Why Autocrats Drag Their Families in State Affairs

By James Thembo

There are times when one’s gathered thoughts lead to the conclusion that some leaders intentionally toil towards their ill-fate, and then that of their family. Let us explore this starting with the fresh occurrences in Libya.

November 18^th and 20^th 2011 came with two big prizes for the National Transitional Council, the new leaders in Libya: The capture of Seif Al-Islam and Abdulla Al-Senussi. The former was, until his father’s slaughter, the presidential heir-apparent while the latter was the powerful brother-in-law to Muamar Abu Minyar Al-Gaddafi. He was the intelligence chief of the Gaddafi regime and was associated with a myriad of atrocities. The two captives are wanted by the International Criminal Court.

Seif Islam is a Western educated sleek face who acted like an informal Prime minister of Libya. He recommended ministers and recruited the dreadful mercenaries whose acts sustained Gaddafi’s response to the Benghazi-based rebels. Needless to say, he was loaded with money and businesses and sporadically ran his dad’s charities, including one to the mighty London School of Economics. Other Gaddafi children, seven in number, were absorbed in state affairs with varying degrees of meddling. Three of them; Saif Al-Arab, Khamis and Mo’tassim were killed fighting NTC forces.


Five of Gaddafi’s sons, two of whom died fighting NTC rebels and a third bombed by NATO.

 Many such cases are sprinkled across Africa. Eyadema senior in Togo was succeeded by his son Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema. It was the same story in Gabon where deceased Omar Bongo was substituted by his long geared-up son, Ben Ali Bongo. Ben Ali of Tunisia and Mubarak of Egypt were scheming the same transgression until their stratagem was thwarted by the Arab Spring. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, it was a rushed substitution, monarchy style, of eliminated Laurent by young Joseph…and a Mobutu son who is a presidential contender this year (2011) is failing to convince voters that his mission is not re-establishment of ‘Mobutuism.’

Imagination is good. So visualize how nosy the children of Idi Amin and Jean Bokasa (in Uganda and Central African Republic) would be if they became adults at State House! These two rulers’ offsprings at a pre-teen age were already receiving first rate state medals of achievement when their fathers were toppled.

 Here is why I think these things happen. Dictators, especially in Africa, have molded the practice of taking care of their own into a form of fine art. If it is not nepotistic job offers, it is business rewards using taxpayers’ money… (making P.A.Y.E, one of the top taxes griping citizens’ throats in Uganda echo like: Pay As Yoweri Enjoys!)

Again in Uganda, journalist Andrew Mwenda on March 11, 2009 wrote a story in The Independent titled: Family Rule In Uganda. He quoted American journalist David Lamb in his book, The Africans (p. 9) thus:
“William Tolbert, the assassinated Liberian President had his brother Frank as pro tempore to the Senate, his brother Steven was minister of finance, his sister Lucia was Mayor of Bentol City, his son A.B was an ambassador at large, his daughter Wilhelimina was the Presidential physician, his daughter Christine was deputy minister of education, his niece Tula was the Presidential dietician, his three nephews were assistant minister of Presidential affairs, agricultural attaché’ to Rome and vice governor of the national Bank, his four sons-in-law held positions as minister of defense, deputy minister of public works, commissioner for migration and board member of Air Liberia. One brother-in-law was ambassador to Guinea, another was in the Liberian Senate, and a third was mayor of Monrovia.”

Uuhhh, you sigh to even-out your breath after reading the quote. But again, you gather your thoughts: How does the extract above compare with Uganda’s current nepotism? Has anything changed since Mwenda wrote his Family Rule in Uganda story and later adding another article, By-bye Republic of Uganda, Welcome Rwakitura Kingdom?

In the first article, critical Mwenda gave a vast number of Museveni’s relatives and in-laws in government while in the second piece, he wrote:

“And so, we have finally neared the summit of our journey from the Republic of Uganda to the Kingdom of Rwakitura under the Kaguta dynasty.” This media celebrity concluded his articles by stating: “Short of walking nude on the streets of Kampala, there is nothing that Museveni can do that can shock anyone anymore…he behaves like Nyungu Ya Maawe of 19^th century Nyamwezi.”

So, yes, a few key things have changed, beginning with Mwenda himself. He is now a part-time critic; infrequently condemning Museveni’s unchanging government and praising it under the same breath. Mrs. Museveni has since become a full cabinet minister while first son Muhoozi is in-charge of his dad’s security. Muhoozi allegedly recruited members of the presidential guard squad after he, himself irregularly joined the army as an LDU. This brings him closer in terms of nature of job to the Gaddafi soldier sons.

I suppose autocrats encircle themselves with relatives and tribes henchmen to stave-off betrayal, including that which relates to assassination. Then together, they elongate their stay until the chief is replaced by a son.

But by doing this, they construct conditions for what they fear most: Loss of power. Resentment accumulates against them and when the bubble bursts, you see a slain Gaddafi put on view like a prized trophy. You see a Mubarak caged like an animal during court trials. You see a Yemen president hit by a rocket in his palace, and still refusing to quit (there is nothing as mad as an infuriated dictator!)

In Uganda, the above tendencies have bred what characterizes our country today: Political god-fathering that rules the job market with big careers and big pay for the well connected, some, hardly out of their teens, leaders’ meddlesome and vindictive behavior, endemic corruption, organized crime syndicates in league with government officials, compromised integrity of media houses and a long list of lead-sycophants to vocally smoothen the status quo.

James Thembo is a 2^nd year Masters student of Journalism and Communication, Makerere University, Kampala. Thembojms@yahoo.com