Uganda dreams big—cable cars, organized cities, bullet trains, and city trams! But reality? Potholes deep enough to swallow a goat, roads that collapse faster than campaign promises, and infrastructure ‘projects’ that remain in blueprint form for eternity. Maybe, just maybe, the problem isn’t money or resources—it’s the kind of people we put in charge.
Look at China. When they decided to develop, they didn’t leave the job to ‘seasoned politicians’ with flowery speeches. No, they put engineers at the helm:
- Jiang Zemin (1993–2003) – Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
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Hu Jintao (2003–2013) – Hydraulic Engineering, Tsinghua University.
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Li Peng (Premier, 1987–1998) – Hydroelectric Engineering, Moscow Power Engineering Institute.
These leaders didn’t talk about ‘vision’—they built it. They laid down roads before traffic jams, designed power grids before blackouts, and ensured bridges and dams wouldn’t need repairs before they were even commissioned. Today, China has the world’s longest high-speed railway network, cities rising from nowhere, and infrastructure so advanced even their potholes are attractive to us as imports.
Meanwhile, in Uganda, we spend billions patching the same roads every election cycle. Budget speeches sound like obituaries for another grand plan. Maybe it’s time to change the script. Imagine a president who sees Uganda as a design problem to be solved, not just a political seat to be won. A president who understands that development is not poetry—it’s a blueprint that needs execution.
So, dear Ugandans, a radical thought: Before we hand the country to another ‘expert in politics,’ how about an engineer? Someone who will plan before promising, measure before spending, and actually build before cutting ribbons? Who knows? We might finally get roads that outlast campaign posters.
