Thanks

FIRST Deputy Prime Minister Eriya Kategaya has reiterated his decision to step down from national politics. He says there is need to give younger people a chance and, emphasising service, he denounces the notion of getting into politics to earn a living. He is right in both regards. Kategaya regrets that, in his public life, he has not seen the population grow confident enough to know and defend their rights, partly because literacy levels are still low. While this is true, there is no need for him to hang his head low in shame. What is more important is the fact that he, and for that matter some other persons and institutions, have made an honest contribution towards this and other endeavours. The development of nations supercedes, in time, the longevity of individuals. Kategaya's concern will probably not be completely addressed for another one hundred years; by which time he and most Ugandans living today would long have departed this world. But the foundation has been laid. The Universal Primary Education programme will arguably be the most important legacy that the administration that Kategaya has served in will leave. Fledgling it may be now, but UPE and, hopefully, subsequent post-primary education programmes, will go to the root of underdevelopment. The illiteracy that Kategaya fears is holding back political consciousness should be done away with. But more critical will be the liberation of Ugandans from phenomena like unplanned families, lack of domestic hygiene, perpetual unemployment/underemployment due to lack of skills, xenophobia, insularity. In socio-politico terms, Uganda is still a young country. It is critical that we identify what is holding us back and put in place conditions that will lead to maturity over time. Ends.