Tuesday, Feb 5, 2013
Sheila,
I hope this finds you well. This email is a response to the discussion that we had when I raised some complaints about the organisation. I remember vividly when you told me that I seem to be disappointed by
FHRI, I stated that not FHRI as an organisation but some individuals in the organisation.
That I love FHRI should by now be very clear to each one of you. I joined FHRI in 2004 as a student member. By 2005, I had become a full member when I was a student working nowhere.
I have recruited quite a number of high calibre people in the organisation many of whom have been found suitable to serve on the board. I had board members that I recruited during the days of Barbara Katende as chairperson, I had board members that I recruited during the days of Wycliff Birungi and the current board chair Dr Rev Can John Kateeba was recruited by myself.
In my fertile imagination, I think I have the credential to be on the FHRI Board but because I don't know how to cope up with inexplicable disappointments, I have never applied to be on the board. I would definitely raise many questions if I was among the ten people applicants and only seven are selected and then told to select seven from the shortlisted seven.
I accordingly don't know whether we have ever had elections for the board members. That notwithstanding, I always respect all the board members that are appointed by whoever the appointing authority I don't know.
THE MAIN CONCERNS
I must state without any fear of contradiction that I am grateful to FHRI for the love and concern the organisation and some key individuals notably Livingstone, you Sheila, Betty, Josephine, Gwadda, Penny, among very many others have shown me. I am always humbled for that privilege extended to me.
However, I also have very legitimate concerns whose answer I have never got even though I have raised them several times.
1. I filed a complaint in 2008 which went through so many hands - Juliet, Josephine Ndagire and now I don't know the responsible officer. Because I never wanted to complain publicly about the organisation I so much love, I decided to use other actors. I contacted some people in FAHAMU. The Fahamu people I contacted
referred me to Tabitha in the East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project. When I approached Tabitha, she referred me to FHRI.
When I told her that I had registered little success if any with FHRI, she insisted. On so many occasions I have heard some people at FHRI saying they are handling my matter but I don't know how. I want justice and am sure that is not too much to ask.
2. I filed another complaint through George Musiisi to the UHRC in June/July 2011. To date, the UHRC tells me there's is no such a thing as my file. I beg for an explanation.
3. I have heard Crispy and Gwadda saying, I was shown the exit by Livingstone as an employee of FHRI. No such thing happened. I spent almost the whole of 2010 in Murchison Bay Prison Luzira for doing my
work - fighting for human rights, being a voice of the voiceless when I wrote to Museveni opposing a 126 percent fees increment. I was to be brutally tortured - at least Prof Yasin Olum can attest to that. If
Rashid also remembers he can tell you whether he didn't find me swollen like I had been stung by an entire swam of bees in a bee hive.
They prosecuted me simply because when they took me to Nsambya insisting they were taking me for medical treatment I refused to be subjected to any medication for I know they had planned to kill me
with drugs.
FHRI never gave me a lawyer despite the fact that I was working for free without any pay. I don't know whether the 250,000 you were giving me a person who had taught in two universities was a wage at all. At
least, if you say it was a wage then it was neither a minimum nor a living wage. Myself, Charles Olweny and Mike Kayiwa did donkey work for the research division but we are the only people who were not paid. At don't know whether it dovetails with the FHRI core values. At least, as a specialist on labour rights, I don't think that's good.
We, as a research division had upcountry missions which among others had allowances attached to them. Personally, I was never deemed capable of writing a report by Edmond Nkalubo so even in western
Uganda which needed a person who knows the local language, he went with Rashid Bunya, who I am sure doesn't know Runyankore. I raised the complaint with you and I even reached Livingstone. To the best of my knowledge nothing was done to have the injustice redressed. The same Edmond pilfered allowances that were meant for Charles Olweny during the northern Uganda mission.
CCEDU
I have been told by Gwadda in the presence of Crispy that I fight CCEDU. I don't know how but I also don't know the relevance of CCEDU. At least I know it was not started so as to create employment opportunities for some people. I am one of the very initial initiators of CCEDU. I don't know whether Crispy, its coordinator knows how it even came to be called CCEDU. But let me fast run to the gist of the
matter. CCEDU like FHRI belongs to the members. I am a member who is above average. I believe I have deeper interest in CCEDU more than its current coordinator. I am talking about a person I have been with
since we joined Makerere in 2001. Therefore, I have some fair knowledge about Crispy Kaheeru.
I don't think what they are doing is the very best and I think I have a right to make a contribution to the coalition. CCEDU's impact cannot be seen by its accreditation to observe elections and by-elections.
That's called teleology in sociology.
Further still about CCEDU, I don't know the board members but I hear the board still comprises of Irene Kaboole. If she is still a board member, I will publicly resign from CCEDU and give the reasons for my
resignation. You cannot give what you don't have. We can't have integrity in elections when the people presiding over CCEDU have no integrity. I will discuss further about Irene Kaboole if you can arrange a meeting for us because I believe in the legal principle of audi alteram partem which means listen to both parties.
BLACK MONDAY CAMPAIGN
At least I know it is not a position of FHRI not to participate in the campaign. However, I cannot begrudge anybody for failure to participate although I would urge the organisation to take a centre stage in any struggle aimed to fight corruption. If you asked me whether this is a struggle for human rights I would answer you in the emphatic affirmative. I can even write a paper about corruption and human rights.
As a matter of fact, I have heard so many people saying so many things about FHRI but the most important point made is that FHRI always wants to hog the limelight. I hope that's not true because as human rights
defenders we are not competing for the number one position. We look at each other as allies and not rivals.
WHO OWNS FHRI?
Theoretically, members are told they are supreme. But where's the supremacy of the members? How often has the organisation developed capacity for the members? How many times have members ever been
co-optedon projects that the organisation runs? Members have diverse areas of competence. I would expect FHRI members to be recommended for fellowships like it is done to some staff members, I would expect members to represent the organisation for some confrences, workshops, roundtables and so forth.
As for me, I have as a member represented FHRI twice for some conferences on elections. I don't know whether you got a report that I was a disappointment. I beg for more opportunities. Finally for now, I personally filled a membership form as I joined. Among the activities I indicated I was going to do for the
organisation was conducting research. I don't think, I have ever done research for FHRI. Even when I was there in 2009, I was far below a research assistant for I wouldn't be allowed to look at the report as
it was being written. I never wrote any single chapter of the reports there. And even when Livingstone said he had read what I always write and he was convinced that my English is very good urging the organisation to give me reports to edit them nothing was done. In short, staff members are extremely powerful and members' supremacy is simply byoya byanswa. There are so many issues but I have managed to raise only these. I rest my case for now and I beg that these issues be thoroughly debated for I raise them in good faith.
VINCENT NUWAGABA
FHRI LIFE MEMBER
+256702843552
+256772843552
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