Rebecca Kadaga’s recent remarks about Milly Babirye Babalanda’s lack of academic qualifications have stirred controversy, but beneath the surface lies a deeper indictment of Kadaga’s own legacy in Kamuli District.
For nearly four decades, Kadaga has represented Kamuli as Woman MP, yet the district remains mired in poverty, poor infrastructure, and dismal social indicators. To ridicule Babalanda for her educational background is to ignore the systemic failures that Kadaga herself presided over.
Kamuli District, with a population of over 540,000, is emblematic of the challenges facing rural Uganda. More than half of children enrolled in primary school drop out before sitting for the Primary Leaving Examination, a statistic that underscores the lack of sustained investment in education.
Kadaga herself admitted that she struggled to identify a female candidate with the requisite qualifications to serve as RDC, a confession that reveals the depth of educational neglect in her constituency. If Babalanda failed to complete formal schooling, she is not alone, she is a victim of a system that has failed countless girls in Kamuli, a system Kadaga was entrusted to reform but did not.
The economic and social indicators of Kamuli paint a grim picture. Poverty levels remain high, with households struggling to meet basic needs. Unemployment is rampant, particularly among the youth, who are left without opportunities for meaningful work. Infrastructure is woefully inadequate: roads are poorly maintained, limiting access to markets and services.
Water coverage has historically been low, with many communities relying on unsafe sources such as shallow wells and unprotected springs. Although recent projects like the Strategic Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project have aimed to triple coverage, the reality is that for decades, Kamuli residents endured water scarcity and waterborne diseases. The National Water and Sewerage Corporation has only recently begun upgrading facilities to improve reliability, a belated intervention after years of neglect.
Health indicators are equally troubling. Kamuli has long struggled with high child mortality rates, driven by preventable diseases and poor access to healthcare. Malnutrition remains a persistent problem, exacerbated by poverty and food insecurity. The district’s maternal health outcomes are below national averages, reflecting inadequate investment in health facilities and services. These realities stand in stark contrast to the promises of empowerment and development that Kadaga has made throughout her tenure.
Against this backdrop, Babalanda’s rise is remarkable. Despite lacking formal academic qualifications, she has achieved prominence through resilience, loyalty, and political mobilization. She represents the countless women in Kamuli who, denied the chance to complete their education, nonetheless strive to make meaningful contributions to society. To ridicule her is to ridicule the struggles of her community. Her story is not one of failure, but of triumph against the odds. She escaped the chains of poverty and systemic neglect to reach the highest levels of government, a feat that deserves commendation rather than scorn.
Kadaga’s attempt to undermine Babalanda exposes a hypocrisy. For decades, she has presided over a district where girls drop out of school in droves, where poverty and unemployment remain entrenched, and where basic services like water and healthcare are unreliable. Yet instead of acknowledging her own failures, she chooses to shame those who have risen despite them. The irony is stark: Kadaga forged Babalanda’s recommendation to secure her appointment as RDC, admitting that she could not find a qualified woman in her constituency. That act alone is a confession of her failure to empower the girl child in Kamuli.
Kamuli’s statistics tell the story of neglect. The district has over 124,000 households, many of which lack access to safe water and sanitation. Children out of school remain a significant proportion of the population, reflecting systemic barriers to education. Road networks are underdeveloped, limiting economic growth and perpetuating isolation. Poverty levels remain stubbornly high, with families struggling to survive on subsistence farming and informal labor. Unemployment among youth is a ticking time bomb, fueling frustration and hopelessness. These are not the hallmarks of effective representation; they are the scars of decades of failed leadership.
Babalanda, by contrast, embodies resilience. She rose from the same soil that has trapped so many in cycles of poverty and deprivation. Her achievements are a testament to determination and loyalty, qualities that resonate with the ordinary people of Kamuli. She is not the culprit; she is the victim of a bad system, a system that Kadaga failed to transform. To ridicule her is to ridicule the people of Kamuli themselves, who have endured hardship and neglect under Kadaga’s watch.
The controversy between Kadaga and Babalanda is more than a personal feud; it is a reflection of the broader failures of leadership in Kamuli. Kadaga’s tenure has not delivered the social and economic improvements that her constituents desperately need. Education remains inaccessible for many girls, poverty persists, health outcomes are poor, and infrastructure is inadequate. Babalanda’s story highlights the resilience of those who rise despite these challenges, and her achievements should be celebrated as a victory against systemic neglect.
In the end, the ridicule should not fall on Babalanda, but on Kadaga. For nearly four decades, she has held power without delivering meaningful change. Her attempt to shame Babalanda only underscores her own failures. Kamuli’s statistics are a damning indictment of her legacy, a legacy of neglect and broken promises. Babalanda’s rise is a reminder that even in the face of systemic failure, individuals can achieve greatness. She is not the problem; she is the proof that the people of Kamuli deserve better representation, better opportunities, and better leadership.
Kadaga’s words may have sparked controversy, but they have also exposed the truth: the real shame lies not in Babalanda’s lack of formal education, but in Kadaga’s failure to ensure that girls in Kamuli had the chance to complete theirs. The people of Kamuli entrusted her with their hopes for empowerment and progress, but she delivered decades of stagnation. Babalanda’s achievements, against all odds, are a victory for the ordinary people of Kamuli, and a rebuke to the failed leadership that sought to undermine her.
