08/08/2026
MY OBSERVATION.
When you critically examine the conversations across various social media platforms, one striking observation emerges; a significant number of individuals & groups who routinely insult, blackmail, malign, or engage in character assassination against our leader, "Chairman Odrek Rwabwogo," have, in reality, never meaningfully interacted with him-either personally, by telephone, or through any substantive engagement on national, political, economical or personal matters.
Yet, despite having little or no first, hand experience with the person they condemn, some have demonstrated remarkable consistency & determination in propagating narratives that appear to be built more on hearsay, assumptions, political interests & preconceived hostility than on facts or personal knowledge!
There is a saying in Buganda: 'NKYAYILAKKO' literally meaning “I hate this person on someone else’s behalf.” In Runyakitara, a similar expression is 'MUNYANGIREHO.' These expressions capture a political and social phenomenon where individuals adopt hostility toward others, not because of their own experiences or convictions, but because they have been persuaded, influenced or mobilised to do so by someone else!
Such a culture can easily flourish in an environment where "independent thought is weak, political discourse is shallow and people are more comfortable repeating narratives than interrogating them." And, with humility, I can acknowledge that none of us is completely immune to such tendencies. We are all capable of being influenced by our environments & the information we consume. However, sees beyond the noise of politics, propaganda, and public perception.
Human beings may construct narratives, manipulate opinions, and temporarily distort the truth, but ultimately, truth does not require propaganda to survive!
Some disagreement should not automatically become personal hostility, disagreeing with a leader or with an individual-on one, two, or even several issues does not make that person an enemy. Equally, believing in someone does not require us to defend everything they say or do!
No individual, political movement or generation has a monopoly on wisdom, knowledge, or understanding about everything. "Leadership itself is a continuous learning process and society progresses when people are willing to listen, question, disagree respectfully and learn from one another." Therefore, let us challenge ideas without destroying people, debate policies without manufacturing enemies & disagree without descending into hatred & character assassination!
Let us do everything with maturity, intellectual independence, humility and respect for each other. "Because at the end, history does not only judge what we believed, it also judges how honestly we arrived at what we believed, how we treated those with whom we disagreed, and whether we contributed to building or destroying the society we claimed to serve."
FOR GOD AND MY COUNTRY 🇺🇬🇺🇬