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SPENCER MUHANGIRE: The ironical leadership as Uganda plunges into governance crisis!

Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and President Museveni (PHOTO/Courtesy).

As I grew up, I heard of a plot about by a small ethic group to lead this country for 50 years, I asked myself how that could be until I was reminded that there is no smoke with out fire. Years down the road, Constant and unfair promotions on to a certain individual in the military started being witnessed. Uganda being a country that has never had peaceful transfer of power, Analysts started detecting how a once alleged rumor is slowly turning into a reality.

Several media houses always hold talk shows and discussions to discuss matters that impact the warfare of Ugandans daily, As this year was getting closer it’s last months, We all saw a diversion when ADF rebels were butchering innocent civilians in areas of Kasese, Kamwenge & in the neighborhood, The media which is the main source of information shifted to overwhelmingly concentrate on the obscene issue of gifting former Parliamentary Speakers & their deputies with new brand luxurious vehicles that costed a tax payer huge billions of money.

I would not go into the details, Of how much, the tax payer was fleeced But let me highlight on some of the realities, With an empty Presidential Convoy of nearly 60 vehicles being driven to Rwakitura for the president and his wife to celebrate Christmas, There was another Presidential Chopper that emerged from Entebbe to Rwakitura on the same cause. That’s in coincidentally came in a season when road carnages are rampant due to potholes and washed away bridges bridges allover the country.

It’s evident that Ugandans spend 200 million on a presidential entourage each and every time time he ascends from his residence towards country side. In a country that cannot organize LC One Elections due to allegedly lack of funds, The managers saw it prudent to raid national coffers instead of equipping proprietors of private institutions like Schools and Hospitals but rather consider retirees who are already enjoying all the benefits at the expense of the tax payer.

The break down of systems in the country where occupation of the state house is the major priority by the master is what is making a country plunge into serious crisis. The commercialisation of politics leading to an institution like parliament becoming useless to Ugandans is what we should be attentively looking into. In 2021 elections, The Elections for Kazo Woman MP drew competition between Molly Kamukama and Mrs Stella Muheesi. it’s said that over 20 billion was spent by these to women vying for that seat. All these two were former state house employees, As a Person Private Secretary to the President and Finance Director respectively. Hon Stella Muhesi emerged the winner and is the current legislator representing Kazo District and is the wife of a senior UPDF officer Lt Gen Geoffrey Muhesi.

This is an area where there is equally a break down of Infrastucture like any other area in Uganda, You can ask your self what is expected from some one who spent billions in voter bribery just to become an MP. The cancer of corruption that has now reached at the incurable level where an MP can wake up to find 100 million as a bribe to pass a supplementary budget as if it’s a matter of public interest.

As we celebrated Christmas, You all saw how people occupying public offices stealing resources left and right were being received in churches as heroes and heroines. The church will never condemn these heartless people for they use some of the resources to benefit church leaders as if some of the clauses were deleted from the 10 Commandments of God.

The population has also succumbed and surrendered, That’s why Monica Musenero, A famous fraud star in procuring rats meant for the manufacture of COVID 19 drugs or A popular Mabaati thief like Hon Amos Lugoloobi or Henry Musaasizi can be welcomed to his home by a moomoth crowd. Of course with a that population that is languishing in absolute poverty, they can only wait for some one who has stolen billions of shilling so as they defend their action and at least keep up for a day.

One of the most activities carried out by the first family, Is to identify and buy off the opposition members who are always eloquent at articulation of issues that impact the population, That’s why instead of fixing roads, hospitals and schools, You hear stories of how a certain opposition member has diverted to NRM party after some of his or her personal problems are fixed. This nothing like an ideology that prompted people like Beatrice Anyway, Betty Kamya, Beatrice Anyway, Betty Amongi, Nobert Mao that they can convince even anyone insane that they saw in NRM that is totally a rotten regime.

Regime apologists can tell you about how the opposition is too week to take on leadership and you wonder what opposition means to them. With the population of 83% of Ugandan youth having no Jobs, 100 Billion can be reserved specifically to procure opposition members by tasking them to ridicule and keep scoffing at their former political opposition members. The majority of them are rewarded as RDC’s NRM Activists, Presidential Advisors and some other petty jobs meant to compromise their conscience.

They are too harsh and whenever we meet on radios and televisions, for they have to execute the terms and conditions for bribery comes with its own price. That’s why speaking for an institution is one of the difficult jobs I have detected, During my days in school, I used to frequent The Daily Monitor Publications office just to meet the then Political Editor in the names of Andrew Mwenda, From him and the then Political Editor of the later newly formed The Observer, Political Editor Hon Ssemujju Nganda, I picked alot of interest in Journalism as in laboured to read everything they opined.

Andrew Mwenda later formed his own news paper, The independent where I followed his articles that become an inspiration to my aspirations; After turning into a regime sycophant, I saw a first man to write about the Kaguta dynasty, later becoming a spokesperson of now a famous Muhoozi Keinerugaba Movement, Uganda is losing collosal sums of Money in a move that will keep power in Museveni’s sitting room. I wonder how MK’s birthday celebrations in Kanungu are of a great importance to a Ugandan whose wife died while on a Vehicle Made alike Motorcycle Nick named “Tuku Tuku” as if Uganda lacks money to procure ambulances.

One of the most irking statements from the head of state is when he said he was going to deploy children from well to do family as the best way to curb corruption in the country, I wondered if corruption was to be fought in 1980 that way, With Museveni who then had no recognized family with not only a doubtful but controversial background, You can only query his tongue. I was surprised when he told Ugandans, He is not their servant but still you find scholar and educated people mobilizing Ugandans to embrace life presidency and later promoting his moribund son to succeed him.

My sympathy goes to people who occupy public offices for we all know whom you are accountable to. Hon Members Of Parliament are not happy with what’s trending with in that August house despite waking up and finding money on their accounts because the broken down infrastructue with a electorate that has perceived them to be owning alot of resources cannot give them any sleep.

Some one may accuse me of sectarianism but it’s not The Bahima Dynasty but Kaguta Family tree that is milking Uganda dry. Some people have been made comfortable with licking dry bones and they are the most shrewd spokespersons on behalf of the original dinners. Those living in urban centers especially Buganda can testify about the price we pay for the names we own by the virtual of our origin.

Muhoozi Keinerugaba, who grew up as a King under the nearly 40 years of his Museveni’s rule is the one his promoters are convincing a gullible population that he is the one fit to look into the plight of a peasant country side and concerned about issues that impact the country’s warfare. Each and every Ugandan should tighten his belt for there is no safe corner in a burning house.. However much you can be awarded with a luxurious vehicle by the head of state, You cannot survive the carnage cause by potholed roads for it’s only members of the first family (you are not part of) that can be privileged to be airlifted home for Christmas Celebration.

Blessings & Happy New Year 2024!

Muhangire B Spencer.
Social & Political Commentator.

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