Greetings. It is
two years since the advent of Covid-19. The pandemic swept the globe and changed
the way we work, consume, and travel, among other things. In the entertainment
sphere, bars and night clubs were closed for extensive periods, resulting in a
revision of the way night life was conducted. On this
Labour Day, I move to examine some aspects of the labour market in the
entertainment industry.
Unemployment in Uganda
With a population of 45.7
million, Uganda's labour force stands at 16.497 million people according to the World
Bank data. Therefore, the economy has a 70.94% labour participation rate - the proportion of the labour force that is working or actively looking for productive work. Comparing across the region, Uganda is two percentage points above the sub-Saharan African average, and behind four of it's six neighbours. Despite a relatively high participation rate, wages remain low as well as limited benefits and social protection from employment.
COUNTRY
POPULATION
LABOUR FORCE
PARTICIPATION
RATE(%)
Uganda
45.741
16.497
70.94
Burundi
11.890
5.089
80.00
D.R.
Congo
89.561
31.465
64.07
Kenya
53.771
24.134
74.56
Rwanda
12.952
6.440
84.08
Tanzania
59.734
28.002
84.52
Sub-Saharan
Africa
1,136.046
430.661
68.37
The government has long posited that encouraging
"job-creators" rather than "job-seekers" goes a long way in
curbing unemployment, particularly youth unemployment. Not entirely wrong, for
I believe focusing on non-traditional professions can reduce on the number of
job-seekers. If youths can find opportunities in fields like sports and
entertainment, then the pressure on those knocking on the door in both formal
and informal employment will simmer down. An added bonus is the fact that in
these fields the workers are more likely to be getting paid for doing something
they love.
Pension in the Noise-Making Industry?
"Noise-making", or
work in the entertainment industry is something people can be very effective at
during their youth. The conveyor belt keeps refreshing the faces in the
industry with particular preference for young people. Therefore, the
"forcible" retirement age in the entertainment industry is way below
that of the civil servants and private sector employees. Planning for a life
after work becomes more pressing for people in the entertainment industry. Given
there are limited formal contracts, it is safe to say there is no pension plan
in the entertainment industry, and each one individually has to carve out one
for themselves. The Covid-19 pandemic more than any other factor brought this
to light.
Long before the pandemic, Hon. Kyagulanyi had set up his One Love Beach in Busaabala as a recreation centre
that can generate him income outside of music. As a former Member of Parliament, he is guaranteed to receive a stipend from the Parliamentary Pension Scheme.
The emergence of
Kyagulanyi on the political scene cast an eye on the entertainment industry. It is important to note that entertainers
had ventured into politics before him, i.e., Kato Lubwama defeated seasoned
politician Ken Lukyamuzi to represent Rubaga South. However, whereas Lubwama was a comedian
and radio host, Kyagulanyi's music had evolved from pure entertainment to
educational, and he was pulling big crowds mainly made up of the youths. For the PR machine of NRM, it made
sense to bring artists to the NRM fold in a bid to sway some of that youth support
their way.
Unfortunately, the method of distributing cash transfers to some of
the artists has made them dependent on the largesse of NRM rather than curtailing
Kyagulanyi's support. Begging the government for handouts as a pension plan for
the entertainment industry has risen to an art form! One week the artists were travelling to Gulu to request for patronage from the president's brother, another week there was a comedian's association seeking to
make contact with Balaam and Mama Fina, and then the DJs were calling out for support not long after!
With the full reopening of the market, the entertainment industry is envisaged to return to its former highs. For an industry that has the potential to provide alternative sources of income to many, it is important the lessons from Covid-19 are taken into consideration on an individual basis.
Greetings. A week
ago, the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo publicly apologised for his attacks on the Baganda and the Kabaka. Justice Owiny-Dollo had made claims that the protests outside Hon. Jacob Oulanya's hospital were organised by Buganda. This new wave of Buganda bashing has been led by Norbert Mao, who feels the National Unity Platform (NUP) party and the People Power movement are Buganda loyalist factions aimed at perpetuating the interests of the ancient kingdom. Both Mao
and Owiny-Dollo are of Acholi descent, and their criticism of Baganda is a
continuation of accusations of tribalism levelled against the Baganda, which the president has also
contributed to. Are there lessons to be gleaned from the recent Buganda bashing?
