When you travel to other countries, certain questions come to mind. You might wonder, “When our leaders travel abroad, don’t they see and admire the progress other countries have made?” It’s as if they take vacations from reality, visiting modern cities with sleek trains and advanced infrastructure, only to return home unphased by Uganda’s old and rusty systems.
Imagine the scene: Our leaders introducing themselves at international conferences. Do they ever feel embarrassed admitting they’re in charge of a country that still uses colonial-era trains? It’s hard to picture them not feeling at least a pang of shame. Do they ever get ashamed? Do they ever feel guilty? Or does their conscience take a holiday too, just like they do?
As they focus on amassing personal wealth and ensuring their own comfort, it’s doubtful they take time to use the trains back home. When they return to Uganda, do they look around and see the outdated locomotives with any concern? Or do they just shrug it off, blaming it all on imperialism?
For the sake of your sanity, you might decide not to dwell on these questions. After all, it’s painful to see the stark contrast between the luxurious lifestyles of our leaders and the reality faced by ordinary Ugandans.
Recently, we proudly launched our train to Namanve. Yes, our new pride and joy, still chugging along with engines from the colonial era. Meanwhile, Tanzania has just received the first batch of electric locomotives for their newly built standard gauge railway (SGR), set to start operations in July. While our neighbors embrace the future, we remain stuck in the past, operating passenger trains between Kampala, Namanve, and Port Bell with ancient engines and wagons.
But hey, who needs modern trains when we have leaders who can jet-set around the world? Maybe someday, our leaders will return from their travels inspired to bring real change. Until then, we’ll keep asking these questions, hoping for a day when Uganda finally catches up with the rest of the world.
