Let us all calm down, there is still good life without oil

Others within the government just about ignored them, assuring them how they must be joking, talking about the potential of Uganda having serious oil.

Mr Museveni has himself to blame. From a towering figure who once had carte blanche to act, he has worked his way into a diminished leader even before his mostly careerist party MPs.

It is the widespread corruption and incompetence of his government that have brought all theheadache. Since the return of presidential elections in 1996, President Museveni has been almost entirely preoccupied with getting votes than running the country.

Pursuit of that one ruthless goal has muddied elections, making them more violent and more monetised starting from within the NRM itself. All this stuff has damaged the NRM and Museveni brand. Some NRM MPs are thus acting to distance themselves from party and leader, hoping to remain relevant in a post-Museveni era.

To regain a bit of his footing and relevance, Mr Museveni will have to accept reduced powers in instances such as oil sector management. And he will have to stop the thieves. And he will have to fill Kampala’s potholes.

A government that cannot fix potholes and pick up the garbage cannot possibly do anything else right.

What we may see during this period of suspension of Parliament, however, is President Museveni meeting small groups of MPs at night. He may well get his way, but one wonders what those geoscientists in Entebbe – whom he worked hard to support when he chose to – and the people of Uganda will make of it all as the years roll by, the oil rolls out, and the dollars roll in.

Mr Tabaire is a media consultant with the African Centre for Media Excellence. bentab@hotmail.com