• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Login
Watchdog Uganda
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News
No Result
View All Result
Watchdog Uganda
No Result
View All Result

OFWONO OPONDO: Dear Besigye, Museveni doesn’t need COVID-19 to have Visibility

watchdog by watchdog
5 years ago
in Op-Ed, Politics
13 0
Dr Kizza Besigye and President Yoweri Museveni

Dr Kizza Besigye and President Yoweri Museveni

ShareTweetSendShare

The unknown dangers and threats from COVID-19 pandemic entry into Uganda in February of this year pushed all the abrasive actors to the edge forcing them to comply without complaints against government measures including many drastic actions like banning large gatherings, mass transportation, closure of businesses, imposing night curfew, and an extended countrywide lockdown. This was in according to many, a vote of confidence in Government and particularly, President Yoweri Museveni’s able leadership.

But the shaken voices are now beginning to emerge, occasionally exploding as Kizza Besigye and his sidekick Ibrahim Semujju Nganda did last week accusing President Museveni of exploiting COVID-19 to grow his politic strength for the 2021 electoral advantage. However, somehow, the Uganda media, has largely ignored them for a while, which is good,

Now, to accuse Museveni of exploiting COVID-19and other national miseries to secure his political visibility, is something of low bar even for Besigye, well-known for often being very basic and nauseating. In June 1981, there was no COVID, but Besigye, nevertheless, on his own volition, followed Museveni into the Luwero jungles, which marked Besigye’s own political beginning and has enjoyed the full limelight to-date albeit with a steady diminishing return. Museveni isn’t the only sitting president steering their respective countries out of local, regional or global crises from which some have fallen. Therefore, a president in times of crises, don’t always emerge from beds of perfumed roses.

The lockdown is now in its seventh week and counting unless, something really drastic happens to flatten the infection curve because the numbers are rising, mostly from long-distance cargo truck drivers from across the East African region, although we trust that Uganda’s health professionals will contain and roll it back in good time.

Slowly, but surely each passing day, even a casual observer will notice that from all directions into Kampala, there are more vehicles without the required movement stickers causing traffic jams towards Kampala. This, plus the fact that many business premises, markets, road and street vendors, and shops of all kinds are already operating giving the sad impression that much of the daytime lockdown isn’t working effectively because they are being ignored mostly due to necessity. All the suburbs of Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono are teeming with daily activities, much as most places upcountry. Government would be more advised to put enforcement measures on standard operating procedures (SOPs) for these businesses to open and operate rather than trying to stop them.

The security teams deployed to enforce the restrictions on vehicle movements and other measures appear already exhausted, compromised, or unwilling to be tough because when they do, they have been rudely rebuked, or even punished swiftly without anyone including their immediate superiors standing for them. They feel abandoned, and enthusiastic to enforce the rules.

As government ponders gradual and phased easing of the lockdown, it may be prudent that the curfew as a security measure is maintained for a while as people adjust slowly to life of normalcy, otherwise vagabonds may strike to make quick gains.

The ongoing battle over workers money at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) with some people demanding that the laws be reviewed to enable savers who want to access a fraction of their benefits do so, is another example of a post-Covid19 fight on the policy front. As the debate rages, others think that is kin to eating the seed set aside for the next planting season simply because people at home are hungry, or having an ATM machine next to a bar for boozers to have easy pick if they run broke.

Then, there is the real fight that could turn bloody between KCCA and hosts of its clients, the boda boda, matatus, buses, market and street vendors over its proposed long overdue reorganization of the city to make it more livable and reducing the cost of doing business. Surely public transport, cycling and walking around safe streets in Kampala should be the habit to adopt as the new normal. Building metropolitan network of infrastructure, should prevent private and government vehicles on non-essential and non-authorised errands of out Kampala.

People entering Kampala should either walk, cycle or be bussed to reduce on environmental pollution and traffic congestion. After COVID-19, we should drive less in Kampala, after all cars take up a lot of space, kill time and people, while increasing the cost of doing business.

