Rethinking political manifestos through lens of health and humanity

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OPINION

By Amiri Wabusimba

Every election cycle across Africa paints a familiar picture of candidates traversing towns and villages, unveiling manifestos and promising transformative leadership.

For incumbents, it’s a moment of accountability, a chance to highlight achievements and justify continuity.

For challengers, it’s a platform to spotlight the gaps left unaddressed. Yet, beneath the applause and rhetoric, one recurring theme dominates political conversations: “the health sector has failed.”

While this statement reflects a harsh reality, it too often remains rhetorical rather than reformative. Uganda, like many African countries, grapples with limited health financing, shrinking donor support, and competing national priorities. However, not every solution to Uganda’s health crisis requires billions in funding. Some of the most impactful interventions demand commitment, awareness, and leadership, not luxury budgets.  

According to the latest data, an estimated 30 Ugandans die every day from tuberculosis (TB), a preventable and curable disease. Each death represents not just a loss of life but also a blow to the nation’s social and economic fabric. We lose parents, workers, and voters daily, silently. Despite this reality, most political candidates use campaign rallies only to amass votes rather than raise awareness or mobilise collective action. A manifesto that includes actionable commitments on public health, TB prevention, HIV awareness, or gender-based violence would not only serve as a campaign tool but also as a living framework for change, proving leadership in practice, not just in promise.

Imagine if campaign rallies were used to add a voice on health education, if every politician's campaign speech included a minute of TB awareness, HIV prevention messaging, or hygiene promotion. The outcome would be transformative.

A manifesto that integrates community health and preventive education wouldn’t just seek votes; it would save lives even before Election Day.

Elections should never be mere theatre, where words glitter like icing on a cake sweet to the ear but empty of substance; they should mark the beginning of practical change. Instead, campaigns should spark conversations about sustainable solutions. A forward-thinking candidate could, for instance, integrate Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives into their agenda.

Promoting clean water, sanitation, and hand washing during campaigns requires no funding but immense willpower and coordination.

Politicians already command influence during this campaign period that could amplify such community health drives. For example, simple Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) interventions like promoting clean water access, hand washing, and safe waste disposal require more mobilisation than money. Politicians already possess the networks and influence to champion such preventive actions. Yet, many, including qualified professionals and even ministers, fail to use their platforms effectively.

Instead, they echo familiar criticism without offering sustainable alternatives. In doing so, they miss opportunities to connect policy with humanity and to lead by example.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Uganda witnessed a rare and inspiring moment: government and opposition leaders spoke with one voice. Political divisions momentarily disappeared as all sides emphasised one national priority: saving lives.

This unity showed that when leadership channels collective energy into public health, real transformation is possible even amid scarcity. That same model of cooperative governance can be replicated in fighting TB, HIV, and other preventable diseases that silently erode our national resilience.

As the 2026 general elections campaign gains steam, there’s an opportunity for political candidates to redefine their campaign strategies. The new political frontier should not be based on amplifying problems, but on offering actionable, measurable solutions.

Politicians can become champions of community-led health interventions, youth-driven TB awareness campaigns, or partners in strengthening community extension work. A manifesto that inspires health-conscious citizenship is not just visionary, it’s revolutionary. True leadership does not begin after the oath of office; it starts with what one does before the ballot is cast.

If a politician cannot lead small interventions that require no funding, how will they handle complex issues that demand substantial resources? A strong manifesto must reflect not only what a leader intends to do but what they have already started to do.

A nation that neglects the well-being of its people is campaigning for its own decline. The future of Ugandans or Africa at large democracy lies not in louder promises but in smarter, life-saving action where health awareness, community mobilisation, and preventive leadership become the true symbols of political progress. If our politicians begin acting today, not after the elections, then democracy will no longer be a race for power, but a race to protect life itself.

The writer is a diplomatic Scholar, Journalist, political analyst and human rights activist