Children are very interesting people. They don’t mince their words and will tell you exactly what they think about you. Our neighbor one day owed my grandmother some little money. He knew that my grandmother was going to demand her money and either he didn’t want to pay or he never had the money. So he told his five year kid - Kasapuli, when Suzanna comes, tell her that I have gone to Kashenshero (some seven kilometers away) and the man got into his bed. When my grandmother arrived for her money and asked where the kid’s father had gone, the kid said, “Dad told me to tell you that he had gone to Kashenshero and went into his bedroom”. Another child, my cousin Byaruhanga also said it all in 1991. My grandfather Ruhindi (RIP) who had two big hills of land, a big plantation of Matoke and coffee and a number of cattle told the Census enumerator that his land was ½ an acre and that he had no cow and no coffee plantation. This he said because he thought his property would be used as a basis for levying graduated tax on him. His grandchild said immediately, “Shwenkuru arabeiha” Rukiga for “grandpa is telling a lie” and the child said all that my grandfather owned. In 2006, on a livelihood study in Kiyanga in the new Mitooma district, I asked a certain parent how often his family ate meat, the man told me twice a week. Immediately a four year kid said, we last ate meat on Chrismas and this was in August.This is how sincere children are. This is how truthful children can be.
This explains why Jesus had this to say, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” (Matthew 19: 14, Luke 18:16). The sincerity of the NBS kid renewed my undying love I have for children. While the NBS kid might have made those remarks out of sheer love for humanity and justice, there are other children who have been orphaned by the Police during the walk-to-work protests. The newspapers, radios and televisions have reported some nine others ten but someone posted a picture on my face book showing many dead bodies. Anyhow, whether people who died were nine or ten or more than that, they have families to which they were bread winners. Their children are now suffering for no good reason. I would expect the government to mount investigation into the matter of the people who died during the Walk-to-Work campaign and compensate their families.
We don’t even have to waste time apportioning responsibility. We know who caused those deaths. If the deaths were caused by the people who were walking, they should also be brought to book. But the culture of impunity must stop and stop now. I would want to believe that ours is a society anchored on the rule of law. And rule of law means that nobody is above the law – not even the king or an elected president. Rule of law brooks no impunity. We must be like Kasapuli and the NBS kid who takes my accolade as Uganda’s leading human rights defender. Accordingly, when our leaders propose the introduction of constitutional viruses as Professor Kanyeihamba calls them, we stand to say no. We must not infest our cherished constitution with bad amendments. We must also stand to tell off the police when they deviate from their constitutional obligation. We must tell the political leaders that they are our servants and not our bosses. We must not be subservient when they abuse our taxes for personal aggrandizement. We have seen the increase of ministerial posts and our leaders tell us it is for the public good; after one year, we must ask for results. We must not tire to ask for social services and political goods– jobs, quality education, a functioning healthcare system; good roads and freedom. I am quite sure, if you neglect your children, because of their truthful nature, if a neighbor interviews them, they will say the truth as it is. Unfortunately, we get morally depraved when we grow up and the situation becomes worse after attaining our education. How I wish our education could impel us to learn the good practices from children –especially compassion and truthfulness.
vnuwagaba@gmail.com
Mr. Nuwagaba is a human rights defender
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