issues raised than personal attacks. For you to write such a forest of words & a desert of sense, & then at the end of your write-up, you even put a title “PHD” was not only a mockery to yourself & fellow PHD holders, but also an embarrassment to the institution that awarded it to you. Nevertheless, since understanding is not compulsory, I have forgiven you!

In your letter, you accused me of being concerned about the issues of Kanungu yet I represent Buhweju, I am very surprised that a senior legislator of your caliber, who has been in Parliament for over two decades, is ignorant of the fact an MP is a national leader and not a village chief. You don’t know that as MPs we are mandated to carry out oversight in the entire country since we are national leaders.

Needless to say, as Parliament we appropriate resources that go to Kanungu and other parts of the country, therefore it should be of our concern when the people of Kanungu lack basic services.

Secondly in your letter you acknowledge that you were airlifted to Mulago Hospital at 10:00pm at night, if indeed your life was safe in the hands of Kambuga Hospital, with all the needed services, why would any one risk the doctors, the pilot, security etc to airlift you at night even with the doubts regarding the night vision of the helicopter? What were you running from, if it wasn’t poor services in Kambuga Hospital?

Thirdly you deny being a certified liar, and go ahead to spin that Kambuga Hospital is well stocked with everything in place, but again acknowledge allocation of over 20 billion to renovate it, if you aren’t a liar and certified one; do they renovate something that is not dilapidated? Why would you rush to allocate such huge sums of money in such a hurry to a well-stocked and functioning facility?

Fourthly, you acknowledge the existence of Rugyeyo health facility which was functioning with the hand of James Garuga until government intervention which failed to meet its obligation hence frustrating Garuga leading to his withdrawal. It is sad that you shamelessly deny having been taken there before going to Kambuga Hospital. What is clear though is that the said government interference and subsequent frustration of the facility was sponsored by yourself, whose record is known in fighting other leaders and stakeholders in Kanungu District. You fought James Garuga, fought Amama Mbabazi, now you are fighting his predecessor and you have also been fighting local leaders including local councilors.

As I wind up, it is very disgusting listening to you, especially those of us who used to be inspired by your intellectual debates in the 9th Parliament. You used to be the Baryomunsi we loved; who spoke for the common man, who championed the common good, who spoke truth to power, who knew the plight of the ordinary person until the Nebanda saga when you betrayed the dead by selling to government the samples meant for her postmortem. It is sad that alongside the samples, you as well sold your soul in exchange for a ministerial post.

It is sad that your behavior has turned sycophantic and you have lost touch with reality and if the Baryomunsi of the 9th Parliament met the one of the 11th Parliament, they would fight and kill each other. We thought that the incident that happened to you would open your eyes to the world of reality, and therefore turn you from Saul into Paul, but it is unfortunate that you have learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. Mwijukye ends his letter.

Hon Mwijukye Francis is the MP for Buhweju.