Dear Mr President,
The climate emergency is the great leveller of our age. We are all in it together – rich or poor, black or white, democrat or autocrat. To be sure; none of us is safe. Which is why the resolution by the European Union Parliament, to postpone the Uganda oil and gas project on the grounds of the environment and human rights, must be taken seriously.
As a former Uganda national, I am painfully aware of the cultural imperative on the ground, namely, that Uganda is now a land in which the jingle of the charming shilling makes a world of difference to the ear when it is hearing a case; so much so that many in Uganda today, especially those in positions of power, cannot afford to lose by integrity. They accordingly take the doubtful way either by sailing too close to the wind or speculate until it amounts to gambling. The intoxicating excitement in Kampala at the prospect of an oil bonanza, which it is speculated has the power to propel Uganda to the much coveted ‘Middle Income’ status, makes the oil and gas project all the more hazardous.
Courtesy The Economist. See, https://www.economist.com/
This hazard is especially borne out by mounting scientific evidence which states that, unless all the 8 billion strong humanity changes course in the next few short years, the earth will reach a tipping point, a point of no-return as it were; and it will be all over for the world as we know it. It means that the Pearl of Africa, for example, will cease to exist. And in the case of Uganda in particular, the risk is exacerbated by the country’s abysmal track record of managing capital projects. Please remember also that this is a country that is presently struggling to run a national airline with just a handful of planes. It is therefore not racist for the European Parliament to sound a note of caution as to the feasibility of the oil and gas project in Uganda.
In view of the fact that 2022 is a milestone year for Uganda, that is, a year in which Uganda celebrates her 60th anniversary as an independent sovereign nation; an executive decree befitting the occasion is clearly in order, to take the lead and do everything in your power to help turn the global thermostat down.
I therefore appeal to your good conscience, not as Mr President of the Republic of Uganda, but as a father and a grandfather, to please cancel the oil and gas project for the sake of your own children and grandchildren. Please do not put off until tomorrow what so urgently needs to be done today.
I am, Sir, yours respectfully,
Stephen Kamugasa.
10 October 2022
Editor’s Note:
The Kamugasa Challenge is excited to announce that it will publish three important podcasts/blogs on the climate emergency in 2023. The first podcast/blog will be an interview with Sir Jonathon Porritt CBE, Britain’s foremost environmentalist and writer. He is a co-founder of a sustainable development charity, Forum for the Future.