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People
Again NRM has been throwing numbers at us from day
one, remember Museveni has killed more Ugandans than all previous leaders
combined but the totals of Ugandans as a whole went up, please explain that to
me.
Em
The Mulindwas communication
group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Uganda is in anarchy"
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 12:41
AM
Subject: Re: ugnet_: Get Thee to the
Bedroom and start making babies
One should also consider lack of electricity and
other forms of lighting as a cause of the higher than expected
population
i am however very sceptical about these figures
how reliable are they
Adrigwe
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Friday, October 18, 2002 12:14
AM
Subject: Re: ugnet_: Get Thee to the
Bedroom and start making babies
Can we trust these figures? How good a job did the census
guys do in the North while guns a roaming the land? 71% increase??? What is
the confidence interval for this 71% change? Hey man, be careful with these
population figures, behind the scenes might be politics. Next time if a vote
is rigged, they will throw population figures at us!!!
David.
At 02:45 PM 10/17/2002 -0700, you wrote:
THE EAST
AFRICAN-NAIROBI-KENYA
Opinion
Monday, October 14, 2002
Get Thee to the Bedroom and
Start Making
Babies!
By JOACHIM
BUWEMBO
It is now official: War
is a catalyst for population growth and peace causes populations to
decline. That is the most striking conclusion from the Uganda 2002
preliminary census results released last week.
Since the last census, just over a decade ago, the
northern region, which has been embroiled in war and suffering, has
produced more babies than any of the other three regions, namely eastern,
western and notably the central region, which has known uninterrupted
peace for nearly 17 years.
The
central region, which corresponds to the old kingdom of Buganda, had 4.8
million people in 1991 and has only managed to add 1.7 million in the
decade since, to reach today’s 6.6 million - a 35 per cent
increase.
The north, on the other
hand, grew from a mere 3.1 million people in 1991 to 5.3 million in 2002,
adding 2.2 million, or 71 per cent! The east added 2 million to its 4.2
million over the decade to reach 6.2 million (48 per cent) while the west
added 1.8 million to 1991’s 4.5 million to reach 6.3 million today (40 per
cent).
The least populated north
thus realised a greater population growth than any of the other three
regions. Other things remaining equal, indications are that in another 10
years’ time, the country’s population will have grown from today’s 24
million to about 36 million, with the eastern region having most people,
followed by the north, Buganda and the west in that order.
Officials from the bureau of
statistics said that the lives of people in northern Uganda had been so
disrupted by Joseph Kony’s rebellion that they had little left to do other
than make babies.
They have fewer
choices, to borrow the economic term that the statistics officials used.
On the other hand, the statisticians say, the people of Buganda have been
enjoying peace and relative prosperity for so long that making babies has
ceased being their priority; they have other choices.
Before the statisticians discovered this trend, however,
the Buganda kingdom officials had already noted with concern that the
Kabaka’s subjects were no longer having enough children.
So the kingdom radio, CBS, starts the day
every morning by reminding the Baganda to have as many children as
possible in order to ensure their society’s survival. Any Baganda couple
that has a baby and lets the station know is congratulated on air and
showered with praises befitting of heroes. One case that was hailed for
days on air was that of 80-something monarchy official, Sheikh Ali
Kulumba, whose wife recently presented him with a bouncing baby boy.
It is not only the monarchy that is
urging people to have more children. Even staunch supporters of the ruling
Movement tend to share their views. According to Luwero district chairman
and ex-freedom fighter Alhajji Abdul Nadduli, the family planning campaign
is a racket by Western nations to encourage Ugandans to become
extinct.
Other, less bold Movement
leaders also privately express the view that the country’s population is
too low in relation to its enormous development potential and its ability
to feed its people with minimum effort.
The leaders of the Buganda kingdom have a different reason for
urging the Kabaka’s subjects to reproduce faster. For several years now,
they have been demanding federal status, which has been denied. They
simply lack the numbers to get a motion through in their favour, be it in
parliament or in the district councils.
Buganda leaders now say they will only be taken seriously when they
become the majority in the country. The recent figures must therefore be a
big blow to the monarchy. For while Buganda had 29 per cent of the
country’s population in 1991, its share has now fallen to 27 per cent.
The problem, as the statisticians
noted, is too many choices for the relatively affluent and stable region.
Today, for many men in Kampala, following British Premiership football is
a higher priority than being home with their wives.
The country’s leading cartoonist, Mr Ras, for his part
blames the decline in Baganda numbers on the women in the affluent central
region. According to him, the women do not want their men to "mess up"
their hair after they have visited the salon. By thus avoiding physical
contact, the women are causing the extinction of their tribe.
By the same token, according to Ras,
whenever Kony strikes in the north, couples respond by coming together in
a fervent desire to replace their murdered brethren.
At this rate, the Kabaka of Buganda may soon have to ban
his subjects from visiting beauty parlours and watching European soccer on
TV.
- Joachim Buwembo is Editor of The Sunday Vision of
Kampala.
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