The "First"
Autocrat
As with most ethnic
societies, the origin story of Buganda is wrapped up in legend and myth. But
quite often myths have a root in actual historical events. Records on Ganda
history agree on five original clans, Bannansangwawo, which were Ffumbe,
Lugave, Ngeye, Nyonyi Nyange, and Njaza. Each clan was headed by a Mutaka.
Some Bataka would prove to be militarily stronger than the rest and thus
emerge as a assort of primus inter pares. However, as it so happens in some
cases a powerful leader would turn into a despot. Bemba was such a leader at
the time of Kintu's migration to Buganda.
Bemba was a
ruthless ruler and one of the legends portrays him as a snake! Desirous of
change, the subjects chose to align with Kintu's forces to put an end to Bemba's
reign. Kintu would be elevated as Kabaka and establish the governance system
that would build Buganda.
Much as Buganda
patriotism portrays an unbroken dynasty from Kintu to the present king, there
are at least three dynastic eras. The Kintu dynasty ended with the death
of his son, whose heir, Kalemeera, had been exiled in Bunyoro. Kimera, son of
Kalemeera, migrated to Buganda and established a new dynasty. The third dynasty
is hinted upon by MSM Kiwanuka, who posits that "the most important result
of Nakibinge's death was that it seems to have ended the previous dynasty and
thereby created a succession crisis for Buganda". Mulondo, who succeeded
Nakibinge, began the current dynasty.
Nevertheless, all
this proves that even prior to the advent of western-style democracy, the
Baganda were well-versed with the revolving door on dynastic rule.
The Modern Day
In 2021, upon clinching his latest term, the President wasted no time in asserting that tribalism had a bearing on the outcome of the election (which he had just won). His argument ignored the fact that NUP fielded two candidates with roots outside Buganda for Kampala seats (Shamim Malende and Derrick Nyeko) and swept those seats, or the fact that NUP won seats in Busoga as well. The Buganda region voted overwhelmingly for NUP, ousting NRM bigwigs like Chrysostom Miyingo, Vincent Ssempijja, Judith Nabakooba, Edward Sekandi and Amelia Kyambadde, with the latter two ending their political careers as a result.
If one can just rig votes in the rest of the regions, it begs a question of why would one be bothered with one's dwindling support in the central region?
For one, the Buganda Kingdom structures provide an interesting parallel to their central government counterparts. When one is appointed Minister in the Kabaka's government or Omwami ow'e Saza, it is an honour to serve their king. For the central government appointments on the other hand, it is your time to eat! The kingdom structures might have their challenges but no other traditional society has managed to mobilise its people and resources on a similar scale, with other cultural leaders waiting on handouts from the central government. The example set by the Baganda brings to light the benefits of a more decentralised outlook on government, which is antithetic to those who believe power should be vested in one authority. In reality, what we are blaming Buganda for is proving that there is an alternative way of doing things.
Furthermore, the Baganda have come to serve as a memory bank, especially on aggressive rule. They witnessed the ruthlessness of Bemba. The 16th century wars against Olimi I of Bunyoro nearly brought the kingdom to an end but they rose from the ashes and expanded to annex Buddu, Kyaggwe and Kooki. From colonialism through all the post-independence regimes, the Baganda (and Ugandans at large) have lived through those difficult times. When you map out a 40-year reign across a 1000-year history, that's barely 5% of the life time of the kingdom. Understandably when that reign ends they won't remember it fondly, and no amount of PR will hide that fact.
In contrast to Gaius Caesar's Veni, Vidi, Vici maxim, autocrats in Uganda come, Baganda see them, and they (despots) leave! They did survive Bemba after all.
The annual feast day of St. Valentine is upon us. There are about eleven saints in the Roman Catholic church named Valentine. However, the clergyman who was martyred on 14th February 269 is the eponym of the feast day commemorating courtly love. He is the patron saint of love, happy marriages, affianced couples, beekeepers, and epilepsy! In memory of his patronage of courtly love, I purport to provide some not so bad advice on how to woo the fairer sex, extracted from various texts - non-fictional and otherwise.
Does it rain at your school?
