Ugandans: End SARS! Really?

This post was originally published in The Street Journal of October 19, 2020.

Internationally, media and press have lately been awash with the Nigerian anti-SARS protests against police brutality. With the advent of social media, nowadays the average Ugandan needs not first tune in to BBC or those other international news channels to learn of these happenings. And neither does he/she have to watch the international news segment on the local TV stations. All he needs to do is just open his Facebook or Twitter application and there find the news trending on friends’ and groups’ timelines. So, that is how the average Ugandan has now become very informed and a participant in continental issues.

It goes without mentioning that these protests have been shared far and wide along the social media streets and my Ugandans have joined the struggle to oppose the injustice the Police in Nigeria has meted on the citizens it is supposed to safeguard. So, almost every two scrolls on my Facebook page, there is a Ugandan posting something along the lines of “SARS Bajooga!”, “End SARS!”, “Ugandans with Nigerians” among others and in several local dialects. Some have even gone to an extent of attacking those who are not participating in the social media campaign on their WhatsApp status updates condemning them to be unpatriotic and anti-Ubuntu. I will not talk about the retweets on Twitter.

In the same spirit of pan-Africanism, let me also add my voice to the campaign and categorically state that I condemn the brutality of the Police Forces not only in Nigeria but also in all other African and Western countries most especially in my country, Uganda. In the same vein, I will also question the hypocrisy of Ugandans manifested in some of these social media campaigns. I have observed that Ugandans feel uppish or rather high-hat when they add their voices to global issues. They want to be taken as people who are responsible and therefore concerned folk of the global village. They are the first ones to stir up a social media storm whenever something that must be talked about happens, say, for example, a human rights violation. Remember the unfortunate death of African American, George Floyd? Ugandans really fought for his justice. Now that people have died and been maimed and terrorised by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force, Ugandans are on it again.

But what about our own Ugandan Police and Army? It beats my understanding how Ugandans are not so vocal about the gross injustice the people in uniform have meted on the unfortunate Ugandans. I do not have to list here the several incidents that have been reported about in the news, but how come never has there been any momentous protest like the SARS thing? I beg your pardon, I do not mean these honest marches to Parliament and press conferences, no. I mean a protest that attracts global attention like the anti-SARS thing that has really shattered the land of Nigeria. We have all seen literary everyone come out to oppose the brutality, but we have not seen these things happen in Uganda.

Is it that brutality differs and maybe theirs is greater or worse than ours? I don’t think so. When women were battered mercilessly by the Police and LDU, where was our conscience? When Col. Dr. (Rtd) Kiiza Besigye was water jetted to almost throwing him out of the car, or pepper-sprayed in the eyes or the very many incidents where opposition politicians have been tortured such as Hon. Zaake and Hon. Kyagulanyi, the NUP leader, where was the Ubuntu? Just recently, the NUP offices were raided in a manner that was akin to an ambush on the fallen Sadam Hussein or Hitler and Ugandans didn’t see that! Stop the hypocrisy! Videos of gruesome acts of the security custodians have been shared on social media; yet, Ugandans have not said much. If the Nigerians had not made much noise, their concern would not have gathered this much attention. Ugandans need to do better what they do best – protesting injustice wherever it occurs.

The international community also has to have our backs as we have faithfully had theirs when they needed it. Truth be told, Ugandans would have made the noise, but how can they when they are chocking? The government is our “Chauvin’s knee” and like George Floyd, “we can’t breathe” and that explains our inaudible voices. Nigerians, please be courteous enough and reciprocate the love to your fellows in suffering. And as the saying goes, be the voice for the voiceless.