Well, the big Election Day has come and gone, largely without trouble.
And as expected, it looks like President Museveni has achieved an overwhelming majority of the vote and will continue in office.
And how did I personally spend the momentous day? …..Locked in my hotel room!
Not exactly incarceration, but being the sad accountant that I am, I was obsessed with completing a specific project I had promised to the Comboni Samaritans, my charity.
I had been advised to keep a low profile, just in case there was any trouble during the election, so decided not to go out.
So, with a fanned hotel room and a laptop loaded with my favourite music, I was happy to become totally absorbed into an Excel spreadsheet all day whilst Uganda
The only noticeable change in Gulu over the last few days was a seemingly voluntary curfew of the town the night before Election Day when we were heading off for a Quiz Night! This was probably in response to several not-too-veiled announcements from the Police that it was ready to quell any “disruption to the political process”.
Otherwise, the atmosphere on the streets has been pretty normal.
The National TV channel has provided continuous coverage of the Election, as you would expect. However, news from Uganda has hardly hit the radar on CNN – Dominated by events in the Middle East and North Africa ! I did watch one short commentary on CNN, presented by a freelance journalist I had met during my first week here - Small World!
In conclusion, it looks like a resumption of “business as usual” …..
Personally, I cannot imagine how it would be like living under a dictatorship for such a long time!!!!!!!!! ……….
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| Have you met my Wife, Louise?! In power since 1989! |
Hi G
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you're not losing your enviable sense of humour, although I think the last comment is a bit strong even if wifi does confess to being a bit hit and miss on her last public message. Using her pet name shows just how much she's missing you!
Have you told the girls that you're only going to be in England from June to August in future? Running the Gulu branch of the Arsenal Supporters club is going to be immensely time-consuming during the season. I'm sure they'll find a way of getting enough money to you to fund your drug habit - well Arsenal is something of an addiction to you, after all.
Make the most of your last few days there - it must have flown by - and rest assured that the claret and blue side of Birmingham will be cheering you on to victory in a week's time! Enjoy the success while it lasts; you know normal service will be resumed when you get back to PKs.
James