Government should create incentives within Kampala metro area to encourage cycling and this could include tax exemption on bicycles that are specifically marked or youth owned businesses that hire them at low daily, weekly or monthly rentals. Even in this very limited context, it should be straight forward that these measures can keep us safe from urban road accidents and promote healthy body exercises.

A successful road reorganization would also end treating transport crisis in Kampala as bun fights between motorists and cyclists, or a class war of the rich against the poor, that has always been a dead end. Hopefully, the pressure from coronavirus will get things done correctly.


Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
Share3Tweet2SendShare

Related Posts

Museveni has tasked Presidency Minister to remove RDCs who are not adding value to government.
Community News

Budiope West 2026; Milly Babalanda’s Transformative Bid Redefines the Race

17th July 2025 at 00:14
Phillip R. Ongadia
Op-Ed

PHILLIP R. ONGADIA: NRM primaries: A necessary evil to test the depth of the river

15th July 2025 at 14:57
Rogers Wadada
Op-Ed

WADADA ROGERS: Telecom operators in Uganda should stop re-assigning customer’s phone numbers

15th July 2025 at 10:17
Next Post

AYUB KATO: Hospitality consultant shares 8 tips to help hoteliers overcome effects of Covid-19 on Local Tourism

  • Prostitution in Uganda- Courtesy Photo

    10 dangerous hotspots known for prostitutes in Kampala

    1144 shares
    Share 458 Tweet 286
  • Silent Billionaire Bosco Muwonge Buys Mukwano Arcade at UGX 250 Billion Cash Down

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15
  • Who is Bosco Muwonge, Uganda’s elusive real estate billionaire?

    43 shares
    Share 17 Tweet 11
  • LIST: New salary structure for civil servants starting July 2020 out; scientists, lecturers get juicy pay rise

    2293 shares
    Share 917 Tweet 573
  • LIST : Gov’t releases Revised Salary Structure for Teachers, Police, and Prisons Staff for FY 2024/2025

    129 shares
    Share 52 Tweet 32
Facebook Twitter

Contact Information

Watchdog Uganda is a portal for solution journalism, trending news plus cutting edge commentaries in the fields of politics, security, business, tourism, entertainment, technology, agriculture, climate change, environment, public health et al. We also give preference to Ugandan community news and topical discussions. The portal also publishes community news and topical discussions.

Email: editorial@watchdoguganda.com
To Advertise:Click here

Latest News

President Museveni passes out 413 UPDF officers trained in advanced military warfare tactics 

17th July 2025 at 23:52
Mashable is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company For more queries and news contact us on this Email: info@mashablepartners.com

Check out

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Minister Muruli Mukasa

LIST: New salary structure for civil servants starting July 2020 out; scientists, lecturers get juicy pay rise

24th May 2020 at 10:45
Pregnant woman

Shock as 17-year old boy impregnates his two sisters during Covid-19 lockdown 

17th June 2020 at 08:17
Sudhir Ruparelia is the undisputed king of Kampala

Billionaire Sudhir’s wisdom on how to invest in real estate

0

How a boy’s destiny turned from cotton grower to communications guru

0

President Museveni passes out 413 UPDF officers trained in advanced military warfare tactics 

17th July 2025 at 23:52

BRIAN K TINDYEBWA: How Tanga Odoi’s Primaries Show Clear Contrast Between NRM & NUP

17th July 2025 at 23:19

© 2025 Watchdog Uganda

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • National
    • Politics
    • World News
    • Media Outreach Newswire
    • Africa News
    • Tourism
    • Community News
    • Luganda
    • Sports
      • Football
      • Motorsport
  • Op-Ed
    • #Out2Lunch
    • Conversations with
    • Politics
    • Relationships
  • Business
    • Agriculture
    • CEOs & Entrepreneurs,
    • Companies
    • Finance
    • Products
    • RealEstate
    • Technology
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
  • People
    • Showbiz
      • Salon Mag
  • Special Report
    • Education
    • Voices
  • Reviews
    • Products
    • Events
    • Hotels
    • Restaurants
    • Places
  • WD-TV
  • Donate
  • China News

© 2025 Watchdog Uganda