Wasting Away 47 years Fighting Over Nothing And Calling It Independence
Sixty years of Independence - Twas not always thus
What have we achieved in 60 years of independence?
Southern Sudan’s Independence: What it means for Africa
Nobody summed up Uganda's "independence" from British rule better than the Kabaka of Buganda who called it a "waste". He is quoted in the press saying, “We [Uganda] have spent the 47 years of independence bickering and fighting endlessly which have wrecked development.
This is the time to drop such minds and focus on issues which affect our people,”
The king whose message focussed so much on unity among Ugandans continued thus, “We must cherish and only protect values which unite us than those which divide us.”
Many people have come out to protest that there is at least some good in all these years that Uganda has been independent, and it could rightly be so. But the ugly stain comes from recent city riots that left 30 people dead, closed media houses, tortured and expelled journalists and over 600 demonstrators locked away in government prisons.
Just as so many people will agree, the riots scaled to such ugly heights not because the Kabaka of Buganda was stopped from visiting one of his counties, but because of the sheer number of people especially the youth so frustrated with life, without employement and hope for a better tomorrow. The same ugly seems happened during the mabira demonstrations where a peaceful demonstration left 5 people dead. In all cases; property worth millions is destroyed, looting takes place massively, lawlessness of kinds happens and overwhelms the security agencies.
Until real issues of poverty, hopelessness, unemployment and sense of belonging are tackled by the current government, Independence of several years will continue to mean nothing to the masses and therefore a waste!
