It all started a few months ago when Malac hosted friends, Embassy officials, diplomats and government representatives at her residence in Kampala during her welcome party.
Malac, who arrived in Uganda a few weeks to the general elections, invited President Museveni for the function.
It was Vice President Hon Edward Ssekandi who appeared at the residence for the ceremony.
Interestingly, before Ssekandi gave his speech, Malac blasted the Ugandan government for abusing human rights, suppressing civil liberties and failure to tackle corruption among other things.
“Most of us who attended this function were embarrassed. Malac had not even spent a month in the country but she was already berating its leadership,” said a diplomat who attended the function.
“It appears she arrived in Uganda with a preconceived attitude towards government.”
The source, who preferred anonymity so as to speak freely, said Ssekandi did not respond to the accusations but chose to read from the prepared speech.
“If it were in other countries, Malac would have faced a barrage of criticism from government. She has expressed determination to order government on what to do which is not acceptable here,” a source at the Foreign Affairs Ministry told ChimpReports on Monday morning.
It is understood that while in Liberia before being posted to Uganda, Malac was being consulted by the heavily-donor-dependent country on most of its major decisions.
“When Malac came to Uganda, she did not fully appreciate the background of the country’s leadership and how things run here. We have taken steps to educate her and improve relations but it appears our efforts are not paying off,” the concerned official added.
Uganda’s ties with U.S. were further strained during and after the elections.
After the February 18 polls, Malac attended the Post-Election Symposium on Youth, Democracy and Governance where she blasted government’s actions against opposition.
“The social media shutdown, the detention of opposition figures, the harassment of media – all of these things combined with the poor organization of the election have weakened Uganda’s democracy and tarnished Uganda’s image as a strong democracy in a turbulent region,” charged Malac.
She added: “We have spoken out because we believe that the Ugandan people deserve to live in a country where every voice is heard and matters. That can only happen when citizens have a say in how their country is governed. It can only happen when government is held accountable. It is the democratic process that we support…”
In her conclusive remarks, Malac hit the nail on the head: “But the bottom line is that you must do something and take the responsibility upon yourselves to make things happen. I challenge all of you today to try and put your ideas into action, because by simply accepting the status quo, you only guarantee that things will remain the same.”
Government officials protested the remarks which they said bordered on interfering with Uganda’s internal affairs.
Plan B
Sources said government is considering bypassing Malac and the U.S. embassy in Kampala in its dealing with Washington.
“We shall have to deal directly with Pentagon on defence issues and White House on matters to do with foreign policy,” said a high ranking official.
“Malac will end up being isolated and inconsequential. We will make her deal with junior officials because of her attitude towards us,” the source confirmed.
Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said in a statement that since the publication of the Uganda Presidential Election results, none of the observer groups has come with credible evidence to challenge the results posted by Electoral Commission.
“We therefore wish to ask them to either adduce evidence or keep their peace for good. Otherwise, we know that some groups in the US and EU, including diplomats accredited to Uganda, funded and are still funding opposition elements in Uganda to cause government change outside the constitutional framework but are disappointed this hasn’t been successful as yet,” warned Opondo.
“The U.S., which uses raw power to project its influence and interests around the world, is the least competent to ask other nations for democratic accountability. Uganda’s democracy is progressing well and we are satisfied with both the pace and achievements registered so far.”
In reference to accusations of interference, Malac recently observed:” Let me reiterate, however, what we have said before: We respect the sovereignty of the government of Uganda, and we do not support any one individual or political party.”
She added: “We have spoken out because we believe that the Ugandan people deserve to live in a country where every voice is heard and matters. That can only happen when citizens have a say in how their country is governed. It can only happen when government is held accountable. It is the democratic process that we support.”
U.S. spends millions of dollars every year on Uganda’s healthcare system.
