Making Uganda’s oil curse “double-double”

Even Parliament (supposed to check Executive power) greatly irritates the President when it tries to see things differently. Ordinary citizens who attempt to demonstrate against the President/government’s position are portrayed as standing only one more mistake from the crime of treason.

You had “pakalast”, which looked like ordinary playful no-change politics. But this is the oil curse “double-double”. You can see how allowing corruption to grow into a monster has brought President Museveni to a very difficult pass.

It is also a reminder that all those other African strongmen who ruined their countries did not plan it that way. Nor were they always less smart than him or less desirous of beating the challenges they encountered.

But what each of them lacked was the presence of mind to recognise the critical moment when the collective vice of his friends became irredeemably stronger than his wisdom.

Allan Tacca is a novelist and socio-political
commentator. altaccaone@gmail.com