Twebaka Tuulo

I

The Men in power have guns:

If you have none, you’d better run;

else bang-bang,

they’ll shoot you down.

Forget about doing your country the service,

of minding the quality of public service:

for your labours you’ll receive such reward;

anatomical liquidation-

or worse, economic strangulation.

The Men in power have guns,

And long have they sold all conscience to the wind:

They’ve got your money on their mind,

and should you think of changing kings:

they will not hesitate,

to shoot you down...

                        II

I heard a tale of a man who cried foul,

because a big-eyed upstart jumped the cue.

But when came his turn to be The Man,

and The Man in power would not budge.

Our man became an upstart too,

caught a bad case of the joker,

and bought himself a conscience transplant.

With his wily bag of cards in tow,

he sought asylum in the plotters’ garden,

And now they hail him as a hero-

them whose struggle his webs entangled;

“he’s got miles of road sitting in his coffers”

“he will make The Man lose sleep at night”

Never mind that his miles cost taxpayers their due,

politicians have only interests, not sides;

But I pay them no mind, for I sleep light;

the economy is tight-

and I simply can’t afford to sleep at night.

III

I heard a voice on the radio say,

“the problem with this country,

is that the people are too docile,”

I found him funny...

Guns and votes are costly things to buy you know;

and if The Man does not have his guns,

the taxlady will cut you no slack;

when her hounds come pounding at your door,

then we shall see if you will sleep at night.

“Ugandans must wake up from their slumber;

they must reclaim their country from thugs”

Of what slumber does he speak...

Abantu tebakya komba yadde mpeke ya tuulo

Basula bayiya.... embera mbi!

Gwe ob'olina obudde bw’okunyigira abasajja

abalina emunddu nga emitima gyaffa dda,

kwatamu ko. Tokomba passi.

Your anger cannot stop their bullets,

so stay sharp and play it smart.

Maybe someday, 

your heart will change this place...

2015