By Oweyegha-Afunaduula.
It seems to me Eric Sakwa, the arrested Resident District Commissioner of Jinja, who did not need a Deputy Resident Commissioner, is a victim of overcommitment and dedication to his work as the President’s representative in Jinja District. I think he was also not only overzealous in his quest to fulfilling the assignment the President gave him, but also ensuring that the District is led on the basis of truth and fairness to the poor and vanquished. As a result he stepped on the tails of poisonous snakes, these days called the Mafia. However, is name reverberated throughout Busoga. He excelled among all the Resident District Commissioners in Basoga.
Unfortunately he ignored the fact that once stepped on poisonous snakes do not forgive. They strike. If they don’t strike immediately they will seek any opportunity to strike.
In my view the irritated snakes,, especially the great land grabbers and thieves of Jinja with enormous political power, greed and selfishness, were determined to seize any opportunity to strike their identified enemy; the one who was preventing or constraining them from grabbing land in Jinja District: Eric Sakwa.
Most likely Sakwa thought he was well-protected by the President, which I believe he is. He did not suspect that the President’s office could also be manipulated by the Mafia for individual gains.
So with Covid 19 came the opportunity the Mafia to strike. Like all other RDCs the President made Sakwa the linkman and engine in the crusade to conquer Covid 19 in Jinja District. That meant, as has been the case, that Sakwa is the true man in full control of security. Initially his security outfit was very dangerous to the people. It mooted a lot of hostility towards the citizenry. His official vehicle was always at the scenes of mistreatment of citizens. He may not have ordered his security outfit to reign havoc onto the people, because anyway the LDUs (said these days to be mainly soldiers), the soldiers and police are instruments of torture by profession.
He needed not tell them to manifest as instruments of torture. But he was the overall man in-charge of security in Jinja District. He would have to take full responsibility, but then full investigation would be required to establish those among his security outfit that committed heinous crimes against humanity. He would remain innocent until proven guilty, which the mafia wish to e the case.
Now Sakwa is in the gallows either in Buses or Kirinya Prisons . At the speed of lightening he has been committed to High Court for murder. As they say, behind every problem is the problem of leadership. He is or has been the President’s man in Jinja District. He has been the President of Jinja District. He has also been the kingpin of all Covid 19 related activities, including security and food distribution ones. If the security machinery exhibited excesses he cannot easily extricate himself from those excesses since he has been in charge of security in the District. By arresting him while he was discharging the assignment the President gave him the implication in fact is that the President’s office is linked to the crimes he is being accused of.
If the security outfit of the RDC killed a person, who should be apprehended? The RDC, who is the President of Jinja District? The court process will reveal the truth. The alternative is that the President of Uganda may intervene to order his release from Prison as investigations proceed
But one thing is true. Those who wanted Eric Sakwa’s head are happy. Those who were happy with Sakwa’s work in Jinja District are unhappy.
May be when the court process is over, the reverse might emerge to be true. A few hated due to his pursuit of justice and the truth in Jinja, and many seem to have loved him because he was not greedy, selfish and worked to ensure citizens accessed unlimited justice and genuine leadership.
The question to ask is: Who is now in-charge of the Jinja District Covid 19 Task Force and its accumulating resources, since Sakwa did not have a Deputy Resident District Commissioner worth his salt?
