By Peter Kahindi

Another picture went viral at the tail end of the week, this time of an African lady in anguish as a duuka (makeshift kiosk) was being whisked away authoritatively. 

For full effect she was carrying a breastfeeding infant who clearly shared her pain.

As usual, folks jumped straight onto it, condemning “the officials” for being callous, inhumane and inconsiderate. 

People, including those who are supposed to be communications experts, accused “law enforcement” of theft. 

Others, overwhelmed with emotion, offered charity to the “lady” depicted in the picture. 

One person, who asserts that he is a lawyer, directly made an emotional plea to the President of the Country wondering why authorities should take away the lifeline of the destitute while big thieves in government walk scot free.  

A minimally curious person would have told on sight that this was an AI-generated image. The truck registration number plate, the baby’s feet, the arrangement of the “stock” in the “kiosk”, to mention but a few, were glaring pointers to this. 

This didn’t require the skills of any type of specialist. 

(One journalist went deeper into the issue here –> https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/columnists/charles-bichachi/power-of-ai-art-in-mama-ruth-kiosk-5434734#story)

What I found more amusing was how angry people generally were at something that did not exist at all. Mind you, their reaction had nothing to do with verifying the facts of the case they were presenting judgement on. 

In the few WhatsApp groups I happen to belong to, whenever the picture was forwarded, my first question to them was “Where did this happen?” 

It took a few minutes after that for someone to offer something along the lines of “Wait! This looks fake!”

We have become a society that is very easily riled up by the most basic (and often false) things. That goes for especially the things we are able to verify on our own but simply do not. 

Anyone who has bothered to follow the goings on of the clean-up exercises that several cities, municipalities and town councils in Uganda have taken on will establish that the authorities offer notice to the owners or operators of the illegal shacks and kiosks about the demolition. 

Yes, they are illegal because they are typically erected in road reserves with no approval from the authorities. 

Secondly, unlike what happened in the past, most merchants in those illegal positions are reportedly handed their stock before the kiosks are removed. We are yet to hear of stock confiscations by the authorities. 

In this beloved country of ours, it beats me how people who know what is good for them still resist attempts to make ‘Good’ a reality. 

Too many people here behave like toddlers throwing tantrums when someone tells them to move from a play spot so it can be cleaned up.

The consequence of an inability to be curious is not just the creation of a few hours of social media excitement – it goes deeper. 

A society that is not curious does not read, create or innovate. 

There is a method to how things work. 

It is not a coincidence that societies which encourage a culture of curiosity, innovation, creativity and protracted research programs happen to be the advanced ones. 

I must emphasize that the opposite is true.

Here’s a fun fact to demonstrate the assessment above: According to the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO in  2025, Uganda ranked number 124 out of 139 countries in the field of innovation. 

Yet Curiosity is a key development driver. Indeed, the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development – OECD – in 2024 established that there is sufficient proof of a direct correlation between curiosity, creativity and a growth mindset.

 The famous psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Kemal Arikan once declared that “curiosity is the sister of development.” 

Lack of curiosity does not just affect toddlers as they grow up and learn stuff; it also affects a nation if the average citizen has not cared to find out about, say, government plans or even what is going in their own little neighborhoods and local communities. 

Such a citizen will likely not think of how they can contribute to the betterment of the things that benefit their own livelihood.

They become stagnant.

Simple things like the excitement that this image caused for over 48 hours speak to a bigger societal issue.

We need to fix it. Urgently.