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Before I proceed, I should take cognisance of the fact that a few of you reading this article have watched SpiderMan: Brand New Day now in cinema.
It follows that I should explain who Spider-Man is, before we get into the thick of my argument. Now, for those who have somehow escaped the Marvel universe, Spider-Man is a superhero character who goes out of his way to save his city from imminent and rampant danger/crime.
This comes at the expense of his own personal and individual loved ones. But he keeps showing up because protecting people is what he does. New Yorkers love him. He is every child’s hero.
In almost equal measure, or worse, Uganda has suffered for far too long with corruption, which has infested virtually every aspect of society. It is everywhere. Hospitals, schools, and roads that wash away before the contractor has even left the district; jobs that are advertised after they have already been given away.
Even those who have benefited from this system now seem frightened by what it has become. So, when someone suddenly emerges, exposing theft, recording officials, our Ugandans say, “Finally, someone inside has decided enough is enough.”
They want to believe Spider-Man has finally arrived. I am sorry to disappoint them. Balaam Barugahara is not Spider-Man. If anything, he belongs to the very universe that created the villains in the first place. That may sound harsh, but hear me out.
This article is not really about Balaam. Frankly speaking, I could never have expected him to solve corruption or Uganda’s deeper national questions. That would be unfair to him. Perhaps, I should register my bias.
I have always believed in the reverse of the biblical principle that to whom little has been given, little should be expected. Beyond the inspiring story of a young man who hustled his way from the streets into business success, I do not think Balaam knows much about governing a country. He is not a student of institutions.
He is simply one of the many political products that Uganda has produced over the years. So, my concern is not Balaam the individual. It is Balaam the symbol. He represents something much bigger.
He represents the NRM’s attempt to reinvent itself as Ugandans begin asking uncomfortable questions. That is why I have struggled to celebrate these recent corruption “exposés.” Not because corruption should not be exposed. Please expose every thief.
Arrest every official who has stolen public money. Recover every coin possible. But let us not pretend we do not know this script. Almost everything being exposed today has already been exposed before.
Opposition politicians, journalists, and civil society organisations have exposed it. The Auditor General himself has done the same. The difference is not the information. The difference is who is holding the camera.
Many people have already made the conclusion that had opposition MPs marched into those same district offices doing exactly what Balaam is doing today, they would not be celebrated. Instead, they would be accused of causing chaos, and they would be arrested.
So, why is this happening now? My view is that, the purpose is not necessarily to eliminate corruption. The purpose is to create just enough hope that people begin trusting the very people who built the system. It is like fattening a goat before market day.
The goat eats well. It even begins to think life has improved. It does not realise that the feeding has nothing to do with kindness. That is my fear. Not that some district officials will be arrested. Good. Let them answer for every shilling they stole.
My fear is that desperate Ugandans will mistake selective accountability for genuine reform. Corruption in Uganda is not an accident. It is not a few bad people making bad decisions. It has become part of how power is organised.
Sometimes I wonder whether the NRM can genuinely fight corruption without fighting itself. Think about it. If corruption is deeply woven into the political system, then eliminating it would require dismantling the very networks that have kept that system alive for decades.
In other words, they would have to arrest themselves out of power. Is that honestly going to happen? I doubt it. And that is why I refuse to be overly excited every time cameras are switched on, and a few officials are paraded before the public.
As Godber Tumushabe would say: we are experiencing complete structural brokenness. You do not repair structural brokenness with a few dramatic anticorruption rallies. You repair it by changing the structure.
That may come through a completely new national consensus. It may come through new leadership, altogether. I honestly do not know. What I know is this. Spider-Man does not emerge from the gang that has spent years terrorising the neighbourhood. So, with all due respect, Sorry Ugandans. Balaam Barugahara is not Spider-Man.
lawelfrayer253@gmail.com
Researcher with Agora Center for Research.
