Gen MK is at his prime age of 47 years. He is neither young nor old. Just over half of Ugandans are aged 52 years and below. This group of people can easily identify themselves with Gen MK if he chooses to stand for any political office.
Secondly, at 47 years, he is energetic and can take on many tasks at the same time. He can go for both military and political offices simultaneously. Of course the Constitution doesn’t allow a serving military officer to be a politician. But he can clandestinely carry out both functions and by the time he firms up his political ambitions, he can drop the military line.
Muhoozi is also lucky to have President Yoweri Museveni as a father. Rtd Col Kizza Besigye one time mentioned that one of Gen Museveni’s strengths is that he is a good strategist.
Also, Museveni is a good mobiliser. In Mzee, Gen MK has a free campaigning manager should he opt to dive into politics.
In less than 90 days, Gen MK has been in Mogadishu, where he met the president, on his way back, he stopped in Kenya and met with President Uhuru. And not long ago, he was in Kigali with President Paul Kagame.
If Gen Museveni opts out of political office in 2026, Muhoozi can fill up the shoes.
Samson Tinka,
tindsam@yahoo.com
Supporting dictatorship is wrong
I appreciate the passion that Michael Woira showed in his vying for dictatorship in Uganda in his letter of January 18, 2022.
My response to Woira is that we cannot have a dictatorship in any part of the world as good governance and that he might have confused policy with democracy.
Woira cites frustration of government projects by civilians but fails to detail how simple, fair and timely compensation is given to those that have given up their land for such projects. He does not discuss that some projects drag on for ages yet schools and business were evicted.
Woira talks about the “so good” government projects and distances himself from a discussion of inclusiveness and access by all and sundry to these projects. How I wish he referenced the Shs 100,000 relief package meant for the poor last year during the second Covid-19 lockdown!
Woira gets it wrong again with the issue of hawkers going to markets. If somebody has spent all their working lives hawking, renting a newly built state-of-the-art market remains an imagination. Maybe if the rent was subsidized for them, they would settle.
Lastly, Woira sees all problems of Uganda in the opposition. It is very risky for any leader in history to allow the opposition to go underground. By allowing alternative views from the leader, compromises are reached on how to run a country. That is what is called democracy!
Andrew Kasumba,
Kampala.
Let’s teach more French lessons
English has been Uganda’s lone official language since independence in 1962. This is evident as Uganda is a former British colony.
In 2005, Kiswahili, which is viewed as being neutral and a regional language spoken in East African Community states where Uganda is a member state, was awarded a national status as an official and national language in this country.
However, some questions are puzzling, especially now in this 21st century of multilingualism. French was recently endorsed as an official language of the East African Community.
Are Ugandan youths and any other working-class individuals ready for competition? Like they say; it is survival for the fittest.
Are we fit as Ugandans to compete globally if we do not speak the global languages? Stanza two of the Uganda National Anthem calls us all to live in peace and friendship with all our neighbours. How can this be achieved if we cannot effectively communicate with them?
French is one the five languages mostly used on the internet. Online learning trends these days. Can the learners in this country compete for study opportunities in French-speaking countries?
Some parents even tell their children that languages do not carry much importance! Do we carry out enough research before guiding the young people on what to do?
French is the second most useful language in the world for business; and Uganda as a country, we are surrounded by a number of French-speaking countries such as Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, which are members of the East African Community. Wouldn’t this require the knowledge for French for cooperation, integration and business?
French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts. What if all Ugandan athletes, lawyers, social workers, scientists and other professionals knew French?
Fellow Ugandans, let us embrace things that push us as Ugandans to compete regionally and globally, including learning other international languages like French, without forgetting the other over 40 indigenous languages in this nation.
Kabahuma Phionah,
Mukono.
Stop illegal sand miners
The Lake Victoria Basin is gifted with alluvial deposition that contains sand, which is extremely required by the construction and manufacturing industries.
However, when sand was recognized as a mineral in Uganda, it attracted a lot of investors to join the business. Surprisingly, a number of unlicensed sand miners have taken over our wetlands in Lwera, Mpigi district and now the increasing number of illegal miners has camped in the sub-county of Kasanje in Wakiso district.
Three years ago, the Wakiso district chairperson, Matia Lwanga Bwanika, was involved in a bitter physical exchange with Chinese who were mining sand, using sophisticated gadgets without authorization from the district.
According to the National Environment Act 2019, a person shall not, without the written approval of the relevant lead agency, reclaim or drain any wetland, disturb any wetland by drilling or tunnelling in a manner that has or is likely to have an adverse effect on the wetland.
The increasing level of illegal sand miners (wetland encroachers) in Lugumba-Naggombe Ssazi in Kasanje sub-county has put our wetlands, neighbouring communities and roads at risk.
The environmental risk assessment in the encroached wetlands where illegal sand mining is taking place shows that there is a livelihood or probability of an adverse or hazardous outcome or event with consequences on human health or the environment.
The National Environmental Management Authority should wake up and save our wetlands in Kasanje since it’s the principal agency in Uganda for regulating, monitoring, supervising and coordinating all activities related to the environment.
Are the people doing this backed up by the big government officials that NEMA has kept a blind eye or a deaf ear to? There is no way an illegal sand mining activity can happen for years without them acting on individuals who are milking our wetlands.
In some parts of Kasanje wetlands, where people used to go for fishing, they can no longer participate in those activities since the illegal sand miners have encroached and damaged the wetlands. Villages are likely to lose shelter, toilets, access to roads, recreation and land for cultivation, as some unlicensed sand miners have illegally expanded their mining sites.
When such illegal activities continue, they put the lives of people and their animals at risk because the grazing and cultivation land is already occupied by sand miners.
There is also a danger of silicosis, a disease related with the inhalation of silicondioxide. The open pits resulting from sand mining are a habitant for disease carrying vectors, such as mosquitoes. They are also habitants for invading aquatic plants like water hyacinth and Kariba weed.
Last year, Uganda experienced a floating island, which caused a national power cut, and affected the fishing activities. These floating or moving islands are a result of the continuous drilling or tunnelling of wetlands by the unlicensed sand miners.
David Serumaga
Kampala