Mrs. Janet and Gen. Yoweri Museveni. Ever the opportunists hail Olympic victory regime had little to do with. Photo: Facebook
[My Free Thoughts]
Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and his semi-literate wife, Janet Kataha Museveni, who are president and minister of education and sports, respectively, in Uganda, are the calculating opportunists in charge of a failed government who reap from where they do not sow—like thieves normally do. Look at how they stole the show after Tokyo Olympians from Uganda won medals.
They have no sustainable plan for the sports industry for the benefit of the aspiring and also already established sportsmen and women in the country but are quick to make joyous rumpus and brouhaha on social media congratulating the Olympic winners and also inviting them in statehouse to dine when actually they were not supported in their struggling athletic careers.
All they know is the rush to congratulate the winners and also invite them for co-optation dinner in the statehouse.
These two opportunists were quick to celebrate the successes of the winners but if you asked how much money is allocated to the sports industry in the country they preside over, you would be amazed how picayune it is.
Chemutai, a Ugandan gift to the world. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Pit1233.
As usual, these athletes are recognized only when they win the medals but before they do, they are on their own like ducklings and oftentimes are seen training using rudimental tools in their mountainous home region of Sebei and other parts of the country.
If you look at the pictures of Olympian ladies flooding the internet, their heads carrying the ugliest and cheapest old hairstyles, you would clearly know that by the time of their departure to Japan for the Olympics, the government only catered for their airline tickets. They clearly didn’t have any money to take care of themselves but the government clowns are all over social media pretending as though they put in a lot of money for the welfare of the athletes.
These opportunistic charlatans see a chance to gain some advantage from athletes’ successes at the expense of ethics and morals.
Two golden Olympic medals, a bronze, and silver, shouldn’t mask the fact that the government has done absolutely nothing as far as funding the sports industry is concerned.
Joshua Cheptegei, the gold winner in 5,000 meters (and silver in 10,000), had to drop out of the University where he was pursuing his degree in English Literature because of economic hardships he was facing– until he was recognized by some Netherlands sports agency which picked him up and supported his athletic career and introduced him to innumerable world opportunities.
The money he would win from different competitions worldwide, he bought 10 acres of land where he started to construct his own Joshua Cheptegei Training Camp near Mount Elgon National Park, which cost him slightly over 300 million shillings ($84,883) way cheaper than the 25 billion shillings ($7 million) government-funded Kiprotich High Altitude Training Centre in Kapchorwa, Sebei region of Eastern Uganda.
Other Ugandan heroes were Peruth Chemutai, who brought home gold in 3,000 meters steeplechase and Jacob Kiplimo who returned with bronze in 10,000 meters. They were winners in spite of the regime.
Kiplimo and Chiptegei, Ugandan giants, unlike the First Family fakers. Photo: YouTube screen freeze.
The whole point is that the government doesn’t care about sports in Uganda unless the sportsmen and women are winning the medals. It is when they attract the opportunistic recognition of Gen. Yoweri Museveni and the entire glitterati of opportunistic government officials.
If the government—the Museveni, Janet and the whole cartel of looters– were caring enough like they are masquerading on social media, they would provide enough funding such that these athletes get access to the best training camps across the country, travel to international tournaments, pay specialized coaches and buy high-quality equipment for daily training. A shortage of funding limits an athlete’s performance.
National Council of Sports as a regulatory body receives only sh18 billion shillings ($5 million) annually to cater for the entire sports budget which is very meager considering the fact that it spends most of the funds on rehabilitation of sports centers across the country though it is evident that such regulatory bodies are created as avenues of channeling money into the pockets of a few individuals under the watch of the president and his wife.
Sports activities and Agriculture are the only fields which, when well-funded by the government, could absolutely employ many uneducated youths whose future is unpredictable due to the government’s hand in making their side of life dark since 1986 when the looters captured power.
The writer is a survivor of torture by Gen. Museveni’s secret police. He can be reached via [email protected]
