Uganda’s Minister of Water and Environment, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Kahinda Otafiire, says his commitment to the ideals of the 1981–1986 liberation struggle continues to shape his political views and disagreements within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Speaking in an interview with NBS Television about his long political journey with President Yoweri Museveni, Otafiire described himself as a freedom fighter who remains committed to the principles that took him to the bush.
“I define myself as a freedom fighter, somebody who still highly regards the ideals that took me to the bush,” Otafiire said.
He explained that his occasional disagreements with fellow NRM members arise when he believes the movement is straying from the principles that inspired its struggle.
Using a road analogy, Otafiire said disagreements are sometimes necessary to redirect colleagues he believes are taking the wrong path.
“That’s why I occasionally disagree with my colleagues, because if we set out to go to Mbale and I see you taking the Gulu road, I disagree and call you back onto the right road,” he said.
Otafiire, an NRA bush war veteran who participated in the struggle that brought Museveni to power in 1986, said his attachment to the liberation ideals remains central to how he views political decisions and his relationship with fellow members of the ruling party.
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I define myself as a freedom fighter, somebody who still highly regards the ideals that took me to the bush. – Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Hon. @otafiire_k
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