Editorial
September 22, 2003
|
Capt. James Okello caused a stir last week when it was reported that he got himself sacked by Water, Lands and Environment minister Col. Kahinda Otafiire for impounding the latter's five lorries of 'smuggled' timber. The story has since turned on its head and Okello the hunter of illegal timber traders is now the hunted 'impostor' whose luck ran out upon his arrest. The way the Okello story is unfolding makes it of profound public interest. Initial reports suggested that Okello had been seconded to the ministry by State House to work hand in hand with the anti-smuggling outfit, SRPS, to curb timber smuggling. But SRPS soon disowned Okello. The UPDF disowned him too, with army spokesman Maj. Shaban Bantariza describing him as an 'impostor'. His purported army number apparently belongs to another junior officer attached to Bombo Army Headquarters. President Museveni's acting Principal Private Secretary Fox Odoi, a civilian who is reported to have deployed an army captain, says that the axed presidential advisor Maj. Roland Kakooza Mutale introduced Okello to him. This uncoordinated movement of troops is symptomatic of the chaos that reigns in some government departments. The anti-smuggling sector is a typical case of such lack of coordination and duplication of responsibilities. In the beginning, there was the Anti-Smuggling Unit under the Uganda Revenue Authority. It was disbanded and replaced by the Revenue Protection Services, which was closely linked to President's Office. Now there is a Special Revenue Police Service operating from within the President's Office itself. On top of that, the President's Office appoints individuals with questionable credentials to work with the same SRPS to curb smuggling! Why should the President's Office be so deeply involved in anti-smuggling efforts in the first place? This tendency of the presidency wanting to have its hand in everything is a vote of no confidence in institutions the government is supposed to create. Okello is just a symptom of the malaise afflicting our institutions. As long as the President's Office continues to undermine the institutions it is supposed to empower, the Okello syndrome will persist. |
� 2003 The Monitor Publications
Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. -------------------------------------------- This service is hosted on the Infocom network http://www.infocom.co.ug
