{UAH} Kyeye on age limit removal
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3:25 AM |
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Age Limit is the conspiracy of the stomachs.
In one of Amy Carmichael's poems, we read the following intriguing lines: "will not the end explain, the crossed endeavor, earnest purpose foiled, the strange bewilderment of good work spoiled? Very apt for the Ugandans of today, both old and young. There is a general sense of bewilderment about the once expected good political work, but which has been unfortunately spoiled. The lifting of the Age Limit to give President Yoweri K. Museveni a gift of "Life Presidency" was an act of the "Great Conspiracy of the Stomachs".
And why was this so? Gallingly, it is the same Museveni who has the answer for us. In his 1984 booklet titled "Selected Articles on Uganda's War of Resistance"(page19) Museveni then leading a bloody rebellion in which an esteemed more than 1.5 million people died, wrote as follows: "Backwardness tend to propel backward elements in positions of leadership". America's 26th President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) pointed out that "illiterate people are inattentive of their interests". What this means is that in the words of both Mr. Museveni and President Theodore Roosevelt, the backward population of Uganda keep propelling backward elements in position of leadership. And since the majority of these backward elements in position of NRM leadership and in parliament are inattentive of the fundamental public interests they end up perpetuating social economic backwardness. The gluing of President Museveni to the chair of "Life Presidency" is ant-economic development from pure economics.
In economics there is the "law of limitation". For example an acre of land has limit of how much tonnage of say rice that can be harvested from it, however much fertilizers used on it. Similarly, since money however much it may be, and power however much one may wild, cannot buy life or love, it therefore means that both money and power which Museveni has in plenty has limitations too. It is because of that "economic law of limitation" that President Museveni has become a bottleneck on the economic development of Uganda as the following few comparisons of Museveni's leadership over the last thirty one years (1986-2017) with Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta's five years of (2013-2017) shows:
In this year, (2017) Kenya, under the fructiferous President Uhuru Kenyatta has managed to export 400,000 barrels of crude oil, Uganda under Museveni's atrophying 31 years (1986-2017) has failed to export even one barrel of the so-called elusive oil. While Kenya Government is planning to build 500,000 affordable homes for civil servants, NRM Government has no such pro-people plan.. While Kenya Government plans to subsidize famers with 521,047 metric tons of fertilizers in order to enable them make ends meet, NRM Government has no such liberating plan. While Kenya plans to connect 900,000 households to sewage system, NRM has no such important infrastructure in its pipeline.
While by this year, Kenya has irrigated 500,000 acreage up from 395,000 acreage in 2013, NRM Government has nothing like that to show. While Kenya Government offers 30% affirmative procurements deals to the disabled-owned companies, NRM Government has no such affirmative policy. While Kenya Government has rehabilitated stadiums in Kisumu, Mombasa, Uasin, built brand new in Nairobi, Mombasa and Eldoret and, upgraded regional stadiums in Kiambu, Makwueni, Elgayo, Marakwerni, Marsabit, Nyeri and Chuka, NRM Government donated the few play grounds in Lugogo and has not built any new one.
For the first time in Kenya, Boda-boda, cooks and watchmen, have been organized to have their elected leaders and therefore representation. Under the NRM Government Boda Bodas operators, cooks and watchmen have no representatives and their voices are not heard. Kenya Government has installed 3,080 street cameras in Nairobi and Mombasa under the NRM Government such dream still remains a mirage. Kenya Government has provided chiefs with 3,000 motor vehicles and 5000 motor bikes to ease their transport. NRM Government has given chiefs two more years for their political terms.
Consequently, President Uhuru has pleased investors, who have in retune glutted Kenya with more Direct Foreign Investments (DFI). Accordingly, DFI went up from $259 million in 2013 to $1.4 Billion (2015) and hit $1.9 Billion in 2016. In Uganda investors have turned their back on the country because of the unpredictable political future. In addition, 200 multinational companies have set up businesses in Kenya, with 20 of them making Nairobi their East Africa Regional Headquarters. In Uganda, there is no single multinational company using Kampala as an East Africa's Region Office.
