Has democracy worked in Kayunga like Bobi Wine told Besigye?

 

The message followed Besigye’s counsel, developed through experience, that elections themselves, cannot remove Museveni from power. Genuinely but naively, Bobi Wine must have believed that in Uganda there’s a significant level of democracy and that one just had to be a little more strategic and determined to extend its boundaries. 

 

His indifference to and dismissal of Besigye’s wise counsel revealed that. When Bobi Wine zealously threw his weight against the Museveni administration, he realized that democracy in Uganda is not real but perceived.

 

Now my concern is; if Bobi Wine overestimated the extent of democracy in Uganda with all the dictatorial tendencies the state had exhibited way before his rise to political fame, what else does he naively overestimate? 

 

For a person who was seriously interested in contesting for presidency through elections, there were overwhelming indicators to show that democracy in Uganda is a fallacy. If Bobi Wine couldn’t simply reflect on such a crystal clear status quo and required experience to learn it; does he really have a deep insight into the problems of Uganda that require going beneath the surface to understand? 

 

Doesn’t Bobi Wine overestimate his abilities to hold a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation together without corruption and patronage? Doesn’t he overestimate his abilities to broaden Uganda’s tax base? 

 

Doesn’t he overestimate his abilities to promote local participation in the economy? Doesn’t he overestimate his abilities to combat terror threats? Doesn’t he overestimate his strategies to improve access to and the quality of education in the country? 

 

Doesn’t he overestimate his abilities to have a competent government? Doesn’t he overestimate his vision to have better health in Uganda? Doesn’t he overestimate his strategies to run this country democratically?

 

Poor judgement of situations, however, isn’t limited to Bobi Wine. Museveni, before he had had much time in the presidency, had a philosophy that Africa’s problems were summarized in leaders who overstay in power. After power consumed him, he adjusted the philosophy to: “Africa’s problem is leaders who overstay in power without being elected.”

 

He also explained further that staying in power for long equips one better to lead through experience. The same person said that he can’t preside over a country where a person is murdered and the culprit isn’t known. Reader, have all murders been resolved in Uganda? 

 

Museveni who accused past governments of being corrupt has arguably presided over the most corrupt government in Uganda’s history. Museveni who blamed Obote for attacking Buganda palace and Kabaka Muteesa, also attacked the Mumbere and his palace and perhaps in a more brutal manner. I suspect there are many things Museveni didn’t foresee. 

 

All other factors constant, we shall have another presidential election in 2026. If Bobi Wine presents himself again, will he have developed deep insight into the efforts a president must make to work on Uganda’s problems? What will be the indicators that he has learnt what we need to do as country? 

 

Lastly, should we hold leaders accountable to what they tell us before assuming power?