Will the real government of Uganda please stand up!

This column, about a month ago, warned that the gimmickry of the political class led by no-less than the Prime Minister would have some real consequences on the pockets of every Ugandan. The warning went unheeded so now we are back to talking about the consequences. 

Last week, the price of fuel hit its 146 per cent increment in a space of a month. It was a painful surge that the average Uganda driver and rider had endured – and will continue to endure in parked cars and a surge in public transport numbers. Together with this, the price of basic commodities has now started its own surge. A bar of soap is north of 7000 and in lenient shops, 6950 shillings, cooking oil and bread have also started their upward surge first in the large distributaries and soon coming to a local shop near you. 

READ: When does our population growth become an economic debate?

This inflation, dear reader, wasn’t predicted. The Bank of Uganda which keeps a score on the numbers noted in February that they didn’t expect headline inflation to change much from that of December. They could have read from their numbers that the decline in revenue collections of URA was an indicator of things going astray but the central bank exists to keep our optimism, nothing like a shortfall of over half a trillion shillings in revenue for the first quarter would unsettle them in their seats. 

The people that this column will not excuse are the political governing class. It is their core job to manage society and its expectations and they have the levers of both power and might to act. The prime minister and her cabinet have been keen to dodge parliamentary sittings but equally the leadership of parliament has been keen on discussing how they should - or should not -  be abused to care about the fate of many homes in Uganda. Some 151 legislators showed up to vote on a censure motion for Zaake but not even half that number could be seen for a discussion on fuel. 

The result of this unwelcome keenness has been that core issues at the heart of managing society have become a touch-and-go matter, or, in economics-speak – a going-concern and yet they unsettle all other levers of society. High fuel prices immediately trigger commodity prices and force families into difficult economic decisions, high commodity prices trigger tough decisions in the labour market reducing the power the employed have over their employers but forcing employers too into uncomfortable conversations with bank managers on keeping payrolls and lights running. There’s also the small or not so small matter of an accompanying surge of petty crime that comes with high inflations. 

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The political class has been handed their homework but it looks like they have chosen to duck and tell the teachers the ‘kakalabanda’ ate their homework. Soon, however, the sun comes up and the ‘kakalabanda’ goes back to its grave. 

The sweat and toil of ordinary Ugandans shouldn’t be taken for granted – and maybe, while at it, the patience of ‘wanainchi’ shouldn’t be interpreted for docility. 

Dear political class, shore up or shore out – it’s a humble ask!