The riots were not about Kabaka Mutebi and Kayunga
Sep 22, 2009
I got an earful from the readers of my column who felt I dropped the ball last week in writing about the Kampala riots. In the column, I suggested that the Kabaka addressing the young in Kayunga district and elsewhere in Uganda should not become the issue
PERSPECTIVE OF A UGANDAN IN CANADA
Opiyo Oloya
I got an earful from the readers of my column who felt I dropped the ball last week in writing about the Kampala riots. In the column, I suggested that the Kabaka addressing the young in Kayunga district and elsewhere in Uganda should not become the issue.
Traditional rulers, I concluded, ought to be involved in the promotion of culture in order for Ugandans to have a better understanding of the various ethnicities in the country. Then I heard from the readers ofThe New Vision.
There were many issues and causes of the riot according to the writers who sent me e-mails, but the media (and me) have it all wrong. The problem was never about the Kabaka going to address the youth in Kayunga, or that the Banyala were reluctant to grant him access to his people. The riot, many of the readers wrote, was simply the tip of the larger iceberg that threatens the current NRM government.
After 23 years in power, my readers pointed out, there are many things that are ailing the Government and it had better wake up now or risk going down in flames. Some of the writers pointed out that the Government has actually helped divide Ugandans than unite them. There are too many districts, too many regional powers, and too many big fishes in small ponds. Ugandans are now trying to fight each other for every piece of real estate.
Still others observed without naming names the perception that one ethnic group has become the favoured class in Uganda today. One writer wrote that young men and women graduating from universities and colleges in Uganda are hired on the basis of their ethnicity, and who they know. “Things are bad, and people are not happy,†concluded a writer in this category.
Writers also pointed out that there is pent-up frustration at the grassroots level with the current level of corruption in Uganda. B.E. writing from Iganga had this to say: “Bwana Oloya, did you seriously think people put their lives on the line so that the Kabaka could go to Kayunga? People died because the situation in Uganda is no longer tolerable given the level of corruption.
The “eating class†is oblivious to the problems of the masses. Another writer, J.O. in Texas wrote that the issue is about power grab between two leaders. “This is a struggle between two leaders, Museveni and Mutebi who think they own Ugandans and are the only ones who can preside over their fate… just because they come from different ethnic groups does not make it a culture fight.†A. K. summed it all up very neatly by writing: “The riots in Buganda carried several layers of elements: ethnic consciousness and chauvinism, but also the sense of being under threat; disillusionment caused by youth unemployment; the widespread feeling/perception that a certain ethnic group is benefitting disproportionately from Uganda’s resources; the feeling that people in Government are getting away with murder: Global Fund monies, NSSF saga(s); the state of education, health, roads; the militarisation of the Police force. That is the brew of which the riots were made.
Now, foremost, I thank my readers for always being frank and upfront with me. That shows the high degree of concern that they have for Uganda. That said, I agree with some of the reactions from the readers, but I do not agree with others. Without evidence, I cannot accept the argument that one ethnicity has it all, and because of it, other Ugandans are angry enough to riot.
I would like to see the evidence that when it comes to jobs, one ethnicity is favoured over all others. Which ethnicity is favoured and what percentage are we talking about here? Furthermore in a country with poor record-keeping, how would one compile the statistics to confirm such suspicion as ethnic job-grabbing?
However, without reservation, I agree that a major failing of the current Government is its inability to fight corruption. It is all talk and no action. Global Fund, NSSF saga and Temagalo scandal only came to light because someone got caught.
There are many more corrupt officials today in prime locations looting without the fear of being exposed. But the biggest problem brewing for the current Government is the lack of jobs for young people. As pointed out in the New Vision’s editorial yesterday, more than half of Uganda’s population is below the age of 15, which works out to about 20 million below 18 or younger. Globally, the job market is already very tight with unemployment inching to 10 percent in Europe and North America, and higher in Asia.
The situation must be extremely bad in Uganda which has a very small industrial and commercial base to start with. Unless the Government moves quickly to address unemployment, and to create viable opportunities for the young people expect the next riot to last longer than one week. And this may happen sooner than one thinks. But of course there must be many good things happening in Uganda that we should hear about.
