Did the Aspirations change?
BY JIMMY ACELAM ODOOKI
On the 9th October, 1962, Uganda became independent. “At midnight, the Union Jack, which had flown over Uganda for 68 years was ceremonially hauled down and replaced by the black, yellow and red flag of the newly independent Uganda.
The Duke of Kent formally handed over instruments of independence to the new Prime Minister, Mr. Obote, signifying the handing over of Britain’s authority in Uganda. The INDEPENDENCE handover was marked throughout the country by feasting and celebrations.”-Uganda Argus. The inaugural speech of the Prime Minister defined Uganda’s Independence, aspirations and what Ugandans had to look forward to. “Our independence shall mean great responsibilities for all of us.
Collectively, we shall all be responsible to safeguard our independence and to ensure peace and stability within our country. In addition, the Government in whose name I now speak offers you a firm determination to protect your life and property and opportunities for your advancement.”- PM, Obote during the handover ceremony. It is important to assess whether promises made by the Prime Minister during the inaugural Independence speech have been delivered and how successive leaders have guided the country. It is this ensuring of peace and stability and determination for the protection of life and property, coupled with opportunities for advancement as individuals that ought to be critically evaluated. Together with his cabinet, the intelligentsia and contemporaries, the goal of the Prime Minister like most of Africa’s founding fathers was also the elimination of poverty, ignorance and disease.
Hardly four years after the attainment of independence, Uganda had descended into political chaos. The political crisis stemmed from political disagreement and a breakdown in the relationship between the President, Sir Edward Muteesa and the Prime Minister, Milton Obote. The President was forced out of the country and exiled in Britain in what became known as the Buganda crisis of 1966. This marked the beginning of political violence through the use of arms, military coups and crises of legitimacy in many governments, which came after. The Buganda crisis was followed by a long period of political instability in Uganda. The military coup in 1971 led by Idi Amin Dada made the bad situation worse.
After the ouster of Gen. Idi Amin, a few more short-lived governments followed until the ‘liberation’ by the National Resistance Army (NRA) led by Yoweri K Museveni in a military coup in 1986. Uganda had been in turmoil literally from the 1966 Buganda crisis. The high level of insecurity and chaos made governance and provision of services to the citizens nearly impossible, as most systems were dysfunctional. The National Resistance Army (NRA) ushered in relative peace, tranquility and security in most parts of the country. Due to the long period of political instability, lives were lost, properties damaged and the economic performance of Uganda greatly affected. The economy regressed and so did many social aspects of life.
There was a long period of scarcity of essential goods and commodities and break down of most of the services provided at government facilities. HIV/ AIDS, a new relatively unknown disease became rampant during the early 1980s and because the health sector was in shambles, information sharing and health awareness campaigns could not be carried out effectively. Many lives were lost from this disease. From the 1960s independence era, Uganda was the icon of public health in East Africa.
Shortly after attaining independence, the provision of health care and other essential services to its citizens became a challenge. With a population of about seven million people at independence, and now at about Forty- two million people ((x6), six times), the challenges in service delivery by government technocrats have increased immensely. For the last three decades though, there has been improvement in many sectors in Uganda. Former President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Donald Kaberuka among other prominent economists alluded to Uganda’s economic growth and development during the 2007 Joseph Mubiru Memorial Lecture, which commemorates the first Governor of Bank of Uganda (Central Bank).
Africa has, in the past, experienced “episodes” of both growth and decline, swings of optimism and pessimism, periods of booms and busts. We have seen cases of consistently good performance, such as Botswana, Tunisia and Mauritius and until the political crisis, Cote d’Ivoire; we have seen dramatic post-conflict recovery in Uganda, Mozambique and Rwanda.” “In the first decade of independence, average real GDP per capita was growing quite respectably. It then turned quickly negative in the late seventies and 1980s “the lost decade”. “Today, inflation and deficits are contained and economies are once again on a growth path. The improving investment climate has stimulated Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows in Uganda.”-Dr. Kaberuka.
Despite the rosy figures showing economic growth, Income Inequality continues to be a challenge too. According to a Bank of Uganda 2020 survey, just 1% of the country’s working population aged between 16 and 65 years earn more than one million shillings. With a Gini Coefficient Index of 45.48 in 2020 according to the World Bank, the level of inequality in Uganda is very high. Also, the country is still unable to raise enough money domestically for its national budget. For the FY2023/24 budget estimated at 52 trillion shillings, more than 20% will depend on external support. At the advent of independence in 1961, the first black Archbishop of Kampala, His Grace, Joseph Nakabaale Kiwanuka wrote a pastoral letter; Church and State: The Guiding Principles (1961). It exhaustively addressed multi party politics and sensitized Ugandans on making correct political decisions that would help Uganda achieve development and remain peaceful. Many years later, there has been no peaceful handover from one government to another. Although multi party system politics was restored in 2005, elections held from 2006 under the system have been contested in court and described by many political actors and analysts as a sham and not free and fair. Moreover, the country has been under the rule of one president for almost two-thirds of the period since Uganda became independent. The play-wright, Francis Imbuga in his play; Betrayal in the City through the character Mosese points to predicaments in many post independent African countries. What has been happening in Uganda since independence is not far from what is depicted in the play. Most Ugandans will concur with Mosese that; “It was better while we waited. Now we have nothing to look forward to. We have killed our past and are busy killing our future.” However, despite the myriad of challenges, as Ugandans, we commemorate our independence by holding onto our motto for strength to a better realization of our independence aspirations knowing that; “Collectively, we shall all be responsible to safeguard our independence and to ensure peace and stability within our country.’
For God and My Country!
