News of snoring ministers and MPs has dominated newspaper headlines. They always sleep when the President is making his speech.

First it was during the President's state-of-the-nation address when more than half of the ministers dozed off when Mzee was making his lengthy speech. Then followed the post-budget speech.

And recently it was reported that there was dozing at Namboole during the NRM National Conference when again the President, the NRM Chairman, delivered his long speech.

If the problem is the length of speeches, the President should as well instruct his speech writers to draft short speeches that wouldn't send listeners to sleep. Or he should out-rightly sack the snoring ministers and replace them with young people who won't doze.

Peter Kaheru
Makerere University

Nyamwasa should reconcile with Kagame

It's regrettable that Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa was almost shot dead while from a shopping mall.

There are so many theories surrounding the General's failed assassination plot, with fingers pointing to the regime in Kigali. Even his wife suspects the Rwandan President, though she cannot substantiate her claims.

She only infers that at one time in the Rwandan parliament, President Kagame said that even if it meant using a hammer to kill a fly, then he would do it.

But, whatever the theories and bitterness between Nyamwasa and his boss, the wise thing for him to do is to make peace with his boss and return to Kigali. Rwanda cannot risk another genocide.

Felix Sunders
Pretoria, South Africa

CAA deserves credit

Thanks to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for the 24-hour cargo service at Entebbe International Airport.

The service, which began on 1 June this year, is of paramount importance to our country, not only in improved cargo services at the airport but attracting more investors, boosting trade, increasing efficiency and the general economic growth.

Unlike before when the 24-hour service was only for passengers, and when cargo would be piled up to wait for the following day, a situation which created worries, panic and anxiety among traders, importers and exporters, this time round businesspeople have a reason to transact their business with utmost confidence well-knowing that their goods would be cleared in a matter of hours.

The traders should take stock of this window of opportunity. Kudos to CAA!
 
Anyait Hellen (0777184765)
Islamic University in Uganda
Kabojja

Kiboko Squad saddening

That the so-called stick-wielding and mean-looking hooligans in the name of Kiboko Squad are back to terrorise city dwellers is a disaster for our country.

What makes matters worse is the IGP's denial that he doesn't know anything to do with these goons.

He surprised everyone when he said on TV that he was shocked seeing goons brandishing sticks and descending on Besigye.

He promised to investigate the Kiboko boys but why investigate when some people have come up to own the outfit? Why can't Kayihura just arrest them and bring them to book?

Mark Namanya
Entebbe 

What's the motive of Patriotism campaign?

Last week we were invited for a-two-day patriotism conference at Mukono. The workshop was for teachers from both private and government-aided schools in Kampala, Mukono, Entebbe and Jinja.

The workshop was convened by Col. Mastsiko the commandant of National Leadership Institute-Kyankwazi, and the closing ceremony was graced by Hon. Kabakumba Matsiko, Minister for Information and National Guidance.

The conference, which followed a series of others previously held, was meant to train teachers on how to inculcate patriotism among their students. The teachers were urged to form patriotism clubs comprising the teachers' chapter and students' chapter and were promised huge funding.

Actually Masitko did not mince his words when he assured us that there was more than enough money to facilitate patriotic clubs. Patriotism will soon be made a compulsory subject in schools.

However, I still had some questions over the motive of these patriotism campaigns. Why should the campaign come at such a time when President Museveni is seeking re-lection?

And why should students be the main target? These and many more questions were not adequately answered by the facilitators. They only said that students were the right people to spread the gospel of patriotism to their friends and immediate communities.

Were told to teach students to love themselves, love their country, love the environment, know the evolution of man, love E.Africa and finally love Africa.

This is the central theme of patriotism. But I suspect that the underlying focus is to teach our students to love Museveni and nothing else.

Dan Siminyu
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