Photo: Wikimedia Commons
One of the things that have been causing revolutions in the history of the world are extravagant monarchs and leaders who sanctify gross avarice. When the opulence became too burdensome onto the poor populace, they rose up and revolted successfully, ended the insufferable oppression and eventually set up democracies. An example is the French revolution that saw off King Louis in 1789, the Dutch revolution that led the masses to eat their prime minister Johan de Wit, Mobutu Sese Seko of Democratic Republic of Congo and the most recent one was the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was a series of protests and uprisings that occurred in the Middle East and North Africa from 2010 to 2012. The protests were sparked by the opulence of leaders, corruption, and poverty. The people demanded a change, and their demands led to the overthrow of several governments.
When Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni still had a brain of an African revolutionary and an iota of patriotism, he would accuse the past leaders of opulence and lack of empathy for the suffering people, but for the past 37-years he has been in power, his misanthropic rule has been described by indescribable levels of opulence and untold suffering.
He has used the country’s foreign aid to obtain for himself a private jet in which to roam the world and also use as an ambulance for flying his family members to Europe, Canada and the USA hospitals when he could have used the money to construct and equip first class hospitals from which all the countrymen to benefit.
Presently, the statehouse budget for water and electricity bills is close to UGX 1 billion, his annual budget for clothes is almost UGX 400 million and the entire monthly budget for his family expense is bigger than the annual budget for the national referral hospital, Mulago which he, his family and the rich abandoned for the wretched.
His cronies passing off as cabinet ministers have an annual budget of $200 million to get medication abroad.
The entire state house budget right now stands at a whooping UGX1.13 trillion annually, which means that every minute the despot spends UGX258 Million and UGX 3.09 Billion per day. This has angered millions of people who cannot afford what to eat at the moment but unfortunately are ruled in fear and cannot make it onto the streets to protest against such gross opulence.
This budget is bigger than the annual Police budget which has the personnel of over 54,000, over 10,000 vehicles and an office or two in every sub-county across the country.
Implications for Development and Governance:
By prioritizing personal opulence over national development, despot Museveni undermines the potential for progress and perpetuates socio-economic disparities. The enormous sums spent on personal expenses could be channeled towards improving the healthcare system that is currently abandoned and in deplorable state, enhancing the education sector, and uplifting the standard of living for Ugandan citizens. Moreover, the state’s annual budget for State House expenses surpasses that of the police force, which compromises public safety and security. Such skewed allocations raise concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of governance under Museveni’s rule.