Following the death of the Governor of the Bank of Uganda Emmanuel Mutebile over diabetic complications, there have been clashes between the eulogies given by officials and attacks from the public especially on social media who blamed the deceased for watching the country’s economy go to ruins during his long tenure.
On the Hear Me Out Show today, Daniel Omara was no exception for those who criticized Mutebile for his flaws. Daniel said that although he mourned and sympathized with the grieved family, he felt compelled to critique some of Mutebile’s flaws.
“Of all the things I've heard, the anger and citizen vs government tension aside, my takeaway is as you go through life, let your work reflect who you are because right now it feels like the opposite. This is why Ugandans are making attacks of late because you can't say this person was amazing at economics and this is the economy we have, it doesn't add up,” he said.
He discredited the practice of Ugandans where they praise people only after they are dead and rebuked those that try to speak against the dead. “We have a habit of only talking about people's achievements while they're gone. We aren’t talking ill of the dead, no. We are just trying to make sense of the things that happened, as Ugandans. People need to understand that what you do in life has to match the eulogy people give,” he said.
He narrated that after the negative comments were made towards Mutebile having nothing done to boost the economy after his long stint at BOU, heated debates on social media were once again stirred up after his widow, Betty Mutebile requested the government to let her retain the house where her and her late husband were residing as she didn't have anywhere else to go. She said her late husband had not constructed a house in Kampala despite her several pleas to him, with their only personal home in Kabale.
The Presenter then quoted Daudi Ogutu’s comment on Twitter that said that, “If Mutebile’s widow gets the house, we will have set a horrible precedent, and a very expensive one. The man definitely has a pension and an island even. He didn't consider a house in Kampala a priority in his life, why are we making it one in his death?’
Daniel adding to this said, “I don't think that Mutebile didn't have a retirement plan, it's just that he didn't get to retire. We all remember when he was being propped up for a press conference and he was clearly unwell. He didn't get to retire but these are things he had catered for because like Ogutu said, he has an island with rhinos and other freaking wildlife on it. Plus the house in Kabale.”
“The way I see it, I think the Mrs is just too accustomed to the house. This is one of those Chris Rock situations where we are divorcing, but am accustomed to a certain lifestyle and I expect you to sustain it. This is not an issue of her not being able to afford another house because we've seen the salary which is still a debate between shs.50 million to 80 million that Mutebile earned monthly, as well as the budgets for the vigil alone. So we have a situation where we want to turn state property into private property just because someone doesn't want to live a different life!”
He quoted one Napoleon on Twitter who said, ‘If she really wants the house, let them give her the job if she has the qualifications.’ Seconding the tweet, Daniel said, “That would be perfect and I agree with him (Napoleon). If she has the qualifications please, give her the crib,” he said.
Hear Me Out is hosted by Daniel Omara every Saturday from 10am to Midday on RX Radio.
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