Monday, October 8, 2012

JUBILEE in Uganda: Uganda celebrates 50 years of Independence



On October/9th/2012 Uganda will celebrate its golden (jubilee)  , Uganda, my country of green hills and valleys, of singing Crested -Cranes and I’m sure of yet to be discovered sunsets and shadows has been an independent nation for 50 years.

On October/9th/1962 the Union –Jack was lowered in Kampala and the Ugandan flag, in Black, Yellow, Red, recently designed by countrymen was raised symbolizing freedom from colonial rule. History has it that not everyone supported the idea that the British Colonial masters had. On record, Sir Edward Muteesa, who later becomes Uganda’s first president took a long time to buy into the idea of combing his Buganda Kingdom to the rest of Uganda.

King Muteesa wrote many letters to the Queen and her delegation about his disagreement. He wanted Buganda to remain its own state but eventually he was sold the idea by Milton Obote, Uganda’s first Prime Minister and later president.  

The two men never got along, both wanted more power and eventually the one would attack the other causing a massive civil war that has slipped blood on Uganda’s history pages until now. With independence came more challenges. Ugandans were not used to self-governance and those that wanted to rule had self-ambitions, for the first 25 years UGANDA was ruled by several men who faced a tough job to making a former British Colony one country.

Uganda is a beautiful place I love it like a child loves her mother.  I was born in kasubi on Hoima Road in 1985. My 17 year old mother met my father at the end of a massive civil war between many deferent regimes from 1966 when Prime Minister Obote attacked Edward Muteesa’s Palace.

 From there Uganda was involved in civil war after civil war and until 1986 when a young rebel by the name of Yoweri Katuga Museveni led an armed rebellion backed by a few African leaders to take power under his fighting group NRA (National Resistance Army). The NRA would rule the country until 1996 after organizing themselves into a political party bringing back party politics to Uganda that had been washed away under Milton Obote.

I remember the year well; the drought had hit Uganda very hard that hot 1996. I was 11 years old living at Bomma’s house, my grandmother in Ssinda Village.

 Former rebel leader and now Army General Yoweri Museveni would win the election and has won all the proceeding elections making him one of the longest serving presidents in Africa. Museveni and his party the NRM have done a lot. Credit is to be given where performance is well done. The NRM is a party full of old politicians like Museveni himself trying to rule over a modern twenty-first century population.


 Uganda today is awesome.
For the most part a regular person can walk around to and fro workplace, to worship place back to home. But like the 1960’s Ugandan’s political class is widely divided even within the ruling NRM party. They are many who just want to hang to power including the president creating a stranger state. Buganda and Uganda still don’t get along. Buganda wants a fedro-type system where they can rule themselves directly.  The government is so big that half of the members of parliament are just holding their position in politics for a pay check.

 The school system is ancient and in its form it cannot educate the growing needs of Ugandan youth. The youth are mainly unemployed causing high rates of poverty and crime. The healthcare system is close to none AIDS is on the uprising again. Every level of government is corrupted. But for sure the doors of prosperity and freedom are wide open and it will all depend on those who lead us! Like in other nations in Africa, Uganda lacks nothing expect great and new-age leadership.

1 comment:

  1. Yo right bro, hope you are fine...They went to parade yet me to my daily strife,,,,what is it with Black, Yellow and Red....They have nothing to say as they mock Kololo grounds, them passionately in Love.

    ReplyDelete

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