SAM ORIKUNDA: Protests should be out of conviction not foreign influence

The Gen Z is the newest terminology in the political language. This word whose origin is Kenya has extended to Uganda and Nigeria through social media. The ugly scenes of protests that saw the youth in Kenya set Uganda house on fire and cause a lot of havoc in Nairobi should never be experienced elsewhere in East Africa or within Africa. Someone fighting for the reduced cost of living shouldn’t be the one putting down government infrastructure because more money will be needed to bring them up again or renovating them and that will be another expenditure of government. One’s voice can be heard without insults, name – calling, violence, interrupting business and interfering with security of the country. Protests are supposed to be peaceful and organized, meant to showcase someone’s dissatisfaction or disagreement. Once protests hatch into violence any country in the world would call on security to swing into action and bring order. I have not seen any protests in America or UK where citizens burned down any public assets, block roads and forcefully enter into parliament. All I always see are people who carry placards and national flags chanting slogans, they at the same time cooperate with police.

I believe President Ruto was misled when he gave attention to sponsored youth whose anger wasn’t resulting from tax policy but rather giving accountability to millions of dollars which were given to them by foreigners to destabilize their country. President Ruto dismissed his cabinet and made a number of other changes but because the intentions of protests were different still they couldn’t withdraw. Instead they started calling for his resignation, meaning their primary intention wasn’t tax policy but rather regime change. Thank God, days after President Ruto was tipped off and told off the Gen Z to either leave the streat or face the wrath of the state and I hope sanity has returned in the East African largest economy. I don’t think there’s any country with a constitution that doesn’t give freedom to peaceful protests but unfortunately this freedom has always been abused by people whose intentions are poisonous in nature.

Foreigners especially in Europe, have never sobered up to understand that Africans can solve their own problems, they still feel that there should an in put of former masters of the Africans to make decisions. It is a public secret that most countries in Africa have experienced coups sponsored by imperialists. They secretly infiltrate the army and within no minute governments are overthrown, unfortunately, the countries whose governments are overthrown also face economic shocks which last for decades and it usually the citizens to suffer, the imperialists do not return to give a helping land in putting together what they initiated to crumble. However, with all those problems Africa has been able to take a step in terms of development. We still have challenges in politics and accountability but that will also change as times goes because a child begins by crawling until he’s able to walk by himself.

If protests were out of conviction and patriotism there wouldn’t be any challenge in organizing them and safeguarding those involved. A patriotic citizen cannot choose violence or even destroying public assets like it happened in Kenya where the Uganda house was set a blaze, protesters would instead be protecting public assets and infrastructure. Corruption affects everyone including those in government because they share same services with those who are not in government. In case something is wrong it affects everyone and I think that’s why the organizers at first claimed that the protests didn’t have sides in terms of political parties and could be the reason at to why some innocent youth also joined. Ugandans should understand that corruption isn’t only in offices but also in communities, the government is struggling to deal with the PDM SACCO chairpersons who demand money from applicants before giving them loans and those chairpersons are members of the community. They were chosen by the people they live with to help in that responsibility.

The writer is the deputy RDC Sheema District.