NRM opulence vs the wretched life of Ugandans

Social media has been awash with the news that Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has gifted her husband, Mr Moses Magogo, who is Fufa president as well as MP, with a brand new Range Rover vehicle, costing hundreds of millions of shillings, for his birthday. 

This comes at a time when the vast majority of Ugandan families can’t afford life because of the high cost of living characterised by astronomical prices of fuel and other essential commodities.

READ: The crisis inside NRM

However, the Speaker’s ostentation and opulence is a sad reflection of the inherent and dominant psyche of the NRM regime leaders. This psyche is synonymous with tyrannical rule, and inimical to the pursuit of the legitimate interests of the general population. 

It is about using public offices to primitively accumulate personal wealth at the expense of the common good of the citizens. That is why, the difference in income and standard of living, between Uganda’s rulers and the citizens, is treasonably high.

Regime leaders and their cronies eat balanced diets, dress well, live in decent houses, take their kith and kin to expensive private schools and hospitals and have large investments. 

On the other hand, the vast majority of Ugandan families who pay taxes to feed the opulence can hardly afford a meal a day, dress decently or live in decent houses. Their children go to ill-funded, ill-equipped and ill-staffed public schools and hospitals. They can never dream of having investments.

In hindsight, therefore, it is now abundantly clear that NRA/M never set out to do any public good for Uganda. In fact, they used the 10-Point Programme to hoodwink Ugandans into supporting their ‘cause’ to grab political power and use it for self-aggrandisement. That explains the reason why the regime pays lip service to provision of public amenities and implements white elephant poverty alleviation projects.

ALSO READ: How political reforms have eluded Uganda under NRM rule

So, the insensitivity of the leaders, in the face of a life of wretchedness for most Ugandans, should be seen in its proper context. And it will not surprise those who have followed NRM politics from the inception. It has always been about self-aggrandisement. The only difference is that the old crop of rulers was more methodical, shrewd and sophisticated; while the current crop is inexperienced, excited and reckless. They reveal with ease their real intention for occupying public offices.

For that reason, the people of Uganda should not delude themselves by hoping that the regime may miraculously change course and genuinely embark on implementing activities that will have visible impact on the lives of the wretched of the earth. That is a pipe dream; the regime has decayed beyond repair. The opulent living will continue and get worse by the day.

Consequently, the life of wretchedness and indignity, dehumanising Ugandans, will continue unabated. 
In Nelson Mandela’s words, life will continue to be “a protracted encounter with hopelessness and despair” for majority of the Ugandan people. But, as the English say, “for every dark cloud, there is a silver lining”. 

It is the hardship borne by the opulence and insensitivity of the rulers that will compel Ugandans to eject the Ugandan version of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette from power. It is a question of time. 

ALSO READ: 2026; Museveni is the deal, Muhoozi the decoy

No regime in history has survived the anger and ire of a people determined to exercise their sovereign authority to change rulers who are not responsive to the people’s legitimate concerns. That was the cause of the French revolution and many other revolutions in history.

Robert Mugabe is a politician, trainer and writer 
[email protected]