An online campaign #KampalaPotholeExhibition has once again proved that social media is indeed a powerful tool when it comes to relaying information to the targeted parties and those who care to consume it.
The campaign spearedheaded by renowned academician and cartoonist, Dr. Jimmy Spire Ssentongo was aimed at exposing the sorry state of roads in Kampala City.
“Our preliminary KAMPALA POTHOLE EXHIBITION starts on Monday, April 17. We shall exhibit Kampala pothole photos on every tweet by @KCCAUG @UNRA_UG, @NRMOnline, @GenWamala with the location of the pothole (pondhole), age of the pothole, estimated size, and a note of thanks,” Dr. Ssentongo tweeted last Sunday.
“As you participate in the Kabaka Birthday Run, take as many Kampala pothole photos and videos as you can equip yourself for the #KampalaPotholeExhibition starting online tomorrow,” he added.
What started as a simple campaign, went viral to the extent of becoming a “thorn in the throat” to the responsible authorities; It literally brought them to their knees.
The online demonstration was totally embraced by all classes of Ugandans and by mid-day Monday the hashtag #KampalaPotholeExhibition was the most trending on Twitter. The netizens castigated government for failing to rehabilitate the city roads, an attribute that makes them almost impassable.
It was due to this viral campaign that President Museveni was prompted to allocate Shs6bn to Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to do the needful with immediate effect.
“I now direct the Ministry of Finance to urgently release the quarterly contribution to KCCA of shs6 billion for pothole filling, repairs and maintenance of roads,” Museveni directed on Wednesday, adding that, “I task the Kampala Executive Director and her team to give the country an account of progress in this matter.”
But who is Dr Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, the man behind the viral social media campaign?
Jimmy Spire Ssentongo is a senior lecturer at Uganda Martyrs University and part-time lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Makerere University.
He holds a PhD in Humanistic Studies from the University of Humanistic Studies in Holland; Masters in Ethics and Public Management (Makerere University); Master of Science in Education for Sustainability (London South Bank University); BA in Philosophy (Urbaniana); and a Diploma in Philosophy and Religious Studies (Apostles of Jesus Philosophicum, Nairobi).
He has authored several books such as Decolonisation Pathways: Globalisation, Postcoloniality, and African Development.He is also the author of the book Inquiry into a Withering Heritage: The Relevance of Traditional Baganda Approaches to Sustainable Environmental Conservation. His other book is a collection of short reflective pieces titled Saying It Like I Feel: A Compilation of Short Personal Reflections and Responses.
He has published several journal articles and book chapters.
Currently, Ssentongo heads the Center for African Studies at Uganda Martyrs University and is an Associate Dean in charge of Research and Publication under the School of Postgraduate Studies and Research.He is as well the Editor of the generic Journal of Science and Sustainable Development and of the Uganda Martyrs University monograph series Mtafiti Mwafrika (African Researcher).
Ssentongo is also a columnist and editorial cartoonist with The Observer newspaper in Uganda.
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