UGANDA’s politics is becoming more dishonest, unsophisticated lies by the day and politicians must be wondering why they are believed as they tell bold lies each passing day.
Now NRM ‘bush wisdom,’ appears to exclusively belong to Maj Gen (rtd) Mugisha Muntu, who is spending his energy in angry outbursts claiming the “refusal, or failure,” by President Yoweri Museveni to state his stand in 2006 has created “apathy, uncertainty and decline in investor confidence,” in Uganda.

This week Muntu stated “Museveni has started making mistakes critical to the stability of this country by not tackling the burning issue of the person to succeed him in case of any eventuality. This has caused uncertainty and fear among investors, who are avoiding Uganda.”
Article 109 (1) states, “if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office under this constitution, the vice president shall assume the office of the president until fresh elections are held and the elected president assumes office in accordance with clause (8) of article 103 of this constitution.” So, there is no “eventuality,” not catered for as Muntu believes.

Muntu also said many “comrades died in the bush fighting for democracy,” but does not tell us whether they would be practicing democracy if they were alive today since he is accusing some of those living of deviation!
He adds, “we set some principles to be followed and Mr. Museveni has broken them, and he must therefore come out to tell Ugandans what he stands for as we agreed during the bush war.” Now, instead of talking in parables, let Muntu disclose to Ugandans the would-be successor Museveni promised them during the war so that we stop wasting time on democratic elections.
As the national mobiliser for the high-flying opposition FDC, and a prospective presidential candidate, Muntu ought to have facts on public issues, instead of spreading rumours.
Good enough only this week, the IMF released a statement listing Uganda’s economic performance indicators and the term limit was not an issue. The closest politics it came to, was on LRA banditry and perception of declining will to end corruption.
So where are Muntu’s empirical figures about investor “apathy, uncertainty, and decline,” because of the proposed removal of the presidential term limit! Let him name investors, who were “streaming,” before March 2003, but have now relocated because of the term limit debate.
Muntu argues that Museveni was “good” until 1996, when he “turned course,” but where are his own investments to prove his claims.
He compares Kenya and Tanzania with Uganda, but without stating that these economies have been ahead since colonial days and I hope he does not soon link Uganda’s small size to the term limit debate!
Kenya’s one-party and police state under Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Arap Moi flourished due to foreign investments. Invoking Mwalimu Nyerere’s names is little logic because ‘democratic wisdom,’ came after 27 years of one-man rule!
The gaps in Uganda’s economy at the micro and macro levels cannot simplistically be explained by the presidential term limit as a major problem as Muntu wants Ugandans to believe.
Fortunately contrary to Muntu’s doom prophecy, Uganda’s economy and specifically investor confidence is sound, physical, and demonstrable, although it will take time for the results to spread for all to benefit and this is the challenge to deal with.
Muntu should focus his attention on local investors even before foreign ones to appreciate the miles travelled, the rough terrain Uganda is on and then design a strategy to enhance capacity not politicking.
As an elite, Muntu ought to know how much private investors are putting in many private schools, hospitals, commercial and residential buildings, industries and real estate developments.
Muntu should give statistics on small, medium and big investors whether local or foreign by sector, who have re-located citing “political uncertainty,” otherwise he becomes a political comedian.
Let him evaluate other factors like energy, public and credit financing, telecommunication, infrastructure and policy and offer viable options because rhetoric won’t work.
Muntu is among the few top leaders still living in rented residential premises having sold off his government co-owned pool house on Yusufu Lule Road, when he was still army commander, to rescue his furniture import business that went burst and to start a crocodile farm along Masaka road that never was! Surely, if your businesses failed, it is rather sad to make general conclusions about investments.
These private schools and hospitals are neither community nor charity founded, but established for profit and proprietors would not sink in billions if they knew Uganda was a bottomless pit.

Yet all this capital is not government or donor grants, but personal, group savings, or commercial bank loans.
In many of the private education institutions a big percentage of students are foreigners from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo, Malawi and Sudan, the countries, Muntu claims offer better prospects than Uganda. What a hoax and contradiction, Gen Muntu!
This phenomenon is not limited to Kampala, but also to institutions upcountry like Mbale, Mukono, Nkumba and Mbarara and Muntu ought to visit them to prove for himself.

The fact that Ugandans and foreigners spend their hard earnings on education and other investments is not indication of loss, but a vote of confidence in Uganda’s direction.

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