Mr Museveni, you have made your mark, now its time to go

Your wife is now a Cabinet minister, your son a General their competencies are questionable, what happened to your philosophical, pan-African approach to life.

You’re Excellency,
Happy New Year, best wishes for the future.

We salute you for profound accomplishments over the years for Uganda and the Great Lakes region. Your contribution to liberation of Uganda from turmoil, tyranny, state-inspired violence and general instability cannot be taken for granted. Uganda had since 1960s been experiencing insecurity, break down in the economy and had created despondency in he populace.

You, along side other freedom fighters, restored hope, sanity and semblance of democracy. In the first decade of NRA/NRM regime Uganda recorded considerable economic recovery, establishment of infrastructure and a promising image for the future, as well as a disciplined army. The NRA bush war was costly in terms of resources, lives, time and psychological emotions. There was every reason to believe that we were on the right track.

A new Constitution, vibrant Parliament, a skilled population and goodwill from development, all pointed to a future we were proud of. The first crop of cadres had a number of nationalistic, patriotic Ugandans like Col. Serwanga Lwanga, Col. Amanya Mushega, Gen. Mugisah Muntu, Gen. Kale Kayihura, and Col. Henry Matsiko, among others but over the years the story is different.

There was general belief that the zeal, commitment of the new group who promised fundamental change well articulated in the Ten-Point Programme, later the vision 2025, the White Paper and many other well thought programmes in Education, Agriculture, Healthy, and Economy were exciting and inspiring.

Unfortunately your Excellency, the gains in 1990s have been eroded by corruption, lack of accountability, a big government, balkanisation of districts, poor health services, lack of quality in education, slowdown in infrastructure development, a disorganised Parliament, an a corrupt, inefficient judicial system. Your regime is stained in graft and it seems irredeemable. You have politicised politics, the police are living in very sorry state, and the proffessionalisation of the Army is dodged by nepotism, the public expenditure is ever increasing, the Cabinet is too big and incompetent.

This portends different future we had envisioned. Your wife is now a Cabinet minister, your son a General their competencies are questionable, what happened to your philosophical, pan-African approach to life. The budget for State House and Presidency office is too costly to our motherland yet you seem not bothered.

Maintaining your family and the close cohorts take precedence over everything in the country. As the majority wallow in poverty, disease and ignorance, you are happy to keep on buying planes, a convoy for your comfort with no regard for the majority of our population. The level of unemployment is not your major concern, you are preoccupied with life presidency, self aggrandisement, stealing and promoting shallow interests of your family.

What happened to the ideals you held dear in your revolutionary journey? What legacy do you aspire for? History will judge you harshly unless you return, to the road of democracy, clean leadership, diligence, prudence in the resources of Uganda are handled. The future you bequeath the future generations should be different from what you inherited; the children of your children will never forgive you if you squander this enduring and great legacy.

It is high time you minimised public expenditure, prepare to retire in 2016, distance your self from thieves, have their properties auctioned, put to shame, reduce the numbers in Cabinet, Parliament, regionalisation of districts. The visionary 2040 should be implanted to the letter. We should immediately have a railway, improved infrastructure, use the oil resource properly, have an efficient civil service, manageable.

The conditions of the police, Doctors, teachers can longer wait…why should an MP earn Shs20 million and pay pea nuts to doctors, teachers, police who noble cause is crucial. How can your turn your back to those who do donkey work and yet maintain a useless political class of RDCs and tired ministers?

Why betray your motherland that you sacrificed for so much in your young age? The best you can do to your country is to prepare a peaceful hand over of power and join other statesmen around the globe that left imprints. You have a rare opportunity to be having another milestone like you spent many years fighting for liberty. So many people around you keep singing your visionary horizon, but what of your mortality, energy, exhaustion and lack of cadetship?

You have made your mark, Uganda is definitely a better country than you found it, the security is greatly improved, and our image glaring does not spoil this great history. Some people have suggested that perhaps your faculties are in disarray, that you are hostage of your patronage, under fear for the evils and good you have not done but which ever handing over Uganda in 2016 is critical and the best you can offer to humanity.

Uganda is proud to have had a distinguished son of your caliber, intelligence, insight and vision. It is now time to move on and live peacefully as an old man, be an adviser to the current leadership in Uganda and all over the world. May you think seriously about your legacy and Uganda of tomorrow?

Mr Ruhamya is a researcher