ERIS LUKWAGO's MISTAKE IS THAT HE BECAME A LIABILITY TO KCCA WHICH HE BLINDLY DOES NOT SEEM TO SEE

Even if you are a big lover of the opposition or happen to have been one of the over 200 voters who gave Erias  Lukwago a vote which enabled him to shoot to the Lord Mayorship seat, believe it or not, by the time his impeachment came, he was more of a liability than an asset to KCCA and the people who use the services of Kampala city, unfortunately, his defenders could not help him see this problem, which is the reason he was accused of incompetence.
 
Why do I say this?
Hon. Lukwago is on record to have defended the taxi drivers to pay shs 75,000 instead of shs 120,000 the authority agreed to, after reducing from shs 150,000.  This role did not see him openly oppose the institution he claims he leads, but he went as far as supporting the legal action taken by the likes of Mayambala’s to sue KCCA, where the court came up openly stopping KCCA from collecting what was termed illegal fees.  Surely, however much love one has for Lukwago, this action was enough to see him replaced.  I recall my experience Monday, 31st March 2014, when I got into a taxi to Kampala from Kajjansi which is 8 miles away.  The taxi took a whole one hour and twenty minutes to arrive at the Old Taxi park.  The only way such problems can be solved is to get a team which works as a group.  The situation Kampala got to prior to the impeachment of Lukwago was such that the working climate had completely broken down.  Investors continue to complain of the much time they have to spend to cross from one part of Kampala to another and this cannot be solved when the council is in disharmony and, the only man who created this is the Lord Mayor!

There has been a struggle to get the vendors off Kampala streets and many users of Kampala are happy that the environment created after is that which is safe and the city slowly taking shape from a slum.  It is absurd that the Lord Mayor came up openly to oppose this order!  Surely, the city gets more than 5 times its day population from outside, how can a leader come out openly opposing sanity and order.  This is the force behind what we see as Lukwago’s popularity.  The question is:  “If everyone who wants to do business is left to do as he/she wishes, what would Kampala City become?  This is a matter of common sense.  Why couldn’t Lukwago instead get to strategies to see where these people could shift to in an orderly manner instead of joining hands with them to blame KCCA and Ms Musisi in particular.  In this role, Lukwago showed his incompetence as Lord Mayor as he was source of the friction in the authority.

 The evolution of USAFI market came as a solution to see where the evicted street vendors could go.  Lukwago was again the first person to make the development unpopular, though he came up with no sound substitute to harmony in the city!

Over Lukwago’s problems, it is illogical to blame President Museveni.  The President never put there a situation which made Lukwago to put the Authority to a stand still.  This blame is seeing the problem in the wrong lenses.  It may be true that the President may be helping to sort the stand still.

People are by nature big headed.  KCCA has had battles with hawkers and it has been fashionable to confiscate the goods of those found hawkering.  His Lordship Lukwago has been opposed to the policy and openly discredited the institution he alleges to lead!  A person in Lukwago’s shoes would instead talk to all who do hawkering on the streets and advise them to go to gazette places.  This is the Lord Mayor.
Mr. Lukwago did not stop there, but publically accused Ms Musisi over the funds found in KCC’s various accounts at the time of transition.  Surely, this put Musisi in disrepute, yet there were avenues Lukwago should have used to address the matter instead of acting childishly to give the impression that Musisi actually embezzled the money.
Having said the above, I once again wish to make an appeal to Hon. Lukwago to stop acting childishly.  It may do more harm than good.  The situation is that what he would have done earlier, he failed to do it, and in so doing, the hurdles a head as he tries to bring disharmony may not pay dividends.  The advice is that he settles and makes a new start.  May be, when God grants him life, he could contest the position when he is more mature to act with good judgment not be a dis-service to the authority he is a co-head.   

BUGANDA GOVERNMENT SHOULD TAKE ON THE CHALLENGE OF IMPROVED AGRICULTURE IN BUGANDA

I have had opportunity to listen to some Radio Programmes on CBS 88.8 FM regarding improving agricultural productivity, hence fighting poverty and enhancing food security.  However, to me, this is like uncoordinated traffic movement!  Presenters at the station seem to have liberty to sample people they think can make a contribution to improved agriculture; however, many of these may have concepts that may not help our people.  I have heard one such tell listeners that he cannot advise one to cultivate what he/she cannot eat and sell to his/her neighbor.

