Asking for a friend: Where is our dear Kampala Woman MP?

THE ROGUE

I have come to hate politics even though I have covered the subject as a journalist for more than a decade now and I still interact with its key players.

See, I have learnt over the years that politics is full of plots, sub plots, malice and conspiracy theories.

That is why I sometimes take political bickering and other reports with a pinch of salt because "that has become the routine."

Recently, a friend of many years who was born and has lived her entire life in Kampala telephoned me.

She had an urgent issue.

She belongs to an informal women savings group,popularly known as "nigiina", that collects money weekly from its members with a long term goal of uplifting the economic status of the members.

She told me the group meets weekly to review its savings and to share money, whenever that is possible.

But recently something tragic happened. One of their leaders made off with their money and efforts to trace her have failed.

They have reported the matter to police, sent someone to her village in Masaka and sought the indulgence of local council leaders but to no avail.

Now she believes the one last person who can help them is their woman MP (whose name skips my mind).

She wants to bring these matters to her attention and to ask for her intervention.

She said the MP was instrumental in encouraging women to form these self-help groups and for her specific group, the MP made some monetary contribution to set them off.

She told me she had moved everywhere trying to locate the MP but to no avail.

"I went to the constituency office, I did not find her there. I went to Parliament several times and I bounced. I think she can be of help but I do not know where she is," the lady told me on an unclear phone line.

"So how can I help you?" I asked.

"You are a journalist and you know some of these people. Help me find her," she desperately cried out.

I told her I was also clueless about the whereabouts of her MP and in any case I am not the MP's personal assistant to know her daily movements. People might even think I am stalking her.

I told her I am a journalist who only reports something that I think is newsworthy not a police officer whose job is to locate missing persons.

But I was also honest with her. I told her that the last time I caught glimpses of the woman MP was some time back on one of her social media platforms. She was evidently in one of those "outside countries" with paved streets and skyscrapers.

I guess the tour was an extension of her parliamentary work.

I told her I am not sure whether she is back in the country.

Now, from her tone, she sounded very disappointed by my response.

But truth be told, I could not be of much help.

I can also only ask on her behalf: where is the MP?

Ani amulabyeko?

The Rogue is a satirical column that runs once a week on The Nile Post. You can only take the views contained in it, seriously, at your own risk. Have a blessed week!

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