We can groom a violence- free generation!

My brother would have been among the dead had he was out of town that day! He is a rugby fan and Kyadondo Rugby Grounds one of the sites of the twin bomb blasts in Kampala is his usual outing place. He had been at the same place a week earlier when Uganda Rugby Cranes were playing with Kenya Rugby team! Thank God he survived!
Personally, I never thought that a normal human being can carry out such gruesome activities and still live with themselves. But I was wrong! Some people have no hearts and the bitter truth dawned on me on Sunday night when I gruesome pictures on breaking news on Nation Television here in Uganda! The shocked faces of the survivors, scattered pieces of flesh and blood spilled all over the place was disheartening!

It’s very sad indeed for a country to lose such a young generation of career people! The death toll according to the latest is at 76 people majority of them young corporate ladies and university students in their 20’s. These innocent people had dreams and bright futures ahead! It’s quite disturbing that they had to dies such horrible death!

Right now no one is at ease; no one knows what is to happen any time! By Monday, the city mortuaries were full of bodies some of which were unrecognizable. The hospital wards are full, and the few doctors are overwhelmed with the huge numbers of survivors who need emergency care!

What has happened here can happen anywhere else. It’s a global problem and therefore needs to be looked at in that perspective. According to government, there has been warning of such attacks by the Alshabab Militia because of the presence of Uganda’s Peace keeping forces in Somalia! My opinion is that the Somali issue should not be handled by individual countries but rather collectively by all the African Union member states to find a lasting solution to their problem.

What Ugandans need now is a message that consoles the bereaved families and gives hope to the living. A counseling centre has been established by government to help the traumatized. In the state of shock, fear and confusion, we need to be guided on how to raise security consciousness among the citizens. Adequate preventive/security measures in places that might be potential targets such as entertainment spots, places of worship, schools, bus stations, supermarketsneeds to be heightened all the time.

But is this a sustainable solution?
We need to create awareness on security consciousness of our people! We need to protect especially the schools, the venues where our innocent daughters and sons; sisters and brothers; nieces and nephews spend three quarters of the year learning. Most importantly, we need to groom a generation of people that do not resort to violence to resolve conflicts. We can do better than that! I believe we can find better ways of resolving conflict without maiming innocent people!!

Peace to you all
betty