The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the writer nor Reed Business Information but different individuals in Kampala (names withheld) who either benefited or gained nothing from the Commonwealth Meetings hosted from Friday 23 November to Sunday 25th November 2007 at Serena Conference Centre.
Those who thought nothing was achieved from CHOGM reasoned that corruption increased after the meeting. Police officers and people in government pointed out in the recent IGG Reports show the decline in financial morality and so does the NSSF Temangalo saga. Individuals circumvent the law to achieve their interests. Secondly, rehabilitated roads are now potholed and many accidents are occurring. In the third place, there are many state dinners that are unclassified yet this is wastage of tax payers’ money. The City Council practices trash instead of following policies formulated. No wonder government once wanted to take over the affairs of ‘Seya’. CHOGM was not for the common man; government used propaganda to excite people including tomato sellers raising hopes which were misdirected and never satisfied. Things backfired on people who invested because they thought they would reap big from Chogm. In addition, the Queen’s agenda was to increase her neo-colonial glory. She saw how much Uganda was in need and allowed the 4 year interval meeting to be held there. It was overhyped but it mainly boosted M7’s self esteem. A patronage system was extended; about 10 Billion UgX was stolen from the road sector alone by unnamed individuals. The event was an avenue for primitive accumulation of wealth; someone called it the Common (poverty) Heads of Gangsters Meeting. People are poorer than they were before CHOGM. It was an ironical blessing, i.e. in a negative sense. It was easy to host but benefiting from it was a problem. Only UBC was allowed to broadcast the event but it was poorly handled yet this was the best opportunity to showcase the nation. The hotels built are kind of a monopoly for the ruling class. There is lack of prioritization because billions of state funds are spent on conferences like the recent tripartite COMESA-EAC-SADC meeting yet the countryside is poor. Instead of reaping from CHOGM, it ripped from Uganda. There was disunity in the higher echelons of society; the Vice President His Excellency Gilbert Bukenya was going for EuroCar while Wavah routed for his Mercedes franchise. One person who was on a CHOGM Publicity committee confessed that “300 Million was eaten by a certain source.” Their team did not gain a single cent so they packed their bags and returned home. These points clearly showed that the higher we climb, the more we expose our bottom for criticism. We are marketing ourselves but forgetting things like absolute democracy and equal distribution of national funds.
Nevertheless, others argue that those who criticize CHOGM only look but DO NOT see. GHOGM was very good because it was not very bad (Hope you get the humorous drift). Visibly and seriously though, Uganda is shining internationally. The Brand Uganda advertisement messages on CNN before CHOGM were geared towards marketing the Tourism potential of the Pearl of Africa and when the delegates arrived, they felt for themselves what had been hyped. Their impressions were positive and very encouraging indeed. CHOGM Money was given to ensure security in the country during the important week and after. Some people reasoned that there were long term, short term and intermediate benefits for example M7 was invited for the Commonwealth Day gathering where the talk was about how to develop Uganda. Credit should be given to those who struggled to ensure that Uganda was awarded venue status. Another individual commented that through institutions, the Multiplier Effect benefits the local man. Uganda is now a leisure centre for other countries. CHOGM shaded light on Uganda’s good governance and democracy. The state captain is garnering support from foreign lands. Hotels built remained in Uganda, for instance OIC (Organisation of the Islamic Conference) had their meeting in the new Imperial Royale Hotel. As a positive consequence, employment was created. I do not think you can find the sophisticated machines people were jabbering about to be the servants during the Queen’s presence in Uganda. The tarnished image of Uganda’s security ability was re-polished to look really trustworthy. Roads were beautified and infrastructure renovated for example the Telecommunication Building that used to look very miserable near Kitante Golf Course was wonderfully re-painted. CHOGM created good connections that can help to mine the oil in northwestern Uganda. The only problem will be whether this money can reach the peasants. During that time last November, Parliamentarians dressed smartly and filled up the house to overflowing. You can only wish on a star for that to happen because it rarely happens in this Parliament of ours. CHOGM also provided a platform for Ugandans to drive forward their ideas and probably get marriage partners. Different institutions played their roles day and night. Lighting systems were superb and security was alert. Uganda became a massive Tourism hotspot. You can now gauge for yourself whether the Commonwealth Meeting was more beneficial or destructive…