Girls from Gayaza High School had been invited to Namilyango College for a debate by the Junior Debating Society. As a leader I had the privilege of opening the dance, which followed the debate, with a girl of my choice. The problem, however, was that I had never danced, and I knew next to nothing about this kind of exercise. After I stepped on her toes more than three times, I decided to start a conversation. Maybe this would calm my nerves and eventually I would flow with her. Yet again, I did not know what a person is supposed to say to such a girl. Our conversation went as follows;
"Do you also eat posho (maize meal) at your school?"
"Sometimes."
"Does it rain at your school?"
"Yes."
"Are there many students in your school?"
"Can't you ask better questions?" Obviously she was irritated, and that marked the beginning and end of my dancing days.
From Emmanuel Katongole's Service Above Self. Chapter 1
Handle Cutlery Like A Gentleman
When I first arrived in Mqhekezweni I was regarded by some of my peers as a yokel who was hopelessly unequipped to exist in the rarefied atmosphere of the Great Place. As young men will, I did my best to appear suave and sophisticated. In church one day, I had noticed a lovely young woman who was one of the daughters of the Reverend Matyolo. Her name was Winnie, and I asked her out and she accepted. She was keen on me, but her eldest sister, nomaMpondo, regarded me as hopelessly backward. She told her sister that I was a barbarian who was not good enough for the daughter of Reverend Matyolo. To prove to her younger sister how uncivilized I was, she invited me to the rectory for lunch. I was still used to eating at home, where we did not use knife and fork. At the family table, this mischievous older sister handed me a plate that contained a single chicken wing. But the wing, instead of being soft and tender, was a bit tough, so the meat did not fall easily off the bone.
I watched the others using their knives and forks with ease and slowly picked up mine. I observed the others for a few moments, and then attempted to carve my little wing. At first I just moved it around the plate, hoping that the flesh would fall from the bone. Then I tried in vain to pin the thing down, and cut it, but it eluded me, and in my frustration I was clanking my knife on the plate. I tried this repeatedly and then noticed that the older sister was smiling at me and looking knowingly at the younger sister as if to say, “I told you so.” I struggled and struggled and became wet with perspiration, but I did not want to admit defeat and pick the infernal thing up with my hands. I did not eat much chicken that day at luncheon.
Afterward the older sister told the younger, “You will waste your whole life if you fall in love with such a backward boy,” but I am happy to say the young lady did not listen — she loved me, as backward as I was.
From Nelson Mandela's The Long Walk To Freedom. Part I, Chapter 3
... In the End, Location Matters
As they stood there together, Ekwefi's mind went back to the days when they were young. She had married Anene because Okonkwo was too poor then to marry. Two years after her marriage to Anene she could bear it no longer and she ran away to Okonkwo. It had been early in the morning. The moon was shining. She was going to the stream to fetch water. Okonkwo's house was on the way to the stream. She went in and knocked at his door and he came out. Even in those days he was not a man of many words. He just carried her into his bed and in the darkness began to feel around her waist for the loose end of her cloth.
From Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Chapter 11
Greetings. This week, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party will be commemorating 36 years since it came into power. Proponents for their continued grip on power urge the public to concentrate on their deliverables rather than their duration in power. In the previous year's general election, the party's Secretary General was wont to assert that the party intended to stay in power for as long as Chama Cha Mapinduzi, Tanzania's ruling party that has held power since 1970. Parties that have stayed long in power have a penchant for poor governance, economic mismanagement and a poor human rights record.
These parties' continued stay in power despite a poor report card brings to mind a mythological character cursed to perform a futile task for eternity.
The Myth of Sisyphus
Sisyphus is a wily figure in Greek mythology, who cheated death twice. His punishment was to roll a huge rock endlessly up a steep hill.
"… Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious stone with both his hands. With hands and feet, he tried to roll it up to the top of the hill, but always, just before he could roll it over on to the other side, its weight would be too much for him, and the pitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain. Then he would begin trying to push it up hill again …"
The gods displayed their own trickery by enchanting the stone to roll away from Sisyphus when he reached the top. This consigned him to this fruitless labour and frustration for eternity.
