By Innocent B Natukunda Rutekanga
“Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it.”
Frantz Fanon
Many people have asked me—sometimes out of curiosity, sometimes with suspicion—why I, a proud son of western Uganda, would stand so boldly in support of H.E. Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu, a Muganda. My answer is clear: I support him not because of where he comes from, but because of what he stands for. He does not represent a region; he represents a revolution. He is not a tribal candidate—he is a national voice for justice, dignity, and generational leadership. I support him because he speaks for millions of Ugandans, including the people of the west, who have long suffered under the weight of an aging regime whose only interest is in survival—not service.
The regime and its machinery of deception have, for decades, relied on tribal division to keep the population fragmented and fearful. They label Kyagulanyi’s rise as a Buganda affair, hoping to limit his appeal and isolate his message. But injustice does not discriminate by tribe. Hunger, unemployment, bad roads, broken hospitals, corrupt officials, and stolen futures are not regional problems—they are national crises. They afflict the young man in Ibanda just as they do the young woman in Luweero. They torment the teacher in Kyenjojo and the trader in Kamwokya alike.
That is why we must reject the lie that support for Kyagulanyi is somehow a betrayal of one’s tribe or region. It is, in fact, the highest form of patriotism—putting country above comfort, values above villages, and vision above division. His cause is my cause because we are bound by a common dream: a Uganda that works for all her children, not just those connected to power.
History teaches us that great change is always youth-led. The Soweto Uprising in South Africa, the Arab Spring in Tunisia, the revolutions in America and France—all were ignited by the fearless conviction of young people. We are no different. Our generation, too, has been given a mission, and we must choose to fulfill it or betray it. That mission is to dismantle a system that has outlived its usefulness and build a Uganda anchored in fairness, transparency, and respect for human rights.
Kyagulanyi has become a symbol of that mission—not because he sought the spotlight, but because he spoke truth in a time of fear. He walked among the ghetto youth, faced bullets and batons, and remained unshaken. He represents the struggle of the teacher in Mbarara, the farmer in Fort Portal, and the boda boda rider in Kasese. His vision goes beyond tribal boundaries; it reaches the heart of every Ugandan who dreams of a better tomorrow.
As Malcolm X once said, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” We must prepare by refusing to be used. We must organize, mobilize, and educate those still trapped in the propaganda of the old order. We must be bold enough to say: this is our country too, and we will not surrender it to those who think it is their birthright to rule forever.
Nelson Mandela reminded us that “there is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” Our generation must stop playing small. We cannot afford neutrality. We cannot afford silence. To retreat into tribal comfort zones now is to betray our mission.
Let the record reflect: this is not Buganda’s struggle. This is not western Uganda’s rebellion. This is Uganda’s revolution. And we must all be part of it. The time is now.
Contact: bnatukundainno@gmail.com
