State House plants Besigye academic story in Sunday Vision

In its latest effort to throw obstacles in the path of FDC presidential candidate Colonel Kizza Besigye, State House has unleashed a bogus story intended to bring into question Besigye's academic qualifications.

The lead story in the Sunday Vision of February 5, 2006 was written by reporter Fortunate Ahimbisibwe.

It is well-known that Ahimbisibwe is an ISO agent attached to the New Vision, part of the list that includes Sunday Vision Editor David Mukholi and Emmy Allio,

Ahimbisibwe carries around a pistol and recently took leave to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Janet Museveni who is contesting the Ruhama seat.

State House, working through ISO agent and presidential assistant for Political Affairs Moses Byaruhanga, has been trying to find ways of undermining the Besigye candidacy.

The appointment of Brigadier Noble Mayombo in December 2005 as chairman of the New Vision Printing and Publishing Corporation was part of the move to take control of the government paper from the independent-minded Managing Director William Pike.

Besigye's candidacy has been thoroughly scrutinized since he announced he would seek the presidency in 2000. There were five years to check his academic papers and find loopholes in them.

Ahead of the NRM delegates' conference at Namboole stadium in November 2005, NRM party spokesman Ofwono Opondo said the security agencies were vetting the delegates and Special Branch of the Police had compiled bio-data on them.

It is strange that State House, therefore, could have failed to compile Besigye's bio-data for all these years. This smear campaign over Besigye's academic papers continues from the rape charges that waited for eight years from 1997 before being brought out by the state.

The Sunday Vision story comes in the wake of the story Radio Katwe reported on February 3 that a joint New Vision/Stedman/Gallup opinion poll that State House has blocked, shows Besigye leading Museveni.

We will keep you abreast of developments as they arise.