Uganda is 62 this Independence and as we celebrate as a country, we need to take a moment and reflect on the journey it has been to come this far. Independence is more than just a date on the calendar; it is a profound reminder of the sacrifices made for freedom, justice, and dignity. At 62 years this October, are we able to boldly say Uganda is still on the right path of freedom, national cohesion, economic freedom and most importantly, that its people are free from all manner of oppression? Are we proud to march and sing praises of liberation with our heads high?
It is this year that more than 100 Ugandans died from a garbage-slide and we are still figuring out about the garbage issue. It is in this decade that Uganda’s Capital has had the worst flooding, bad roads, poor lighting, high crime rate and mushrooming buildings that leave you wondering whether we have a physical planning department. Uganda has registered a tree loss of 917,555 hectares from 2001 to 2020 and is projected to grow if no robust mitigations are put in place.2024 Uganda experienced one of the most heat waves going up to 38.4 Degrees Celsius and this is the effect of climate change. The Poverty rate keeps surging as it stands over 30% and is higher in rural areas. At 62, it is sad that some Ugandans are dying of hunger and iron sheets are being stolen from the Poor. We are losing 9.144 trillion shillings ($2.5 billion) which is 23% of our national budget to corruption and yet, we have many institutions “fighting” corruption. The mortality rate as of 2022 stands at 233.91 per 1,000 female adults and 325.66 per 1,000 male adults in Uganda which speaks to the quality of life of Ugandans. In 62 years, Uganda has only 47 public general hospitals, 16 regional referral hospitals, 5 national referral hospitals, and 4 specialized national hospitals. 82 out of the 146 districts in Uganda do not have a public general hospital which means that Ugandans will have to trek kilometres to the nearest public hospital. At 62 years, this is a shame!
As of June 2023, our public debt has risen to unprecedented levels reaching 96.1 trillion shillings ($25.3 billion) which is 52 percent of GDP. Our 2024/2025 Budget is 72.1 trillion of which 41.7 trillion shillings (57%) will be spent on debt repayment leaving only 30.4 Trillion to spend on all priorities. As if that is enough, Uganda intends to service 52% of its budget from borrowing. Our Public administration bill stands at 7.4 Trillion and yet the allocation to the Ministry of Health is 2.7 Trillion Shillings. At 62 years, this is worrying!
The Judiciary with only 655 judicial officers and a budget of 392 Billion Shillings must serve a population of 45 Million Ugandans and deal with a case backlog of over 40,000 cases and at the same time respond to the pressing urgent needs of justice. The prisons are full to capacity with over 76,000 prisoners beyond the recommended 20,996 which means that the conditions of living of prisoners is below the recommended international standard. At 62 years, Uganda’s children are dropping out of school because of high school fees which the Ministry of Education has failed to regulate. Do we deserve to celebrate 62 years of independence? We should not be witnessing more failures than success at 62 years of being independent.
Uganda’s human rights record continues to decline. At 62 years, we still have Ugandans in incarceration without trial, situations of gruesome torture, abuse of law and processes and gross violations of Human Rights. Freedoms of expression has been gagged to the extent that almost no Ugandan can even dare have a one person’s demonstration against corruption or a pothole otherwise they will be met with the heavy weight of the State. We are simply surviving and not happy on our 62nd birthday, which should worry everyone. As Ugandans, we need to reflect more on the Uganda we want 62 years after independence, and this discussion should involve everyone and not just a few. We all have a stake in making Uganda a better place for us and our posterity!
Michael Aboneka
Partner: Thomas & Michael Advocates| Team Leader: Walezi Wa Katiba| Director: Envirogreen Trust Ltd| Vice President-Young African Activists Network (YAAN)| Member: Pan-African Lawyers Union, International Society of Public Law & World Youth Alliance|
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