Ayume Francis is 27-year-old youth based in Arua town. For over five years, he has been in the business of goat meat
roasting outside Casablanca, a popular hangout in Arua.
What makes Casablanca lucrative is that most of the people who visit from Kampala flock the joint and are always willing to spend some money – a common sight with city socialite like Brian Kirumira alias Bryan White.
Ayume told Matooke Republic that a team from Bryan White Foundation visited the bar at around 10pm on Sunday, July 29 and sponsored drinks for about 100 youths who
were in the bar at the moment. Unlike Kampala where social hangouts are mostly active on Fridays, bars in Arua are
largely populated on Sundays. Ayume said that White’s team traversed all the clubs that night doing the exact same thing.
“When I went to Okudi’s place where I have breakfast, I found all the youth talking aboutBryan White. They told me to vote for Tiperu (NRM’s Candidate). That he (Bryan White) had promised them money,” Ayume said.
“They also told me to go to his rally and tell them what I do. That he will give me money since he had come with cash in sacks. I went there once but I did not go back.”
The day he went there, Ayume confirmed that Bryan White’s presence in Arua was more political than it was of a social entrepreneurship promotion.
He says that White spent most of his time talking about Kyadondo East MP, Robert Kyagulanyi popularly known as
Bobi Wine than about his Foundation’s activities.
“The man was literally campaigning. He said that Bobi Wine was confusing the youth but could not offer them anything,” Ayume added.
White allegedly said that Bobi Wine being in State House is as good as useless because he is a drug abuser. His remarks were even captured on a video that has since sparked off an altercation between the socialite moneybag and city businessman, Frank Gashumba.
The official story debunked Bryan White, together with another socialite, Zari Hassan spent a week in Arua doing
“Foundation Activities.” In a press conference before
the anticipated visit to West Nile, White said he had earmarked about Shs7.5billion for the said activities. This money was in food (posho, sugar, rice); household items such as bicycles, soap and in hard cash.
According to the Bryan White Foundation website, their intentions in Arua were; “to transform the youth and
vulnerable groups to a better livelihood through providing education, health facilities, and employment amongst many
essential human necessities.” White himself says; “I liberated
the self-made youth gangs, and initiated them into activities that can potentially see them abandon their notorious engagements and become responsible citizens of this nation.”
What White does not say is how he ‘liberated’ these youths but according to a statement released by the West Nile Initiative for Social and Economic Development (WISED), White made remarks in which he incited violence against Bobi Wine and the Wadri campaign team.
“We have seen evidence of videos circulating in public where the said Bryan White is recorded a week to election meeting and distributing free cash to several youth groups in Arua
and urging them to be ready to attack, fight and chase away some leaders who were set to go and campaign in Arua,” their statement that called for a probe into White’s activities partly read.
A journalist based in Arua told Matooke Republic that the office that White launched for his Foundation is where security operatives attached to the Special Forces Command (SFC) camped before launching an attack on Pacific Hotel –where Bobi Wine’s driver, Yasin Kawuma was shot on Monday, August 13.
“It is not true that the SFC first took the President to
Ediofe and then returned. No, they were in town at Bryan
White Foundation’s new office. Those who came from
Ediofe were just reinforcements,” the source further said.
The source further noted that youth who were seen
around Bryan White during his stay in Arua were also
seen in the crowds of Independent Candidate, Kassiano
Wadri.
“This means they either did not take in Bryan White’s
gospel of supporting NRM or were paid to get involved in
Wadri’s campaign, cause mayhem and then blame it Wadri
or Bobi Wine as was the case.”
Coincidental timing?
Further questions were raised as to why Bryan White
chose a campaign period grace Arua for his Foundation’s
activities. According to the Sarah Bireete, the Executive Director, Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), Bryan White could have been given money to do the bidding for a
certain candidate without raising reflags of voter bribery
from the Electoral Commission.
“It is now a norm for people carrying all sorts of goods
to visit places in campaign periods. Museveni went to
Rukungiri with tractors sacks of money before the Woman
MP by-election. In Arua, it was Bryan White. This cannot
be a coincidence,” she said.
A picture emerged on the internet recently showing
Bryan White as part of the President’s delegation that
visited the Karuma power dam construction site.
Sources say that the self-proclaimed philanthropist has frequented Arua since the August 13 chaos. It is alleged that
White actually in Arua even on the Election Day that Bobi Wine’s sponsored candidate, Kassiano Wadri, eventually won. When Bryan White was contacted , he said he had “no comment” even before he heard what we had to say.