Monday 29 October 2012

Have death squads come to Uganda???? MP Kyanjo suspects poisoning for his illness

Makindye West Member of Parliament Hussein Kyanjo

 

“I have to rehearse the words I have to say before I say them,” he said. In addition, he easily forgets something he has just done.

For now, he has been advised against speaking for more than ten minutes.

“It is disheartening to go through this experience but I have nothing to do,” he said, murmuring. The disease has clearly taken away Kyanjo’s most potent political weapon: eloquence

 

MP Kyanjo suspects poisoning for his illness



on  Thursday, October 25  2012 at  17:40

Makindye West Member of Parliament Hussein Kyanjo said Thursday that he suspects poisoning to be the cause of the illness that has troubled him for over a year.

Mr Kyanjo told journalists at Parliament that physicians handling him intimated to him that the illness that afflicts him among others, is caused by poisoning.

Mr Kyanjo said nobody in his lineage has ever suffered from such an ailment which makes him suspect foul play.

The outspoken legislator is the only representative of the opposition JEEMA party in Parliament.

He said doctors intend to find out the cause of his illness by November or December after carrying out final tests.

He described the disease as “dystonia of the tongue” which makes speech for patients difficult as well as causing severe memory loss.

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder, in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The disorder may be hereditary or caused by birth-related  factors or other physical trauma, infection, poisoning or reaction to pharmaceutical drugs.

Treatment is difficult and has been limited to minimising the symptoms of the disorder, since there is no cure available.

Doctors cite poison in Kyanjo illness

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Doctors+cite+poison+in+Kyanjo+illness/-/688334/1598474/-/t9ygau/-/index.html

By Yasiin Mugerwa

Posted  Friday, October 26  2012 at  01:00

In Summary
The Makindye West legislator says he has been diagnosed with dystonia, a strange disease that causes difficulty opening or closing the mouth, often affecting chewing and speech.

Makindye West MP Hussein Kyanjo says he suspects poisoning as the cause of a strange disease that has left him quite sick for nearly a year. The MP, who addressed a news conference on Wednesday morning, is slowly recovering, but he is still unable to speak well and struggles to sustain a coherent conversation.

Last July, rumours spread that he had died, causing public anxiety. On Wednesday, Hajj Kyanjo, a passionate government critic and the only representative of Jeema party in the Parliament, said he had been diagnosed with dystonia of the tongue, a strange disease that causes difficulty in opening or closing the mouth, often affecting chewing and speech.

He told reporters at Parliament that doctors at a hospital in Dubai, where he had been admitted, had told him that poison was one of the possible causes of the condition. He was advised not to reveal the name of the hospital for security reasons.

“The doctors told me there are four or five causes of dystonia of the tongue. These are: If it occurred in the family before, a severe accident, physical object hitting you on the head or chest, any other aspect within the biological system mainly for people over 70 years and lastly, the most strong cause of this disease is poison,” he said.

At the news conference, he spoke with difficulty, as he narrated his ordeal. He was accompanied by Kawempe North MP Latif Ssebaggala, who helped him to articulate some of the things he was explaining. “I have reasons to suspect so many although I cannot point at anybody as the single person on earth.” He advised fellow Ugandans to stop eating from everywhere, adding that “somebody might be following you.”

Asked to substantiate his claims, Hajj Kyanjo said: “I am not here to point at a single individual, but in this country we can produce a lady and call it a man. I don’t want to point fingers that somebody gave me poison although I keep suspecting. The tests are still being investigated and the truth will come out.”

Hajj Kyanjo, who returned from treatment in Dubai a month ago, said that because of the disease, he sometimes eats and after a few minutes, he forgets that he has eaten.
The Makindye West MP was a renowned orator, but the dystonia of the tongue has had its toll on him.

Asked whether he might have inherited this disease, suffered an accident or been struck by an object, he said: “Nobody in my family has ever got this disease and I have not had any accident before. I have gone through over 100 tests and they are supposed to be investigated but they told me the causes of this disease.”

Forgiveness
He said he had forgiven those who declared him dead and thanked Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the Parliamentary Commission, fellow MPs, the medical board and the people of Makindye for the support they had given him. He also wished Muslims a happy Idd Adhuha and said he misses Parliament.

Brigadier Noble Mayombo’s death in 2007, reportedly due to a failure of his pancreas after a short illness, sparked speculation that he might have been killed, prompting President Museveni to institute an inquiry. Later, an investigation was carried out and toxicological texts from the world’s best laboratories were conducted, which ruled out poisoning.