Please, write to tell your stories about instances of progress, oases of development, and most important, about those moments of pure humanity without ethnicity. Something positive and uplifting that can put some perspective on how people live amidst all the challenges today.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca
Opiyo Oloya
I got an earful from the readers of my column who felt I dropped the ball last week in writing about the Kampala riots. In the column, I suggested that the Kabaka addressing the young in Kayunga district and elsewhere in Uganda should not become the issue.
Traditional rulers, I concluded, ought to be involved in the promotion of culture in order for Ugandans to have a better understanding of the various ethnicities in the country. Then I heard from the readers ofThe New Vision.
There were many issues and causes of the riot according to the writers who sent me e-mails, but the media (and me) have it all wrong. The problem was never about the Kabaka going to address the youth in Kayunga, or that the Banyala were reluctant to grant him access to his people. The riot, many of the readers wrote, was simply the tip of the larger iceberg that threatens the current NRM government.
After 23 years in power, my readers pointed out, there are many things that are ailing the Government and it had better wake up now or risk going down in flames. Some of the writers pointed out that the Government has actually helped divide Ugandans than unite them. There are too many districts, too many regional powers, and too many big fishes in small ponds. Ugandans are now trying to fight each other for every piece of real estate.
Still others observed without naming names the perception that one ethnic group has become the favoured class in Uganda today. One writer wrote that young men and women graduating from universities and colleges in Uganda are hired on the basis of their ethnicity, and who they know. “Things are bad, and people are not happy,†concluded a writer in this category.
Writers also pointed out that there is pent-up frustration at the grassroots level with the current level of corruption in Uganda. B.E. writing from Iganga had this to say: “Bwana Oloya, did you seriously think people put their lives on the line so that the Kabaka could go to Kayunga? People died because the situation in Uganda is no longer tolerable given the level of corruption.
The “eating class†is oblivious to the problems of the masses. Another writer, J.O. in Texas wrote that the issue is about power grab between two leaders. “This is a struggle between two leaders, Museveni and Mutebi who think they own Ugandans and are the only ones who can preside over their fate… just because they come from different ethnic groups does not make it a culture fight.†A. K. summed it all up very neatly by writing: “The riots in Buganda carried several layers of elements: ethnic consciousness and chauvinism, but also the sense of being under threat; disillusionment caused by youth unemployment; the widespread feeling/perception that a certain ethnic group is benefitting disproportionately from Uganda’s resources; the feeling that people in Government are getting away with murder: Global Fund monies, NSSF saga(s); the state of education, health, roads; the militarisation of the Police force. That is the brew of which the riots were made.
Now, foremost, I thank my readers for always being frank and upfront with me. That shows the high degree of concern that they have for Uganda. That said, I agree with some of the reactions from the readers, but I do not agree with others. Without evidence, I cannot accept the argument that one ethnicity has it all, and because of it, other Ugandans are angry enough to riot.
I would like to see the evidence that when it comes to jobs, one ethnicity is favoured over all others. Which ethnicity is favoured and what percentage are we talking about here? Furthermore in a country with poor record-keeping, how would one compile the statistics to confirm such suspicion as ethnic job-grabbing?
However, without reservation, I agree that a major failing of the current Government is its inability to fight corruption. It is all talk and no action. Global Fund, NSSF saga and Temagalo scandal only came to light because someone got caught.
There are many more corrupt officials today in prime locations looting without the fear of being exposed. But the biggest problem brewing for the current Government is the lack of jobs for young people. As pointed out in the New Vision’s editorial yesterday, more than half of Uganda’s population is below the age of 15, which works out to about 20 million below 18 or younger. Globally, the job market is already very tight with unemployment inching to 10 percent in Europe and North America, and higher in Asia.
The situation must be extremely bad in Uganda which has a very small industrial and commercial base to start with. Unless the Government moves quickly to address unemployment, and to create viable opportunities for the young people expect the next riot to last longer than one week. And this may happen sooner than one thinks. But of course there must be many good things happening in Uganda that we should hear about.
Please, write to tell your stories about instances of progress, oases of development, and most important, about those moments of pure humanity without ethnicity. Something positive and uplifting that can put some perspective on how people live amidst all the challenges today.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca