Try to imagine putting in a full day, or night, of hard work and at the completion of your duties you don’t get paid. Instead you are taken aback by your boss with, “Sorry, sorry, I have no money for you today.” Let’s take it a step further: The money you spend for transport just to get to work isn’t covered either. You are on your own. No gas money; no taxi money; not even any bus money. Now to get home. Fact is, you must borrow a few shillings to solve that little quandary. You may even have to spend the night on the street.
Hard as it is to imagine, such circumstances are common and are not much more than an everyday slice of life here in Uganda. Truly, there is no money for the common man. On the other hand, the country does prosper. There’s oil, gold, tea, coffee, tourism, and other rich resources in this land of plenty. But, the shillings never find their way south to the ordinary folks. Instead, the wealth travels north with the upper class and government receiving pretty much all the yield.
There’s plenty of whisperings and disgruntled people everywhere you go. There are moneyless people everywhere you look. Having a coke or a beer may be unheard of for some, but this seeming luxury is standard course for those on high. Differences in class is one thing, but differences in worlds is another. Uganda knows what it’s doing and believe me, in so many ways, it’s doing quite well.
