OPINION | BLOGS | MUKHOLI 

It was 42 years, on Sunday April 11, since President Idi Amin was toppled by a combined force of the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) and Ugandans living in exile.  

Two days later, President Yusufu Lule took oath of office replacing Amin who eventually fled to exile leaving a trail of devastation and destruction.     

Amin rose to power through a military coup on January 25, 1971. For the next eight years, he presided over the destruction of the country leading it into an abysmal social, economic and political state. 

All the economic development that had been taking place amidst the political crisis of the 1960s stalled. Furthermore, all that was in place before the coup disintegrated.

For instance, in the 1960s the government had built 22 then modern hospitals in different parts of the country.

These gradually slipped into ruin.

Maintenance was poor and the structures started crumbling and the situation was aggravated by poor service. Top medics fled the country in search of better opportunities abroad.

Schools also took the same trend. Just like hospitals, no new schools were built.

And also like health workers, teachers were demoralised and some left the country. Above all, education lost value as it increasingly became a pattern with the top management jobs at state enterprises and cabinet positions going to Amin’s non-educated cronies. 

They, too, recruited their ilk in lower ranks entrenching maladministration in nearly all sectors.

Due to poor pay and delays in paying salaries, abuse of office became a survival necessity. Civil servants left their coats hanging on their chairs to register their presence yet they were out ‘chasing deals’.

There was a practice of linking buyers to sellers, at a fee, as essential commodities got scarce.

The expulsion of Asians deprived the country of much needed entrepreneurial skills. The businesses they left were handed over to Ugandans who ruined them. Without the ability to run them and no capital, the businesses gradually crumbled and closed.

Jinja, then the industrial town came to a standstill as factory after factory gradually shut down. Some like Nytil and Nile Breweries, then erroneously located in Jinja yet they are in Njeru, limped on but production declined significantly.

A portrait of Nytil (Nyanza Textile Industry Limited) shows a big employer consuming Uganda’s cotton. It was a source of income for hundreds.

There were other textile mills as well — Mulco in Jinja and African Textile Mill in Mbale. They too went down due to a combination of factors, including poor management. 

Cotton growing was declining as farmers were not promptly paid while the foreign currency to import parts required for the repair and maintenance of the mills was unavailable.

Without repairs, finance and cotton supply the mills had shut down by April 11, 1979.

During Amin’s era, only a few countable projects were undertaken. Among them were the International Conference Centre (now Serena) and Mpoma Satellite Station in Mukono. No new roads were constructed.

Those that had been built in the 1960s remained in good shape because of low traffic. Due to low incomes and a terrible economy, the number of people who could afford cars was low so the roads were not stressed.

There were no traffic jams as it is today, which exerts pressure on the roads, accelerating their destruction.

Electricity generation at the Owen Falls Dam was also on the decline. From 150MW in the late 1960s, it had dropped, due to poor maintenance, to 60MW by 1986. With the collapse of factories and only a few households consuming electricity, the low capacity was just sufficient. Then no one cared about power cuts or load shedding. Kerosene lamps and candles were used for lighting even in upscale residential areas. 

People resigned and got used to living without electricity to light homes and offices.

A whole generation grew up at the time without using electricity and even seeing and experiencing its use, especially in the rural areas.

Similarly, many grew up without tasting sugar, using soaps and consuming salt. These were among the commodities that Ugandans lacked.

The co-operative movement that had gained traction in the 1960s also collapsed in the 1970s.

The elite who were leading them took advantage of the economic and political situation to strip them bare. This coupled with the decline in production of some cash crops led to the collapse of the co-operatives.

The growing of coffee continued but it was sold to smugglers. To get a good price, farmers sold it to people who took the risk and smuggled it to Kenya, whose coffee exports grew significantly.

Besides the economy, the Amin era was characterised by human rights abuse.

Those suspected to be opposed to him and his government were arrested and never seen alive again.

One might be tempted to compare it with the recent so-called disappearances.

But there is no parallel, today you can talk about them and run to Parliament or court.

In the 1970s, whoever talked about the disappearance disappeared too.

So, Uganda collapsed in the 1970s and 1980s. And it has been struggling to get back on track since 1986.

Twitter: @dmukholi1