The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
COMMENT | OBED K KATUREEBE | President Yoweri Museveni is so passionate about wealth creation for Ugandans and has spared no time to do everything in his capacity to fulfil this dream. He has been on nearly every public platform educating Ugandans on how they can shift themselves out of poverty and join the money economy.
Social empowerment funds have been released from the government to needy Ugandans, and good enough evidence is there to see how people’s lives are changing. With the rollout of many poverty alleviation initiatives in the country, namely, Bonna Baggagawale; the four (4) Acre Model for smallholder farmers, Emyooga,Operation Wealth Creation, Parish Development Model and Youth Livelihood Programme among others, many of our people in the rural setting are definitely joining the monetary economy and thus ensuring the dividends of growth are shared by all.
However, all these incredible gains are under threat. Theft of animals and crops of our hard-working rural farmers is becoming endemic and hence failing all efforts to eradicate poverty. A casual visit to most homes across the country, one is confronted with cries of how unrestrained thieves are failing them in their efforts to create wealth and shift their families out of poverty. In some places people are resorting to hiring private security guards to man their farms, especially at night, so thieves don’t steal their hard-earned wealth.
Others have now folded their arms and decided to do away with cultivating crops or raring animals like goats, pigs and chicken that attract the attention of thieves. Many families are doing away with crops like vanilla and coffee because they end up enriching thieves instead of themselves. The cries are so loud and are reaching desperate levels.
As a result, President Yoweri Museveni has directed the Inspector General of Police, Abas Byakagaba to deploy 18 police officers per sub-county. They are expected to have security facilities to work with leaders at the village level, including use of telephones to deal with the increasing crime rate.
“Fighting crime in Uganda is very simple now. When the IGP puts the 18 policemen per sub-county with transport, then you have telephones all over the place; it is very simple. These sub counties are no longer big. Therefore, with the communication, which is everywhere, it is very easy to control this crime,” President Museveni remarked while presiding over the 35th Heroes’ Day celebrations held at Mpenja Church of Uganda Primary School playgrounds, Mpenja Sub-county, Gomba District. This after citizens cried to him about thieves who were failing efforts to create wealth through farming.
Uganda Police are apparently implementing this directive, but their efforts are yet to be felt across the whole country. Sister institutions, like the LC systems and the Judiciary, need to up their game. The casualness with which the judiciary tends to handle issues of deprivation of one’s wealth by the criminal groups that refuse to work and just plot to steal from the hard-working ones, is very annoying.
In fact, some farmers have resorted to hiring armed private security personnel at a huge cost, though, to secure their farms.
The LC leaders are challenged by the interests of the jobs they hold. Most of them don’t want to become so hard on criminals simply because they don’t want to lose the same offices in the next round of elections. The thieves are sons and daughters of their village mates. Therefore, they fear hurting their parents and relatives who might gang up to vote them out of office.
The new Chief Justice, Dr Flavian Zeija, has his plate full. The criminal justice system in Uganda, comprising police, courts, and prison services, faces significant challenges despite reforms, with 64% of criminal cases remaining unresolved or awaiting resolution. Key obstacles include severe case backlogs, understaffing, and extensive pre-trial detention. Whatever the challenge, the issue of criminally depriving hard-working citizens of their hard-earned wealth must be dealt with decisively.
One cannot steal someone’s cows or coffee, and they are arrested only to get court bail in a matter of days and then return to terrorize the same victims who had hoped to get justice. All our justice systems must work extremely hard to protect the poor and vulnerable especially those that strain to make a paradigm shift in their lives. Losing property to thieves carries far higher costs because it creates high levels of demoralisation. Often it results in total irrecoverable loss of assets, substantial reputational damage, and, in some cases, the inability to legally recover stolen goods.
Finally, as we enjoy the benefits of liberal democratic systems guided by the full observance of the rule of law, let us make every effort to firmly protect the poor and vulnerable. In old days, such criminals would be made to pay with their backs. Corporal punishment of the old days was brutal but much more effective. Such elements would be punished in public view, and often total reformation would be attained.
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The writer is the acting executive director of the Uganda Media Centre.
