Of Mini-Skirts legislation; Half-term for Uganda Parliament

Uganda is an amazing country, no doubt. We have great
climate, great food, amazingly hospitable and warm people. But I think that
sometimes our legislators sell us short. Well, I don’t think: I actually know
so.
When I was going to
school, primary school to be exact, we used to have a short break half way the
school term. We were given a whole weekend off in which we took time off books
and class. No prep, no homework just a break to kind of help us recuperate. That
weekend was also one of those that we never took anything serious. We called it
Half-term and always looked forward to it. During that time we engaged in
debates like : Fire is better than Water ; Discuss instead of talking about the
rise of the Buganda Kingdom in 1900.

Yesterday Fr Lokodo
the Minister of Ethics and Integrity tabled a piece of legislation that was
quite interesting in my opinion. It was not something to help the school going
children that were promised UPE [Universal Primary Education] whose funds the commissioners
spent ridiculously thus the demise of the Programme. According the Commission
of Inquiry set up in 2009 on the misuse of UPE/USE [Universal Primary and
Secondary Education] funds it was discovered that the commissioners spent 7
billion on hotel and restaurant bills even when there was no evidence of public
hearings and field trips. There was also 10 million shillings spent every day
in Kampala on travel within the city or district. [Whichever Kampala is.] No
the legislation was not aimed at helping those. Neither was it aimed at helping
the very many mothers that have to give birth to their new born babies on the
floor because there are no beds in the Health Centre IV’s that the government
has prided themselves in building.
According to Father Lokodo anyone found wearing something short in public could be sent to jail for 15 years or pay fines of up to 14,000,000 Ugs ($5,384). 

Soon in Uganda, it will be criminal to look this stunning! 

Parliament in my
opinion is going through some Half-Term phase where what they get to talk about
is not necessarily priority. They seem to be on a chill pill mode, problem is
they expect us to take them serious and we are actually listening to them.
The other day 30,000 goats disappeared into thin air unaccounted
for. The missing goats were meant for the implementation of a pilot breeding
project for strategic export under President Yoweri Museveni’s poverty reduction
programme in Sembabule District. The Support for Export Breeding and Production
Project was to benefit more than 100 farmers. However what was procured was
just 3000 goats after 333,000 (Sh800 million)
from government in the financial year 2004/2005 was given out for infrastructural
development and purchase of the goats.
I could list all the ‘corruption’ scandals that
have rocked parliament this year and brought laughter with tears to our eyes to
us the concerned citizens. However non of the issues are being directly
addressed in regard to corruption. The goats are still missing and we no longer
talk about UPE. It is somewhat a thing of the past and mothers continue to die
because of poor health facilities around the country.
That
is why discussion of the ‘mini-skirts’ bill as proposed by the Hon Minister of
Ethics and Integrity will be more like a school Half-Term project. In my
opinion, there are more important issues at hand to be looked into.
In
2008, the then Ethics and Integrity minister: Hon Nsaba Buturo also told
journalists that he wanted clothes above the knee banned from public because
men were mentally weak and as a result the ladies were causing accidents. That
according to him was one of the many vices affecting our society. On that list
too was theft, embezzlement of public funds, greed which all culminate to
corruption.
I
am yet to understand the relationship between corruption and the wearing of
short clothes as vices in our society, but like I said ; Ugandan Parliament is
in Half—Term mode. Question is whether or not to take them serious. 

5 thoughts on “Of Mini-Skirts legislation; Half-term for Uganda Parliament

  1. This mini-skirt bill is beyond ridiculous. Not only is it a stomp on the citizens right to freedom, yes people, freedom. As in freedom to wear what i want and look stunning…lol but its a waste of tax payers' money.
    Is this what we pay these legislators to do? Come up with bullshit laws just to prove they are working?!

    I am sadden by what my country is turning in to. 🙁

  2. This half term period never ends for the MPs. They are most effective or close to effective when the matter concerns them directly otherwise they are just loud gongs. Brood of vipers will soon be an appropriate description.

    You do look stunning.

  3. Yes you do look stunning and for those of us that are old enough to remember life under Idi Amin, Obote etc, this is a sad day for Uganda! The country should be looking to resolve issues like women dying on antenatal wards and not on what is an acceptable dress code

  4. If the bill is passed, I think that that ban should be like that of polythene bags with certain dimensions. Your skirt is fine since its even a norm for most schools today. but there are a few e.g. the micro mini skirts that at times shocks people.
    Else its saddening that at a time when the country is facing many problems like unemployment, poor health, poorly paid civil servants, ineffective public services etc someone just wakes up and decides to ban a fashion. Simply ridiculous. Soon they will be banning certain hair styles as well

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