By end of Uhuru Kenyatta's two terms (2021) he will have constructed 10,000 km of new roads while after 35 years in power NRM Government hope to complete just 6,000 km of roads. Four new airports have been built in Kisumu, Isolo, Lamu and in Malindi. In Uganda not even one modern airport has been built in the last 50 years The 450 km SGR from Mombasa to Nairobi, is the biggest project in Kenya in the last 50 years. It has shortened the heavy goods transportation from three days to seven hours and from passengers travel from 12 hours to only fours. Under NRM Government SGR has become a chimera. In addition a Nairobi-Mombasa six-lane highway road is going to be constructed , while plans for another SGR connecting Nairobi and Naivasha are complete. In contrast. the Kampala-Jinja six lane supper- highway, which NRM Government promised would start in May 2006, has become as elusive as SGR.
In four years (2013-2016) Kenya Government added 657 MW to the grid while NRM Government added about the same (685MW) to the grid after 30 years! In only four years (2013-2017) Kenya Government connected electricity to 20.2million people (42 per cent of the Kenya's population) up from 12.8 million that had electricity in all the first 50 years (1963-2013). In Uganda electricity consumers are only 400,000 ( one per cent of the population) because the people have become poorer than ever before in the history of Uganda. Kenya Government has installed street lights in 47 counties and 35 major towns. In Uganda, a town like Iganga has gone without electricity for the last three years.
For 50 years (1963-2013) only 8,250 Government-primary schools had been connected to electricity. In only four years (2013-2016) President Uhuru connected electricity to 15, 137 government primary schools (almost double the number connected in the previous 50 years). Under NRM Government pupils still learn under tree shades. NRM Government cannot even talk of how many schools have been connected to electricity. Instead of giving youth welding machines, car washing machines and carpentry tools as Museveni does, President Uhuru has created industrial clusters for leather manufacturing in Machakos for youth and textile cluster city (Athi River) for women. He is also reviving Kenya creameries and Pan Paper mill to boost industrial employment for youth. NRM Government instead destroyed the old Government industries which were largely found in Jinja.
While in 50 years (1963-2013) the past successive Kenya governments issued only 5.6 million Land Tittle Deeds, (an average of only112, 000 tittles issued a year) Kenya Government, under the Enabling President, Uhuru Kenyatta, has issued three million land titles in only four years an average 750,000 annually. In other words the land titles which the previous governments gave in six years and six months; Uhuru government issued them in just one year. NRM Government has not given out even one million land titles in the last thirty years .Kenyan graduates are given K.shs12,500 (Ug. shs 437,500) as monthly unemployment allowances for one year to help them while they are still look for jobs. Under NRM Government new graduates are condemned to poverty apparently because they studied wrong subjects!.
It is also important to remember that 17 years ago, President Museveni was dismissive of Kenya's leading economic position ahead of Uganda. In 2000, Museveni said that Kenyan's GDP income per capita, of $ 340 was just ahead of Ugandan's GDP income per capita of $330 by only $10. Therefore he saw no merit in praising Kenya's economic miracle. But as of now Kenya's GDP income per capita is as high as $1,400 while the official GDP Income per capita in Uganda is only $710, meaning that the gap has widened from just $10 to $690 in the last 17 years (2000-2017). In other words, under Museveni's "Life Presidency Project" Uganda's GDP income per capita in comparison with Kenya's GDP income per capita has shrunk by 202.9 per cent over the last17 years while Kenya's GDP income per capita under the peacefully change of three Presidents, skyrocketed by 311.7 per cent in the same period.
The question then is: Will Museveni "Singaporise" Uganda in his next three evanescence years (2017-2021) yet he miserably failed to "Singaporise" Uganda in his 20 efflorescence years (1986-2006)?. Unfortunately these are some of the thorny social economic facts which the 317 MPs who participated in the "conspiracy of stomachs" did not consider.
Dear my steamed readers, visit "Uganda confidential" website every Sunday to read my weekly "common sense" column. I also welcome views contrary to my own, because again the Bible teaches us that "as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another" (Proverbs 27:27 NIV)).
Teddy Sseezi-Cheeye
"In tribute to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Uganda, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife, discrimination and terrorism."
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