If you are Ugandan who is always online, campaigns that are geared towards lending a helping hand to those in need may not be a new thing to your ears.
Social Media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have been used to champion charity campaigns meant to help people in need of financial support. Many times,those who are supported may have huge medical bills, may need to undergo surgery, clear tuition for their education among other needs.
Gideon Nova Kwikiriza who serves as the President of Uganda on X is one of the individuals who have spearheaded several of such campaigns on X. Of late, he faced a serious backlash after one of his most recent campaigns meant to support Mama D a popular Chef who had a huge hospital bill to clear took a twist.
Ugandans on X put Gideon on the spot during a Space hosted on Tuesday, Aug 5 that attracted over 23000 listeners, as they demanded for accountability after receiving reports that the money they had raised could have been used to serve a different purpose. This news site managed to have an exclusive interview with him days after.
Here are the excerpts from the interview.
Do you think you were duped by Mama D?
I don’t think I was duped. I don’t think anyone was duped because we had a cause to push and the cause was to save lives. Mama D was in the hospital where I found out she didn’t have money and she had to clear the bills.She could have gotten people to intervene later but at the time I and Ugandans on X came through, she really needed that help.The money that was collected was paid for the same cause.
Someone would conclude that we were duped if the money had gone to some other cause,but the money that was collected was paid by myself.The money was received by the hospital so there could not be any sort of being scammed or things like that. If Mama D has any other issues that people know, I didn’t know.
Secondly I always put life ahead of any other thing. You cannot find someone who has been knocked down by a car and is bleeding and instead of rushing them to the hospital for first aid, you start questioning, why were you knocked? Where were you coming from? Who was in wrong?, I mean, you save life first and ask questions later.
Why are Ugandans on X complaining?
People on X complained because Mama D recently came out with a post thanking UPDF and made it in a way that appeared to be so emotional, gave it a lot of energy and then people were asking: but we started this campaign, UPDF wouldn’t even have known if it were not for Ugandans on X who really shouted and made a lot of noise about this and then started the campaign and contributed whatever they could. So, in one way or the other, Ugandans on X are right.
Secondly, you will have to agree with me that X is dominated by Ugandans who are aware of what is going on in the Country and Mama D is an activist, that’s what I’ve known her for all this time. So, we cannot be in a country where everyone else is suffering because of a failed health system and you as an activist because you got intervention based on your family background you come and start thanking UPDF,forgetting that there are millions of mothers who are probably losing their children or dying because of the same situation attributed to a failed health care system and don’t have connections to UPDF.
I also think there are those Ugandans who didn’t like Mama D right from day one because of their personal issues.They also came along.Some other individuals had personal issues with the me, that’s why they fueled everything, made malicious and basely allegations during that space that happened on X recently.
Do you regret leading this campaign now that it turned out like that?
I don’t regret,never! For as long as I led a campaign which I knew was genuine, to save lives. Mama D could have messed but those kids have never messed. They have not done anything wrong to anyone.Who on earth could really regret saving such innocent lives? I feel even proud that I led a campaign that really contributed this much.I feel even more proud that those who had come to wash it down really understood from that space why things were done the way they were done.
I must agree that maybe I need to always make deeper investigations into some of these campaigns to know the details but at the end of it all, there are emergencies sometimes where you don’t have to reason much. You have to first save lives then ask questions.
Is this a witch hunt?
I could say 50,50. There are honestly genuine people on X who were asking genuine questions. They really wanted to understand what was going on so you can’t call that witch hunt.
When we were hosted on that space, after the explanation that Gabriel Buule, Mama D and myself made, they got to understand what exactly happened and they started judging their way. After all, all they wanted was explanation and clarification.
But also the other 50 is for witch hunt. If you were part of that space, you realize that there are some people who had personal issues with me as an individual.They just wanted to attack me and dirten my personality and brand.
What is your motivating factor or aim when you are pushing such campaigns?
The motivation is to save lives,to find solutions to challenges. The motivation is to create a better world.In a Country where the government has failed its people, you always find people coming through to run such things. If we had a Country where the help system is working,we wouldn’t be there.
Your message to Ugandans on X.
My message to Ugandans on X is, do not stop being good people much as we have some bad people . X is a community like any other.Even at the National level, we have good people and bad people.Be good people who find solutions to problems.I request the good people to keep being good people.It those bad people that want to make the work we have done look bad so that there is nothing good that can be done on X.Let’s look beyond negativity.
I want to request Ugandans on X to stop being gullible. Before you in take information,please first reason it out.
