Why I support anti-corruption protests

We love our country, but we detest the deafening silence of our leaders, who publicly condemn corruption, but secretly consort with those who plunder our national wealth.

We abhor the inaction and complacency of those in authority. For nearly four decades, they have promised to catch the thieves, yet have only managed to ensnare innocent activists while the real culprits – the leaders who brazenly steal – now shamelessly identify themselves as corrupt. 

These leaders arrest and jail those who dare to speak the truth, while they continue to loot our nation’s resources with impunity. As members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, we feel some party leaders no longer represent us. We are embarrassed that these individuals no longer have our country’s best interests at heart.

The people are left to suffer, struggling to access basic necessities like healthcare and education, while our leaders grow fat on the spoils of corruption. They arrest and jail innocent activists but turn a blind eye to the real criminals, who flaunt their ill-gotten wealth.

When those in authority get tired of fighting corruption, what should we do? Should we stand by and watch as our nation is plundered? Those who feel the brunt of this corruption – the young people, the sick who cannot access essential drugs, the impoverished families struggling to make ends meet – are crying out for justice. These are the true victims of the greed and avarice that have infected
our leadership.

If you are a Ugandan, and you see the irresponsible thuggery happening in Parliament, the arrogant leaders who misuse our resources, living luxuriously on our hard-earned taxes; do you open your arms and bless them? Should we hail these thieves as heroes of Uganda? They want us to remain silent, and this is where we disagree. We love our country, but our leaders have taken the wrong route. The protesters were not facilitated by foreign agents in this protest, but even if they were, the most unpatriotic, evil person a country can have is a corrupt leader.

The hand that we have used as a country to catch the corrupt man is weak. We demand a strong arm to fight this pervasive corruption. We rise because we are deeply unsatisfied with our country’s actions against corruption. The youth had no choice but to take to the streets in protest.

For far too long, the promises of our leaders have been empty. They tell us they will eradicate corruption, yet they protect the very individuals who are bleeding our country dry. These leaders build mansions and drive luxurious cars, while the ordinary Ugandan struggles to survive. They send their children to study abroad, while our schools crumble and our children are denied a quality education. They seek medical treatment overseas, while our hospitals lack basic supplies and our people die from preventable diseases.

We can no longer remain silent in the face of such blatant injustice. Should the young people allow them to continue robbing them of
their future?

To every Ugandan who has ever felt the sting of corruption, to every young person who has been denied an opportunity because of nepotism and favoritism to every family that has lost a loved one because they could not afford medical care, the protesters were on the streets for you. They rose for you. They fight for you.

The protesters love Uganda but hate what it has become under the rule of these corrupt leaders. They love our country but hate the suffering and misery inflicted upon our people by those who are supposed to protect and serve us.

To our leaders, we say this: young people were on the streets because you have failed them. You have betrayed their trust. You have brought shame upon our nation. But there is still time to catch the corrupt and make a statement that a thief has no place in the future of our country.

Wilfred A. Nsheeka is a male youth councillor at Rubanda District.