By Mukonyezi Steven Akiiki
In many countries, cities are the faces of those countries. People are very proud of their biggest business centres. Being proud of where you come from is a sign of patriotism and willingness to cause change for the betterment of that place. Whenever the Rwandans are talking about Kigali City and the world compliments on their patriotism, it feels so good to belong there. To the outsiders, it feels as if there is a very big gap to reach the level at which Kigali is.
Kigali like any other city is a good tourist destination that many wish to visit. On the contrary, however much there might be many attractions, some bad things might also be there. But the most important thing we can pick out here is the fact that the citizens and leaders in Kigali City and Rwanda at large do not expose the bad things as much as Ugandan politicians do. It is rare or not even there for Rwandan politicians to make Rwanda look like a bad place. Regardless of some unfavourable conditions that might be there, at least we can say that the people are proud of their homes.
Taking a look at Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, the opposition politicians have played a big role in exposing the bad sides of Kampala including internal disagreements or institutional weaknesses. They find it very good and easy to be hosted on television, social media and other platforms to expose all that. In places where the opposition has won with majority support, the government has always been handicapped in trying to implement projects.
When the projects have come to reality, how will the opposition show concern to the electorates? If things are done without opposition, how will politicians come to the limelight? In the name of being big opposition political figures, they have tarnished Kampala and Uganda’s name at large to the outside world. Because of what people hear or watch about the country, they get worried about their safety on their visit.
Kampala, being the capital city and in central Uganda, elections there have been the centre of attention because it is a critical area to the country, most especially to national security. In the 2021 general elections, the National Unity Platform party swept most of the electoral positions including local leaders and members of parliament.
NUP winning most of the positions in central Uganda, and Kampala having an opposition mayor and majority councillors, it has always been a tag of war streamlining the messes in the city. Long-serving mayor Erias Lukwago has always been seen on television crying of being incapacitated by the government to carry out his duties. He has also been at loggerheads, in confrontations and altercations with police on several occasions. But how long will the crying go on? How long should Lukwago serve, yet he has never been in good terms with the ruling government? What shall the people of Kampala remember about his tenure in office? Are they the complaints he always makes or successes in the city’s image change?
To have Kampala organized to the best and bridge the gap between the city authority and government, some things should be looked into. Some of these questions should be answered. Should the mayor be dropped in the next elections? Is it time for the opposition to make alliances with the government for proper service delivery? Should politicians be barred from talking about certain topics and the bad sides of Kampala? Should politicians be penalized for tarnishing the country’s name?
For God and My Country, Uganda!
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