Works on Jinja Expressway and Pakwach railway should begin
What you need to know:
- Kampala tabloids and other observers have hinted at ongoing efforts by the victorious party to lure some old men and women from their retirement back into Cabinet for this purpose.
After what has gone down as Uganda’s most chaotic and bloody election period, the Ugandan political leadership faces two stark choices: To follow Tanzania’s President John Magufuli’s example, who after a relatively shambolic election, wasted no time in continuing with his unfinished business of implementing ambitious road construction and rural electrification projects to stimulate the economy.
The alternative is to continue using more of the same old strategy of having a bloated Cabinet ostensibly to placate various interest and political groups. Kampala tabloids and other observers have hinted at ongoing efforts by the victorious party to lure some old men and women from their retirement back into Cabinet for this purpose.
This overworked strategy has parallels with former Sudan president Omar al-Bashi strategy. Faced with allegations of marginalisation, especially by the Darfur political elite, Bashir resorted to appointing them to ridiculous Cabinet positions such as first, second or third vice presidents, followed by assistant to the president, which corresponded to fourth place after the third VP.
In the end, Sudan with a struggling economy facing international sanctions, was overstrained leaving majority in the capital Khartoum disenchanted. What followed is now history.
On the other hand, critics of the stolen election in Tanzania in 2020, were silenced as Mr Magufuli’s simply continued to pursue what it he had already started.
If there is anything we can learn from former presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi’s participation in the election, it is that after 35 years of a bloated Cabinet, that strategy has failed and it is time to review it.
Moving forward, the victorious party must now invest in creating jobs for the young population, constructing the Jinja Expressway and the Pakwach Railway as part of this plan.
We may never know the extent of Kyagulanyi’s loss in the last elections, but there is no doubt whatsoever that there was a near national revolt against the failed NRM policies for the last 35 years not just by the youth, but across generations; not just by Buganda, but across the regions. It will be foolhardy to burry our heads in the sand and pretend that it is business as usual.
Samwiri Wakhakha,
[email protected]
