A section of Ugandans have asked the Government to consider placing President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s portrait on Ugandan national currency, as a sign of respect and recognition for his wonderful service rendered to the country in his visionary 37 years rule.
According to these Ugandans led by one Majembere Ivan Semakula, Museveni has not been appreciated enough for his nation building efforts, and therefore assert that he deserves to be recognized through monuments, statutes and his portrait placed on the national currency.
Although the President has always rejected the idea, Ugandans have pledged to persuade him to embrace it through a friendly force.
“Our dear President has been honored through naming buildings after him such as Special Forces Brigade (Yoweri Museveni Building), and statues erected at the entrance of Kabamba barracks, to commemorate the 1981 attack that launched the five year bush war that brought the government in power, but this is not enough because anyone can be recognized as such,” Ngobi Patrick one of the Ugandans said.
However, they noted that some articles in the Bank of Uganda constitution tend to block changes on the national currency by putting a portrait of a living person or any political symbol or word on the note.
“We wish to note that in our continued celebrations, enjoyments of Democratic freedoms, peace, security and social economic transformations of this country has been brought by Museveni’s wise leadership and there is no other meaningful way we can show our gratitude to him unless we amend that article 21 of Bank of Uganda 2000 Act, and have his portrait adopted on our Uganda currency notes,” Semakula wrote in a letter to Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
In the same letter, he copied Bank of Uganda, Parliament of Uganda, Attorney General among others.
Besides replacing the late Prof. Tumusiime Mutebile’s signature, Ugandans say the shillings note is too shabby and need some more polishing.
Nicholas Magumba, a member of the section says most of the features and symbols that appear on the notes don’t carry enough weight and should be dispensed with, and replaced with more meaningful features that carry historical weight like President Museveni portrait.
“For instance, 50,000 shillings note has a baboon, and 10,000 note has a farmer in the garden that represents baboons as tourists attraction and extension, and agriculture as an economic activity in the country respectively things are in the most of the African countries,” Magumba stated.
According to Magumba, war time leaders who have played a pivotal role in the history of any country grace the national currency.
“We all know how much sacrifice President Museveni has made to secure this country from state inspired killings, poor management of state affairs and his efforts in rebuilding the country from scratch,” he added.
Some of the currencies that have graced portraits of civil war leaders include American currency (President George Washington) who features on $1 bill, President Thomas Jefferson features on the $2 bill note, Abraham Lincoln on the $5 note, Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill note, Jackson Andrew on the $20 bill, Ulyss Grant on the $50 bill, and Benjamin Franklin on the $100 bill.
King Charles III appears on Britain (UK) currencies replacing the fallen Queen Elizabeth whose portrait as a young Queen graced the Pound for many years.
Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s portrait appeared on all Kenyan national currencies and Daniel Arap Moi before reforms were made to remove them.
The late President Julius Nyerere the former president of Tanzania, and formerly Uganda’s Apollo Milton Obote and Iddi Amin Dada who had their portraits on national currency starting from the lowest to highest denominations.
