Leading the Sector out of the Hole(s)!; An Open Letter from across the border to Civil Society Leaders in Uganda

I write this letter from the relative (dis)comfort of my temporary place of abode in Kenya. Comfort because I do not have to wake up every day to the largely depressing picture of our country’s mismanagement and institutional decay, and discomfort because I am yet to figure out a concrete role to play as a fellow comrade ‘in the diaspora’.

I miss the collective analysis and fellowships we shared when I was in the country but find some solace in thoughts about what is possible, and the modest solidarity support I occasionally send to those of you on the frontline of our struggle to mobilize, activate and connect various actions for a better Uganda.

This letter is informed by our reflections over the years and more recently during my short visit home when we met and shared ideas about the ongoing struggle for leadership change and political transition to hopefully usher in a new reality of equal opportunity and shared prosperity for all citizens. We reflected on what our contribution as civic organizations should be in this struggle.