Ordinary Citizens Disappointed with President Museveni’s Response to Increasing Commodity Prices
It’s been a tough half year for Ugandans with weekly price increase on commodities such as washing soap, cooking oil, salt, baking flour and others. Not like the prices were any favourable, with more than thirty years of leadership, one would expect increase in social welfare, reduction in poverty levels and minimum wage to improve livelihood.
What the country is witnessing is a progressive price increase on commodities for three decades. However yesterday the 22nd of May, the President in his address linked economic crisis to the Ukraine -Russia war which has created shortages in Petroleum. He added backing up that Uganda’s inflation rate is still manageable in comparison to other countries. Yes, war comes with inflated prices and we can’t eliminate the effect but government intervention is necessary.
A section of political actors have been pressing for subsidies and tax elimination on some locally produced products however Museveni disagreed sighting that taxes are essential for government development projects like infrastructure and Electricity, something ordinary Ugandans didn’t understand and will not understand because having daily meals is becoming a miracle for many.
Museveni’s wisdom is vividly portrayed in handling such crisis in his explanations. He seems to knowledgeable on the problems but he offers no solutions. One would say he is a great politician rather than problem eradicator.
Consumer substitution isn’t a lasting solution as other sectors will suffer losses and may exit the economy instead consumers purchasing power such as minimum wage should and must be enforced. increase purchasing power to offset price increase. We have seen other countries like Kenya embrace this, why not us.
