Teaching Ugandans to survive..: are we adept at acquiring and using learned skills?

In the recent past, the Government of Uganda has adopted various means to ensure that literacy rates are increased and that at least four children per family get to attain Primary school level education. Secondary school level education will soon be available to many more when Universal Secondary Education (USE) is fully instituted.


The education system exists so we can acquire basic reading and writing skills at elementary levels after which, with the advancement in age and learning levels, we can horn our other skills and talents and eventually adopt sustainable means of earning a living and contribute to the development of community and people in general.


This concept in theory is good but in practice, rarely will you see Ugandans stepping out of the norm to adopt other sustainable means of earning livings. Almost every other learned Ugandan is employed by government, law firms, finance companies/corporations, telecommunications companies, Media, Hospice and NGO’s. Very few have their own companies that provide unique services.


This is possibly because, among other reasons, Ugandans suffer “copycat syndrome”. Everyone thinks the next business idea will make them rich without effectively considering the possibility that business ideas do not work unless you make them particular to your person. For example, in Wandegeya, a small trading centre on the outskirts of Kampala whose main clients are from Makerere University, there exist over 5 restaurants/take-a-ways in a space of 75 feet on the side closest to Bombo road, a total of 10 exist on that side a lone. If every 3 steps lead you to an establishment selling the same commodities, the chances of making a profit lessen when a potential client doesn’t enter your establishment.


Privatisation of the economy served its purpose to certain extents, more businesses were generated, infrastructure has grown and generally, there are more opportunities to build oneself and the nation but we are still stuck with the same problems we had prior to the event.


We have the skills but do not use these skills to better ourselves. The mentality is “Everyone has to eat where they work” which roughly translated means you must milk all your opportunities for all their worth and rely on donor money to somehow correct the mistakes our corruption creates. So we cripple ourselves waiting on handouts from our government and other governments and our employers waiting for the next project to be able to scheme off the surface which inevitably downplays any skills we have developed.


The openings and opportunities to learn and better skills are numerous, information is readily available but only a few use it. It is no wonder that in Uganda today very few can actually think past setting up restaurants, which do not provide any unique cuisine, mobile phone accessories, public telephone stands and getting involved in transportation.


We have become adept at expertly looking at the present without accurately planning for further than tomorrow. In the event that our government collapsed, very few of us would have the means to survive, total chaos would ensure and we would be totally clueless because we have relied on one source, one skill for so long.

The purity ring: Are we taking expression of faith too far?

Lydia Playfoot, a 16 yr old girl who was banned by her school for wearing a “purity ring” is taking her school, Millais School in Horsham in West Sussex, to the High Court. Lydia, a member of the Silver Ring Thing Christian group wears a silver ring engraved with a Biblical reference- “1 Thes 434” St. Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians- as a sign of their belief in abstinence from sex till marriage. She claims that her school is breaching her human rights by preventing her from wearing the ring, while allowing Muslim and Sikh students to wear headscarfs and religious bangles.

While it can be argued that using such a ring as an expression of faith is part of the right to express oneself, it is also becoming apparent that expressions such as these are the beginnings of fads that eventually burn out and do not sustain the goal for which they were started.

The purity ring is just one of many endeavours by some Christians to stay true to bible principles inline with purity until marriage. In Uganda, pro-purity organisations have pushed for the “True love waits” campaign in a bid to help young people find esteem, appreciate the gift of virginity and to stand in the face of peer pressure.

However in world that is highly visual and brand conscious, it increasingly becomes hard to actually pick up and stick to the singular concept that such belief expressions are trying to put across.

It is a tenacious situation because just like any other religious group, Christians will use popularly used mass media channels to get their message across but by adopting such measures they become ‘just like everyone else”.

Not more than a year ago, it became a fad to wear wrist bands that carried specific messages like “Arsenal forever”, ‘Peace”, “Unity”, “Tranquillity”, “Club Silk” and “Celtel Africa Challenge”

This fad was so powerful that the Christian community did not escape it, bands reading “W.W.J.D” (What Would Jesus Do), “F.R.O.G”(Fully Rely On God), “D.O.G” (Depend on God) and “P.U.S.H” (Pray Until Something Happens) became the boldest form of expressing belief, encouraging oneself in times of dire need and identifying with people of the same belief system.

Expressions like the purity ring eventually get swollen up by the bigger, brighter and more repetitive adverts and soon no one will even remember what the purity ring was about to begin with. Does this solve Lisa’s problem? Does this help protect young innocents, keeping them pure till they get married?

An expression of faith is at best that, just an expression. It is a basic human right to express oneself, but the impact of the message of that expression should be weighed against fading into oblivion and becoming just another fad.

Climate Change: What You need to know.

Climate change is as much a part of our lives today as it has always been. It is just not something many people even consider as they go on day by day. It is not a dreamed up notion purported by over zealous scientists or crazed environmentalists. Every aspect of our lives, every interaction we make has an effect on climate and environment and will continue to do so unless we take positive steps to counteract negative impact.

Simply explained, Climate Change is a regional change in temperature and weather conditions. Current science indicates a change over the last century and human activity specifically the burning of fossil fuels. The term has also been used synonymously with “global warming” and “green house effect”.

The effects of climate change on Uganda have taken their toll over time. In 2006 after investigations were carried out on Mountain Rwenzori, it was reported that warmer temperatures were melting the glaciers on its picks and the snow would eventually disappear within 2 to 3 decades. The glaciers act as a major source of fresh water to kigezi and thus their loss would affect water availability. The region thus has to start preparing for this eventuality by drilling bore holes to tap under ground water and adapt irrigation systems to conserve the regions rain.

In April 2007, it was also reported that changes in rainfall patterns, increased droughts, lowering of the water table and other factors go a long way in contributing to disease increment, especially in regard to Malaria, cause unstable weather patterns that affect farming especially that of crops like coffee, cassava and Soya and so on.

This year, the Government of Uganda allowed big industries in Uganda to run diesel powered generators to boost their energy levels following the start of nation wide load-shedding. This is interesting considering that diesel is one of the most common elements through which the gases that affect the climate are emitted.

When the different climate-changing activities in which Ugandans are involved are peaked, it should be obvious that we have to effect some measures to ensure that we conserve natural resources and balance out environmental effects.

What we can do as a nation is first realise that climate change is a reality and the burden lies on each of us to deal with the results of our activities.

As a nation, we need to take the international conventions and protocols on climate change seriously and enact laws and regulations to protect our country and its resources. National resource has to be directed towards creating workable solutions to deal with these changes in climate. We need to be able to prevent natural disastrous such as droughts and have measures to ensure survival in case of natural disasters.

We cannot fully rely on only one source of energy, hydro electricity as evidence by restrictions to energy production we are suffering at the moment. We have other sources that need to be fully investigated and made effective.

Ideas without implementation are just that, ideas. We need change. We need to wake up and realise that we will be totally defenceless if we do not act now.