By Michael Aboneka
Uganda continues to grapple with worrying inequalities and regional imbalances among her population. According to World Bank (2022), half of the population was moderately food insecure and the poorest households were unable to buy food products in the desired amounts. This means that half of our population is a hungry one which can do anything for survival.
In 2021 the Ministry of Finance reported that 28% of Ugandans were poor increasing from 18% prior to COVID-19 era with about two thirds of Uganda losing income and the economy and business still staggers while the gap between the poor and rich widens further because the poor and less privileged are affected adversely proving that Uganda’s growth is not inclusive.
Recently; I saw a number of colleagues expressing their disappointment after some young men stole side mirrors of their cars in broad day light in Kampala and they were left helpless; they couldn’t even run after the thieves. The same state of hopelessness is true to majority of us we are not sure of what safer route to use back home for fear of being hacked. The bag snatchers do not do this a hobby; but they see it as opportunity to survive; for they must feed off those they consider rich; indeed; as Jean Jacques Rousseau said that, one day the poor will have nothing to eat but the rich; this is alive in Uganda today.
We have seen the death of a number of Ugandans as a result of being attacked and hacked to death and their property taken away; one wonders why one must kill on order to take a mere phone; I have no answer to this: One of the famous economists in this country has defined inequality in the most plain way; that the rich are not sleeping because the poor are hungry. The rich will do everything possible to safeguard their homes and property for the fear of the poor (thieves).They will build a perimeter wall fence; add electric razor wires; alarms; CCTV; guard dogs and armed security personnel; all this is to guard against the thieves and they will spend nights awake being distracted by the false alarms and Dog barking; in the end; we have a sleepless country; for both the poor and rich are awake.
We must therefore be deliberate as a country to decisively deal with the inequality otherwise fighting crime and insecurity will be fetching water in the basket; this is not to condone criminality but to invite everyone to reflect on this reality that no matter how much hard work you invest in accumulating the kind of wealth you now possess; some hungry and less privileged people are pointing and counting your property as theirs and it is only a matter of time when they come for that tv; car etc. because they are hungry.
People spend millions of shillings for “better” education for their children while the poor are left to the mercies of God. When your child finally gets that top notch job and drivers their first car on the dark northern bypass; the child of the poor who dropped out of school because they could not afford school fees will get a paver and hit at your child; for they believe they are entitled to what you have painfully provided for your children; in the end; we are all not safe… Let’s wake up early enough before the poor eat all the they perceive rich!
Until we deal with the inequality; no one is safe from the hungry and angry less privileged Ugandans for they feel something was taken away from them; it is time we saw this as our own problem and take all steps to address it.
Michael Aboneka is a partner at Thomas & Michael Advocates| Director: Envirogreen Trust Ltd| Vice President-Young African Activists Network (YAAN)| Member: Pan-African Lawyers Union, International Society of Public Law & World Youth Alliance
