For some years, I had suffered with serious pain radiating from the foot upwards to the spine. I had been reporting to hospital every once in a while for therapy to relieve the pain. However, the root of the problem remained and last month, I think I would have died if I had not been operated on.

The problem seems to have resulted from my time as a rally driver, but there could be other contributory factors. Motor rally involves cruising at very high speeds and maneuvering around sharp ends and skipping high bumps.

It is no doubt that I suffered spinal injury during one or many of those drives. However, I underestimated the injury thinking it would go away on its own. It was not until last month that I realised how endangered my life was.

I had terrible pain beyond what I can describe, although I remained working, moreover with a greater workload having only recently come to be elevated to my current position.

My condition was such that I had so much pain that I could only stand because of my busy lifestyle. I did not have time to sit and moan, but it was eating me and I felt my left ebbing away. I told close friends and my supervisors that I feared for my life. I didn’t see how I would survive. Local doctors did tests and it was resolved that I require surgery urgently.

The tests revealed that my spinal cord had accumulated pus, a sign of long term stress to it. The pus had gone all the way to the brain and any moment I was to suffer a stroke. One side was already paralysed. Scans showed a gripping picture of the state I was in.

Some scans were sent to Germany and India. The doctors there made similar conclusions as the local team. There were suggestions that I go for the operation in either Germany or India.

However, seeing that the local doctors had reached the same conclusions as the foreign ones, I resolutely decided that I would have the operation here. I was confident that the doctors who gave me a correct diagnosis would equally know how to treat it.

Regardless, I was offering myself as a sacrifice if things didn’t go well, but I wasn’t ready to seek treatment abroad at exorbitant costs. If I did not make it, I would save taxpayers’ money and go in peace, knowing that I died in and for my motherland. If I survived to tell the story, as indeed I did, I would live as a testimony that Uganda’s health system works.

It should be acknowledged that people die even in the world’s most well equipped hospitals but there are preventable deaths which result from lack of specialised care and accompanying equipment. To be honest, Uganda does not match the more medically advanced countries in Europe, USA and Asia, but over time, capacity has been  built that can take care of any condition.

I foresee a time when this capacity will be at optimum, both in quality and quantity, to crown the glory that has been scored fighting Covid-19 using basics.

Uganda can now separate conjoined twins like the ones at Soroti and Mbarara.

And, so, at exactly 8am on Thursday, April 28, 2022, I went under the surgeon’s blade at Kampala Hospital. I chose this facility for privacy purposes.

On duty was Dr. Nyati Mallorn assisted by Dr. Najjemba Diana. Spinal surgery is a very complicated procedure. Any mistake can incapacitate the patient for life. I could either die or remain wheelchair bound for life. The operation got underway. A tube was inserted in the spine to drain fluid and pus. It stayed for seven straight days.

During this time, I was in strict isolation, and of course I was not working, the first time in my life that I have stayed away from work for several consecutive days, and weeks.

The operation was a success. The delicate operation was done without injuring any nerve, yet the spinal cord is a “highway” of nerves that serve the entire body.

Most surprisingly, all my body systems remained functional, and as of now, are totally renewed. I do not feel any problem anywhere. There is no pain anymore yet before the operation, I was dying of pain. There will be periodic reviews of my condition but for now I believe that the worst is behind me.

I have more confidence in our healthcare now. If such an operation can be done successfully here, it means that we have some of the best doctors and equipment in the world. And their service comes affordably compared to what referrals pay in foreign hospitals. The operation cost not more than Shs 30 Million in total.

Apart from being happy to be alive and cured, it is very reassuring to see dedicated medical personnel with the expertise to do a good job. It is only logical that such medics are remunerated better to motivate and retain them, and encourage Ugandans to have more faith in Ugandan medical services. There is no need to blow a lot of money for medical tourism. Instead, we should attract patients from the region where such capacity does not exist. More money should be channeled into training our medical personnel and equipping hospitals.

In the long run, medical care will be more affordable for everyone.

I thank Dr. Nyati and Dr. Najjemba for their expertise, dedication and care, and appreciate friends who prayed for me and wished me well. Above all, I thank God for His mercy. Doctors treat but healing comes by His hand.

The author Faruk Kirunda is the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary

Contact: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug

0776980486/0702980486

Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s force is characterized by the mighty unambiguous, conspicuous and unstoppable progress fully thought by a master strategist, cleverest statesman who designed a century master plan and a blue print to rule Uganda for a century.

