Kirumira was ahead of his time. He was a unifying figure and because of his principles he had friends from all walks of life. Afande Kirumira was a whistleblower who exposed what he called “kawukuumi” masquerading as police officers in the Uganda Police Force.
His prophetic words have remained in the hearts and minds of many Ugandans. “Expose the mafia to save the state. When you speak you die.
When you keep quiet you die. Better speak and die when the message has reached the people,” he once declared. And that he is like the messiah, and warns killers that killing him would be useless because he has already sent the message to the society. Kirumira represents the many good men, especially in army and Uganda police, who have remained committed to their calling to serve, upholding their constitutional mandate amid all sorts of challenges, including losing life.
My appeal to the president of Uganda, the Uganda police, and fellow Ugandans is to discern ways of honoring our heroes as this has a formative value to those who would want to follow in their footsteps. The president can start a foundation, scholarship or a medal in honor of the men and women who uphold truth, justice, human rights, obuntubulamu and patriotism in executing their mandate as men and women in uniform.
Muhammad “Mwoyo gwa Gwanga” was a man of all seasons and should be celebrated by all Ugandans who share the same values has he did. He continues to live with us in a better form as he joins those who died but still live among us in principle.
Ronald Magoba,
India.
Road trips require good planning
On September 17, 2020 afternoon, one of the buses belonging to parliament caught fire and got burnt in northern Uganda.
It was said that it was transporting Covid-19 patients. This is a regrettable incident. The underlying question is: could the bus have been saved from fire? Could the damage have been reduced?
Besides, before any road journey, what should one do?
Road trips, especially those that are fairly long, should be planned well. A trip that is above 50 kilometres becomes a long journey. Below are essentials to consider. It’s vital to ensure that the vehicle is in good condition.
Long journeys in a tricky terrain like Bundibugyo, Sebei or Kabale should be taken during cold time like early morning or late evening. Mountainous roads demand vehicles to use a lot of energy which stresses their engine capabilities. Find out about the weather focus of the day.
This helps in deciding whether to continue or cancel the journey. Have fire extinguishers and fire aid box on board. Check if the spare tyre, jerk, wheel spanners are on board. Even an empty jerrycan is important. These items are important especially if one of the tyres is damaged for one reason or another.
Have emergency contacts on you. Generally, many accidents are avoidable only if we follow simple dos and don’ts of road trips. The habit of jumping into a vehicle should be a thing of the past. A vehicle like any other machine is supposed to be looked after well, serviced and maintained regularly.
Samson Tinka
Kampala
Investigate Nakawa market leaders
The KCCA market in Nakawa is being mismanaged by the individual persons of Sula and Sadik Musana, who are entrusted with mechanically allocating, selling and removing women’s stalls at will.
They also threaten them with death or running mad using witchcraft to silence them. They claim that this government is theirs and they can do anything they wish. There are no committee meetings or minutes for their actions.
Sula and his group claim that their decisions cannot be changed even by the President. They have utilized the Covid-19 problems to remove and sell stalls from some women in the market. I appeal to government to investigate the mismanagement of Nakawa market.
Concerned whistleblower
Kampala
Prioritise environment over oil pipeline
On September 13, 2020, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda and President John Pombe Magufuli of Tanzania signed the Host Government Agreement (HGA) for the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project at a ceremony that was held in Chato, Tanzania.
The 1,445 kilometer EACOP would be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world, and is expected to cause large-scale displacement of communities and pose grave risks to protected environments, water sources and wetlands in both Uganda and Tanzania.
The emissions from burning the oil transported through the pipeline alone will be huge, at a time when the world’s scientists are telling us that new fossil fuel developments need to stop if we are to tackle the climate crisis.
After the signing of HGA, both presidents of Uganda and Tanzania are currently set to ignore these impacts and the opposition of international, national and local groups to proceed with the $3.5 billion project.
In Uganda, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni assured citizens that the signing of the agreement was a major milestone to pave the way for the final investment decision (FID) for the project. However, what the Presidents did not tell the citizens is that there is no room in the world’s carbon budget for this kind of massive new oil infrastructure.
The project threatens to open up Uganda’s Murchison Falls national park to oil extraction, a potential disaster for ecosystems and wildlife, and presents unacceptable risks to local people and local water supplies.
As many of us are aware, a number of countries and cities have set dates, by 2040 latest, to phase out fossil fuel cars. Cars account for 26 per cent of oil and gas consumption worldwide. If the phase-out happens, there will be a decline in the demand for oil.
Further, under its Green Deal, European Union member countries have set targets of attaining net zero emissions by 2050. European oil and gas majors such as Total, Shell, Eni and BP have consequently set targets to attain the above goal by 2050. To attain the goal, they are slashing budgets for oil and gas while increasing investments in clean energy.
We are calling on you your excellencies to join governments, private institutions that are promoting investment in clean renewable energy, especially at a time when our country and the entire world is going through a terrible situation of fighting against the global coronavirus disease pandemic.
Scientists have said that the pandemic started at an animal market in Wuhan, China where the virus likely jumped from an animal to a human being. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has intensified calls for clean energy investment, among other green or environmentally-friendly developments.
Therefore, we recommend the governments of Uganda and Tanzania to prioritize investments in renewable energy to promote sustainable development of our economies.
John Peter Okwi,
jpokwi@egiuganda.org
