Dear Mukula, Teso hopes you use your CEC position to uplift the region

Obilan Abubakar

Congratulations to you our senior Hon. Dr. Michael Mukula for retaining your position of the NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Region. This victory is our own strategic victory as a people. I am sure, it was not a cat's walk in a jungle and that you drew your own lessons during your campaigns for the top post NRM organ.

Since the elections are now firmly behind us, there are critical stated issues that might have made your victory very expensive this time around. The NRM mighty party of the time, look up to you to mobilize for the President in the 2021 general elections.

It was all over media in the recent past, that you have offered a chopper to help in vote mobilization for the president. In my pedestrian arithmetic, the monetary worth of your offer will be more than $727,200 (2.66 billion) for the entire presidential campaign season.

Like you informed CEC and the nation at large that the whole Teso is now NRM and that you have finished FDC in Teso. As a mobilizer of NRM, your performance in the party is incontestably worth a medal; I hope you will be rewarded.

However, it also remains your duty to demonstrate the party's commitment to meaningfully consider Eastern region in its priorities. It was astounding to me that Eastern and Northern regions are the least privileged regions of the regime. For example the presidential appointments to the positions of Vice President and Prime minister since NRA/M took over the years are as follows;

Prime Ministers since 1986

1. Samson Kisekka (86-91) Central

2. George C. Adyebo (91-94) North

3. Kintu Musoke (94-99) Central

4. Apollo Nsibambi (99-2011) Central

5. Amama Mbabazi (2011-14) West

6. Ruhakana Rugunda (2014- date) West

Vice Presidents of Uganda in NRM regime

1. Samson Kisekka (1991-94) Central

2. Specioza Naigaga Kazibwe (1994-2003) Eastern

3. Gilbert Bukenya (2003-2011) Central

4. Edward Ssekandi (2011- date) Central

Iteso at independence had occupied Army, police, civil service, prison etc but currently Teso doesn't have even one substantive permanent secretary.

You are a Teso icon who sits in the CEC but I am sure that you are also not proud to hail from a region that wallows in over 41% poverty levels, compounded with pitiable quality of education, poor infrastructure, unemployment and poor quality of living.

The issue of cattle compensation has only been a vote catching song. In 2014, Chris Obore published in a Daily Monitor that the president had sanctioned the Teso cattle compensation in 2011/12 and 2012/13 FYs. You were at the centre stage of this issue but for how long shall we wait!!!

Conclusion

The positions we occupy in society only raise the holder's status above others but what we do in those positions is what benefits us as a whole if appropriately used. Being NRM tutelage, does not deprive us of our responsibility to vibrate issues that concern our lives. We can't breath unless the knee is off our necks. We hope you will attach desirable attention to the concerns that affect us as a community. In life, if you can not become a king, then you shouldn't fail to at least make one. Congratulations and May God guide, protect and bless you.

The author Obilan Abubakar is an MP aspirant, Bukedea County