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Kampala’s Congenial Chaos

  Kampala’s Congenial Chaos Come rain, come shine, welcome to the enchanting world of Ugandan traffic.   Here, commotion isn’t just a daily routine; it’s an art form! In the bustling city of Kampala, the streets are an arena where the rules of the road seem as fluid as the Nile River.   Motorists have turned vehicular anarchy into a fine-tuned ballet. Traffic lanes are mere suggestions. Road signs are treated like cryptic pictographs only decipherable by a few. People have mastered the art of driving on the wrong side of the road, all in the noble quest to beat the omnipresent traffic jam.   Hold ups all the time; when schools resume, traffic jam takes up permanent residence. Private car owners, feeling the weight of this urban symphony of gridlock, resort to a stroke of genius. They’ve fitted their vehicles with ambulance sirens, turning their commutes into riveting emergency missions. It’s a cunning ploy to hoodwink fellow commuters into believing they hold the...
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The age limit ruling and the peak of political posturing in Uganda

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I have followed the discussions around the Age-Limit ruling with keen interest.  I have also read the thoughts of President Yoweri Museveni on the same. Given the political context of Uganda, last week’s Constitution Court decision was easily predictable.  It was not surprising that the Court delivered a verdict in favor of lifting the age limits for presidential candidates.  The mere fact that even mama mboga down the street could have predicted (with precision) the ruling, it tells a lot about the Country’s judicial system as well as the existent pulls and pressures at play.  At the heart of the perceptions around the ruling is the sense that the Court could not have ruled differently given the circumstances and political context. The age limit ruling in Mbale was more of political than legal.  Politically, the majority of Parliamentarians that voted for the removal of age limits were ‘thrown under the bus’ by the benefactor and sole beneficiary ...
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2017, a year of tribulations and a new re-awakening

Every year comes with its challenges and opportunities.   When a year comes to an end, we tend to remember the last moments more. Many highs, many lows; but for Uganda the dying moments of 2017 could easily qualify as dampening.   I will tell you why I think so, in a moment; but first, let’s toast to the opportunities well seized as well as the challenges encountered.   Challenges are our best friends; they teach us lessons to be better people. As we toast to a New Year, let’s celebrate life, let’s commiserate with those who lost their dear ones. At a more professional level, it is just right and fitting that we empathize with our media friends whose resolve to keep Ugandans informed could have either landed them in jail or left them physically and emotionally bruised.   Let’s salute the men and women in leadership positions who stood with Uganda amidst the murky political torrents.   As we party away a year of scars, wounds, healing and successes, let...
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Uganda’s steady progress to life presidency; the rough and tumble begins

It is with deep concern that the plan to amend article 102(b) of the 1995 Constitution to remove the 75 years age-limit for one to run for presidency is no longer diversionary or idle talk – as has been branded before.   It is real. Now that the Bill is reported to have been gazetted, it is official that Uganda is now hurtling towards establishing a life presidency.   Every word in defence of the removal of the age limit rings hollow; as all we know it is intended to safeguard just an individual in power.   Not only is it wrong to legislate for a single individual, it places our fragile democratic path on the edge of a cliff.   In fact, it borders on the personalization of not only the Constitution but also the state. Limitations on the tenure and age were inserted in the 1995 Constitution to guarantee organized transition at Presidential level – especially given the history that Uganda has never enjoyed a smooth transition from one leader to another. ...
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Flying must be made a lot safer than it was yesterday

It was one of those hustle-free flights, where you don’t get the airline ground staff announcing ‘a delay’ or an ‘overbooking’ or one of those wacky things that gets your journey starting on the wrong footing.  The cabin crew welcomed the passengers pleasantly – the flight captain actually stood at the entry of the aircraft to receive passengers.  It was certainly ‘the warm South African welcome’ aboard the 15:20 SA 161 flight from Entebbe (Uganda) to O.R Tambo (South Africa) over a month ago on 13 th  March 2017. Aboard, the crew unceasingly kept passengers posted on every flight detail.  I am sure flight regulation and protocols require the crew to do just exactly that.  The only distinguishing feature here is that the updates always came with an extra tinge of detail – which occasionally prompted a little mirth from those on board.  At one point, the flight crew apologized for not being able to serve tea and coffee on board, attracting a chorus of ...
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The new EC may have passed the first practical test, but will it keep the steam?

My two cents; kudos to the EC for a well-organized election in Aruu North Constituency last week. Time check: Thursday 6th April, 4:00am and the polling materials were already being dispatched from the Pader EC office to the seven (7) Sub counties of Aruu North. And this was after a detailed pre-deployment briefing of both the EC staff and the Police officers in charge of the day.  By 5:30am, all materials had left Pader for the sub counties and the polling stations.  That logistical efficiency has always eluded us – when it comes to elections. Of course some polling stations suffered delays in commencing voting. A number of these were in Latanya sub county.  They hadn’t received materials to begin polling by 7:00am – the designated time for the start of voting.  Others didn’t have the five registered voters required to be present before the opening of the polling kit. By and large, the train was on course by the better part of the ...
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Kamuli election; is it another score for the EC?

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It was a generally peaceful and promising election until about noon when allegations of voter bribery and doubts about police’ impartiality started filtering through the grimy Kamuli Municipality.  Earlier, on 12 th  April the municipality had woken up to a lively but incident-free Kamuli Municipality MP by-election – pitting NRM’s Rehema Watongola against FDC’s Salaam Musumba alongside three other independent candidates. Polling stations had opened in time, voters were streaming to their polling stations in a re-assuring fashion, the voting machines were functioning well and EC seemed like it was generally on top of things.  At Happy Hour Primary School, Muwebwa Ward, Northern Division for instance over 50% of the registered voters had already cast their vote by 11:30am on the polling day.  Male youth were a common sight at polling stations. A few minutes after midday, ugly scenes of violence around St. Mark Church polling station located somewhere in the corn...
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