Uganda has begun the next fifty years of independence on a sad political, diplomatic and socio-economic note marked by political instability within the NRM and between it and opposition groups, corruption scandals, diplomatic deficit to handle the UN report on alleged Uganda involvement in DRC and deepening and spreading poverty.
Ugandans therefore need to take stock and understand why with all the abundant natural and human resources and generous foreign aid Uganda has continued to perform far below expectation. One of the reasons is discrimination at individual and group levels. The history of communities that were later compressed into Uganda at the start of the 20th century is full of illustrations about how discrimination has stunted individual and group performance and ultimately adversely impacted Uganda’s development.
Bantu speaking people entered what later became Uganda with a wide range of skills including livestock herding of short horn cattle, goats, sheep and poultry keeping, knowledge of manufacturing a wide range of products especially iron and crop cultivation. Later they specialized according to their comparative advantage (manufacturing, herding, crop cultivation, fishing, hunting and gathering wild fruits and vegetables which they traded in local markets). This diversification and exchange enabled households to consume adequate and balanced diets that enabled them to develop immunity against diseases.
In Northern, Eastern, Buganda, Bunyoro and Toro, Bantu speaking people mixed with Nilotic pastoralists from the north and created totally new communities through comprehensive intermarriage, economic activities and social integration, thus erasing the distinction between those “born to rule” and “to be ruled”.
In southwest Uganda mostly in Ankole and Rujumbura County of Rukungiri district, Nilotic Luo-speaking pastoralists changed their mind about mixing and marrying with Bantu speaking people. Instead they chose to forbid intermarriage and dominate them through dispossession and impoverishment by military force working in part through collaboration with Arab and Swahili slave traders with modern weapons against defenseless Bantu people.
Ultimately Bantu people who had diversified economic activities were reduced to crop cultivation mostly to meet the demands of new pastoral masters popularly known as Batutsi that includes Bahima, Bahororo and Banyamulenge. Through this discrimination Bantu’s vast potential for development was stunted. Subsequent poor feeding among Bantu people accounts in part for their short stature because their modern children in wealthy households who are eating adequate and balanced diets are tall. This was the first case of discrimination.
Colonial administration was constructed on the basis of discrimination. The height for recruitment into security forces (military, police and prisons) was set so high that it benefited tall people from northern and eastern regions. Indirect rule favored those that were chiefs and their relatives at the time of colonization. Their sons and daughters had a head start in education to create a cadre of chiefs and educated wives (Gayaza High School was originally created to train chiefs’ daughters in home economics as future wives of chiefs). Baganda were employed in colonial and Protestant institutions thereby blocking the development of the potential of other Ugandans. Recruitment in the Protestant Church was later opened to other Ugandans but training and promotions experienced discrimination on individual or ethnic/tribal basis.
In Rujumbura County of Rukungiri district which I am familiar with there are cases when some individuals who performed better in examinations were passed over, others were denied or suffered delays in promotion and access to other benefits on the basis of discrimination. I know one particular individual who did well in examination conducted by the Church but was passed over in favor of someone with a lower pass grade; assigned to the most difficult duty stations and denied deserving promotions and other benefits until the public noticed and reacted accordingly.
Throughout the colonial period and until 1986, Catholics and Muslims were discriminated against in public administration jobs in favor of Protestants. Ben Kiwanuka leader of the Democratic Party was denied to become the first prime minister of independent Uganda (he was the first prime minister during the period of self-government before Uganda became independent in 1962) because he was Catholic and a commoner.
In southwest Uganda particularly in former Ankole district and Rujumbura County of Rukungiri district Bairu (slaves or servants) people have been discriminated against from the time they got into contact with Batutsi (Bahima and Bahororo) since the 15th century. Although Bairu people accessed education late in the 1940s, they moved quickly and by independence they were ahead of Batutsi especially in sciences and mathematics and got into key positions from independence to 1986.
Since NRM government led by Batutsi under President Museveni came to power in 1986, there has been visible favoritism of Batutsi people (many of them using local names and local languages in all parts of Uganda but perhaps mostly in Buganda where they have settled in large numbers, explaining in large part why Buganda is doing relatively poorly in spite of many Baganda occupying key positions including vice presidents, prime ministers, ministers of finance and speaker of parliament) and their in-laws and discrimination against the rest (just take a quick look at who is who in key and strategic ministries particularly security, foreign affairs and finance and increasingly the oil sector and you see how much has gone to Batutsi people). In a 1993 interview President Museveni rejected advice to bring home qualified and experienced Ugandans from the diaspora instead of recruiting young and inexperienced white expatriates and young and inexperienced Ugandans some of them merely by virtue of fighting in the 1981-85 guerrilla war. Instead, he selectively brought home a few Ugandans mostly of Batutsi ethnicity. I was privileged to work in many places outside Uganda and watched many Ugandans working together to topple Amin and Obote governments. But when Museveni captured power, recruitment in the diaspora was based on ethnicity favoring mostly Batutsi. Those who doubt should take a quick check and they will get a shock about the extent of discrimination in favor of Batutsi in Uganda government and economy: most of them pose as Baganda, Basoga, Banyankole, Batoro etc. Because of anti-sectarian law, Ugandans can’t complain openly about the excessive discrimination in Uganda.
