For weeks and months, Uganda has been living in a season that feels heavy with movement, the kind of season where arrests make headlines, court rulings reset boundaries, social media carries every whisper into every home, and media houses are opened or closed under the watch of a nation that is trying to understand what is happening to its peace, its law, and its future.
In the midst of this, the arrest and Court Martial appearance of Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye collided with the Supreme Court pronouncement on the trial of civilians in military courts.
The detention of former Kampala Mayor Hon Erias Lukwago and the temporary closure of Nation Media Group (NMG) and sister outlets (NTV Uganda, the Daily Monitor, Spark TV and others have added heat.
There have been more questions than answers, and in that noise many voices have been alarmist, but one voice has been measured, that of Gen Caleb Akandwanaho aka Gen. Salim Saleh.
In a handwritten advisory to CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Gen Salim Saleh has called for coordination rather than confusion, for briefing rather than silence, so that Hon. Norbert Mao, the Minister of Justice and JLOS Coordinator, can speak to the public with facts instead of speculation.
Long before there were ministries and communiqués, God was already a communicator, and though we do not see Him with our eyes, He has never been silent, for from creation He has been speaking through the world He made, in the way rivers carve their paths without permission and still reach the sea.
Also, in lightning that splits the sky and thunder that rolls across valleys as if heaven itself is clearing its throat, in earthquakes that remind us the ground is not ours to own, in landslides that move mountains when we forget our limits, in floods that level pride and in rainstorms that wash cities and remind leaders that no roof is higher than the sky.
Nature is God’s first pulpit, and every storm is a sermon, every river a parable, every tremor a call to humility, because the Creator does not need a microphone to be heard when the creation itself becomes the voice.
Uganda, too, is in such a moment, a moment when the ground is shifting under our feet, not only literally in places where landslides and floods have displaced communities, but politically and legally as institutions test their weight and citizens ask who will explain the law when the law is in motion.
It is into this atmosphere that Gen. Saleh’s letter has come, copied to Ministry of Defense and Veteran Affairs(MODVA), Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs(MOJA) and Office of the Prime Minister(OPM), urging that the Justice Minister be briefed by security and intelligence so that he can respond to public concerns about the Besigye matter, the Lukwago arrest, and actions taken against certain individuals and media outlets, because a state that keeps its Justice Minister in the dark is like a nation that ignores thunder and pretends the sky is calm.
The wisdom in that counsel is ancient, for Scripture (Bible) records how Moses the Liberator was nearly consumed by the burden of judging every matter alone until Jethro told him that the work was too heavy and could not be carried by one man.
And so, according to the Bible, structure was introduced, delegation was commanded, and communication was ordered, which is the same principle Gen Saleh is applying today when he writes that the Minister of Justice must be given facts from those who hold them so that he can in turn give the nation a lawful account.
Democratic Party’s Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde, Lawyer and Former MP, sees the same thread running through both Scripture and State when he observes that a government that respects its courts and coordinates its institutions will always carry its season better than a government that speaks in fragments.
However, Hon Mbidde looks at it from another perspective, saying Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba often uses caricature and sharp social media language as a communication style, a tool that can either clarify or inflame depending on the moment.
A caricature is an exaggerated picture, description or portrayal of a person or idea and so when Mbidde says “caricature may speak to a crowd, but the Constitution requires a measured voice”, he is saying viral posts can move people but only a lawful, careful statement from the relevant ministries can carry the weight of the state.
Therefore, the Gen Salim Saleh letter is not a call for secrecy but a call for order, not a call to hide but a call to speak, because God Himself has shown us from creation that He communicates even when He is unseen, and if the rivers, the thunder, the earthquakes, the floods and the rainstorms can all speak without words, then surely a nation must also find its voice in times of pressure.
Gen. Saleh ends with “Aluta Continua”, the struggle continues, and indeed it does, but the struggle is carried best when the burden is shared, when Justice is briefed, when JLOS is empowered, when the courts are respected, and when the public is addressed with truth instead of silence, for that is how a nation hears God even in the storm and walks through it without breaking.
What the Salim Saleh Letter Means for Uganda.
Gen. Saleh’s letter is not a warning of collapse, it is a call to order. It tells us this moment is not doom, it is a test of how we carry weight together.
For Politicians, it means the time for slogans is over and the time for statesmanship has returned. You can still disagree, but you must not break the bridge that holds the nation.
For Government, it means power is stronger when it explains itself. A state that briefs its justice minister and lets him speak will carry more trust than a state that hides behind silence.
For Parliament, it means oversight must be fed with facts, not rumors. The people’s house cannot protect rights in the dark. It needs the same light Mao is being asked to carry.
For PLU and other formations, it means energy must be guided by law. Zeal without structure is wind but zeal with structure is progress.
For the Media, it is a call to responsibility. Yes, a section of haters, reckless opportunists and lopsided outlets are feasting out of context. But the wider calling remains. Give the nation light, not heat, give context, not caricature.
For CSOs, it is an open door. When the Minister of Justice is briefed and speaks with facts, you can engage policy instead of chasing shadows.
For Citizens, it is peace of mind. You are not living under a collapsing sky. You are living in a season where institutions are being asked to speak with one lawful voice. When rivers, thunder, floods and rainstorms can all preach without words, surely a nation of people deserves words that are clear and true.
So, this is not doom, it is direction. “Aluta Continua” does not mean endless war. It means the struggle is carried best when the burden is shared. When Justice is briefed, when JLOS is coordinated, when the courts are respected, Uganda will hear God even in the storm. And it will walk through it without breaking.