This is a vivid reality and I feel indomitably confident to divulge into unbiased independent political analysis on how the man who has been previously described as a toddler by his father who wanted to divert the critics who had sensed the hidden agenda of grooming the son to presidency because some saboteurs had started raising unnecessary questions about why he was recruiting people into the army.

Nevertheless, the majority of shortsighted opponents could not anticipate his mighty unshakable power.

Ignorantly, the narrow minded critics at inception stage described him as the most quiet individual but the man was very smart and calculative in building the most  formidable and undefeatable team from all walks of life, the talented writers, artists, great beauties, men and women of impeccable virtue and this force is going to outsmart the most intolerant, horrible, abusive gang of the people power.

Inquisitively, I am wondering why the Bobi group is so outshined and outdated in this precarious situation of skyrocketing commodity prices.

He should be uniting the masses to force government to forge the solution but his silence keeps me in curiosity and dilemma that NUP might be a state-owned project

One of my good friends and a mentor Mr. Robert has been periodically motivating me to design a blue print of my life and the case in point is how President Museveni suffered when he wanted power but he strategically planned a perfect master plan of ruling Uganda for a century.

It is only the doctrine of kanyaryeru high commander that knew the real trajectory and principles of the chwezi governance and this has been actualized by the recent involvement of Gen. Muhoozi.

Though some people are questioning his political statements and engagements, everything is planned and designed because you must understand how the chwezi operates.

All routes that seem impenetrable are the real direct entry that will usher him into presidency due to the fact that they have the 3 Ms on their side, that is; Money, Military and Media and after over 30 years of his rule, then Ruhamya will be 50 years and prepared to take on the mantle .

At first, I described his birthday celebrations as extravagance and unnecessary but I came to understand that deception is always the best strategy because the best deceptions require a screen of smoke that distracts People’s attention from your real purpose.

Gen. Muhoozi understands the fundamental truth about attracting attention and once people’s eyes are on you, you have a special legitimacy and he has achieved this through creating an unforgettable, magnificent and a mega spectacular celebration that pulls thousands of people by gravitational force.

Power is in many ways a game of appearances, and when you say less than necessary, you inevitably appear greater and more powerful than you are and I can authoritatively predict that after Gen. Muhoozi capturing power, he will genetically imitate the character of his father.

Look at this case scenario, the great scientist Thomas Edison knew that to raise money he had to remain in the public eye at any cost.

If you find yourself in a lowly position that offers little opportunity for you to draw attention, an effective trick is to attack the most visible, most famous, most powerful person you can find and this is how Bobi caught the eyes of most Ugandans after ridiculously attacking President Museveni.

Gen. Muhoozi scored a distinction in the restoration of Uganda, Rwanda relationship and some opponents were arguing that we must credit Amb. Adonia Nabasa but I want to quote for them this law; “Never do for yourself what others can do for you”.

In the end, your helpers will be forgotten and you will be remembered.

One day the tortoise met the elephant, who trumpeted, “Out of my way, you weakling—I might step on you!” The tortoise was not afraid and stayed where he was, so the elephant stepped on him, but could not crush him.

“Do not boast, Mr. Elephant, I am as strong as you are!” said the tortoise, but the elephant just laughed.

So, the tortoise asked him to come to his hill the next morning. The next day, before sunrise, the tortoise ran down the hill to the river, where he met the hippopotamus, who was just on his way back into the water after his nocturnal feeding. “Mr. Hippo! Shall we have a tug-of war? I bet I’m as strong as you are!” said the tortoise.

The hippopotamus laughed at this ridiculous idea, but agreed. The tortoise produced a long rope and told the hippo to hold it in his mouth until the tortoise shouted “Hey!” Then the tortoise ran back up the hill where he found the elephant, who was getting impatient. He gave the elephant the other end of the rope and said, “When I say  ‘Hey!’ pull, and you’ll see which of us is the strongest.”

Then he ran halfway back down the hill, to a place where he couldn’t be seen, and shouted, “Hey!” The elephant and the hippopotamus pulled and pulled, but neither could budge the other. They were of equal strength. They both agreed that the tortoise was as strong as they were.

Never do what others can do for you. The tortoise let others do the work for him while he got the credit.

This article was composed by a socio-political analyst and activist.