The Myth of CCM
Time and again, parties in Africa take up power only to resort to the same methods that lead to a path of aggressively protecting their interests at any cost, much to the detriment of the rest of the population. First, it was the one-party states. Gamal Nasser in Egypt led the way with a declaration of the National Democratic Party as the sole legal party in the country in 1956. By the time, Nyerere declared Chama Cha Mapinduzi the sole legal party in Tanzania in 1977, 34 countries on the continent had taken that path before (including Uganda in 1969). In total, there have been 63 one-party state declarations in Africa, with Sahrawi and Eritrea the only countries still practising single-party politics on the continent.
Despite a move away from the formation of one-party states, ruling parties have continued to assert their dominance even under the multi-party system. They tend to employ the same methods across countries and time to maintain their grip on power. Reports of voter suppression, clamping down on freedom of press, jailing of dissenting views are commonplace in all African countries with a dominant political power. And when a new party comes into power, the same script is repeated; Sisyphus returning to the bottom of the hill to carry the burdensome rock (oppressive methods) up to the hill afresh. And worst of all, the larger population's rock refers to the same paces of corruption, economic mismanagement, voter suppression, having their social services neglected, which they have to go through time and time again.
The Franco-Algerian author, Albert Camus had a different interpretation of the Sisyphian myth altogether. In his Le Myth de Sisyphe, he considered Sisyphe an absurd hero. Despite his endless effort, Sisyphus is actually triumphant over the gods.
"His scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life won him that unspeakable penalty in which the whole being is exerted toward accomplishing nothing. This is the price that must be paid for the passions of this earth"
Individuals can continue to live conscious of their despicable condition, and yet continue to face it on a daily basis. Why else would citizens put up with questionable governance for 36 years? There is a sense the rock will come tumbling down the hill, and they will have to pick it up again.
But the people in power could share Camus' interpretation. They could view it as their own triumph taking up a task of governing the people in the same oppressive way in perpetuity.
Happy NRM Day!
Ceteris. Paribus.
References
Butler,
S. (1900). The Odyssey. Longmans, Green, and Company.
Camus, A. (1955). The Myth of Sisyphus. 1942. Trans. Justin O’Brien
O'Gorman,
Melanie (26 April 2012). "Why the CCM won't lose: the roots of
single-party dominance in Tanzania". Journal of Contemporary African Studies. 30 (2):
313–333
Greetings. The
Ugandan medical professionals went on strike last week, a practice they have done
countless number of times. The health sector, just like
education, is a cornerstone of human capital development that will deliver the
government's desired middle-income status. You can't be productive when your
health is found wanting, and it's partly through skilled medical personnel (as
well as their availability) that our longevity can be secured. With a country
whose life expectancy is at 63, the government is so casual about the
guardians of our health system going on strike.
The current crop
of medical doctors at the age of 30 years have been practicing for
approximately 4 years. Revisiting their HSC class set up a decade ago can help
understand their demands for an increment in remuneration.
PCB/Maths
Back in 2011,
there were four medical schools in the country, with government scholarships only
available at Makerere University, Gulu University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (students at Kampala
International University, a privately-owned institution, are not eligible for
government scholarships). The essential subjects for an admission to a medicine
program are Chemistry and Biology. Therefore, for students preparing for the
Higher School Certificate with an eye on a career in the medical field, their subject combination must include these two. The most common combination at the time was Physics, Chemistry,
Biology and Mathematics, colloquially known as kalamba (full set).
It is in the
Mathematics classes that PCB/M brigade rubbed shoulders with students
whose career paths are targeted outside the life sciences of Medicine, Pharmacy
and Dentistry. Students interested in Engineering could opt for PCM/Economics
or PEM (while stroking Fine Art or Technical Drawing), whereas for those
interested in Quantitative Economics and Statistics anything with Mathematics
was good enough.
For students who
didn't pursue the path of sciences, the options in Humanities included History,
Christian Religious Education (Divinity), Islamic Religious Education, and
Geography. Subjects like Economics, Fine Art and the languages (French, German,
Luganda) were open to both science and humanities specialists. The kalamba for
humanities was HEG/D. University courses for humanities students included the
law, social sciences, history, mass communication, business administration, and
languages. Whereas Medicine was only available at three universities,
Architecture at only Makerere and Engineering restricted to Makerere, Kyambogo
and Ndejje, humanities courses were available at all 31 universities in the
country at the time. With limited university vacancies available, the race to become a doctor was more competitive than the other career paths.
