Uganda went to the polls on the 15th, and like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, the youth were faced with an onerous responsibility. In the midst of an internet blackout, we faced an uncomfortable question: “Whether to choose the devil they know or the angel we don’t.” I, personally, did not vote. Perhaps as my own small way of refusing to be complicit in what I consider a dictatorial, manipulative, inhumane, out-of-touch, and corrupt regime. One would wonder, then, why not vote for the opposition? The answer is quite basic: what difference would it create?

The present government has created a system where the options are either NRM or NRM. Our government is heavily corrupted, and not just monetarily but also ethically and spiritually. It simply lacks a conscience that requires it to act in the best interests of its citizens.

An example case is one “Don Julio”—an offspring of “Father” Abraham, going ahead to brag about the number of deaths committed during election week and promising to increase those numbers by adding the body of another opposition leader. Well, then, if such statements can be made without reprimand, what guarantee do we have that your votes are counted honestly and in the best interests of democracy?

See, democracy operates under the presumption that the will and best interest of the majority are put ahead. Unless the will of the youth is to see more dead bodies, human rights abuses, and bad governance, we ought to reject, by whatever means possible, what this government represents and all that is attached to it. Going to exercise your civic duty is not wrong, but when the duty has been weaponised against you, then why enable it? Voting has become a mechanism of legitimising illegalities.

Maybe my message has come a bit too late, but for the sake of this country’s future, we ought to turn our backs on a government that is clearly heading for a fall. The NRM campaign was quite simple: “Protecting the gains”—subconsciously, this phrase is an admission that this yellow movement has outlived its importance and there is nothing new of mutual benefit that they can add to the country.

For a country that is supposed to be growing, we should be amassing gains and moving forward, not shielding the selfish ambitions of a cult. The youth need to sit this one out; in your own way, you can rebel against bad governance. So, young man, leave the football, for the football has already left you.