I’m also president material – you think!

“Yes, me for president - why not?
I have enough qualifications, one, two, I’m old enough and three, I have a family. Of course I went to school and finally, I am a comedian – a famous one at that with fans that can scale the height of the tallest man on earth, the late Ofwono of this my beautiful country Uganda.

Do not forget the fact that Red Pepper (Uganda’s first Tabloid) loves me, well I love it too. Two years ago they said I exchanged raining blows with a co-host on radio whom I happened to have beef with and sent him to hospital. No doubt I am macho, your ideal leader.
That is my portfolio and I aim to become even more famous. Take me seriously and if I go through, do not think it was a joke.” – Bitama Paddy of the Amarula family.

Haha – one can only but laugh at the joke politics has become. With just a few months for the Ugandan elections to kick in, many are swarming the Electoral Commission to get nomination forms.

The word many is justified, where the EC expected about 10 candidates, it has now, so far received 27 and counting of which our very own current president is also aspiring.
Implications
More of our money as tax payers is going to be used to sponsor the flock of presidential hopefuls because initially the EC had budgeted for not more than 10 and now the budget may need revision.
“If 27 or more picked nomination forms and they successfully get nominated, we shall tell the ministry of finance and they will provide for that in our budget because we don’t want to cause any crisis,” Dr Badru Kiggundu, the elections boss, said, while indicating that the EC cannot dictate a limit to the candidates they would get.

And what a contradiction. Dr Badru and his committee budgeted for 10 yet he says EC cannot limit the candidates. Knowing Ugandans, of course not only 10 can want to register, more people are getting thirst and hunger for power. So why not budget for say 50 hopefuls instead of giving us crappy contradicting explanations? Already crisis is created, where is the Finance Ministry getting the money? From tax payers’ sweat – that is right.

Maybe it is even about time the EC set a limit to the hopefuls and not bet their guns on the fact that some individuals may not be nominated. And what happens if the money budgeted for is more? Let me hope they do not call a meeting to see to how they can fatten their already enormous pockets.

Bearing in mind that even the presidential hopefuls have to pay USh8million non-refundable before nomination a big risk but upon nomination, they actually gain more, UShs20 million from the EC, a fully fueled new campaign vehicle and police escort vehicle with armed officers for use throughout the campaign. So the money by those who do not go through is probably chewed by the fat pockets.

I wonder why in the world EC would even allow characters such as Paddy SSali alias (of course) Paddy Bitama (one with fat chicks) to come pick forms. It is a joke, judging from the shows he gives the audience. I do not even want to get into giving descriptions and drawing excerpts.

Honestly, why would I or you for that matter want a clown for a president, so that I or we can laugh my/our way into the White House or State House in Uganda’s case?

Maybe we can rule ourselves, rather the country can rule itself. Okay impossible, guess we had better write to the Obama administration to get us a competent leader. I hear there are many candidates right from junior classes.