Upon reaching the university, Medicine - which comprised of two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) - has a duration of five years. Architecture is the only other undergraduate course that requires five years of study. Of the Humanities courses, the longest duration is reserved for the Bachelor of Laws (4 years), with the rest of the courses having a three year duration.
Therefore, as the medical student commences his/her fourth year of study, majority of his/her HSC classmates that opted for a path in the Humanities are commencing their job hunt. It is during the second semester of this year (sometimes the year before) that the big four audit firms reach out to university students that are likely interested in a career in accounting/auditing. These firms have an inclination to hire people with a background in Engineering, Economics, Mathematics and Statistics, believing that the quantitative background in these courses gives them a leg up when completing the chartered courses in accounting.
For a student fresh out of campus, the audit firm presents a very enticing career starter. The net salary ranges between UGX 700,000 and UGX 1,000,000/=, along with health insurance and a scholarship to study the chartered accounting course. For the class that joined university in 2011, by the time the doctors signed their first professional contract their counterparts in the auditing career path already had two years of experience and were on track to complete their professional courses.
As the years progress, the gap between the doctor and the rest only grows wider. Considering that the individuals in the audit path can opt for careers in financial management as well, the humanities career paths advancement is often not that quick. One has to obtain a postgraduate education to become more competitive in the job market and this comes with its costs as well. However, for those that don't choose that path the option of a side hustle can bring their monthly earnings to a respectable level. The time available for people in this line of work is not accorded to the doctors. A doctor has to establish their reputation and specialisation in their formative years before they can branch out and establish their own practice, which is often a very expensive venture.
The Medicine Man and the King
The government's treatment of the medical professionals, and the health system for that matter, leaves a lot to be desired. The 2018 decision to hire doctors from Cuba rather than raise the Ugandan doctors remuneration, was a major slap in the face to the medical profession. Along with the police's aggressive efforts to quell the doctors' demonstrations, these events are reminiscent of the ancient arrangement between the witch doctor and the king. The excerpt below from Matthias S.M. Kiwanuka's book sheds light on the relationship between the medicine man and the king:
"The relationship between the king and the medicine men depended very much on the character and personality of the former. If vexed, a man of a violent nature treated them violently. King Tebandeke, for instance, executed very many of them, burned down all their temples, and looted their estates with impunity. During the eighteenth-century King Kyabaggu treated them in the same fashion."
The medicine men doubled as diviners and physicians. Like their modern successors, they spent their apprenticeships at the temple learning the skills necessary from the old guard. However, in contrast to their modern successors, the ancient medicine man determined what he charged for his services. One had the liberty of charging ten bulls for treating the king's boil whereas charging the peasant a domestic fowl for treating a more serious ailment.
Perhaps our doctors that have chosen to pursue a career abroad can charge the President's acolytes - considering they get their treatment outside these borders - exorbitantly when they seek treatment. But our president is easily vexed. And the equivalent of an academic temple (read Makerere's Ivory Tower) already burnt down a few years ago. The looting of the doctors' meagre earnings will long continue.
Ceteris. Paribus.
MILESTONE: This is the 40th article posted on this blog. In commemoration, we should all remember to wish the medical professionals a happy festive season because majority of them will be on call.
"When you have the will to do
something good, nothing can stop you."
[LONG READ ALERT]
Greetings. A few
days ago, Robert Seguya passed away. An icon of the game of rugby, the
42-year-old succumbed after a year-long battle with leukaemia. He will be
remembered for his long service to the game. Since 1992, he has played and
coached at school, club and national level. It is in one of his coaching roles
that the full measure of his impact has not been fully appreciated. Seguya's
coaching tenure at Hana Mixed School needs to be studied more closely for the
impact it did in the social outlook of the game.
The Game Before Seguya
Robert Seguya
began his sports journey at Namilyango. At the time of his admission, boxing
was no longer the venerated sport from the 1960s. The pugilists were disposed
to the youthful avarices of smoking, drinking and bullying the young ones. In a
few years of his admission the sport was scrapped from the College's
cocurricular offering. However, Seguya had already taken an interest in rugby.