 MP Hussein Kyanjo

Strange disease leaves MP Kyanjo down but not broken


Sunday, 28 October 2012 22:34


Written by Sulaiman Kakaire

An articulate lawmaker, a rabble-rouser, a sobre leader, a Buganda kingdom enthusiast; each of these nouns would adequately describe Makindye West MP, Hussein Kyanjo.

Rummaging through the records of Parliament, Kyanjo’s name appears prominently in The Hansard.  And he is not only exemplary in debate but conduct too. Kyanjo is so disciplined and committed to whatever he does that he keeps time and barely misses the plenary and parliamentary committee debates where his contribution has been well documented.

It was, therefore, not surprising when the African Leadership Institute (AFLI) scorecard placed him amongst the top ten best performing lawmakers. Born in 1960, Kyanjo, who is the only member of the Justice Forum Party in the ninth Parliament, entered the House in 2006, replacing veteran politician Yusuf Nsubuga Nsambu. An artiste by training, Kyanjo is one of the most respected MPs.

Once in a while he gets agitated and unleashes his acerbic tongue. For instance, at the peak of the central government and Buganda attrition in September 2009, after violence erupted in Buganda following the government refusal of the Kabaka to tour Kayunga district, Kyanjo boldly suggested that Mengo, the seat of the kingdom, should secede from Uganda.

Yet Kyanjo is one man who is always ready and willing to reach out across the political aisle and make political compromises. Even after a heated debate, Kyanjo can be seen chatting up a minister, trying to put his point across and mend fences. After Dr Kizza Besigye, the FDC leader, was incessantly sprayed with pepper as security officers brutally arrested him last year, emotions ran high in the House. Daudi Migereko, the then government Chief Whip, reveals that he sought Kyanjo’s counsel as to how to handle the highly emotional debate.

“We had spent a lot of time bickering over the video and he advised the House on how to move,” said Migereko.

The Kigulu South MP, Milton Muwuma, who chairs the Internal Affairs and Defence committee, observes that Kyanjo’s sobre views often come in handy to give the committee direction.

“The committee has always been persuaded to follow his objective views despite being an opposition member,” Muwuma says. In cases of a sharp disagreement, Kyanjo’s pacifist nature is often called upon to suggest a way forward.

“He advises and guides the committee,” Muwuma told The Observer.

The Bukooli Island MP, Peter Okeyoh, another colleague on the committee, agrees with Muwuma, adding that Kyanjo is reliable and thorough.
“He is someone who brings every detail to the attention of the committee,” he says.

Falling ill

In March 2011, a strange ailment attacked Kyanjo. His ability to speak and his coherence began to gradually fade away. This strange disease known as Dystonia kept Kyanjo away from Parliament for the most part of 2011 and 2012. It wasn’t until recently that he returned to the public eye.

Dystonia is described as a neurological movement disorder in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive movements or abnormal postures. The disorder could be inherited or caused by an accident, physical attack, poisoning or negative reaction to drugs. The disease leads to, among others, speech difficulty. Narrating his ordeal last week, Kyanjo told The Observer that the cause has not been identified.

“I first went to South Africa and had a medical checkup which was not conclusive. Later, I travelled to Dubai when things worsened,” he said. Since June, he has undergone two operations.
Unfortunately, it might take a miracle for Kyanjo to speak as eloquently as he used to.

“Only Allah knows when my speech will come back to order because this is one of the symptoms of this disease,” he said, struggling to make the statement.
Besides, he has to deal with the side effect of memory loss caused by the drugs he uses to cure the disease.

“I have to rehearse the words I have to say before I say them,” he said. In addition, he easily forgets something he has just done. He says more than 100 tests have been carried out but the exact cause of his illness has not been identified, and poison has not been ruled out.
“Doctors told me that it could be the probable cause,” he said. But Kyanjo’s spirit is not broken.

For now, he has been advised against speaking for more than ten minutes and entertaining many guests at a go. Although he cannot return to normal Parliament business just yet, Kyanjo follows what goes on with keen interest through the media and briefing from colleagues.

“It is disheartening to go through this experience but I have nothing to do,” he said, murmuring. The disease has clearly taken away Kyanjo’s most potent political weapon: eloquence. But given his unbroken spirit, positive attitude, and belief in Allah, all is not lost.