The retrenchment in the wake of structural adjustment program in 1987 was discriminatory in a big way. In southwest Uganda Bairu suffered extensive discrimination in public service jobs and infrastructure, schools were eliminated or downgraded. Although Rujumbura has many Bairu qualified sons and daughters with graduate degrees, none of them occupies presidential adviser or prominent civil service positions, which are monopolized by Batutsi. Some highly qualified Bairu have gone back to semi-subsistence farming or petty trade to make ends meet.
A new and possibly more worrying type of discrimination has emerged. Calls are getting louder for old Ugandans to give way to the young generation as if that is their inalienable right. Recently, a group of Members of Parliament in NRM met and formed a government within NRM government of young Ugandans reasoning that time has come to replace older citizens in NRM government. Many Ugandans would probably have sympathized if these young MPs had reasoned that the older group in NRM isn’t doing well and need to be replaced by the young generation with demonstrated potential to do better.
While young Ugandans should not be discriminated against they too should not press for removal of old generation of leaders by mere virtue of their age. In some western governments citizens in their late 70s and early 80s are still serving with distinction. Experience matters and it is associated with age. Uganda will therefore need men and women in the old age group that can demonstrate capability to move Uganda faster along the right development trajectory in the next fifty years.
At the risk of repetition, let me show how old and experienced people and of different stature have made significant contribution to the development of their countries. James Madison, fourth president of USA and father of USA Constitution and Bill of Rights became president when he was 57 years old and served in that capacity for 8 years. He was five feet and four inches tall. Deng Xiaoping who transformed China’s economy came to power when he was 73 years old and of a small stature of five feet or shorter. Narasimha Rao who transformed India’s economy was 70 years old when he became prime minister. Konrad Adenauer became chancellor of Germany when he was 73 and served for 14 years in that capacity. President Ronald Reagan whose presidential record is admired in the United States became president when he was 69 and served for 8 years. Nelson Mandela who is credited with forming a government of national unity in South Africa in 1994 against all odds was 75 years old.
These are men who had lived long enough and had witnessed or tested what to rule means and were prepared to adjust or launch pragmatic policies with support of capable men and women and addressed the thorny challenges they faced.
Similarly, Uganda that is facing daunting challenges in all areas of human endeavor needs leaders with proven record of performance and vast experience, ability to analyze problems and prepare appropriate development plans that are implemented (under NRM excellent programs such as modernization of agriculture, poverty reduction action plan and five year national development plan haven’t been implemented, notwithstanding generous foreign donations of money and technical assistance).
To date Uganda has had leaders of Obote, Amin and Museveni with imposing stature at least by East African standards but Uganda which was ahead of Kenya and Tanzania at independence in human condition is now dragging far behind the two countries. Thus, imposing physical stature alone isn’t enough. Besides, Uganda has been ruled by people with insufficient education and experience.
Obote though bright never graduated from university for political problems at Makerere. He lived in Kenya and worked in trade union during Mau Mau rebellion when activities were low and little experience gained. He returned to Uganda in 1957 after release from prison for alleged Mau Mau involvement and was prime minister in 1962 before he knew the country and people and the latter knew him, explaining in part why UPC had difficulties mobilizing rural masses.
Amin completed grade two of education and spent his ruthless career in the military before he became president for 8 years beginning in 1971. Had it not been for the Governor of Uganda who opposed his arrest and trial for crimes against humanity he committed in Kenya because the timing was not right so soon before Uganda became independent and Amin was one of two commissioned officers in the Uganda army besides Opolot. Amin was the least qualified to become president of any country and governed largely on instructions from God which he received via dreams. That is how the destructive economic war and cultivating the whole country to increase economic growth and supply adequate goods and services to sustain popularity began.
Museveni became president in 1986 with little knowledge about his education at Dar es Salaam University. He had no public service experience. Like Amin, he spent time fighting before becoming president and wouldn’t rely on educated and experienced Ugandans for advice because he was the only individual with a vision for Uganda which has turned out disastrous. On Museveni’s watch for the last twenty six years and still counting Uganda has degenerated in all areas of human activity.
Equipped with these sad lessons Ugandans need to select leaders based on what they are capable of doing not through rhetoric but work on the ground. Military leaders haven’t done a good job. It is highly doubtful a third one will do better. Potential leaders should show their education preparation, political, administrative and economic record and experience as well as their historical background and family tree. High School education as minimum requirement for Uganda leaders needs recasting in light of requirements in a fast globalizing and knowledge-based economy and society
Since I joined active politics, I have been surprised when decisions are taken to deny qualified people political positions in organizations purely on grounds of discrimination and elect someone either with no interest or insufficient knowledge to do the work, what some commentators refer to as laziness. Prospective candidates for any public office in Uganda or the diaspora should circulate their biography to enable people make informed decisions. Electing people to positions without displaying their bio data is very counterproductive based on what I have witnessed so far. Tribal, religious and regional affiliation as well as age and stature should be avoided as criteria in selection of leaders.
Following the London Federal Conference on October 27, 2012, some groups have decided to work together for speedy achievement of a federal system of government in Uganda. Hopefully the leadership will be selected on ability to deliver according to comparative advantage – not on affinity.