What type of Uganda do we want after Museveni?

Good Hope children in their class. hundreds of thousands of children in Uganda still go to school barefooted

Politics is a struggle, and in good time.

First of all, it is important for Ugandans to prepare for post-Museveni era so that in the event that he surprises us with a notice of intent to take a rest from national service and national politics, we are not caught unawares.

Therefore, it’s only sensible and wise to start thinking and planning and preparing for the future. Now, last week we showed in these pages that come 2021, today’s politicians will be no more, politically.

If we believe that to be only reasonable, then, it is only right to start thinking seriously about the Uganda we want to live in, in hope and happiness. This entails identifying young leaders like football clubs identify first class footballers. This analogy provides evidence that only the clubs which execute their plans well do win trophies.

It must be said that under our current brand of politics, Ugandans have been just passengers, passive passengers in a bus. They have been passive because life was livable. Today, the economy is not doing well, jobs are scarce, those who have jobs especially in government, don’t get their salaries regularly, our shilling is slowly but furiously losing value, continuously.

As we fully enter into the campaign period, the economic situation is obviously not going to get better. So how can we sit on our laurels and hope that things will sort themselves out or wait for a miracle to happen.

It suffices to mention that our brand of politics has over the years been un-deliberately built on a strong foundation of sustained poverty, for the majority of Ugandans at least. And somehow, it has un-intentionally, thrived on a divided people and divided parties.

Over all these years, without the majority being aware, the system created politicians who are really not politicians but some folks who avail themselves to be employed in the political establishment just for jobs or careers.

Now, all these will no longer be useful to the future Uganda even if they will still be young. This is because today’s leaders are not ‘designed’ to work for the country but for themselves. Unfortunately for many of them, they can’t even be de-programmed to be turned into Ugandans who care about others or their country.

For example, these days nothing gets done unless people in their various capacities, have been enveloped to do their jobs. Parliamentarians can’t pass certain laws before they are paid. This surely has to stop. Today we have almost a ‘million’ parliamentarians. Which sane government would continue with such madness?

And because the Opposition politicians have stayed out of power for so long, Mzee learnt over time the magic use of the dough. Whenever there is the need to win the day, he always knows what to do with his vulnerable opposition.

It is with this hindsight that we are hearing more and more about the President’s visit to the Obote family and the promised payment of some billions to the Byanyima family over a land matter in relation to the unfamiliar behavior of the politicians related to those families.

The third president of the United States Thomas Jefferson told his fellow Americans: ‘Every generation has an obligation to renew, reinvent, re-establish, re-create structures and redefine its realities for itself.’

So, to all those who want to create a better Uganda, 53 years after  Independence, the time to start walking into the future, is now. You will be glad you were among those who championed the change you will cherish.

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