Bobi, Nambooze Under Fire: Kasibante Claps Back At Kingdom’s CBS Boycott Call
The attacks on Central Broadcasting Services (CBS) by National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi whose musical stage name is Bobi Wine have intensified, sparked by Mukono Municipality MP Betty Nambooze’s call to boycott the radio, the region’s primary source of news and information about the Kingdom.
This move comes after CBS hosted individuals deemed unfavorable to NUP, including Kimaanya-Kabonera MP Dr. Abed Bwanika, which Nambooze termed as a “propagandist” against NUP.
Nambooze who considers herself influential within NUP and the Buganda Kingdom territory, urged supporters to boycott CBS while speaking on the BCM YouTube channel, recently.
Despite CBS hosting various NUP supporters, including Jude Mbabaali, the former Masaka District chairperson, now eyeing to compete against Bwanika on a NUP ticket, and Kalungu East MP Francis Katabaazi Katongole, Wakiso district woman MP Ethel Betty Naluyima, Nambooze claims the radio works to promote dictator Museveni’s “intimidation, violence, and propaganda.”
“…those guys who are involved in mass terrorism [globally], when they catch you reading American News, they just kill you, and when they see you listening to American radio, they also kill you,” a tough-talking Betty said, “Instead of analyzing things these [Bwanikas] say against NUP, we need to tell our people to stop tuning into these radio shows.”
She emphasized, “do not listen to these radios. No radio can survive without listenership. As people who studied journalism, [we know,] the biggest tool you have on a media station that hosts people who brainwash you is the nob.”
“Social media, the tool(s) are called block, delete, unfollow, and those are the biggest tools you have against propaganda,” a motor-mouthed Nambooze emphasized, “in the radio, and TV switch off or change to another station.”
She vowed that Bwanika could not be left to “say his words every Saturday,” unabated.
Nambooze’s boycott call follows Bobi Wine’s last week’s verbal attacks on CBS, claiming deliberate media coverage denial.
Bobi Wine stated, “There is also an effort by our enemies to deny all our people media coverage…it is deliberate, but be firm and it’s not surprising that even on CBS which was built by my forefather you cannot hear me hosted or our allies including Dan Muliika,” Bobi said on October 18th, 2024.
In just a matter of days after Muliika’s thanksgiving, Bobi attacked CBS again on October 21, 2024, while at party’s press conference at Makerere-Kavule.
“CBS was built by my forefather; if they don’t host me, its propaganda radio,” Bobi said.
Kasibante Confronts Duo
Moses Kasibante, a former Lubaga North MP and colleague of Nambooze during their times at CBS received Nambooze’s assertions with surprise, hence a swift fire back at her boycott call.
Kasibante noted that Nambooze gained fame from the media, especially CBS, which gave them the popular nicknames “Madam Teacher” and “the class monitor,” affirming that if it were about inciting people, his friend would have been the last person to do so.
“As far as I know, Nambooze got all her fame from radio stations, especially CBS.” Kasibante said, “So, she should have been the last person to call for any media boycott even if it was not CBS.”
He emphasized, “I would think that Nambooze as a journalist, who has gained from her journalism talent, would be the last person to even imagine that there is any radio station that does not deserve to be on air.”
Dictatorial
Kasibante likened Nambooze and her boss Bobi Wine to a dictator Museveni they are working to remove from power who closed CBS for over 3 years, suggesting that if NUP assumed power, they would be worse in violating the freedom of expression and media rights.
“As a person who criticizes the Museveni government for closing CBS along with other radios even though the government had its reasons. So, anybody who harbours any idea of telling people not to listen to a particular radio when that person does not have power has no difference with a government which has the power to switch off [radios],” the former MP said.
He clarified that “both the government and the person in opposition calling for radios’ boycott have one intention but with different powers.”
Kasibante urged Nambooze and Bobi to differentiate between public and private media stations and to stop usurping their powers of determining the suitable persons to be hosted on their stations.
“Today, Betty might have power in NUP which tells people not to listen to CBS which means that if NUP takes power and Betty becomes the Minister for Information, will just close it. Therefore, some things especially when we are still in opposition, we should not get excited to imagine that we can even determine who should be hosted and what should be discussed on private media houses.”
Why Target CBS, Not Others?
Other radios in the Country are not hosting Bobi Wine, Moses pointed out, wondering why CBS is their soft target, and the kind of “share Bobi Wine has in CBS.
“There are more than 100 radio stations in Uganda. Where else is our principal [Bobi Wine] hosted among those radio stations? Alternatively, do they also reject him if they rejected him, why is it that he is not attacking them?,” Kasibante asked “How many shares were he [Bobi] told he has in CBS to the extent that he could fail to stop his people from demanding the whereabouts of the King when the premier, the King himself, and the Queen had all spoken to the matter?”
He recalled, “The Katikkiro, the Kabaka himself, Kabaka’s son, Kabakas’s brother had all admitted that the Kabaka was ill…but where do you get the guts to tell people that it was lies and that he was under siege? You are the same person who thinks that you could play around with his life and remain hosted on his radio. What kind of share do you have in CBS?” Moses told off Bobi and Betty.
Affirming that Nambooze is his sister, wondered how she could have power in NUP to tell their supporters to boycott CBS, but without powers to tell the same people to boycott NUP leaders who are planting opponents against resourceful persons in NUP and Buganda such as Medard Sseggona, Erias Lukwago, among others.
“These are both her friends, and serious assets to Buganda, and the nation, if she can she cannot stop their desired ouster, then there is something wrong.”
Asked on whether Nambooze was chased from CBS, Moses simply asked, “Was Nambooze a director at CBS? If she were a director, we would say, she was chased. CBS employs people in various ways- I was also there. They did not chase me, but I left. What kind of job did Nambooze have at CBS?”
“If you are a panelist, the editorial team sits and makes decisions on whose content they like on airwaves. A radio station is like a football team which makes changes according to the needs of the day,” he argued.
He explained, “CBS started with Peter Ssematimba, is he there? Did Mulindwa [Muwonge die on CBS? Why do you think that if Nambooze does not appear on CBS the world gets upside down? Didn’t she find those who had left?”
Hating CBS Which Saved Her Life
Aware that CBS and Dr. Kiiza Besigye saved Nambooze’s life, the first time she flew to South Africa for medical tourism, Kasibante wondered how Nambooze could be so forgetful and turn around to bite a hand that gave her a second chance at life.
“CBS’ main role is to defend and protect Buganda Kingdom’s sanctity. Nambooze came to CBS while I was there, and if it is true that she left, I have been there,” Kasibante revealed, “the first time Nambooze traveled to South Africa for treatment, CBS on [King’s] orders, and Dr. Kiiza are the ones who paid her travel and medical bills.”
This revelation, and Nambooze’s current stance against CBS, exposes her as an “opportunist” and “populist” who only looks at politics as the only way to survive no matter the extent of damage to the Kingdom.
The plot against CBS, a key entity funding the Kingdom’s operations by Bobi Wine and Nambooze, raises concerns about their interest in seeing the Kingdom and Kabaka’s sustainability vis-à-vis their political mileage stunts.
Kasibante thus clearly said, “CBS’ main role is promoting Buganda’s interests, if its administrators consider you incapable of doing it; they are free to put you at rest. If she was able to encourage people to boycott CBS, when did you hear her telling NUP supporters that you are doing foolery in demanding King’s whereabouts?”