Ali Ssekamate. File photo
BOKSBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
– In a bizarre and attention- grabbing moment, Ssekamate, a self-proclaimed and card-carrying member of Uganda’s opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), openly begged Presidential advisor Balaam for 20 goats. This strange request happened at the recent Cousa NRM conference, an event for COUSA Ugandans in South Africa, held at the fancy Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
Ssekamate, who used to chair the Ugandans in Tembisa community, famously resigned from that role because of serious questions about howhe handled money.Now, he’s back in the spotlight, this time making a very public and unusual appeal for livestock. Witnesses said Ssekamate approached Mr. Balaam with a mix of urgency and pure desperation, laying out his goatrequestwithout anyhesitation.
Minister and Advisor Balaam, always one to seize an opportunity, reportedly offered to personally take Ssekamate’s plea straight to President Yoweri Museveni (M7) himself. But there was a catch, a classic political move: Ssekamate had to publicly praise President Museveni. Despite belonging to the opposition NUP, Ssekamate, seemingly focused on getting his goats, quickly agreed. He even lauded the President, much to the surprise and amusement of many at the conference.
This odd turn ofevents has sparked a lot of chatter among Ugandans living in South Africa. Ssekamate’s NUP membership, combined with his past resignation over money issues, makes his public request even more intriguing. Was he truly desperate, was this a calculated political stunt, or a bit of both? As the rumors fly, one thing’s clear: Ssekamate’s mission for 20 goats has definitely put him, and the complex world of Ugandan diaspora politics, right in the center of attention.
