How todays silence ll be regretfully answered in 20 years
The year is 2040. The conversation is between a 16 year old and his father, a 52 year old(who was 29 in 2017). (By that time, things have either gone from bad to worse, or change has already happened and the country is on a true path to middle income status.) The conversation is about the wasted years. The years of stagnation. The years of retrogression. And the 16 year old of that time is asking his father what went wrong, and what he was doing as a young, energetic Ugandan.
Son: On July, 26th the New Vision reported that Ghosts had bought Kinyara Sugar Works shares? What did you guys do?
Dad: Ohhh, that one? We fasted and prayed. There was a conference at our church. We lined up for holy water, holy rice and visited some church every night for prayers and blessings.
Son: On July 23rd 2017, the New Vision headline was that the Nakawa-Naguru land which was meant to accommodate 5000 low cost housing units was grabbed. What did you do?
Dad: My son, then there was a match between Arsenal and Manchester United. We were all glued to our screens.
Son: But on July 6th 2017 the New Vision reported that a Minister’s son had been involved in a 20bn shillings scam over minerals.
Dad: Hahaha, my dear son, actually at that time, a new prophet had come into town. We were busy preparing his triumphant entry into Uganda!
Son: Yet again, the headline of the New Vision on July 23rd 2017 was that a gang had grabbed 36 square miles of military land.
Dad: Young man, you don’t understand these things. At that time, a new bar had just opened somewhere at Kisementi. We had to pull out our best attire and dancing strokes!
Son: But remember, dad, that on July 25th 2017, the New Vision reported that an official in the Ministry of Lands was named in a 500m bribery scandal. Ohh, son- that day, we were actually not so bothered. It was just 500m!
But yet again, the New Vision reported that government lost 568bn in tax waiver when Minister Syda Bumba signed oil documents without reading them.
Dad. Hahaha, young man, check the archives. We tweeted. We ranted. We updated our facebook statuses and ranted yet again….
Son: But you also read the Monitor when it reported that a Minister had pocketed 3bn shillings in mining deal.
Dad: Man, some of us were lucky to have jobs. We were comfortable in our swinging chairs, overlooking Kampala, and following these debates on facebook.
Son: You were around when the 2017 Budget was inflated by 500bn shillings. Dad!!!
Dad: My son, that day we were busy discussing the dress-code of government officials. We spent the week discussing whether or not female government workers should be allowed to wear miniskirts for work.
Son: But dad, do you remember that in 2017, the Monitor reported that government borrowing had imposed 1m shillings on every individual? Everyone among the 38million Ugandans had to pay 1 million shillings if our national debt was to be cleared?
Dad: That day, my son, there was blankets and wines. All roads led to Lugogo Cricket Oval. We put on imported shoes, shirts and caps. We rocked the city and had fun all day, all night.
Son: Yet again, do you remember dad, when Bank of Uganda was implicated in mismanaging 340bn shillings? Or when they bought 350 pens at 125 million shillings? Or when they accused Sudhir of defrauding the economy of 400bn shillings, yet as BOU (supervisors) they had actually given him a clean bill of health year in, year out?
Dad: Ohh, that story was interesting! We knew it was going to lead to a ground-breaking case. We actually watched it closely. Some of us were young lawyers. We waited with bated breath for a show off at the Commercial Court. We couldn’t wait for smart lawyers to bring out the best arguments.
Son: But on June 3rd 2017, it was reported that hackers working with government officials had struck 24 government agencies and stolen 67bn shillings. Yet you claim to have belonged to an opposition political party.
Dad: My son, that day- the political party had organized primaries for party president. The campaigns divided us sharply. We had blocks and we couldn’t see eye to eye with our opponents. Ohh, how we campaigned! You know we had to look for ways of climbing up the ladders in the party. We needed visibility.
Son: Iyiii, but dad, as a member of the ruling party, what did you do when the president unilaterally gave away 6bn shillings to some 42 overpaid government officials, while nurses and other health workers went on strike for poor pay? When prosecutors and magistrates left courts, and lecturers continued to yawn over poor working conditions?
Dad: Hahaha, my son- that story didn’t surprise us. Each one of us was simply wishing they were among the 42.
Son: Hmmm, so did you read the Sunday Vision of 10th September, 2017, when it was reported that a ghost company had won a 125 billion shillings contract to generate electricity?
Dad: Ohh mehn, that story came out on a weekend when we had to honor a prophet. We collected money, some of us borrowed, and looked smart for the day. We put on our best clothes, knelt before the prophet and actually kissed his feet, for blessings!
Son: But dad, murders took place in broad day light- even of high profile people- muslim clerics, government officials and then women. No reports were produced. Scores of mainly innocent people were arrested- and tortures. In Kasese over 100 were killed. No explanation was given. Dad?
Dad: Hahaha, man, actually many of us at that time became crime preventers!
Son: But dad, dad, what did you do when the country was sold to the highest bidder, the economy was ailing, pupils were studying under trees, the best doctors left the country for modest living, courts turned into centers of bribery, unemployment soared, murders took place with reckless abandon, inefficiency was rewarded, merit was thrown out of the window, patronage reigned supreme, public service sank to the abyss…when your neighbors Kenya, Ethiopia, even Rwanda made strides while projects in your country stalled?
Dad: We called for removal of age limit! We were mobilized. We were used. We accepted to be used…..again. We wanted more of the same………
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