OPINION: R.C.C Bamwine did an excellent job in Masaka

By Edwin Maso Mwasame

In African cultures, it is good manners to appreciate and congratulate one who has done his work well. It is on this note and on behalf of most of the people of Masaka City that I felicitate the R.C.C Fred Bamwine for the perfect job he did in the eight months he was here.
Bamwine’s ‘no nonsense’ character makes me proud of him. He is principled, strict and responsive but approachable. This hardworking R.C.C was always available serving the people of Masaka from Monday to Sunday. Given the big number of people he would meet each day, and being cautious of the Covid-19 S.O.Ps, he shifted his office, though temporarily, to a more spacious place and one that was more accessible (strategic) for everyone, leaving his deputy to discharge his duties from his office (The Deputy R.C.C meets fewer people as compared to those met by the R.C.C).
Fred Bamwine is one of the very few R.C.C’s who attended talk shows on T.V or radio on weekly basis and he competently defended the NRM Manifesto.
Owing to his constitutional role as the head of security as R.C.C, he will be remembered for being fully in control of security in Masaka. The security bosses here respected and in fact feared him. Many a time, the Brigade Commander, Deus Sunday referred to him as ‘My Boss’.
When I reported to him, allegations of malpractice of some police officers during curfew time, following complaints from some residents, a police boss immediately mounted thorough investigations and took action, even before the R.C.C would touch on the matter.
Before he was transferred, R.C.C Fred Bamwine together with the police defeated the machete criminal gangs that killed the people of Masaka. Most of these criminals were put behind bars and are awaiting trial.
It is false to say that Bamwine did not work amicably with other leaders. He had very good working relations with other leaders. On many occasions, he met local, religious, health, cultural, security and many other leaders. He never brushed shoulders with any of his staff, not even any of his deputies. He cordially and harmoniously worked with every sensible leader in Masaka. The NRM government leader of opposition in Parliament hails from Masaka. Given his character (Mpuuga) he would not have hesitated attacking Bamwine (a thing he never did), had he been a bad leader.
As head of the Covid-19 task force in Masaka City, he scheduled every Thursday that he met with all other leaders to discuss the development of the fight against the pandemic.
Mr. Bamwine neither picked any single bribe nor was he involved in any kind of corruption. He did not grab any land. In fact Mr. Fred Bamwine wisely and fairly arbitrated people with land wrangles (without bias or interest). At no point in time did this R.C.C involve himself in any illegal or criminal acts.
Shame be upon some NRM leaders in Buganda and Masaka in particular, who, instead of expending efforts discussing the postmortem of the ended general election (that saw NRM lose miserably in this region) to harmonize and strengthen the party in the region, played cheap politics of blackmailing a clean, diligent and hardworking commissioner like Fred Bamwine. I agree wholesale with the school of thought that points to the poor leadership of some of such NRM leaders that led to the fate of NRM party in the 2021 general election in Buganda.
Some of those party leaders are stinky-corrupt, land grabbers, dormant and involved in all sorts of funny acts. If Bamwine was extravagant with the enforcement of Covid-19 S.O.Ps (a thing I disagree with). Couldn’t one cause a meeting with him as children of the same family and reach a compromise than running to the media? Is that mature politics? Are you serving the same NRM government with a clean heart?
Mr. Bamwine, Masaka City is proud of you and regrets your transfer. Now that nothing that you did in discharge of your duties as R.C.C that was not in line with NRM Manifesto and principles and for the good of the people of Masaka, the party’s national chairman and Commander in chief who is also the appointing authority has great plans for you.
Finally, I pray and hope that the newly appointed R.C.C for Masaka is a Bamwine prototype.

The writer is an NRM Chairman Block A – Nyendo, Masaka/Villages Covid-19 task forces Co-coordinator. Email: edwinmassomwasame@gmail.com. Tel: 0780123882.

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