It is a trite fact that Corruption is an insidious cancer which has seeped into the fabric of our country Uganda, eroding trust, stifling progress, and go leaving the most vulnerable in its wake.I grew up like most of the People in this country, with a mother and Father, mum and Dad. I will say this with a sigh! Corruption killed my Dad.
It killed my Education, it killed my Health, It killed my Friends, it killed my Network, it killed my Connections.
Corruption killed everything I called mine. It killed those innocent babies in the I.C.U, the shameless corruption killed the family; the small basic unit of a society.
Corruption isn’t just a faceless statistic. It’s the doctor who prioritizes bribes over the sick, it killed all the patients in Mulago. It killed my Dad, for he was a great Doctor.
It killed the Voters, looking at how the politician is lining his pockets instead of serving the people, It killed the Electoral Commission, it killed my Dad, he was a strong Leader.
Look at my education, look at your Education, the C.A.O who left teachers not to teach, the teacher who sold grades for material gain. Corruption killed my Dad! For he was a strong Academician.
Corruption is the pothole on the road, a monument to stolen funds meant for infrastructure. It’s the child denied an education because resources have been diverted. My Dad was the breadwinner, the light of the family, the future of this country. Corruption didn’t look at anything, it killed my Dad! My Dad was my country.
The police didn’t investigate well on the availability of a crime, the judge said the Crime lacked mensrea, the lawyer said it was a lie! adducing an affidavit to support his bogus defence.
The very idea of justice became a hollow promise. They said justice delayed is justice denied, but I didn’t see it in their actions. Corruption feeds on a culture of silence, where fear and apathy reign.
You all are silent, when my Dad is no longer breathing. But let me be clear: silence is complicity. We must break this cycle. The Leaders, Justices and every one of us! Don’t kill my Dad! When the late Speaker Jacob , he said we are all corrupt.
YOU ALL KILLED MY DAD!
It started with my Dad, I believe yours is next! For it is like a rolling ball, once it sets rolling, it will definitely increase velocity! We must be the generation that says “enough to the linear descendants of corruption! You may not know it’s pain until it will be used against you! It is a subversive for any political system.
Let us build a society where merit reigns supreme, where opportunity is available to all, and where the law applies equally not only under Article 21 of our constitution. Let us be a generation that leaves behind a legacy of transparency, accountability, and justice.
Martin Luther King Jr was right when he said, in the end, we shall remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends!
Together, we can extinguish the flame of corruption and illuminate a brighter future for all.
Corruption killed my Country, Corruption killed my Dad!
Inspired by the true events happening in our country.
Happy Men’s Health Month.
Mwanje Gideon is a student of law, President of both Uganda law students Association and Law Student Association of East Africa
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