Poisoned wells or potion wells


The first discovery of oil in Uganda was documented in the 1920s by a Government geologist E.J Wayland. The easiest reference to oil was at Kibiro on the shores of L. Albert. Here it was discovered that there are five oil and one gas seepages in the Kaiso- Tonya area and three oil seeps which indicate that mature organic source rocks are present in the Graben and that some of them have generated and expelled oil. Kibiro also has oil saturated sands; oil impregnated sandstones and fractured gneisses have also been found along the kabyosi, Warwire and Hohwa in the Kaiso-Tonya relay ramp, along the shores of L. Albert.

The discovery of oil in the Albertin region has caused a lot of excitement among the locals as well as the entire country. This has raised expectations about infrastructural development, employment and a better living for locals. If the cash from the oil is well managed, then it could transform the economy, bring about infrastructural development, jobs and increase on our revenues. It also provides the country an opportunity for the mitigation of shocks from international oil and gas prices together with generation of revenues that will support other sectors of the economy like agriculture resulting into poverty eradication and achievement of a sustainable development if well managed. But will these well be a blessing as we have all anticipated? The trends in most African countries show that these wells are actually a curse, look at Durfur, Nigeria, Angola we can go on and on.

Nicholas Shaxson said in his book The Poisoned Wells stated that producing oil is a bit like taking cocaine: if you are healthy, it might invigorate you, but if you are weak or sick, as many African countries are, it can seriously harm you…Oil can also be like heroin: the injection of cash from each cargo delivers a feeling of wellbeing, but the effect over time is addictive…, some countries like Indonesia have managed and even broken the addiction, but again the record in Africa is dismal. It is with no doubt that is assertion is true for the African countries. Nicholas Shaxson is a born Malawian therefore his approach is from the indigenous point of view. He cites examples of African oil producing countries and sees how oil has destroyed the economy, there are a few rich people who have taken the bigger share of the cake will a few are nibbling on the left-overs.

However he cites examples of countries like Sweden, Botswana and Indonesia who have escaped from this syndrome. Uganda should therefore look towards these Countries for direction.

But the question remains that are we ready for this big volume of money that is going to be injected into our blood streams?

Graduation! What you have all been waiting for....

Finally, the day has come after 18 years of waiting. I finally get to be called a graduad and wear that prestigious gown. Looking at myself in the mirrior all dressed up in my gown, I could see the little girl in her checked dress sitting next to teacher Alice listening attentively to the words of wisdom that is to lead her to Makerere.

Read a book as a bee on a flower, you will harvest what you planted am like a hunter with a book as a shield and the pen is my spear. She would ask us to echo these words after her daily. Today all these word have come a fresh in my mind and for the first time in life, they really make sense to me, I am finally harvesting from my 18 years of tilling. It hasn't been easy I must say; my mother always says farmers do not break, they just bend; incase of a bad harvest, they bend but a good harvest will bring them back to their feet. Just like a farmer, education has never been easy: the stress, long hours of study, disappointments, and etc. But the fact that I have reached this day makes me an achiever.

Teacher Alice, I have finally killed the hunt. But it isn't that big am going for a bigger kill.