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As long as power is concentrated in the hands of the few, the institutions will serve those few, says opposition leader Kizza Besigye.
Besigye was last week appearing on Radio One FM 90 and Radio Two (Akaboozi) to tackle the question of police brutality.
Besigye said he actually sympathises a lot with police officers who he termed as “humble Ugandans in uniform”, noting that some of them get into the police to do a decent work.
“My optimism and expectation of a promising future is based on changing the power structures. The citizens are gaining more and more power and once the power balance tilts and the people gain power then leaders.”
Ailing economy
Asked what he thought ails the Ugandan economy; Besigye cited regime policies which are all about how to survive.
“That is regime survival. For example, we are endowed in agriculture but we invest more into the Presidency yet Agriculture sustains over 80% of the population.”
He said in Kabale, there were 12 mambas that drove from Kampala to show force yet in Kabalae there is no fire brigade, in hospitals there are no ambulances, “if there is one it does not have fuel”.
He said the current crisis in the economy was accelerated in 2011, observing that tonnes of cash was taken from Bank of Uganda hence the 30% inflation meaning that anyone with money in the pocket was robbed. Interest rates were hiked there by crippling the economy. Before that was cured, 2016 came in. Then they started firefighting including taking money from the client companies, he added.
“The resolution that caught my attention from Kyankwanzi was that of land. Under the constitution Government can acquire land for public use. However for such to happen the owner has to be paid. This is equitable.”
He added: “Now they do not want to pay before they use the land. In many places, people are crying, they have not been paid. There are people crying in Mbarara who have not been paid for land. Bad policies are like a bad fire. I do think that it is not limited to public use.”
Besigye alleged that President Yoweri Museveni might also want to take land from one private owner to an investor.
“They can say that you are not using the land and they give it to another.”
Huge government
Besigye urged the need to reduce the cost of Government to subsidise the government saying downsizing cannot be only to civil servants.
“The medical service is understaffed. In Nakawuka, Mr. Museveni he chased medical workers and the place is closed.”
He said the biggest abuse is in political appointments. “We have said that Parliament cannot be more than 150 people and RDCs will do. Kampala district is loaded with useless leaders.”
Lawlessness
“I take offence when someone says I am lawless,” Besigye pointed out, adding that the lawless person is the person arresting him.
He vowed to take Government to court for these actions noting that what happened in Makindye was one of the lowest moments that the country will experience.
“The state attacked the state. Kale Kayihura [police chief] is an ordinary citizen. He must answer the dictates of the law like everyone. When charged, he must be arrested whether in a range rover or helicopter.”
“Unless we change the law and say that if someone has done miracles he must not be charged. The private prosecution shows the public prosecutor is seating on his laurels. We have heard Mr. Kayihura say that he ordered the canning. Ordinarily, Kayihura should have been asked to step down by the DPP.”
Besigye said while murder is a capital offence, former Central Police Station DPC Aeron Baguma is still out there.
“I am sure that Mr. Museveni knows what he is doing. He does all deliberately. It is all focused on regime survival. He has no political response to teachers as he has no money to carry over to the teachers yet he has to keep the political survival.”
He said there are people earning Shs50m in this country and they also draw more as per diem and other allowance.
“Impunity is the biggest challenge of our times. The source of power is the rule of the gun. The ballot is another Katemba. The Naguru house was the high command of the rigging of the election. Nowadays there is no way that they can feel safe.”
Besigye clarified that the reasons why the African leaders do not like the International Criminal Court [ICC] is because they know it is there to address impunity.
“They know their actions will send them there.”
He said on top of the 80% youth unemployment, the other problem with Uganda is injustice
