By Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi
ON Thursday July 15th July 2021, l reported to Office of Resident City Commissioner Masaka City where l was posted as Deputy on June Wednesday 23rd June 2021.
My first assignment was to attend a Masaka City Covid-19 Task Force meeting where good news was that the death rate had gone down and for four consecutive days, there was no death reported attributed to Covid 19.
At a media briefing we held after, addressed by the RCC Mr. Fred Bamwine, Mr. Tomusange Kayinja, a veteran journalist and CBS correspondent sought clarification whether the figures that the task force gave were for Masaka city alone or Greater Kampala region since the source was Masaka Regional Referral Hospital. The answer was that the source was that Masaka City and Masaka District had now separated their task force committees and hold meetings separately.
But even if the figures given out by Masaka City Council was for the entire Greater Masaka Region covering Masaka, Rakai, Kalangala, Ssembabule, Lyantonde, Kalungu, Bukomansimbi, Lwengo and Kyotera districts, the good news is that the death rate has declined.
This is as a result of the vigilance by Masaka City Task Force leadership under the RCC that includes the City Mayor, Town Clerk, City Health Officer, City Internal Security Officer, District Police Commander, District Prisons Commander, Regional Police Health Inspector, and representatives of NGOs, business community, youths, and others.
Unfortunately, the good results for enforcement of the SOPs in city is shared by all but the excesses however little it may be, is personalized only to the RCC Mr. Fred Bamwine. Mr. Bamwine said that what was going on in the city was not his personal work but collective decisions of the city task force.
Since the City Task Force, is under the National Task Force, it is not expected to go beyond measures announced by President Yoweri Museveni at the beginning of this lock down and it is wrong to take the RCC personal as if he is the sole player in the city.
However, the good news is that, Covid 19 is fought tooth and nail in Masaka City and Greater Masaka Region with hope that at the end of this 42-day lockdown, we should turn back to business as usual. Baganda say: Akutwala ekiro, omusiima bukedde.
What is important is that in this post-election period, it is proper for leaders to avoid populistic tendencies and work as a team. This should be so regardless of whether one belongs to the ruling National Resistance Movement or the Opposition political parties.
So, in my assessment, l see a gap not only between the ruling NRM and the Opposition especially NUP which is Masaka City Council leadership, but there is also a gap between representatives of the Central Government and local NRM leadership.
l expect all political leadership Central and Local, technocrats, civil society, private sector, traditional and spiritual leadership, including bishops, Qadhis, pastors, Pookino (Saza Chief) of Buddu and others, to join forces for not only vigorously fighting the pandemic, but also for improving service delivery and prosperity of the city which is a South Buganda sub regional commercial capital. Let us sing with Mzee Jomo Kamau Kenyatta: Harambee (Pull together). Happy Eid Al Adhuha day (A feast of sacrifice).
Haji Ahmed Kateregga Musaazi is a veteran journalist and an outgoing Communications Assistant with Ministry of ICT and National Guidance Digital Team and Deputy RCC Masaka City.
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