Dancing To Kampala Songs

Reaction of Ugandans to failed payment of dues owed to Ugandan traders by GOSS

Dancing To Kampala Songs

By Opoka Christopher Arop

The breeze in Kampala is often a contrast with the complaints of heat, sunshine and imagined sandstorms. Kampalans [if I can be permitted] appear trendy with their handkerchiefs, hand towels and water bottles; as well as heavy smokescreen sun gaggles. These, Kampalans would like to make us believe is because of the heat, the more ozone layer savvy will argue climate change; all in the hope that many of South Sudanese will fashion in on the ideas.

Needless to write about the Juba heat, least this scorching temperatures, alas 26 degrees centigrade in the sun, nearby an umbrella tree, with some Kampalans rightly finding it odd that am working outdoors!

Dancing has become synonymous with South Sudanese nights all over town. Some hangouts have forgotten or seem not to care that the chaps that frequent night-spots are not today’s Sudanese [beats my understanding when a Sudanese night is intended for South Sudanese entourages].

Drinking is also now synonymous with South Sudanese. Either an excuse to splash a-cash-for-war epiphany. The agony of our refugee status riches! Speaking of refugees, I watched with awe on Ugandan television how brave South Sudanese can be, within their country or in refuge: brave and bold needless to mention, that a refugee leader is able to display mockery of the quality of maize grains, flour and other food items as being fit for chicken [poultry and other birds].

The story of comparisons of temperatures between the two countries with infographs of pleasures and agonies thereof aside, I will instead write about a different dancing altogether. Perhaps only altering the songs to the dance!

Callers to a news programme were replete with negatives about the country and people of South Sudan. One Lukwago, a trader claimed non-payment for goods delivered to Aweil in Northern Bahr El Ghazal. Masomalungi Kakindu from Mityana asked whether the traders demanding payment for goods delivered to South Sudan had actually done research for such business, and whether they are genuine claims, with receipts and financial agreements to show.

A guest, Mr. Kiyingi, on the show thus replies that: the people in Juba are not like our brothers from Kenya. South Sudan is behind in their reasoning by twenty five years he says.

Kiyingi adds that if you don’t believe a government can steal from you while you are seeing, just go to South Sudan.

In a separate program later that night, the Resident District Commissioner for Adjumani echoed the same complaint when he compared the cultures between the two countries. “Where a simple explanation will work they use force. Cultures of no respect, they want to live here like this is their country. Some of them have come with guns and are now using these weapons to threaten and rob Ugandans”

A group of traders who supplied food items and provided services in South Sudan, especially to the government are planning a peaceful demonstration with intention to deliver their petition to the Ugandan parliament and a copy to the South Sudanese embassy mid this week.

The traders are holding a meeting this afternoon at Nsambya Sharing Hall to plan their peaceful demonstration. Members of the traders union are calling for a peaceful walk. “We insist on no violence, no fighting and we discourage any one with intention to cause harm to South Sudanese or disrupt business in Kampala city”, Kiyingi said.

So what happens if the demonstrations fail?

1.      No transport to Uganda (buses, lorries etc will not travel to South Sudan)

2.      Decline to offer South Sudanese services (rent, transport in public vehicles)

3.      Implement games at all border points with South Sudan (the government knows what games the traders have deployed before at these borders!)

4.      Petition the government of Uganda to stop doing business with South Sudan

5.      Petition the East African Community to reject membership of South Sudan

Kiyingi says South Sudanese in Kampala (Uganda by default) are children of (SPLA) Generals who mistreat Ugandans in South Sudan. He says children of these army officials live in Ugandan homes, drive on Ugandan roads and study in Ugandan schools.

The traders say they can ask all Ugandans to unite and reject rent fees for houses. “They can stay with their dollars”

According to a letter claimed to have been authored by the Ugandan President, it was clearly directed that the government of South Sudan pay monies it owes to Ugandan traders. Some traders demand as high as millions of dollars.

Another argument is that since most traders took loans to undertake business with the government of South Sudan, even if President Kiir’s government pays these traders, the banks in Uganda will still demand them money. The traders are thus asking for interest on what the government of South Sudan owes them.

If these monies are not paid with full interest within seven days (starting 6^th March), the traders will shift gears to the five-point-action programme they have mentioned.

The programme aired on WBS television on Sunday 9^th March 2014 2:00pm to 3:00pm.

Can any South Sudanese dance to these songs however chilly the weather may be by any standards?