Text and photo By: John Vianney Nsimbe

AS the sun sets on the stony hill of Busoga College Mwiri, the cattle return to their paddock. It is the year 1996; the month of November. (In the picture: An assembly at Kitante Primary School)

It had been a sweltering day and as the herdsman guided the cows in, they quickly started to nimble on the short grass that had turned brown due to the dry conditions prevailing. It was not a good time for the cattle whose rib cages were becoming more and more exposed by the day.

But, while the animals were seemingly whining about the shortage of food – faced with the grayish grass – students at the school were in a rush to the mess. Their posho and beans was there in good supply and anything short of that, a revolt could probably ensue. Could the cattle do the same? Probably not.

The rush to the mess in this case was because the students were gearing up for school prefect campaigns that were on that evening. None wanted to miss their favorite candidate coming to speak at the general assembly for students.

Amongst the popular candidates was Asavia Nampandu. He was vying for the post of head-prefect. He was in senior five and had been very popular from his days in ‘O’ Level. In fact his return to Mwiri for ‘A’ Level simply guaranteed him the top student’s position.

But for the rest of the individuals gunning for other prefect posts, it was going to be more than charisma like Nampandu had. It was about: You need my vote, you have to pay for it. This was a plain example of how corruption starts amongst the young, grows and remains with them until the time they hold public office, outside school.

Corruption remains a big vice in Uganda and fighting it has mainly targeted public officers and the wazee (adults) of this country. Inadvertently, or maybe ignorantly, the young in schools have been kept out of the fight against corruption; not knowing that it is also flourishing there.

Back in the day, at Mwiri, electioneering times were pretty exciting. Everyone, including the teachers were sucked into the whole process. Aspirants moved from one class to another. From one dormitory to another canvassing for votes. But it was not necessarily the best speaker or orator, or the person that showed the best administrative qualities that won the office of leadership.

It would often be the one that best spent resources [read: ‘logistics’ vide the Makerere University elections] to buy the electorate into voting him. The bribes included sodas, eats like samosas and/or cash. It looked and seemed altogether a normal practice.

Because there is usually ‘hunger’ and lack of some needs at boarding school, students found and many still find election time a moment to bag some goodies from those that seek office. Never mind that the candidates themselves are not any better than the rest financially. But, they hope that once voted, they can make back the monies spent, through cutting deals on purchases or outings for students, which they can organize for a charge, courtesy of their positions.

Mariam Nakibinge, a senior six student in one of the schools in Kawempe says, “There is nothing wrong with giving your electorate a few goodies to win their votes. Aspirants for prefect posts right from the time I was in senior one used to come with sweets and pancakes to serve us. The one who gave us most, earned the vote.”

A primary four pupil at Sacred Heart of Jesus Primary School at Jinja Kaloli, in Kawempe adds that for them, colleagues that want to become prefects offer sweets to sway the vote to their side. “I have voted twice since I joined this school. But each time, I vote the person who gave me a sweet. I feel I owe them my vote at least.”

Immaculate Wangwe admits that while a student at St Joseph Girls Secondary School, Nsambya, she gave an aspirant her vote because she received a few eclairs toffees. Another young woman interjects saying that in some schools aspirants have been alleged to bribe teachers into changing the vote in their favour. They even boast about it, because their parents provide them money to buy their way to leadership.

It is, as such, not of any surprise when lots of claims of election bribing come up in high public offices. Ugandans, who seem to be more studied than yesterday, have become used to buying their way to something. Allegations are leveled at virtually every front on the three arms of government.

Parliament, where it is a requirement for someone to stand only if they have attained an advanced certificate of education, apparently carries the flag for having learned only too well, how to ride on the back of corruption. For instance, in 2005 during the debate to remove or not, the presidential term limits, hundreds of parliamentarians accepted to take each sh5million, which analysts say were meant to induce them to support the removal of the terms.

In the judiciary, some officers at the level of magistrate or judge, have had their decisions come into question, over allegation of accepting bribes to skew the rulings. A magistrate was recently arrested in Mbarara, arraigned, tried and convicted on grounds of taking a kickback, to change his own decision he had earlier passed on the party.

The executive arm of government has had the greatest number of fraud allegations on its officials. But, the President has handily come out to help his men, when facing public scold for their misdeed. Among those the president has offered a shield are notably the current Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kuteesa and Security Minister Amama Mbabazi.

For schools, however, all these examples and others teach them that life is about something for something. You do not have to struggle so much, where you can buy friendship to bail you out, when you need them. Brenda Nassuuna, who completed her elementary school in 2007 at Namugongo Girls Boarding Primary school, says they did not have aspirants for leadership among pupils paying for votes. It was forbidden and would lead to disqualification.

“For starters, the school never allowed any pupil to have ‘grab’ (eats) or money on them. We shared eating in common. So the best speaker with good signs of leadership got the votes.” She adds that since she joined Seeta High, the teachers there are very strict and do not allow any use of money to win over the electorate.

“Teachers supervise the campaign process and plant spies around to guard against the buying of voters. Once you are caught, you are disqualified from whatever race you may be in. In that case, no aspirant will dare to engage in bribing voters,” Nassuuna affirms.

In junior seminaries, pupil or student leaders are usually appointed by the administration. The children only have to exhibit leadership acumen. This takes into account a number of qualities,
among which are academics, smartness, care and activeness of the person in the activities of the school and class in particular.