As father mismanages Coronavirus response, son picks fight with media for ‘praising other countries’

First son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba aka Kainemuseveni is fuming after Uganda’s English daily The New Vision tweeted about Rwanda’s exemplary enforcement of strict measures to curb the raging Coronavirus Pandemic. Exposing his predisposition as a predator of media freedom, Muhoozi has given flack to the state mouthpiece for rightly pointing out that Rwanda is doing the right thing in the face of the Coronavirus Pandemic. The first son believes that the New Vision should not be stating facts about Rwanda because it is ‘a government asset.’

“But who is in charge of this New Vision? Is this a government asset or what? How dare they praise another state before our great Ugandan state?” the first son quipped, sending online followers in shock, as it reminded them of the Idi Amin era when the President and his cronies wielded so much power and often terrorised media and whoever else dared to question or expose their evil.

And then Muhoozi punctuates his discontentment with the most misplaced statement under the prevailing Ugandan reality and global circumstances: “Uganda is the greatest country in Africa period!! In all things. Nobody else can compare,” Dear Muhoozi, greatness is earned, not enforced.

It borders on mockery to state that Uganda ‘is the greatest country in Africa’ when it is on record that hundreds of COVID-19 suspects who arrived by plane bribed their way out of quarantine in Uganda, while influential figures in the Ugandan society simply picked up their children and relatives from quarantine and drove them home. Returning Ugandans have been extorted of their savings after being subjected to a USD 1,400 forced quarantine as a way to blackmail them into parting with bribes for Government officials.

Hundreds of Ugandans are still stranded at all entry points because borders are closed and the Government has refused to cater for their 14 days stay in quarantine. How can a person of Muhozi’s status honestly state that Uganda is the greatest when the Ugandan Government has covered up Coronavirus cases for the childish reason of ostensibly ‘maintaining a ‘clean sheet?’

With this reckless handling of affairs concerning the Coronavirus Pandemic by the Ugandan Government, it is not only the Ugandan nationals being put to risk but the entire region.

While the first son turns green with envy and jealousy because someone has rightly pointed out Rwanda’s diligence in protecting her nationals and the region, his father is busy paying lip service about the pandemic, delving into lengthy televised scientific lectures instead of providing leadership and coveted solutions to the already sufferingUgandan population.

Instead of dealing with the present pandemic, Muhoozi’s father would rather chest thump, reminding all and sundry about how he fought Idi Amin and Obote, how he detonated explosives in Luwero, as if that has any bearing to the present situation that threatens to wipe out not only the Ugandan population, but also the entire continent if leaders don’t cease to be jokers.