Prof Otunnu, Gen Saleh Back Five-Year Plan to Address Political Divisions

What the report says

Nile Post reports that historian Prof. Ogenga Otunnu, an adviser to Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho, also known as Salim Saleh, is backing a proposed five-year Consociational Democracy Agreement aimed at easing Uganda’s political, ethnic, religious and regional divisions. The idea is being moved from policy discussion into consultations with communities and other stakeholders, with Otunnu saying it should be treated as a long-term national programme rather than a short political project.

According to the article, the proposal has already been presented to newly elected NRM MPs, President Yoweri Museveni, religious leaders and opposition parties, and the consultative process is being widened. Otunnu said the effort should involve ordinary Ugandans as well as political elites, arguing that previous reconciliation attempts did not sufficiently address everyday grievances such as land disputes, unemployment, inequality, disputed elections and weak public services.

The reported model would create a National Consociational Council with three parts: an Elite Chamber for government and parties, a People’s Chamber for civil society and social leaders, and a Delivery Secretariat to turn agreements into measurable actions. Otunnu said the aim is not to institutionalize identity politics, but to reduce the incentives that push people toward ethnic or religious protection. The proposal matters because it seeks to turn long-running political tensions into structured dialogue and practical fixes at the community level.