{UAH} Forget 2021 elections, Uganda is in urgent need of soul-searching

By Moses Khisa

In Summary

Abused force. The Uganda Police Force, the most important institution of the State, charged with everyday enforcement of the law and maintaining order, has instead been subjected to relentless political abuse.

When you think we have had enough of what can go wrong, your soul is assailed even more devastatingly. Uganda has been at crossroads for long. Any keen observer of our politics and societal dynamics has, over the past decade or so, stated this fact countless times.
There is always the danger of sounding hyperbolic, so I am wont to remain measured, especially when speaking to foreign audiences curious to understand the state of affairs in Uganda. A big brush stroke that paints a portrait of a country falling apart, is not just unhelpful, it merely reinforces age-old stereotypes about an African nation.
Last week, I wrote about the great paradox that is Africa, a continent of extraordinary endowments side-by-side with incredible, in fact seemingly incurable, deficiencies. Uganda is hugely emblematic of this paradox.
A country with remarkably patient and humane citizens is at the same time soiled with heinous acts and evil actions, especially by those holding State power and wielding the means of violence. Considering our political history, we should know better how not to run State affairs, the futility of brute force and the perils of repression. Not quite.
We are a vastly endowed nation yet shrouded in poverty and deprivation, unable to thread together a strategy of collective socioeconomic transformation that takes full advantage of our rich resources, both human and natural. Supposedly, there will be a general election next year. In the current circumstances and conditions, this is a nonstarter.
The biggest beat of the last few years has been the presence on the political scene of a one Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine. He has unleashed what I call the Bobi phenomenon. But the Bobi phenomenon is not about Kyagulanyi. The ecumenical appeal he has garnered speaks to a larger political crisis for which he too is perhaps woefully incapable of comprehending let alone shepherding.
There is enormous anger among the young, hopelessness among the many university graduates desperate to forge ahead and indignation by majority who see a system that combines nepotism with corruption, has disregard for meritocracy and fairness.
The rulers remain convinced that with their guns and money, fully commanding both force and finance, they can handle any threat and crash any challenge.
Because the ruler in chief is decidedly committed to clinging to power, he is prepared to turn State coffers into unfettered sources of his unlimited political financial hungering and State coercive institutions as his handy tools for repressing opponents.
The Uganda Police Force, the most important institution of the State, charged with everyday enforcement of the law and maintaining order, has instead been subjected to relentless political abuse such that many Ugandans have little trust in its integrity and competence.
A young woman tragically dies under unclear circumstances and another young man is gruesomely shot dead, both in a matter of days and right in the capital. In both incidents, the police are on the spot, unable to avoid blame. At the same time, in the eastern part of the country, the usual gratuitous harassment of Kizza Besigye is on display, again the police and the military doing the political hatchet job.
We have to predictably expect a paternalistic and highly condescending statement from the ruler, annoyingly addressed to bazukulu (grandchildren), admonishing his opponents for wanting to cause chaos.
Unfortunately, as day follows night, this has always been the well-trudged path to ruin and destruction, and more than anyone else, Mr Museveni would know this all too well.
Mr Museveni can do himself a great service by sitting back and asking one simple question: After more than 30 years in State House, why should I be touted, pummelled and, in fact, insulted by young people who were barely out of their diapers when I captured power?
We urgently need to do the most basic of things: Political soul-searching. Preparing and conducting elections next year will add no value other than deepening the current crisis.
Museveni and those around him must realise that the arrogance of power is a recipe for disaster. Since they have all the guns and money, the levers of State power, the onus is on them to initiate a candid and concerted national conversation to transition the country from the current mess and avoid going further down the dark alleys.

Khisa is assistant professor at North Carolina State University (USA).
moses.khisa@gmail.com

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Allan

 

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