What is independence without freedom in Uganda?
“Not yet Uhuru”, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila Odinga’s late father, wrote in
1968, five years after Kenya had officially gained independence from Britain in
December 1963.
And, in his book, Freedom or Death, Ilya Ehrenburg wrote in 1941 “They want us
to live for them and thanks to them, for us to speak in whispers and breathe on
command. We know what is at stake: It is freedom or death!”
To illustrate the point, last week, comrade XYZ, a former Umkhonto we Sizwe
(MK) guerrilla fighter, now a private citizen, said during a working dinner
party hosted for a group of Ugandans who attended the 2008 Annual Conference of
the British Conservative Party in London: “South Africa may have achieved
independence from Britain on May 31, 1910.” Raising his glass in a toast to his
guests, he concluded, with a wink:
“But it took 84 years of struggle, and millions of litres of blood for the
majority black, coloured and moderate white South Africans to gain freedom from
the diabolical Apartheid regime on April 27, 1994.”
Today, Freedom Day, April 27 is the official Independence Day, which is used
not only to commemorate the first democratic, non-racial elections held in
1994.
More importantly, it is used to pay annual tribute to hundreds of thousands of
South Africans who made the ultimate sacrifice so that others may live in
freedom, enjoy equal protection under the law, and gain access to services and
opportunities without discrimination based on racial, tribal or political
affiliations.
As we mark the 46th anniversary of our independence from Britain, the vast
majority of Ugandans must be asking whether Uganda under the Movement system is
any different from the Apartheid system, which was characterised by unspeakable
brutality and institutional discrimination, enacted in law, as a policy of
governance.
Like the Apartheid South Africa then, Uganda is a signatory to the United
Nations Covenants on political, civil, economic, Social and cultural freedoms,
which guarantee fundamental rights, including the right to life, freedom of
movement, and the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, among others,
as the foundation of justice and sustainable peace.”
Yet, despite Article 6(1) of the Covenant, which states, “Every human being has
the inherent right to life, and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his
life”, on February 15, 2006, Lt. Ramathan Magara shot and killed Vincent
Kavuma, Gideon Makabayi and Joseph Wegulo.
Earlier, on September 13, 2004, the then Movement Spokesman, Ofwono-Opondo, had
acted as a policeman, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner, and publicly
executed Geoffrey Lubega, a suspected car robber.
Like the dreaded members of the South African Bureau of State Security (BOSS)
who earned their living by killing black, coloured and white opponents of the
Apartheid regime, Ofwono-Opondo and Lt. Magara are today walking free.
Despite Article 14(2) of the Covenant, which states that; “Everyone charged
with a criminal offence shall have the right to be presumed innocent until
proved guilty according to law,” Dr Kizza Besigye and several so-called
People’s Redemption Army (PRA) suspects, many of whom have died in prison, seem
to have been condemned to life imprisonment, without trial.
Although Article 25(3) states that “Every citizen shall have the right to have
access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his or her country,”
over 13 million Ugandans, many of whom university graduates or holders of other
professional qualifications, are unemployed and living in abject poverty.
And although Article 15(1) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights states; “The States Parties to the present Covenant
recognise the right of everyone to take part in cultural life,” on October 7,
the Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Mutebi, was barred from visiting Nakasongola
District headquarters to celebrate the kingdom’s 46th independence anniversary.
What is independence in Uganda where Ofwono-Opondo and Lt. Magara kill citizens
with impunity; and Dr Besigye and several so-called PRA suspects have been
waiting for trial since 2003?
What is independence to the millions of Ugandans who cannot get jobs because,
by accident of birth, they are in the wrong ethnic group? And what does
independence mean to the five million plus Baganda if their Kabaka cannot be
allowed to travel anywhere he chooses?
Do you now appreciate why Oginga Odinga wrote Not yet Uhuru, and Ilya Ehrenburg
wrote Freedom or Death? What is independence without freedom in Uganda? How
long will Ugandans wait for freedom to fall like manna from heaven?
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