My advice to the Buganda Government is to undertake Agriculture in a more practical way.  This may be done when the Ministry of Agriculture comes up with a comprehensive approach to Agriculture development.  Then, have audience with the Presenters and guide them on who can help disseminate useful information via the radio media, then at the same time come up slowly with structures at the ground of the extension officers.  These are the people who are best qualified to handle innovations by the agricultural players.

Today, the Government of Buganda is giving Coffee seedlings, but without the extension officers, chances of such innovation may not be that successful.  If these seedlings are handed over to an extension officer who has touch with the people, and can follow their work, then positive results can be expected.

 In the face of much reduced public expenditure, extension services in sub-Saharan Africa have a daunting challenge: farmers' need for information is as high as ever, but the resources to provide it are meagre at best.   Agricultural extension is no longer just about improving yields and producing food - the bottom line is to make money. That is a necessary concept if large numbers of subsistence farmers have to break out of poverty

IT IS SAD THE PASSING ON OF A. D. SSOZI (81) ON 19th MARCH 2014

A. D Ssozi is former Headmaster of Kitante Primary School

THAT UGANDA HAS ONLY 250,000 COMPUTERS?

I could not believe when I heard on CBS 88.8 FM today morning that Uganda has only 250,000 computers!  At least this is the number of computers that would be found in academic institutions.  If we add the number of computers in business undertakings and what people have (laptops and desk tops at home) the figure would at least get to 1 million.  Surely, we are backward.

J. C. KIWANUKA'S HEIR

I RESPECT MPs WHOSE DEEDS SHOW MATURITY

It is absurd to see that some MPs behave childishly.  By all standards, an MP should be qualified academically, with sound mind and with good maturity.  For an MP to seek cheap popularity with the hope that he or she will attract the eyes of the appointing authority for some favours is not only absurd, but it is unbecoming behavior of a person who should be above average.  This makes me remember President Amin’s time (R.I.P), when he invaded Kagera in Tanzania claiming that it was after all part of Uganda!  Some of us were just praising his acts, but you can be sure, this was the start of the short journey which saw him out of power.  The selfishness which some MPs show like a so-called ‘honorable’ member who came up with a proposal to extend the current Government tenure, this is near madness.  There is no proof that that is the only option which Government could take.  The financing problem of the current Government is self created.  There is outright theft of funds.  If this can be mitigated, a lot would be saved.  The ID project had been funded prior to the 2011 General Elections, it looks like some of the money meant for that project went into bribing voters hence the inflation we saw.  The President has been seen move around with sacks of money, if this type of practices can stop, good money can be saved.  We have people who would be ashamed of getting free money under the cover of being Presidential advisors.  If one day these people turned patriotic, they would tell the appointing authority that the advice they can give will be free as many Ugandans do see value for money in their advice as the country continues off course.  You see a so-called youthful MP go on her knees to beg Museveni to stand up opposed!  This is the caliber of MPs we have.  For anybody who has a good memory of the turbulent history the country has gone through, it can be absurd for someone you may think is mature and academically qualified to come up with such.

Time is ripe for the selfishness of our MPs to stop.  It is childish to come up with a proposal to impress President Museveni, who should have left office by 2006.  To measure up as an MP, Uganda MPs should act in a respectable way.  Childish ways of doing things will never deliver Uganda to the promised land.  Some of us have to do with President Museveni simply because currently there is no way out, not that he is anymore really qualified to give the country such direction which can lead to prosperity.  

IS EVERYTHING GONE WRONG IN UGANDA? HOW DO REFUGEES LEAVE THE CAMPS AND GET ON A BOAT EVENTUALLY CAPSIZING?

It is unfortunate how refugees could decide to leave a camp under the jurisdiction of Uganda as alleged that the conditions were harsh such that they ended up boarding a boat that was overloaded hence capsizing in the lake.  I thought that refugees in a camp in Uganda are under the authority of those Ugandan officials charged; however, how conditions end up harsh to the extent that the refugees left the camp and ended up on a boat which terminated their lives is most unfortunate and disturbing.

This situation needs to be investigated as it worsens the already bad record of Uganda, which is corruption.  If we have refugee camps, can the authorities exercise their duties as expected so that the lives of the people are not made worse off, but actually saved.  The image of Uganda has been so tainted by the development such that those concerned need to be more responsible.