Time for Mengo to mend fences with Government

Jan 26, 2009

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni’s leadership has been a rock of stability that has nurtured a hope for everyone to survive, develop and carry out any political, social or economic activity within the ambit of the law.

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni’s leadership has been a rock of stability that has nurtured a hope for everyone to survive, develop and carry out any political, social or economic activity within the ambit of the law.

One of the NRM’s latest major programmes is the “Prosperity for All,” intended to ensure that every family earns a reasonable income.

As national vice chairman of the Uganda Red Cross Society and as a past district governor of Rotary International, I get opportunities to traverse different parts of Uganda.

In the west there are vast economic enterprises worth emulating while in the north and Teso region the enthusiasm of the people to rebuild and revive agricultural activities is very encouraging.

However, in Buganda it is absurd to note that there is some laxity. The reluctance by Baganda to till the soil, grow coffee, bananas or even engage in growing the Vice President, Gilbert Bukenya’s upland rice is worrying, yet these are money making ventures.

It is disappointing that the Baganda have not used the advantage of being near Kampala to sell food items to a growing market that has considerable purchasing power.

This presents a big challenge to the leadership of Buganda, Ssabasajja Kabaka, the Katikkiro, Nnabagereka and others, to change the attitude of the Baganda to channel their energy to economic development and less towards politics.

The year 2009 must see a new spirit in Buganda. Activities such as coffee growing, upland rice and banana growing and others should be the focus. Conflict and cold war tendencies that have curtailed real economic development in the region should be done away with.

Apathy regarding the Governments economic policies and programmes is just counter productive and the losers are the Baganda themselves.

President Museveni has created a conducive atmosphere for people to engage in economic activities and this is an opportunity that Buganda should seize. Museveni is therefore the audacity of hope.

This year, in my considered opinion, should be a year to bring everyone on board to be more patriotic. The leadership at Mengo since the Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemwogerere and the Emmanuel Sendaula era is now more focused and it has created a conducive environment for the Central Government to do serious business with Mengo.

December 31, 2008 marked 365 days of the current Katikkiro, Eng. J.B. Walusimbi’s service since he was appointed. There has been remarkable rapport between him and the Government, for which he deserves a pat on the back.

The programme that has been initiated by Mengo to embrace “Prosperity for All,” universal primary and secondary education and the agricultural programmes have excited the Central Government and given greater enthusiasm to the Government to start thinking about supporting the Katikkiro with his economic programme.

As Senior Presidential Advisor on Buganda matters I am happy that the cold war that existed earlier during Mulika’s era is now fading away and that the new Katikkiro has brought in a new economic vision that will make Buganda at par with other parts of the country.

We should not forget that poverty is still a key challenge to the people of Buganda and overcoming it should he a priority for the leaders.

To realise his vision and for any meaningful development to take place in Uganda, the President needs support from all corners. He may face fierce resistance from detractors who recognise that economic growth will undermine their chances to capture power, but what we want is a prosperous Uganda for everybody and the future generations.

What is preventing us from shaping the future is not the absence of good ideas, but it is the absence of nationalistic commitment to take the tough steps.

Steps that are necessary to make Uganda move to the next level of prosperity and the absence of a new consensus on the part of all leaders including traditional rulers to appropriately play their role in building a sustainable economy.

The writer is a Senior Presidential Advisor on Buganda matters

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});