UMA members kneeling before Museveni was disgraceful

While it should not matter, permit me to disclose that I am Kenyan, although I trace my ancestry to Uganda. History tells me that in the 1700s, the Abakunta ancestors—Kiboyye and Witewe—migrated from Uganda after involvement in a dispute between  Jjunju, the 26th king of the Buganda Kingdom, and his brother Ssemakookiro that led to the death of the king. Kiboye and Witewe settled in Mfangano and Gwassi, respectively, giving birth to the present-day Suba people, the dominant ethnic community in Suba North and Suba South Constituencies in Kenya to which I belong.

Based on my background, it is not wrong to say that I am Ugandan or, more precisely, Kenyan with Ugandan roots. I have—or so I suppose—as much authority as every other Ugandan to comment on Ugandan issues, if not on the strength of my ancestral connection, then perhaps as an East African who cares about his neighbour.

I am an ardent reader of  Daily Monitor because it is Uganda’s most independent and bold newspaper. It keeps me abreast of the goings-on inside my neighbour’s house, which is good because Uganda is a fascinating country, sometimes in ways that border on the absurd.

It was a bit disturbing to see a video on the Daily Monitor  Facebook page of members of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) led by their president, Dr Samuel Odong Oledo, kneel before President Museveni pleading with him to vie for the umpteenth time in 2026.

For obvious reasons, Museveni belongs in the ranks of Robert Mugabes, Obiang Nguemas, Paul Biyas and Eduardo dos Santos of the world. But Uganda’s story cannot be defined by Museveni’s long stay in power alone. There are good things to say about Uganda, including, but not limited to, being one of the fastest-growing economies with commendable progress in infrastructure, healthcare and education, to mention a few. Moreover, whether Museveni should seek another term in office or not is beyond my jurisdiction.

I am a registered voter in Kenya and we have enough electoral problems at home. However, whatever the reasons, seeing medics kneel, quite literally, for a political leader smirks at a deep-seated problem with society and the psyche of the people.

Understandably, the President is the country’s foremost leader who deserves respect and honour for his stewardship, despite his shortcomings. But the relationship between professional bodies and the government or any of its arms should be strictly cordial and professional and meant only to advance the welfare of members and the health and wellbeing of the public.

Anything beyond that is not only unprofessional but also retrogressive. The big man syndrome, where the President exerts excess power and is exalted as a god, is bad for democracy and progressiveness. It means the President uses public resources to silence bodies that should otherwise be vibrant and independent. Or that the bodies have given up their mandate and gone to bed with the Executive to the detriment of patients.

Perhaps UMA leadership and members should remember that working with the government is not synonymous with being a sycophant. Working with the government means that UMA should stick to its role to promote the highest standards of medical ethics and provide ethical guidance to doctors, promote and defend the basic rights of doctors, develop public health policies and advocate for doctors’ and patients’ rights.

It is even more ironic that one of the objectives of UMA is “Promoting and maintaining the honour and interests of the medical profession and the society in Uganda” because kneeling before a president does not promote the honour of the medical profession.

The kneeling down symbolises a society bereft of progressive ideas because medics are, arguably, among the most intelligent professionals seeing as they are the ones entrusted with people’s health and bodies. If the most intelligent of a society kneels before a hanger-on president, how will the commoner save himself?

Clive Olero, Communications consultant, Nairobi, Kenya

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