Eng. Godfrey Mbagira is the founder of GOAM Youth Voice Uganda and

a product of UPE from Kyeibuza Primary School, Kiruhura District.

FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY

First, I wish to send sympathy to the people of Karamoja who have been affected by the insecurity arising from the raids by marauding groups that have terrorised the sub-region in recent times. The sympathy extends to neighbouring areas like Teso, Acholi, Lango and Sebei that have experienced incursions by the raiders.

I thank the security forces for being on top of the situation, and commiserating with the forces on personnel lost while carrying out their duties to stabilise the sub-region. The people of Karamoja are peace-loving and development-oriented. It is only a few deviants involved in this, with others crossing over from Kenya among the Turkana.

But, whatever the formation of the gangs and the pattern their activities take, they cannot defeat our security forces or disorganise the whole country. Their criminality needs to come to an end, immediately, for serenity to return so that people return to normal business.
While the overriding factor behind the raids is cultural in nature-the traditional nomadic lifestyle and competition for herd strength, the solution lies in getting the people to abandon backward practices and embrace modern farming practices from which they can reap more.

And while that is in process, it is unfortunate that politicians are capitalising on the situation in Karamoja to build political capital. It’s most unfortunate that some leaders are speaking with mixed intentions-they are against rustling during the day but leading raids in the night. How can we have such (mis) leaders in our midst at a critical time?
What Karamoja needs is sympathy and solutions to address the criminality, not using the situation to build personal careers or scooping freebies from donors.

It was most unfortunate, recently, when former presidential candidate, Kyagulanyi Robert Sentamu (Bobi Wine), went abroad and used Karamoja as a bargaining chip to advance his political and personal interests. Bobi Wine addressed a forum in Europe where he claimed that the people of Karamoja were being harassed and killed by the Government of President Yoweri Museveni for supporting him-Bobi Wine. This was a surprising claim that I did not expect from someone of my generation. Not only was it an absolute lie, it was also misplaced.

Bobi Wine’s party, NUP, won only one youth council seat in one district out of nine districts. Out of 26 Parliamentary seats, the ruling NRM won 25, while one went to an Independent who is NRM-leaning. Bobi Wine himself got 5.3% of votes against President Museveni’s 90%. Going by this measure of support and popularity, Bobi Wine has no claim beyond what he scored in the elections.

Karamoja is pro-Museveni and majority of the people are for stability and transformation. Unless the NUP leader is telling us that his supporters are responsible for the raiding and insecurity, which would imply that there is something he knows about causes of the heightened insecurity. Is it politically-engineered (to punish the Karimojong) for choosing as they did or an attempt to turn them against the Government?

Disarmament and security operations against roaming armed karacunas is an old and recurrent phenomenon in Karamoja that predates NUP. Operations against rustlers are full time, with peak and off-peak seasons. Attempts to use alternative peace means to disarm the rustlers and change their lifestyle have worked but not always, even when the sub-region is predominantly NRM. The community has failed to get rid of cultural tendencies despite the Government’s modernization programme.

If any of the acts of cattle raiding are permissible within Karamoja, they cannot be tolerated because they are not limited to Karamoja. Cattle raids and security breaches are extending to Teso, parts of Sebei, Acholi and Lango regions. In the mix are marauding groups from across the border in Kenya where the Turkana have been crossing over and wreaking havoc.

So, while some local leaders and their Kampala-based and foreign backers may want to drag Karamoja backwards into the era of the 1970s and early 1980s when there was total lawlessness, social disorder, backwardness and bloodshed, they will face an uphill task. The people of Karamoja have already seen the light and the Government will do all that’s possible to accord them a safe environment to utilize their lands and the great infrastructural developments that have been rolled out to ease modernization.

Those who were not there pre-1986 or those who had not interested themselves in the state of the Sub-Region will be glad to know that Karamoja has a new face. If it was not for Government efforts, the situation would be dire and the place a total no-go- area. Renewed efforts and operations to rid the area of cattle rustling and other forms of criminality should be supported without politicising anything.

It is very selfish and a mockery to use the difficulties of the people of Karamoja for political convenience. People have lost life and property in the fighting. They can’t wait for normalcy to be restored. Divisive politics is the last thing they want to hear.

Faruk Kirunda is the Deputy Presidential Press Secretary
Email: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug
0776980486/ 0702980486