Rugby at
Namilyango was introduced in 1964. Places like Namilyango and Nsambya TTC provided
a platform for native Ugandans to try their hand at the sport. The 1958 Ugandan
team that played in an international against Kenya had no native Ugandan on it,
despite Sepiriya Mukasa being a member of the Kampala Rugby Football Club at
the time. A photo of the Kenya Schools' XV that toured Uganda in 1964 is an
all-white line-up. Considering native participation in other sports, boxing in
Uganda had registered two commonwealth Games medals (F. Nyangweso and T.
Kawere) at the time, and there were thriving local football tournaments
including the Kabaka's Cup, with the topflight league to be formed before the
end of the 1960s. Rugby's race problem in Africa was not only confined to
apartheid era South Africa.
The sport of rugby
peaked at the college in the 1970s, but it went on the wane in the following
decade, only being revived in the early 1990s. Interhouse fixtures were
regularly contested. In the absence of a schools' competition, Namilyango
played in the nascent Ugandan League, contesting against teams like Heathens,
KOBs, Makerere Impis and ANC.
For much of its
history, rugby has been an amateur sport. The game only went professional in
1996 and this birthed the urgency to grow the game beyond its traditional
hinterlands. Uganda joined the International Rugby Board (the forerunner to World
Rugby) the following year, and an inter-school competition was introduced that
same year. By the time Seguya left Namilyango, the Schools' Championship had
been split between Namilyango and King's College, Budo.
Since the creation
of the Uganda Rugby Union, Namilyango, Budo and St. Mary's College Kisubi have
dominated the sport of rugby, both on and off the field. The institutions have
provided all past presidents of the URU, the current head of the referees'
society, the two most recent Head Coaches of the Rugby Cranes, several club
chairmen, the founders of Pirates RFC and Eagles RFC, sports columnists at both
leading papers of the country, as well as the brains behind Kratos rugby
media. Six starters of the 2007 Africa Rugby Cup final were from Namilyango,
with a further two on the bench. The position of Chairman of Uganda Schools
Rugby alternated between the rugby patrons of Namilyango, Budo and Kisubi.
Not by some
conspiracy has this dominance been manufactured. It rests solely on the merit
tradition and availability of resources at the institutions. Despite Namilyango
being the only school with a dedicated rugby pitch, the other two schools have
each converted one of their many football pitches towards rugby purposes. From
their early years, as the pioneer schools in the country, the trio competed for
academic supremacy and this moved into the sports arena as well.
The Typical
Namilyango Rugby Player
Namilyango has
horned a reputation as "the rugby school". A good number of the
students have partaken in rugby in one way or another, despite the fact that
new students rarely have rugby experience from their previous primary schools.
It is from watching the evening training and the interschool games that they
garner their interest, and the absence of rugby balls has never deterred them.
Former Cranes flyhalf Edmond Tumusiime, who joined Namilyango in Seguya's final
year, described how he and his classmates in Form One finished "our
Quencher bottles, slopped down the pitch and used them as rugby balls."[1]
The drive in these thirteen-year-olds never goes unnoticed and the Form Three
class is tasked with teaching them the rules of the game, preparing them for
their maiden game.
At its peak, each
class boasted of a first XV and a second XV. In the early 21st century
it was tradition for the incoming Form One class to participate in their first
official rugby game against the second XV of Form Two. When they reach Form
Two, they will contest a game against the Form Three class. When one reached
Form Three, training to the Anchors was open to them and one had a chance to
prove oneself. The very ambitious would begin Anchors' training while still in
Form Two.
Playing for the
Anchors is the ultimate honour of a school rugby player in Uganda. Every team
wants to beat them – so often falling short. Partly due to the exploits of the
likes of Seguya, Tumusiime did the Anchors build their winning reputation. The
efforts of the rugby patrons at the College, Monsieur Valence Bizimana and Mr.
Kakembo as well as the coaching staff played a role.
