By Executive Editor

The National Coordinator, Alliance for National Transformation – ANT – Maj. Gen. Rtd. Mugisha Muntu – has revealed why he chose peace over violence amidst the country’s failure to oversee a free and fair election.

“The only reason I have chosen not to pick up arms and fight this regime is the very understanding that even those who will pick up arms and fight to remove Museveni will not act any different from Museveni [when they assume power]. Weapons can intoxicate; much as money, much as power. If there’s any group that wants to take up weapons to remove this regime, I will not condemn them but I will not be a party to it because I know what weapons can do once you get power,” Gen. Muntu said Friday at the ongoing three-day opposition consultative workshop on constitutional and electoral reforms at Munyonyo, Kampala.

Others at this gathering include former Forum for Democratic Change – FDC – Party President – Col. Rtd. Kizza Besigye.

“If you are planning for a sole candidate in the 2026 elections, I am not with you. I will not be a party to be considered for those kinds of things,” Besigye said, adding that “For 60 years since Independence, Ugandans have never said we’re lifting this one to be our leader.

“All leaders are lifted into office by guns and removed by guns. Clearly, people do not have power. Those who have guns have the power. So, the people with guns are sovereign, not the people of Uganda. Museveni is the sovereign of Uganda today. No doubt we’re beginning to see the succession of the crown prince. When people are sovereign, they pass on their sovereignty to whoever they decide. In fact, the sovereign is the constitution. If the people of Uganda were sovereign, they would be the constitution but they are not. All institutions in Uganda were captured by Mr Museveni. Institutions serve those who have power, not those who don’t have power. So, all institutions today serve Mr Museveni who’s the sovereign. Parliament was captured. That’s why soldiers the other day entered Parliament and beat up MPs. We now have cripples because they were beaten by soldiers in Parliament. We saw what happened in court when black mambas attacked the court, the temple of justice. Justice James Ogoola who was the principal judge then said ‘the temple of justice has been raped.’ That rape continues. So we cannot have an independent Judiciary, Parliament or Electoral Commission. That’s a joke.”

By press time, the gathering was still on-going.