The state of Uganda's road infrastructure is deeply troubling, with potholes, broken bridges and flooding, plaguing many parts of the country.
However, an even more disturbing issue has emerged: the repeated and excessive closure of major roads for the movement of President Yoweri Museveni.
Whenever Museveni travels to Kampala or Entebbe, the northern bypass, Kampala expressway, and surrounding roads are shut down for hours on end. No pedestrians or motorists, not even emergency vehicles like ambulances, are permitted to use these critical thoroughfares until the president has passed.
This has led to gridlock with tragic consequences, as patients are unable to reach vital medical facilities such as Mulago national referral hospital in time.
Even more disturbingly, the president's security personnel--the Special Forces Command (SFC)--have been accused of using heavy-handed and abusive tactics to enforce these road closures.
Reports indicate that an innocent boda boda rider along Bwaise-Bombo road was recently beaten and had his head slammed against the tarmac for supposedly disobeying the SFC's orders. This is a blatant violation of citizens' rights and a disturbing display of the security forces' disregard for the lives and well-being of Ugandans.
It is worth remembering that after assuming power in 1986, Museveni himself criticized previous leaders for chasing citizens off the roads for their exclusive use, declaring that he was "not a lion" to scare away the public.
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Yet, in a cruel irony, he has become even worse, with his security forces brutalizing and terrorizing the very people he once promised to serve.
The president's life may be important, but it is not more valuable than the lives of the citizens he has sworn to protect. People have lost their lives due to being unable to access medical care because of these road closures. Expecting the public to simply accept such treatment in the name of the president's safety is unconscionable.
It is high time that President Museveni takes decisive action to rein in his security forces and find a better way to manage his movements that does not involve the wholesale closure of vital infrastructure and the abuse of citizens. Helicopters, for instance, could be utilized to transport the president without disrupting the lives of the Ugandan people.
The rights and safety of the public must be the top priority. President Museveni's security concerns do not supersede the fundamental human rights of the citizens he leads. It is time for the president to demonstrate true leadership and put an end to this disturbing and damaging practice.
