We don't have democracy like in your country. When have elections they are never fair and free. If it gets bad you will have to fly away, but will stay here. (Rebecca Ssabwe, my mama)
I'm currently in Wakiso or Mpuga, Uganda. This is the second day of bloodshed and instability in the country, with at least 5 dead yesterday and 3 today. We have been bound to our homes since yesterday afternoon. Those Peace Corps Trainees that were in Wakiso at the various hangout spots for relaxation were quickly evacuated by PC Uganda and sent to their houses. My home is situated on a large intersection, which allowed my home stay family and myself to witness hundreds of people running from the trading center for fear of their lives and loved ones waiting eagerly for their children and spouses from Wakiso. Gratefully all met their families with smiles and hugs as they have made it passed the fire barricades in town by the rioters. Gunfire has continued throughout yesterday and today despite military personnel and police patrolling the trading center. I don't really know what is going to happen. The hostility is due to the fact President Museveni is supporting the creation of a new kingdom inside the kingdom of Buganda, which is the largest and most influential kingdom in Uganda. Museveni is from the west and is not from the Buganda area. There are strong opinions that the President is trying to decrease the influence of the Kabaka (King) by slowly cutting away his territory. A bold move by the leader of the country, but fairly expected by such a man. I wonder if Museveni expected such a reaction...I listened as the Secretary of Information told the radio audience that the riots and violence were planned by the Kabaka and the government was well aware of their preparations. As a reaction to Museveni's proposed slicing of the land, the Kabaka wishes to visit the territory on Saturday, which he has every right to do as it is still part of his kingdom. The President has refused the King access to the territory because he says he cannot guarantee the King's safety and it is this action that has caused the violence, the protests, the riots. I just witnessed on television the police cracking down on protesters, however, none of them appeared to be resisting even as the police are beating and caning them before the throw them into the backs of trucks. Those arrested do not seem to be causing any problems and are quite literally being dragged out of their homes to the sounds of screaming wives and family members. Then they are senselessly beaten by the police for begging them to stop arresting them. A legitimate democracy is sometimes signified by a peaceful transition of power due to a democratic process. However, since Museveni snatched power none such transition has occurred. Since being placed as President he has had the Constitution changed to allow for a third term and is now working to remove term limits. Tomorrow maybe worse than the previous, because the Kabaka will attempt to go to the land and will most likely be refused. We in the Peace Corps truly have no idea what will happen to us. Today I walked to an area fairly far away to obtain airtime. The area seemed peaceful, but I thought I heard gunfire in that direction earlier in the day. But I was out of airtime and it's nearly impossible to sit in your home and not know what other people in the area are doing. This is an interesting start to the second month. I know neither side is without error and neither side is holy on this subject. I also find it interesting how people have come together for protection. People are welcoming others to come and stay with them and even stashing their cars in someone's backyard because when the riots occur cars are the first thing they try and burn. We have been housing a mother and her child who tried to return to Kampala without success, the capital is much worse than here. My mama took them in and gave them a place to stay and food for the night. Another instance was when I went to go find airtime. As most would try to do, I wanted to buy as much as I could afford because I wanted to make a couple short international calls and keep in touch with the 42 other volunteers dealing with the issue in Wakiso. The shopkeeper would only allow me to buy 5,000 shillings worth even though I asked for 10k. The man knew he was holding on to a scarce resource since I had gone to at least 5 other stores before him, and he wanted to make sure that others were going to be able to call their loved ones. He quite admirably and quite against what we view as capitalist, I had money and he had a product. The man gave up a nice guaranteed increase in revenue to help others in the area. Yesterday we saw several people jumping into random truck beds, people throwing their bikes into strangers cars and getting in. The community knows how to take care of itself. We really do not know what is going to happen tomorrow. It is like a game of chess. The President decided to halt the King's tour of the area. The King's supporters responded with riots yesterday and the President's men were in full force today.