Upon leaving
Namilyango, these students – those who opted to continue with the game – would
play for one of three teams. Namilyango has been a feeder for Kampala Old Boys
(KOBs) since the advent of the Schools' Championship, with majority of
Namilyango alumni playing for KOBS and its understudy side, Boks. The third
club that alumni have significantly played for is Makerere Impis, especially
those that secured government scholarships to study at the University. The
pattern of the Namilyango rugby player was to have their peak in their mid to
late twenties while playing club rugby or for the national team, after which
the reality of advancing their career at their daytime job took precedence over
rugby. Tumusiime has admitted to not reaching his peak due to "mixing
rugby with school and my professional career."
It is
understandable why they would opt to grow their daytime jobs. The sports
budgets in the country are dismal, and the crowds are few which hinders the
growth of the professional game.
In contrast to
this Namilyango pattern, Seguya's club rugby career was spent at Nile RFC
(present day Jinja Hippos), Heathens RFC and Buffaloes RFC, playing club rugby
for more than 15 seasons. He pursued entrepreneurship and private business,
rather than a daytime job. And to commence his coaching career, he opted for
Hana Mixed School, with no rugby history – or sports history for that matter.
Hana's Hegemony
As Namilyango
celebrated its centennial year, Hana Mixed School was still in its first year
of operation. Football was the main sports program offered at the new school.
The school decided to switch their attention towards rugby. The Games Master
formulated an agreement with Robert Seguya. Seguya focused on fitness, and he
enlisted Lady Cranes' Christine Kizito to handle the fitness and conditioning
of the team. Initially, the school struggled to gain promotion to the Premier
Schools division, losing to Comboni College (2007) and Lango College (2008).
To build the
program to his desired level, Seguya played a bigger role in the recruitment of
players to Hana. Aware of youths from Naguru who had trained with Heathens
junior sides, Seguya proposed the establishment of a scholarship program at
Hana. Four of the first five beneficiaries of this scheme were Naguru-bred
youths, including Alfred Bijik, Philip Wokorach, Kevin Keremundu and Ronnie
Musoke. In 2010[MK1], Hana's first year in the Schools' League,
Seguya's team lost at the semi-final stage to eventual winners Budo. In
October, at the annual Independence 7s tournament, Hana triumphed over
Namilyango in the final. The following season, Hana lifted the Schools' League,
becoming the second school outside the ancient trio to be crowned school
champions (after Kyambogo in 2003). Hana swept all school rugby trophies on the
domestic scene, and in August that year they were crowned East Africa
champions.
Seguya's blueprint
at Hana proved that the Big Three of schools' rugby could be trounced. Kololo
SS adopted this system, establishing bursaries for Naguru-based teenagers.
Between 2011 and 2015, the Schools' League title went to Hana on three
occasions, Kololo took the 2014 title, with SMACK the only one of the Big Three
to secure a championship (2015). The 2014 final was the first time in Schools
League history that neither Namilyango, SMACK nor Budo played in the final.
Some sections of the media and fans interpreted this as a shift in the balance
of power.
Back to Normal
Service
The Hana-Kololo
hegemony didn’t last long. After 2016, Hana Mixed School reversed its
scholarship policy, in a move that saw the school move away from the UNEB
system towards the costlier International Baccalaureate curriculum. And with
these changes, the rugby scholarship program ceased. Even in the absence of
scholarships, five years had proven to be a short time to establish the kind of
culture that prompts a thirteen-year-old to cultivate his rugby skills with an
empty Quencher bottle. In 2016,
normal service resumed as Namilyango won the first of three Schools' League
titles, only to be stopped by SMACK in 2019.
The game of rugby
expanded to more schools, but they were more of the ilk of
Namilyango-SMACK-Budo. Rugby programs were started at Mbarara High School and
Ntare School, and the Makerere College School rugby program was revived.
In the years that
followed, Seguya completed his World Rugby coaching certificate (Level 3), and
returned to Heathens RFC as Head Coach, leading them to the Uganda Cup. He
later took up coaching roles at Jinja Hippos and the Rugby Cranes (first as
assistant, then as Head Coach).
Having learnt the
game he loved through the merit-based system of Namilyango, Seguya believed in
competition. And he believed competition was essential to growing the game of
rugby. Rather than the norm of going back to Namilyango and helping coach the
Anchors, he sought to provide better competition to the Big Three schools. He
helped show the rest of the rugby fraternity that anyone could rise to the top
if they got an opportunity to prove themselves. As a lasting testament to him,
the greatest rugby player of the current generation might end up being a kid
from Naguru who spent his school days at Hana.
