Two Ugandan activists, Anthony Natif of Public Square and Agather Atuhaire of AGORA, were involved in bitter exchanges on social media. Natif had been involved in efforts to clear the air after Trevor Mukholi, a staff at policy think tank Public Square raised allegations of death threats against his life.
Soon, Natif would seek to expose the Ugandan civil society, attempting to explain how they reportedly do their work with the aim of pocketing millions of dollars. And Agather Atuhaire was close by to rebut and make some really shocking revelations. Here are some of the highlights:
Natif: When a lot the Ugandan Civil Society actors seem to be coalescing to attack you, know you’re doing the right thing. They’ve been pocketing millions of dollars to do absolutely nothing but chill in air conditioned conference facilities to discuss expensive consultant created PowerPoint presentations, rack up air miles and live like Kings/Queens while selling stories of poverty and suffering to the bleeding hearts from the west who open their wallets and cleanse some guilt (real or otherwise). At the end of the calendar year, they file reports, hold expensive end of year parties where they give themselves awards for being great humanitarians/human rights defenders etc then dust off the begging baskets and go for another round of begging. Ask them for tangible, measurable impact like we do in the business world and you’ll draw a blank stare. Bring the business metrics to challenge their vanity metrics and you’re public enemy number one. It’s a massive con. The government and those fellas aren’t so different. They’re all living off of the pain of the citizenry. Charlatans!!!
Atuhaire: How has an issue involving your colleague, your right hand man, the one that has been insulting and attacking anyone you don’t like become “Ugandan Civil Society actors”. If I started an outfit and in less than a year of its existence it loses almost 10 of its members, I would stop burying my head in the sand, stop looking for everyone else to blame and asked myself what I might be doing wrong. As for “doing the right thing”, I think that is subjective. I wouldn’t call attacking people to catch their eye and ask for money for my individual investments, as happened with Rwabwogo, “doing the right thing”. I wouldn’t call getting information about corruption and asking for money from the people to publish it or after I have published it, like what happened in the case involving Mbarara City Council, MBJ co Ltd and Artworks Limited doing the right thing. I wouldn’t call, asking an entity to give me shs 150m so that I kill an alleged tax fraud case because I can claim to hear information in the corridors of state house doing the right thing.. but if it is the right thing for you, don’t try to discredit others and posture as the only one doing the right thing.
Natif: … it’s beyond activism. Lots of people have found real careers selling vanity metrics. They fly allover the world on vacations, sell sob stories, call out their government before white audiences that have their own problems, pick awards and dollar bills then come here and even don’t vote in elections because….”those elections are rigged scam”! Makes no sense!!
Atuhaire: So when did you change your mind about “picking awards”? You used to praise those who get them as “Human rights colossus”. Was it when you didn’t get the awards yourself or the dollar bills after writing proposals to the same white audiences in vain? I thought you have been claiming to be “calling out government” yourself all along. Consistency is very important Tony. You can’t be saying different things when they suit your agenda. … when I saw posts about who he has fed people, others got school fees and campaign money, I remembered how many people were told he funded Agora, and put a lot of money in the Uganda Parliament exhibition. But for full disclosure, he funded 50% of the car that I drive that he turned around and told people I got from USAID funding! I had decided to not interfere with how people want to feel important but I thought it is not correct to let a lot of lies fly, and people’s names and reputations ruined continuously.
… Another full disclosure; I had a personal relationship with Anthony Natif. It is the reason I decided to keep quiet for the last one year. But the last two months after finding out how he is using his supposed connections in State House, the photos with the supposed important people that he flaunts, a cover as an activist and apparently an investigative journalist to extort people, I thought it is in the public interest to share what I know to forestall more people falling victims. I still tried my level best to remove sentiments and share facts and only what I can prove. It was also important to put his bickering that he keeps dragging other activists, especially I and the rest at Agora in, to rest.
… Some Ugandans are very interesting people: 1. They put you on a pedestal. They think because you have accepted a calling like ours, you cease being human. I see how shocked many get when they meet me in a club dancing (which I do passionately) and they say, “you also dance like this?”, now they are shocked I have relationships 2. Then they major in minors as it were and ignore the critical issues. Now I see all the jazz is “exchanging fluids”.
Well, unless Anthony Natif exchanged fluids with his hitherto protégé Mukhooli and the many other members of his outfit that have fallen out with him, unless he exchanges fluids with Godwin Toko that he has harangued for a year or with Jim Spire Ssentongo that he very wildly and outrageously accused of threatening people by apparently telling people to “necklace” him on a space last night. Never mind that when the person he accused called him out he started stammering saying he respects him.
You can’t respect people and be throwing outrageous baseless allegations all over, investing in smear campaigns and character assassinations against them! Anyway, my job was to give you all info that I thought the public needs to have in order not to fall victim and I did that. I will continue to do it without fear or favor. I will be here to respond if any more allegations are made against me or my team. For now, we still have 2 days to dwell in pettiness so that we can resume real work on Monday without further disruption.
Agather Atuhaire has previously been thrown out of a house she was renting after criticizing the speaker of parliament. She has won awards from the West – just like her colleague Spire Ssentongo who also claimed he received death threats. (See Details Here, There and Over There).
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