Truth be told, the heroes of this country are...
THEY did not appear on the list of those that were awarded medals, their names are unknown but they are heroes. They are the old women and young ladies that line up the dirty streets and pathways of slums, selling roasted maize to put food on their family table.
By James Nkuubi
THEY did not appear on the list of those that were awarded medals, their names are unknown but they are heroes. They are the old women and young ladies that line up the dirty streets and pathways of slums, selling roasted maize to put food on their family table.
They do this daily and save a few coins to feed their children and orphans of their deceased relatives whose parents probably died due to lack of adequate health care in our hospitals that have turned into death traps.
These women remain steadfast as they fight the increasing cost of living while the state is spending millions of shillings on mega cars to make the lives of our legislators and executives comfortable. The heroes are the young policemen deployed overnight to guard the looters of government funds as they sleep away in their posh houses built out of the taxpayer’s sweat.
Early in the morning these poor souls trek back to their makeshift shelters surrounded by sewage, as our ‘representatives’ call closed sessions to discuss their salary increments and purchase of new cars for themselves.
Today’s heroes are the young men and women proudly adorning the army uniform on the borders to ensure the citizens’ safety. What they earn and the conditions they live in is nothing compared to the job they do.
The welfare of these Ugandans is never a topic in Parliament, for the legislators are always busy politicking and letting the looters of public funds off the hook, which funds would have gone into uplifting the welfare of these selfless Ugandans.
The heroes are the thousands of graduates who leave university and seek a living in the various industries of ‘investors’ only to be subjected to poor working conditions and exploitation, as their legislators adamantly refuse to pass a minimum wage legislation.
It is the young graduate doctors who brave the cold in hospitals taking black tea and roasted maize for supper as they strive to save the lives of Ugandans in what is largely a sham hospital today. Paid meagerly, they work in a very demoralising environment where their expertise cannot be enhanced as there is no equipment in the hospitals.
They remain in the country to serve even when they know better that their services are on high demand and can be well-paid and appreciated elsewhere. Their monthly pay is less than a one-night allowance of a politician on a foreign trip. Those with the power to influence this trend of events at these hospitals are flown out or seek ‘better’ treatment in expensive, well-equipped hospitals using the taxpayer’s money.
The heroes are the young teachers sustaining the overflowing classes in the Universal Primary Education, without lunch, transport and a roof to return to at the end of the day. They endure the poor pay which comes late, if it does come at all, and they go back and stand before their classes on an empty stomach to respond to the call of fighting illiteracy in their beloved country.
As the teachers struggle in their tattered clothes and on empty stomachs, the person in charge of their salary diverts it for personal use and goes scot-free because he is well-connected!
The heroes are all those Ugandans who must struggle and sweat to survive, conscious of the fact that nobody owes them a living.
Long live the unsung heroes of Uganda!
The writer is a lawyer
THEY did not appear on the list of those that were awarded medals, their names are unknown but they are heroes. They are the old women and young ladies that line up the dirty streets and pathways of slums, selling roasted maize to put food on their family table.
They do this daily and save a few coins to feed their children and orphans of their deceased relatives whose parents probably died due to lack of adequate health care in our hospitals that have turned into death traps.
These women remain steadfast as they fight the increasing cost of living while the state is spending millions of shillings on mega cars to make the lives of our legislators and executives comfortable. The heroes are the young policemen deployed overnight to guard the looters of government funds as they sleep away in their posh houses built out of the taxpayer’s sweat.
Early in the morning these poor souls trek back to their makeshift shelters surrounded by sewage, as our ‘representatives’ call closed sessions to discuss their salary increments and purchase of new cars for themselves.
Today’s heroes are the young men and women proudly adorning the army uniform on the borders to ensure the citizens’ safety. What they earn and the conditions they live in is nothing compared to the job they do.
The welfare of these Ugandans is never a topic in Parliament, for the legislators are always busy politicking and letting the looters of public funds off the hook, which funds would have gone into uplifting the welfare of these selfless Ugandans.
The heroes are the thousands of graduates who leave university and seek a living in the various industries of ‘investors’ only to be subjected to poor working conditions and exploitation, as their legislators adamantly refuse to pass a minimum wage legislation.
It is the young graduate doctors who brave the cold in hospitals taking black tea and roasted maize for supper as they strive to save the lives of Ugandans in what is largely a sham hospital today. Paid meagerly, they work in a very demoralising environment where their expertise cannot be enhanced as there is no equipment in the hospitals.
They remain in the country to serve even when they know better that their services are on high demand and can be well-paid and appreciated elsewhere. Their monthly pay is less than a one-night allowance of a politician on a foreign trip. Those with the power to influence this trend of events at these hospitals are flown out or seek ‘better’ treatment in expensive, well-equipped hospitals using the taxpayer’s money.
The heroes are the young teachers sustaining the overflowing classes in the Universal Primary Education, without lunch, transport and a roof to return to at the end of the day. They endure the poor pay which comes late, if it does come at all, and they go back and stand before their classes on an empty stomach to respond to the call of fighting illiteracy in their beloved country.
As the teachers struggle in their tattered clothes and on empty stomachs, the person in charge of their salary diverts it for personal use and goes scot-free because he is well-connected!
The heroes are all those Ugandans who must struggle and sweat to survive, conscious of the fact that nobody owes them a living.
Long live the unsung heroes of Uganda!
The writer is a lawyer