Greetings. It's fifty-nine years since the country got independence, and we've had some ups and downs over the years. Independence in Africa has become an annual ritual where we meet to blame the white man for our problems, and put forward some solutions as to how we can best move forward our society.
Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi uses her writings to propose a way forward. Her book, Kintu - which has been recommended on this blog as part of The Great Books Program for an Afrocentric awakening - posits some solutions. One of the central characters, Miisi Kintu has attempted to suppress the privileges arising from his education and the village folk resent him for that. Nevertheless he continues to publish a weekly column in the Bukedde newspaper titled Obufilosofi bwa Mzei Kintu. One such article for the column is titled Africanstein: Ekisode, a play on Frankenstein's monster from Mary Shelley's novel. Missi posits that despite colonialism making monsters of African states, the Africans must learn to adopt and thrive using the western values and systems imposed upon them.
AFRICANSTEIN: EKISODE
[B]Uganda, unlike the rest of Africa, was sweet-talked onto the operating table with praises and promises. Protectorate was the plastic surgery to set the sluggish African body on a faster route to maturity. But once under chloroform, the surgeon was at liberty and did as he pleased. First, he severed the hands then cut off the legs and he put the black limbs into a bin bag and disposed of them. Then he got European limbs and set upon grafting them on the black torso. When the African woke up, the European had moved into his house.
Though the African was too weak to get up, he still said to the European, “I don’t like what you are doing, my friend. Please get out of my house.” But the European replied, “I am only trying to help, brother. You are still too weak and drowsy to look after your house. I will take charge in the meantime. When you’re fully recovered, I promise you will work and run twice as fast as I do.”
But the African body rejected the European body parts. Africa says that they are incompatible. The surgeons say that Africa discharged itself too soon from hospital—that is why it is hemorrhaging. It needs a lot more continual blood and water pumped intravenously. Africa says the blood and water are too expensive. The surgeons say, “Nonsense, we did the same to India, see how fast it’s running.”
When Africa looked in the mirror, it saw that it was hideous. Africa looked in others’ eyes to see how they saw it: there was revulsion. That gave Africa permission to self-harm and self-hate. Sometimes, when the world is not looking, the surgeons poke Africa in the wounds. When it falls down the surgeons say, “You see, we told you they were not ready.”
We cannot go back to the operating table and ask for the African limbs, Africa must learn to walk on European legs and work with European arms. As time goes by, children will be born with evolved bodies and in time, Africa will evolve according to ekisode’s nature and come to its best form. But it will be neither African nor European. Then the pain will settle down.
In the novel, Miisi shared the draft of the article with the village folk and even entertained a Q&A.
Q1: “If, because of this ripping, grafting, and stitching, societies like ours are of ekisode nature, should we just sit back and wait until evolution smoothens things out?”
Miisi: “No, not sitting back: we must manage the pain. However, whatever we will do or can do, will be within the scope of ekisode. It’s important for us to realize that we’re operating under a different nature so that we do not compare ourselves unfavorably to others or hold grand expectations.”
Q2: “How do we manage the pain?”
Miisi: “Swallow the painkillers as prescribed by the surgeons, keep using our own herbs and do all those things that will not exacerbate the wounds; but all that is just to soothe. Evolution is perfect at perfecting even mistakes.”
Kaleebu: “In which world are we going to evolve? I am not
pouring water on your fire, Miisi, but the whole thing sounds too neat for me.”
Miisi: “It’s hope though, isn’t it?”
Kaleebu: “In a perfect world maybe, where all other continents are
asleep and would not interfere.”
Ssekito: “Miisi, I say this with a raw mind. But if Europeans outwitted us, no matter how despicable their tactics were—isn’t it time we came up with a strategy for our own survival rather than sitting here crying look what they have done to us?”
Kaleebu: “That is for politicians, Ssekito. This discussion is intellectual: we’re merely thinking aloud, suggesting possibilities.”
Despite Kaleebu’s cynicism, Miisi was satisfied. At least the residents did not exchange worried looks this time.
Ceteris. Paribus.
References
Makumbi, Jennifer Nansubuga, (2014). Kintu, pp. 241-242
