{UAH} REQUEST YOU TO RESIGN AS PARTY PRESIDENT OF UGANDA PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

Dear Mr Otuno

AN OPEN LETTER ON THE STATE OF THE UGANDA PEOPLE'S CONGRESS

I write this letter with one simple request: that you resign from the leadership of Our party.

I am, of course, aware that you were elected President of UPC over four years by the majority of the members of our party to serve a term. And I know that this term of office has not expired and that it's the general Assembly  that has the mandate to remove you from office and it appears the Assembly is not about to call for you to step aside for the good of the party and the people of the republic of Uganda. I believe you know that I am taking an extraordinary step. Please understand that this is something that has been carefully considered, in asking for your resignation.

In the words of Dr King 'History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.'

The country is at crossroads, the rampant corruption, the mismanagement of the economy, and the quality of life of millions of ordinary Ugandans continues to go down with so many sleeping on an empty stomach. The human rights of the people of Uganda have been abused, free political life hardly exists. Hope among the people of the republic is at an all-time low. UPC's luck of leadership in helping the ordinary Ugandan has led the people of the republic to have a low opinion on your leadership which has brought questions on your integrity as a leader, or in your ability to lead and guide the party to the top leadership of this country.

Since you were elected president of our party, the Brand UPC has continued to go down only being referred to as a party of the OLD. On New Year's Eve I was out with a group of friends, when I tried to engage them in politics and asking them to join UPC, their all laughed at me asking me how old I was to be a member of such a party. And this is not the first group that has questioned the makeup of the party. Because of the people you have surrounded yourself with at Uganda House, it is now generally accepted around the country that UPC is a party for a dying breed; that's to say the old.

You have never taken time to explain to the members of the party and the country at large why you wasted their time with the campaigns then never even bothered to turn up for the vote or even tell them on the eve of the election that their should abstain from the election giving reasons why the members should abstain from that election. What you did was to stay in your house, without going to the media to ask your supporters not to go to the voting centers. Remember people had committed time and other resources in this campaign.

The elephant in the room is the issue of Buganda and the UPC party. Since you came to office, you have never made attempts to resolve this. I believe we cannot get back to power without resolving this issue. It is your responsibility as the leader of the UPC to resolve this. We are lucky that the current Katikilo of Buganda is one person willing to talk and resolve issues.

 What is clear, at the very least, is that as President of our party you must have the means and the inclination to promote and defend the party, and uphold the wellbeing of all its members and the people of the republic at large. I have reason to believe that, notwithstanding the silence of the party Executive, you have demonstrated that you no longer qualify for the high office of our party and the country at large.

As party President you should take responsibility for the sad state in which our party finds itself. This prevailing toxic and amoral environment must surely have something to do with the manner in which you assumed office. You created excitement amongst the members of the party as members didn't have any record of you having been outside the country for long. You were a myth to the member who took a gamble on you which gamble has not paid.

As members of the party and citizens we expect our leaders to work hard for the betterment of our party and the country at large. Truthfully you have hardly shown that. You have not even lead by example, as a person of common wisdom, and understand the environment that you operate .I know you are well educated, but that is not enough to lead our party or the country. Under your leadership we have seen no accountability at the party head office with a lot of your members mismanaging funds without a finger raised by you or your committee members. 

Besides the social and moral breakdown that engulfs our society, the economic woes for ordinary Ugandans are not abating. Social inequality in Uganda has widened since the NRM took over power. The continued increase in unemployment in our country, poverty that has become endemic, the high dropouts in education. The increased gap between the children educated in government (UPE, USE) schools and private schools is alarming. All these are issues that as a leader of our party you should be talking about. However, you have remained silent only choosing to talk about Luwero. Yes what happened in Luwero during the war needs to be resolved but as a leader, you must learn to chew gum and talk at the same time. This is a great failure on your part as the leader of our party.

Members of our party are so angry, and I do understand their feeling as their have every reason to be so. There is evidence that you and your executive has no intelligence, ideas or initiative to take bold, radical and necessary steps to rescue the country from this sad state. UPC has always been a party of ideas, that's why even after over 27years of NRM misrepresentation of our party, we still have things to show off that our party did while we were in office. We need new blood in our party, people who can think outside the box. We have to return to the guiding principles of our party and work for the betterment of our people. 2016 is stone throw away, what are your preparations for this battle? Judging by your performance in the last four years, I know you have no preparations. Where is the recruitment drive for new members? Apart from your recent meeting in Mbale, there is nothing to show for this cause. I had boss who says hope cannot cook rice. In this case, hope without preparations will not lead us back in office to help our people. You have failed to make UPC an all-inclusive party.

I know you have those that still think you are the best person to lead our party, my advise  to them is choose what you love most, is it your party/country or Mr Otuno? I like you as a person, I believe you are a humble human being but there is a lot at stake in our party and nation at large to watch. I love you but I love UPC and Uganda more.

Please spare us another embarrassment in 2016. Spare yourself any further embarrassment of ineffectual leadership. You will be judged harshly by future generations. I ask you to resign for the good of our party and the country at large.

For God and my Country

Yours sincerely
Laman Napio Masaba

Former UPC mobilizer – Makerere University,Mbale District,and United Kingdom    

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