Uganda’s shaky 60 years, possible future

Sixty years ago this week (October 1961), a cross-party agreement was struck in Lancaster House in London that exactly one year later, October 1962, Uganda would at last become a new nation, free from the British colonial yoke that had spanned an exploitative 70 years.

Led by Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), the Democratic Party (DP), Buganda and other kingdoms and with the British, the agreement was conditional on fresh multi-party democratic elections, held in April 1962, the winning party of which would form the first post-independence government. Definitively and by divinity, UPC won those elections and with it, the start of a new nation. 

Yet as I sought to conclude my thoughts on the tragic experiences of ruthless military coups in Africa with Uganda as top victim (September 26, Guinea coup and disquiet in Uganda), a young, beautiful professional from Nagongera, Tororo District, in-boxed me: “I have read your article, politics is not my thing, but what I can say is that everything nowadays [in Uganda] remains on paper.” 

She continued that, however, what gave this illegitimate NRA regime an “upper hand is the division in Opposition, each one wants to show that they are better”. And as they “waste time,” the regime continues to enjoy the destructive national “ride”.

Absolutely true, I responded though that I encourage every Ugandan – especially younger people like her – with children and with own future ahead, to engage more, not necessarily actively directly politically, but proactively to ensure these guys, (some thieving) in power do not continue with impunity. Long term I suggested, everyone will be affected by the theft, ineptitude, abuse, rape of the nation yet, unabated in effect, without their input hence, by “their own omission.” 
“The older generation are fortunate to have experienced different governments and seen the effects they had,” she responded. “The current generation has grown up thinking corruption is normal.

 Sometimes they even do not know that what they are doing themselves is corruption. For instance, most people think corruption is only embezzlement of government funds.  Few care about general well-being.  I believe only God can save us now.”

There you have it; what a summary of the quagmire. A general disquiet yet seemingly total incapacitation. But on this we must spare God.  The answer lies in some serious, imaginative, new and selfless leadership of ideas and a few persons waking up from mental prison -- however involuntarily -- coming together around a common desire and, like our pre- and immediate post-independence leaders, ensure that all citizens of this country once again take ownership in order to check the national haemorrhage. 

On Twitter the other day, it took a one Mzungu, Jeffrey Smith, to factually write: “Uganda is welcoming refugees from Afghanistan and fighting battles for America in the region – and volunteering to clean up other messes – so our government (the US and her imperialist allies) will continue to turn a blind eye to violations of human rights (of Ugandans) because of ‘stability’ – oh, that word.”

Before I could say anything, my good friend Maureen Nkandu, the beautiful voice formerly of BBC, tweeted: “I have tweeted a lot on politics in Zambia of late. I can’t help it. We have a formidable government under the new leadership of Haikande Hichilema, now reviving a system that was derelict and messed up…wow!”

So, to all fellow citizens, especially the youth, disclaim fear and blackmail; engage, seek and believe in a new and better Uganda for all; it is possible. Our founding parents believed in themselves and this nation. They took it off colonialism, imperialism and neo-colonialism and Uganda thrived. But ironically, that the quagmire is being perfected by a regional ‘Nyampala’ as Obote would say, tells all. You decide.

The writer is a pan-Africanist and former columnist with New African Magazine                      [email protected]