PLO Lumumba castigates leaders for joining politics to amass wealth
Human rights defender and good governance advocate Prof. PLO Lumumba has reprimanded leaders for joining politics to enrich themselves.
The professor of law, who spoke to one of the radio stations on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, said that many people in the country do not fully understand what politics is.
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Quoting the ancient philosopher, he said, “Socrates said that all of us are political animals and we must ask ourselves, what is politics?”
Redefining politics
Lumumba went on to explain his view. “In this country and Africa, we think politics is this nonsense that goes on in funerals.
Politics is the organisation of human affairs for the improvement of their beings.
“Until the day we understand politics clearly, we will be confused by the nonsense in funerals,” he said.
He stressed that politics should be about serving the people, not about speeches and empty shows at public events.
According to him, the current political culture is far from what true leadership should look like.
Criticism of current leaders
Lumumba criticised a section of the current crop of leaders for focusing on personal gain.
He said many of them enter politics not to improve people’s lives but to enrich themselves and their families.
“We have leaders whose main agenda is to fill their stomachs and the pockets of their relatives, all at the expense of taxpayers’ money,” he lamented.
He urged citizens to demand more from those they elect, reminding them that politics should be about improving public welfare and organising resources for the benefit of all.
Lumumba said that unless the mindset of both leaders and voters changes, the nation will continue to suffer from poor governance. He encouraged young people to educate themselves on what leadership truly means and to avoid being swayed by empty promises.
He concluded by saying that his work as an advocate for integrity and good governance will continue outside elective politics. “My calling is to speak truth to power, and that is what I will keep doing,” he said.
