I write this with a pained heart, my mind lost in a sea of hopelessness,  in a quiet corner, in a dimly lit room in one of the fine-built hostel buildings in the pearl of Africa's capital. Why the introduction? Who cares to know?

I have always dodged the concept of writing about the ugly politics of this nation, as the aftermath of such has been disastrous for journalists, but today I woke up with some balls. Some scholars have endlessly remarked, "The more things change, the more they stay the same!" So could this particular write-up be of any relevance to the current affairs of Uganda?

Over the years, Uganda has hoped for better governance, especially when a new 'handsome' president has just been sworn in, but their expectations end up being shattered immediately,  after the failure of the new leaders to fulfil their promises, revealing their 'ugly' true colours.

When Mr Museveni assumed office, he laboured to fulfil a 10-point manifesto. But alas, the same has eluded him, and, when we thought he could tackle them in his early years in office, he has not, but keeps begging for more years to work on them, only worsening the situation.

It's now close to forty years of a marathon-like leadership, the same man in the driving seat, without discussing the peaceful handover of the presidency.

"The problem of Africa in general and Uganda in particular is not the people, but leaders who want to overstay in power," said a young passionate Mr Museveni in 1986. What happened to his old rhetoric? Why has he turned a deaf ear to it, knowing the ugly consequences of the same, which he has recently become—one of Africa's longest-serving leaders?

This has thus forced many of his bush-war comrades to abandon and part ways with him, as they see he has shamelessly gone off track; Doctor Kizza Besigye and Honourable JB Kazoora have boldly criticised his greed for power, and in Kazoora's book, Betrayed by my Leader, he remarks with disappointment, saying, "We could have won the war, but did we win the cause?" The answer from any downtrodden citizen would be a NO!

So, what is beautiful about overstaying in power? About raping the national constitution for individual gains and grooming a son to replace an elderly man as his successor in case he finally kicks the bucket? What is beautiful about glorifying corruption and letting the victims walk freely without being convicted? Isn't this an ugly trait of our national leaders? Why have they endlessly let us down in disregard to the oath taken before assuming office?

We must not forget the beauty of this wonderful nation. It is one with a serene atmosphere, beautiful people with a beautiful way of life, and wonderful physical features full of amazing wildlife, which is why Winston Churchill named it "The Pearl of Africa" in 1908.

But where do all these ugly traits of our leaders stem from? Like Chinua Achebe notes, "Unless we know where the rain started beating us from, we are less likely to know where we dried."