In Uganda, the 26th day of January is always a public holiday, because that is the day when Ugandans remember the National Resistance Army‘s (NRA) capture of power from the government of Tito Okello Lutwa in 1986. This day is always celebrated as a public holiday all over Uganda.
This year marks 37 years since General Yoweri Museveni and his soldiers took over power and started ruling Uganda. This year’s celebrations were held in Kakumiro district which is found in the Bunyoro region and the main celebrant was His Excellency Yoweri Museveni the president of the Republic of Uganda.
To take you back in history, there was a general election in 1980 which was organized by the military commission led by Paulo Muwanga. Among the candidates in that election was Democratic Party candidate Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere (R.I.P), Uganda people’s Congress candidate Apollo Milton Obote, Mr. Yoweri Museveni of Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM), and others.
After the election, the UPC candidate Dr. Apollo Milton Obote was declared winner, closely followed by Mr. Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere of the Democratic Party, in one of the most contested elections ever recorded in the history of Uganda.
General Yoweri Museveni then picked up arms together with other people who later became soldiers and launched a guerilla war against the UPC government, from 1980 up to 1986. Mr. Museveni accused Obote’s government of vote rigging, massive corruption, state-inspired killings and abductions, and so many other crimes that inspired him to pick up arms.
Therefore the 26th day of January is a day of reflection for the people in government, those in opposition, and the general public at large. This day comes at a time when many people are asking for a breath of political fresh air. Many people feel that in as much as there is relative peace in the country, a lot needs to be done especially in terms of the economy which is badly off.
President Museveni and Janet Kataha Museveni at Liberation day celebrations
Almost all the reasons that caused General Museveni to go to the bush are happening today in his regime. These range from vote rigging, state-inspired killings and abductions, dictatorship political persecution, and so on.
Recently, there was a clash between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Mr. Yoweri Museveni on whether Uganda had attained middle-income Status, with the IMF saying that Uganda isn’t yet a middle-income country but President Museveni insists that we are already there.
Many of the government parastatals which include the Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB), Lint Marketing Board, Uganda Television, Uganda Railway s corporation, Dairy corporation of Uganda and so many others were sold off during this regime, causing a lot of unemployment among citizens.
Many Ugandans feel that there is absolutely no reason to celebrate liberation day because the health sector is sick itself, with many hospitals lacking medicine and health workers underpaid. The massive corruption and bribery also present today are also reasons that cause misery among Ugandans, Of course not leaving out the suffocation of political players, despite the fact that we are in a democratic
country, or so we are told.
However, the regime has also registered some forms of success which include professionalizing the army and police force, constructing roads, reviving Uganda Airlines, and also some form of stability and peace across the country.
The most pressing issue among Ugandans is the economy which is moving at a snail’s speed. Many people keep sliding back to poverty with some areas like the Northern region registering over 68% poverty levels. It is only recently that West Nile was connected to the national grid. The purchasing power among Ugandans is so low, unemployment is at a record high and the National debt is way above the roof.
Therefore we hope the government can fix the areas which are so dyer so that Uganda can move in the right direction and at a speed that is so fast. Stay blessed.
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