We rarely see or hear much about generals in peace time. Except on ceremonial occasions. Uganda’s Lt General Muhoozi Kainerugaba is the exception at the moment. His name is on the lips of many Ugandans and Rwandans. And not for his military exploits but for his role in regional diplomacy.
In the last few months, he has been to Kigali twice and met President Paul Kagame whom he likes to call uncle. He was in Nairobi where he had discussions with President Uhuru Kenyatta whom he calls elder brother. Last week, he was in Cairo and met President Abdel Fttah Al-Sisi. We have not learnt what kind of relation he is.
In all these places he has been the special envoy of Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni, sent there to help sort out specific issues regarding their mutual relations.
In Rwanda, it was the strained relations caused by Uganda’s support for terrorist groups bent on destabilising the country, barriers to free movement of people and goods, and mistreatment of Rwandan citizens in Uganda.
In Kenya the issue was the troubled trade relations between the two countries especially over milk, sugar and fish. There is also the perception that President Museveni has more than a neighbourly interest in Kenya’s upcoming elections. He is seen as favouring a particular candidate for president.
What took him to Cairo? Perhaps the question of security of the waters of the Nile. Or political instability in the two Sudans or war in Ethiopia, or any number of issues.
Maybe these were the sole objects of his mission to these countries. Or perhaps there were other reasons. One thing is clear, though: he has gone about his task in the loudest and most visible manner. Most likely the high visibility is deliberate and meant to achieve a certain purpose.
The reasons for General Muhoozi’s visits to Nairobi and Cairo and anywhere else his president may send him do not concern us here directly. Our attention is on the relations between Rwanda and Uganda.
His first visit was brief, but something seems to have come out of it. The government of Rwanda announced the reopening of the border at Gatuna. Ugandans hailed Muhoozi for his role in this. Not surprisingly since for them the border was always the issue.
Rwandans, too, with relatives or businesses the other side received the news well, but with more caution. Rightly so because not much more was heard about the other issues Rwanda has always raised with Uganda.
The second visit was much longer and included a visit to the president’s farm where he was given a gift of cows. Much has been said about the significance of this practice as part of a social and moral code with mutual obligations and the implications of breaching this code in the culture of the interlacustrine region.
This time, a lot more must have been talked about, including the issues that have not been addressed so far. Rwandans therefore expect to see movement on these as well: end support for terrorist outfits like RNC, FDLR and similar groups, dismantle their camps and networks, cease harassment of Rwandans, and provide safe and unhindered passage for Rwanda’s goods.
Perhaps these were discussed in the traditional, discreet manner and it is possible we may soon see the results. But for now that remains to be seen.
This sense of caution is not without reason. We have been there before when relations were equally strained. Then eleven years ago we learnt that some young people and private individuals got involved and helped improve them. The two presidents and their families visited. There was exchange of gifts, including cows. An air of optimism reigned, especially regarding the increasing role of young people in national matters.
We wrote in praise of the new developments, of relatively young people carrying no historical baggage of ill-will and invested in the future of the two countries were actively engaged in putting relations back on the rails.
We talked about a new generation of well-educated, widely-travelled, techno-savvy, forward looking and with a much broader outlook taking charge. We said they had no big egos to massage or scores to settle, but rather careers to build.
We hailed the emergence of a generation impatient with the narrow-minded, slow, and scheming and meddling elders. We looked forward to the day when they would take up more responsibility.
That did not happen. Well, not exactly. In Rwanda it did; but not in the other place. Perhaps there the optimism was too early. Or some of the old interests recognised the danger to their positions and sought to thwart the new generation’s take over.
Young people with the right attitude, cultural and historical awareness, and political and diplomatic astuteness seem to have been shunted aside. Their place was taken up by a less principled but more ambitious group, with a skewed sense of history, and blind and deaf to regional political dynamics.
The non-emergence of the type of young leaders we hoped for may be the result of classic palace intrigues linked to who holds political power in the country. And so the rise of young people has been stifled by older people with different baggage from the past who are not prepared to let go.
But back to General Muhoozi’s visits to Rwanda and the possibility of improved relations. One may ask several questions. Has President Museveni had a change of heart and now sees Rwanda and her leadership differently? Is anyone, perhaps a powerful country or a big and influential internal constituency, leaning on him? Or has the intensity of palace intrigues forced his hand?
All these reasons and more do not really matter to ordinary people and they probably would not know about them. They only want to see better relations so that they can conduct their ordinary business without hindrance. If General Muhoozi can bring that about, he will have earned his place in the history of the two countries, and perhaps much more.