Tag Archives: relations

National Recovery Plan (NRP)

Executive Summary

The NRP is based on a vision of free, united and prosperous Uganda and a mission of rule of law, equality and justice for all Ugandans.

Despite its natural resource abundance, resilient people and strategic geographical location at the heart of Africa, Uganda has remained a poor country with over 50 percent of its population of some 33 million living in absolute poverty because of inappropriate policies, political instability, wars and, above all, rampant corruption, sectarianism and mismanagement of public funds. Uganda has been declared a failed state under military dictatorship disguised as democracy. The country is in deep political, economic, social, spiritual and environmental crisis. Corruption has spread and deepened becoming endemic and a principal constraint in Uganda’s development process. NRM has lost the will and capacity to address these challenges. It has resorted to electoral malpractices to stay in power and use of force to frustrate Ugandans demanding change. Consequently, Ugandans and increasingly development partners are losing confidence in the NRM government.

Read the full post
Posted on by

Unequal power relations and impoverishment of Rujumbura’s Bairu

Those who do not believe that unequal power relations can make some people rich and powerful and impoverish others and render them powerless need to visit Rujumbura county of Rukungiri district in southwest Uganda.

Rukungiri district of which Rujumbura is a part has been in the news for more than a year now. It will likely continue to be in the news because the increasing imbalance in power relations between Bairu and Bahororo people – the latter are rulers of Uganda since 1986 with a big number coming from Rujumbura – has continued to disadvantage Bantu/Bairu people. Bahororo people (Nilotic/Batutsi from Rwanda) have amassed so much power which they are using to end – once and for all – Rujumbura’s Bairu resistance to Bahororo domination since 1800. Under normal circumstances, one would have expected Bahororo to use their power to improve the welfare of all the people in Rujumbura. Sadly this has not been the case. The opposite has been the result.

Upon their arrival in Rujumbura in 1800 as refugees Bahororo people used their military power in collaboration with Arab slave hunters/traders and European weapons to defeat and subjugate the once rich, relatively peaceful and numerically superior indigenous Bantu people. Bahororo gave the defeated people the collective name of Bairu (slaves), still in use to this day in 2010.

Read the full post
Posted on by

Relations between the horse and the rider in the lakes region are being rattled

Colonialism and slavery are still alive and well

Those of you who have attended a horse race game have noticed that it is the horse that runs with some lashings at times to make it run faster. When the game is over, it is the rider or the owner of the horse that receives the trophy. You have also seen that when the horse gets tired it rebels, sometimes furiously, demanding a break.

In medieval Europe people accepted their place in society as divine ordinance and asked no questions. Women were told to respect their husbands and do as they were told. Peasants (men and women) were told to labor and not to worry about earthly material things because their rewards were in heaven. However as time passed women and peasants in general began to ask questions and to demand a better place in society on earth. They revolted and liberated themselves.

The women’s struggle for equal rights with men has been recognized internationally and the gender gap is narrowing. But the recognition and support did not come easily. Similarly, small holder farmers (peasants) have received international recognition as productive, efficient, environmentally and community-friendly and are receiving international assistance to improve their quality of life. This too came after many years of struggle.

Read the full post
Posted on by