Years ago, a Uganda official reasoned that well educated and paid people are difficult to govern, implying that poorly educated and paid Ugandans are preferable because their daily problems keep them too busy to exercise their rights. What the official did not know or chose to ignore is that poverty is one of the root causes of political and many other forms of instability. Making or keeping people poor so they are governed in perpetuity without difficulty can be counterproductive as developments in Uganda are beginning to show. Under the NRM government many Ugandans have sunk into deep poverty which was hidden under economic growth and per capita income figures until it manifested itself through diseases of poverty.
The NRM came to power determined to govern indefinitely. One of its strategies right from the start was to impoverish citizens in the short, medium and long term. In the short term, the NRM government of Museveni took 30 percent of Ugandans’ meager savings as a service charge for changing old into new currency. Many lost their businesses right away. Some of those who survived have not fully recovered 25 years later.
Other impoverishing tactics were hidden in some sectors within structural adjustment program (SAP) which the World Bank and IMF imposed in the 1980s.
First, agricultural subsidies were removed. Yet agriculture is a source of livelihood of some 90 percent of Ugandans. Subsidy removal reduced the amount of food for domestic consumption and cash incomes. Undernourished people are physically and productively weak. They become sick quite often and lose incomes through absenteeism from work and use limited resources on medical bills. Reduced investment in infrastructure such as roads made it difficult to supply urban markets. Where transport was available in poor condition the costs were so high that they drastically reduced the profit margin.
Second, the education system from primary through university has been so weakened that most of graduates who are functionally illiterate cannot find work even when vacancies are available. This is why, in large part, Uganda has attracted many skilled workers from outside. The president has been arguing for a relaxed immigration policy so Uganda can get more skilled workers from outside. These educated and well paid foreign workers do not cause a political threat to his rule.
Third, like education, the health system is on the verge of collapse deliberately neglected while hiding under SAP that did not accord social sectors a funding priority. This low priority was supposed to last a short time of three to five years. It is now twenty four years since SAP was launched in 1987. Preventing and curing diseases has lagged behind resulting in high mortality rates. Removing charges on the health sector which was implemented recently has not helped much because there are no medicines in public health facilities. Besides doctors, nurses and midwives have either left the country or established expensive private facilities or are absent from work moonlighting. A functionally illiterate and sick person has no chance of finding a job much less meeting basic needs.
Fourth, labor flexibility characterized by low wages and the employer’s right to hire and fire at will, has reduced many Uganda workers to a state of near paupers. They have no rights and are exploited ruthlessly. Some like domestic workers are treated like slaves. Because half a loaf is better than no bread at all, many Ugandans have accepted to be exploited than sit at home doing nothing. Government has refused to entertain requests for public works, like other African governments have done, and other forms of assistance to ease the pain of unemployment and under-employment. Those that cannot find work are blamed as lazy instead of receiving some form of assistance through for instance retraining.
Fifth, retrenchment of public servants under SAP saw some good workers dismissed to settle scores and create jobs for NRM supporters. In the end a ‘new class’ of poor people (the new poor) emerged. Without retraining facilities these new poor have become poorer. They are unable to provide for their families and have ended up with illiterate and sick children.
Poverty stood at 82 percent between 1990 and 2001 when the economy grew fastest. This high level of poverty has translated into insecurity at household, district, regional and national levels. Theft which is increasingly becoming violent is causing a serious development challenge. Some farmers for instance have abandoned their banana or coffee plantations because the cost of maintenance has exceeded revenue because many bananas or coffee beans are stolen by unemployed youth to make ends meet. Domestic workers are stealing virtually anything movable. Many have lost their jobs as a result increasing criminal activity. Girls are marrying very early starting motherhood at a very young age detrimental to their health and that of their children.
This environment of instability is being blamed on the NRM government. The unemployed youth are being manipulated to demonstrate against the government and have it defeat it in 2011 elections so the youth get jobs in return. The Kampala demonstrations which resulted in the use of disproportionate force by the government had many unemployed and unarmed youth. Also the August 2010 demonstration nationwide against the National Electoral Commission during which live bullets were used in some locations included many unemployed youth. Property owners that have become the target of unemployed youth are blaming the government for allowing the situation to deteriorate so badly. Many NRM MPs and Ministers lost during the September 2010 primary elections because many NRM supporters feel that current MPs have not served their constituents’ interests. Many of those who went through are being accused of rigging.
The case of Uganda has demonstrated that, deliberate or not, impoverishment can and does turn into political instability and worse instead of creating docile citizens to rule in perpetuity.