Today’s African coup d’etats are a result of selfishness

With the advent of independence in the late 50s and early 60s euphoria and new hopes swept through Africa as nation after nation attained independence and/or self-governance.  There were new dreams and expectations as the colonial masters packed their bags and handed over the instruments of power to the indigenous peoples of Africa. To most Africans, this was the end of a long freedom struggle in which so many had suffered and their relatives perished.  The time was presumed to usher in an end to slavery, torture, human degradation and socio-economic exploitation.

It was an era to strengthen responses to citizen’s demands and improve leadership skills, increase government accountability and transparency to improve service delivery. Independence in African states was supposed to build and sustain democratic well-governed states that would respond to the needs of their growing populations. It was expected to promote good governance, political competition and build consensus. Independence was supposed to increase civil society advocacy, mitigate conflict and reconcile different parties.

It was supposed to align human rights with the national development plans of different African states. However, these dreams were soon shattered as many African governments have continuously failed in their mandates. Today, government after government in north and West Africa are falling victim to the military coup d’états in the continent. The new military rulers have roundly accused the civilian governments of every evil actions ranging from maladministration, massive corruption, marginalization and incompetence to favoritisms, vote rigging, political subjugation and mismanagement of the national economies.

It can be said that the season between 1960; 1970 till mid 1980’s can generally been labeled as the decade of coups’ in Africa. But the same is repeating in the 21st century. The coups’ have become a usual phenomenon during this period and are spreading like wild African bushfire across the entire continent. Africa has had a combined total of more than 150 coups with Burkina Faso being most affected up to ten times and Uganda of course has had coups four times. The speed at which the resurrection of coups is happening and sweeping throughout the entire African continent today is alarmingly high. Coups are happening without any form of warning; and with the sight of the “domino effect” every African country is prone to coup! People are like ‘’If it has happened elsewhere, why not here’’.

It can be said that many African countries are ripe to many more coups if issues of poverty, hunger, education, peace and justice, affordable and clean energy, health, gender equality and descent work, economic growth and development, partnerships and building economic blocks; clean water and sanitation, corruption and nepotism, sustainable peace and justice, sustainable cities and life on land or land matters are not addressed. African leaders must come out of self-deception and deliver better goods and services to the people. The people only require proper service delivery not the ‘politicking’.

Rather than solve the African contemporary political and socio-economic problems, military coup d’états in Africa have tended to drive the continent into even further decadence, suffering and turmoil.  This has been the case in Uganda, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Mali, Chad, Togo, Congo and most recently Guinea to mention just a few African states.  It has taken Uganda four decades to evolve to the current development trajectory because of the turbulent times of 70’s till mid 80’s.

The future trend is that coups in Africa will remain a common phenomenon as long as political and economic questions remain unsolved and as long as injustices portend. The African people are seeking to attain some level of decency and create their destiny. As William Jennings Byran said, “Destiny is not a matter of chance, but of choice, not something to wish for, but to attain”. There is thus a sense of vigor and rigor among a new set of Pan Africanists to set a new agenda and attain their desired destiny. The young generation factor as leaders of today is slowly but surely gaining momentum.

Everywhere, the young generations are fighting to find space and recognition. Today, we confess that we have had our doubts whether the patriotism of our people is not too narrowly provincial to embrace the proportions of national peril or our populations are intelligent enough to comprehend that the choice is between order and anarchy, or between the equilibrium of a government by law and the tussle of misrule. The coup plotters are men acting with dexterity and unusual courage with greater degrees of success.

The masses find themselves subjects of cheering in the earlier years till when the darkest years emerge. The question is, do governments pick lessons from such political and military maneuvers to solve the underlying issues or its business as usual- condemnations!

Patrick Kajuma Kagaba, MPA Student, Uganda Management Institute