By George Bukenya
As Ugandans gather at Busia to celebrate the 62nd Independence Day, senior citizens have touched in work done by the three longest serving leaders of the country.
Although late President Idi Amin Ddada is portrayed in the news and film actors as a ruthless ruler, he is the most cherished former head of state by some senior citizen whom the writer of this website interviewed.
They claim that if he had ruled for many years like the current president, Uganda would have been a head in terms of social-economic development not only in the East African Region but in Africa at large.
Amin is also hailed for dismissing Asians and putting the economy in the hands of citizens but this according to history led to economic crisis because most of the indigenous citizens had not learnt how to do business well.
Festal Kasajja 72, a Real Estate developer who resides in Kisenyi along Kafumbe Mukasa road in Kampala central Division brands the late Idi Amin as Africa’s ‘god’ and best Uganda’s president ever whom he says under his rule Uganda reached greater heights.
He says that African continent is rolling on his ideas after addressing the leaders in O.A.U then alerting them on the dangers of the neocolonialism by European nations and their motive towards exploiting African resources for their benefits.
“I enjoyed life during Amin’s regime and it’s the only era that I cherish , I even used to have my lunch in Nairobi because I used to there to wards lunch by boarding a chopper cheaply.’’ Kasajja narrated.
Amin made us managers of our country we are now land lords if he hadn’t dismissed the Indians Kampala City would be dominated Asians, they would own most of all buildings in the city centre.
The former leader was enterprising according to Kasajja because when he travelled on state duty he would bench mark and brought to Uganda developmental this like Friesian cows and procured many aircrafts.
Nkoyoyo Kiwana who doubles as Chairman of Kasaato Zone and the elderly people also says that former leader Amin was great because of his love for the country to his citizens.
He also retaliated Kasajja’s words saying that Amin deed a great deal to dismiss the Asians that this helped Ugandan’s to control their economy and also do business on their own.
Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party president Jimmy Akena who is also a former first son says that the period his party ruled this country the social-economic activities were better sectors like health and education were better than now because of the infrastructures and welfare of the civil servants were good.
Akena the Member of Parliament for Lira Municipality criticizes NRM government for lack of identified agenda for the country and bringing programs and policies that have failed to uplift Ugandans from poverty.
He says that the current educations system which NRM government is boosting on like the UPE and USE are a bogus system because the young people who passed through such can’t favorably compete for jobs even in the EAC region.
The Lira Municipality legislator also down played the poverty alleviation programs like the Youth Livelihood funds, Parish Development Modal, Emyoga for their failure to achieve the intended government objectives due to their poor implementation.