{UAH} MPUUGA'S TALK IS DANGEROUS FOR UGANDA AND BUGANDA

MP Matthias Mpuuga is quoted by The Observer, remarking that western Uganda's fortunes are traceable to post-1986. This is myopic from a national leader, and more specifically, dangerous for his region, Buganda. The general dominant erroneous talk is that western Uganda is eating because M7 is in power. This idle talk is fed into the innocent people by self-seeking politicians, who dupe their voters with promises of good life once we take over power. The other malaise of Buganda is the historical question,which leaders have refused to lead their people from, namely that westerners are meant to come to Buganda to do manual and menial jobs, which Baganda cannot do. This was a stage in the evolution of society. The 'bapakasi,' 'mbwazirime' had a vision: this should end with me, not to go into my children and their children. The universal liberator and equaliser is education. Okupakasa is a normal, noble way of earning a living. If you cannot kupakasa, either you steal or you beg. We all kupakasa. A friend from a very humble family even by his village standards, now a PhD holder, owns large swathes of land he bought from descendants of the very first chiefs  in Buganda. Different backgrounds, but equalised by the universal equaliser: education. This very PhD man tells me he was recruiting workers for his farm/school, and many idle Baganda young men in townships around his estate sneered at him: egyo emirimu gilina ba nnyinigyo...       ( that's not our type of work), capped with ..eky'ebbeeyi kiba kya  bbeeyi, Omuganda takola bwa Securiko...while they idled playing luddo, cards and eating wild ffene. Buganda can rise and shine again, with its own efforts, its own people. The resources that drove the ancient glory are still there. The energies idling in towns can resurrect this glory, the way those who used to work here have done in their regions. Leaders like Mpuuga should instead be urging their people to emulate those guys who came with nothing here, worked, went back and became wealthy. Simple. The West had latent wealth before 1986. The same with any region in Uganda. Northern Uganda for example today has the capacity to be the economic power house of Uganda, given its vast fertile lands and neighbouring markets. But what do we hear from the leaders there? Westerners are coming to take your land.....!!! Take only 1000 Bakiga in one subcountyn there and in 5 years, you will see a different scenario. This is what is happening in Kibaale.

The truth is: Uganda has two classes, the haves and have-nots. These are spread across the country, variations notwithstanding. All regions of Uganda can develop if the leadership is sincere and genuine. Cheap talk wont help anybody, save selfish politicians who ride on the emotions and ignorance of peasants to advance their individual ambitions.

Sandra Birungi

Kampala