On most Ugandan lips, the phrase People Power has kissed. Only that few understand what it meant.
Bobi Wine, the brainchild of the People Power has come out to explain what this new movement that has left seasoned politicians worried is about and what it hopes to achieve.
His explanation comes after government and opposition critics alike accused the Kyadondo East MP of not standing for anything.
In a statement released from the US where he is getting “specialised treatment,” Bobi Wine explained that People Power is ideally the Ugandan people and the trials they have endured over time despite them having the power to change them.
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People Power is the people. It is not Bobi Wine. It is not about me. I am just a Ugandan like any other. A Ugandan who desires to live in a better country. A Ugandan who has risen from the Ghetto and was very lucky to be elevated by the people to where I am today. And when I speak, their voice is echoed through me.
People Power is the millions of young Ugandans who have gone to school, spent all their parents’ fortunes to get an education but cannot find employment. They have instead been marginalized in an economy that works for a lucky few.
People Power are those young people who start primary one but drop out soon after because of poverty and lack.
People Power is the 80% of the Ugandan population who have never seen another president in their lifetime. The young professionals- doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, etc. They are frustrated by the system, but their demands for a peaceful transition have always been met with brutal force from the state.
People Power is the Ugandan people who have been yearning for democracy for decades. They know that they got a raw deal under the different regimes after independence and have been longing for the day they will be in charge of their country.
People Power is the youth in the ghettos of Kampala. Year in year out, they have been promised a better life, and yet year in year out, their lives have only gone from bad to worse. Struggle is their life. People Power are the boda-boda riders and taxi drivers.
People Power is the millions of struggling poor women who live in our villages struggling to make ends meet. When their children fall sick, they do not find drugs in government hospitals. Some have mobilized themselves in small groups and have to contribute small monies to support each other in times of calamity. Hoping against hope every day for a better day.
People Power is the ordinary citizen of Uganda who works so hard but does not earn enough from their sweat. The government instead imposes new taxes on them every day that passes. And the taxes collected are used to satisfy the greed of the few.
People Power is the religious leaders under their umbrella Inter-religious Council of Uganda, who have been calling for a peaceful transition. The government has responded by rudely sending them back to the pulpit to preach about people’s spiritual and not physical needs.
People Power are the elders such as Justice James Ogoola, Maggie Kigozi and John Nagenda who have been calling for deep reflection about the past and the future of our nation.
People Power are the journalists who want to tell the story but are subjected to blatant brutality by the police and other security agencies. They want a country where they can practice their calling without intimidation.
People Power are the thousands of Ugandans in Northern and Eastern Uganda who were displaced by war and violence. For most of them, their future was completely shattered even as they struggle to redefine it and the present conditions will not let them.
People Power are the artistes, comedians and other entertainers who are saying enough to oppression, suppression and exploitation.
People Power are the soldiers and police officers who have had the honour of putting on the Ugandan uniform with our badge. Those thousands who keep awake at night to keep our nation safe and yet earn peanuts at the end of the month. Every once in a while they are given orders to torture and harm those who they are meant to protect. They too are People Power because they have the same blood as the rest of us.
People Power are the millions of other young Africans living on the continent and the thousands who are scattered in other continents to look for opportunities which their own motherland could not give them because of bad governance. When you hear me speak, therefore, you are listening to millions of voices crying for freedom and justice.
I, therefore, speak for those people. I say on their behalf that People Power is stronger. It will win in the end. They could eliminate some, but they will never eliminate all the people.
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