Politicians last Friday turned the burial of Lord Andrew Adimola into a political grudge match when political accusations and counter accusations by opposition and the ruling party officials ensued. 

Opposition politicians including, DP president Norbert Mao, UPC president, Olara Otunnu and Gulu District LC5 Chairman, Martin Ojara Mapenduzi accused government of neglecting elder statement like Lord Adimola and attacked it for the poor services in Acholi sub-region. 

DP party President Norbert Mao wondered which people are going to replace the likes of Adimola and other former leaders, politicians, civil servants when the current education system lies in shambles. 

Mao’s concerns were re-echoed by the UPC party president Ambassador Dr Olara Otunnu who lashed at government for not prioritizing social services such as roads, health and education and asked mourners to resist the NRM government.

Otunnu also attacked President Museveni over land grabs and evictions in northern Uganda; he said that there is nothing left to the survivors of his genocide project apart from land which Museven’s first family and close relatives now want to take away by force. 

“As we meet here to escort the late Adimola, there is a cloud hanging over country, not only over the land in Amuru but in Acholi, Lango, Bunyoro, West Nile Koramoja and Mubende sub regions,” Otunnu said. 

He said that the President had become the “linkman to investors”, and wondered why Madhvani could not negotiate with the communities directly where it has interest to land.

He said that by extension, in grabbing land Museveni is fuelling land conflicts neighbours, families, brothers and sister, and so fourth. 

Citing land cases in Otuke and West Nile, Otunnu said that the first person that should observe the constitution should be Museveni.

“People must stand up firm to defend their land,” he said. 

“The issue of deploying security in Amuru district is part of the insecurity the Museveni government is creating, to the extent that it is even robbing innocent people and taking their wives, as has been reported by Mr. Gilbert Olanya the Kilak County MP,” he said. 

Otunnu said that a month ago, he was in Apaa and Lakang where the government wants to give 40,000 hectors of land to Madhvani for sugarcane growing and factory; on a fact finding mission only to find that government had deployed security personel, “for what?” Otunnu wondered. 

He said that the Museveni government is interested in Acholi land because the region has the best land for Agriculture and that for 25 years Acholiland remained vacant as people were driven into internment camps, but government found it difficult to maintain the project in the name of fighting rebellion. 

Otunnu said that the like of Lord Adimola would not have acquired a good education if there were no standards of education like it is today where quality education is only reserved for the few privileged. 

Otunnu appealed to the best scientist in the world to come and investigate the Nodding disease syndrome saying that the Uganda government is blocking the World Health Organisation by undermining the situation on the ground, by saying that the government is able to handle the situation. 

He said that in the year 2000 when the Ebola epidemic broke imported to Acholi region, the Museveni government failed to declare the region a disaster zone also saying that they were able to handle the situation, it claimed so many innocent lives. 

However, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Omoro County, Hon Jacob Oulanyah from the NRM ruling party urged opposition leaders to re-focus their energies on government achievements and stop blaming government but parents for the deteriorating standards of education since they do not want to supplement the government’s efforts.

Oulanyah criticised Otunnu, Mao and Mapenduzi for their failure to recognise development opportunities when opposing the giving of land to Madhivani. 

He warned the Acholi community that their land will be bought off because the majority of the peasants view land as wealth and will eventually sell it for a profit. 

“Last week someone rung me that he has 200 hectors of land and he is selling each acre at sh50,000, but I told him I was not interested in buying, so he should look for a buyer elsewhere. If a Munyankole or Muganda comes to such a person with sh500 million, do you think he cannot buy this land?” Oulanyah asked to the echoes of boos. 

Oulanyah said that instead of leaders from Acholi blaming government all the time, they should focus on mobilising the community to put their land to good use, or be gradually pushed off their land by their own doing when they sell it off. 

Oulanyah added that if anybody is to be blamed for the poor standards in education in the country, it is parents; because when he recently visited Odek Sub County, he learnt that over 200 pupils had been kicked out of school due to their parents not being able to afford only sh500 required for their school fees under the UPE programme. 

“I was shocked to note that our parents in Odek Sub County could not raise sh500 to pay fees for their children.” Mr. Oulanyah revealed. 

Norbert Mao who was accompanied by the former DP Party President Dr Kawanga Ssemogerere eulogised the late Lord Adimola as a Diplomat who accomplished great many things in his life. 

He said that unlike many people who chose to write books about themselves, Lord Adimola who was also a writer chose to write about Lamogi rebellion, resistance against oppression. 

He said that the late Lord Adimola died without causing any financial burden to the government and did not make noise about it, yet all the government infrastructures which were built during the Obote one government, were under his watch as a Permanent secretary. 

The Member of Parliament for Nwoya county Hon Richard Todwong also lambasted Otunnu that instead of attacking Government for grabbing land, he should advise Acholi Acholi community how to put their land to good use. 

“We have been disappointed by our leaders who do not direct Acholi community during problems; people cannot keep on seeing their land when they are poor,’ Todwong said.