Money & Power: The Enemies Of Change.

The quest for political change in Uganda has been on for quite a long period of time, but my focus will be on the recent political activities during and aftermath of the 2021 general elections, we can’t deny the fact their good number of Ugandans who would love to see a change in the country’s political leadership, many have invested in their time, commitment, money and lives lost in the haunt for change, even those who support to maintain the status quo know and see these people, but my discussion today rotates around what has played one of roles in hindering
the change these people are yearning for?

Not from the furthest history of this country, when the National Resistance Army (NRA) that later morphed into National Resistance Movement (NRM) took over power after the liberation war in 1986, there was a period of ten (10) years that was named transition period and a lot was done to revive the rule of law and civilian leadership in this country up to 1996, from 1996 the country’s politics and leadership was opened up for all Ugandans to elect their leaders, this was the beginning of the battle for change in this country per recent history as I noted earlier,
but still to bring out my argument clearly, I will use events during the 2021 general elections and after the elections not to burden non-students of history.

Just as the campaigns were taking place, we had a lot of true and false stories regarding defections from different opposition parties to the ruling party, and still some NRM the ruling party members crossed to the National Unity Platform a newly rejuvenated political party that seemed to have caught peoples feeling more so in the central and eastern part of the country and the name cut across the country due to the popularity of the formation leader since is a musician, in all these movements from NRM to NUP, and NUP to NRM, the love for money and plans to get powerful position were spotted, reported and later confirmed, don’t you remember NUP coordinators and parliamentary candidates who denounced the party because they were given money and others promised positions of power, don’t you remember those who quitted NRM to NUP more so in the central region after getting to know that NUP was the easiest route to political positions in the region.

I won’t discuss the names because it really doesn’t matter, I will focus on the issue. Throughout the entire campaigns, allegations of exchanging money from different people were the order of the day, some member of parliament contestants were allegedly paid to step down for others, others in opposition were sponsored to contest even in the presidential race, allegations can’t be taken as allegations, remember there is no smoke without fire.

I want to take you through, how still the love for money and power surfaced even after elections, take an example the parliament speakership elections, how opposition members of parliament abandoned opposition candidates and voted the ruling party members giving cheap reasons as I discussed them in my previous article regarding the exercise, no doubt, some MPs were given money to vote the candidates they voted and others were targeting appointments on different parliament committees, trips abroad and other favors to support those candidates

they thought were going to go through, no any other reason for God′s seek apart from the love for money and powerful position. How dare an opposition MP vote for the ruling party candidate if it’s not love for money and positions, for any person who’s trustworthy to electorates and upholding the voters will have to take the spirit of change to the house using the little votes they have, but due to money and power effect, the peddlers of change were
bent, thus delaying change in parliament.

Another example you should take is the appointment of the leader of opposition, and members on different committees of parliament plus other outside parliament representatives, in my view, if NUP are sure that they won the previous elections, there was no need of appointing the leadership of opposition, they would have formulated the people′s government lead by the candidate whom they say that he won the election, I watched the new leader of opposition on television saying that it was a constitutional requirement, what a funny a reasoning if they robbed your victory illegally, how dare you make yourself a law-abiding citizen yet your competitors are not following the law?, is there any legal implication if a political party on the opposition with many members abstain from engaging in parliamentary leadership?, if it is there take the battle to court but defy ′unlawful′ government, or it is just the love for money and positions that forced them to appoint leadership in parliament backing their selfish moves with cheap reasons, such as greediness for power and money delay change.

A lot can be discussed on the topic, but let me task you to find out how NRM councilors managed to win speakership positions in the districts, municipalities, town councils, city councils and others which are full of NUP councilors, no doubt, money and promises of positions exchanged hands, if the people who portray themselves as opposition leaders and agents of change don’t for once abstain from loving money and positions, the country will see change they are talking about, besides that, innocent people will continue to die, property will be lost, hearts will be broken and time will roll without change, since the front fighters love money and temporary power.