As a child, I attended a school where the head prefect had to be of a particular tribe and also subscribe to a particular religion. I didn't seem to get it until I was told that they wanted to maintain the culture.
Then later I realized that other schools took it a notch higher, prefects had a different touch to their uniforms, sometimes they had their meals in staffroom with the teachers, and the privileges increased or varied from one school to another.
The challenge with this kind of reward system, especially in a school setting where children are learning values and building their character, it will most likely send mixed signals and build a sense of entitlement for those in leadership, setting the pace from a tender age.
This kind of reward system portrays leadership as a reward for being someone or for doing something and not necessarily character or service above self.
And then we wonder why 20 years later we vote for politicians pushing their personal agendas, who feel entitled to every penny from the tax payer and know nothing about servant leadership but everything about get rich as fast as I can & run.
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In the past 1 month, I have found myself consistently watching prime time news. The contents of the news have been nothing short of heart breaking.
With every headline and story that aired, I couldn't help but think, "How bad can it get?"
Exhibit 1: KCCA workers responsible for sweeping our roads had not been paid for 4 months. The lady that was interviewed shared her story - waking up as early as 5am to go and sweep the streets of Kampala. The monthly compensation of Ugx 150,000 was helping her pay school fees, pay rent and buy food. Without this money coming in for months, she had to send her children to the village and currently had a growing debt with a nearby shop owner.
Exhibit 2: Primary school students in Terego District walk 7kms to the nearest school everyday. To make it in time, they have to wake up early to start their trek. A concerned parent cannot let his children walk in the dark alone because there is no electricity so he walks the journey with them until the sun comes out.
Exhibit 3: A government boarding school in Buyende District doesn't have dormitories. So parents have resorted to contributing towards the construction of grass thatched dormitories because that's what they can afford so that their children do not have to walk long distances to school everyday.
These and many more stories, some of which do not make it to the light of day are symbolic of the plight of many Ugandans. Let me try to bring it home for you - A World Bank study revealed that about 30% of Ugandans were living below the poverty line, which is $1.9 per day. In 2022, statistics also showed that Uganda's population by age group was 44.78% were aged 0 - 14 years, 53.52% were 15 - 64 years and 1.69% were 65 years and older.
This simply means that there is a great burden on the working age population 15 - 60, to provide for their needs and those of their family members. Now, simple mathematics will tell you that because the biggest percentage of the population lies in the working age group, chances are that they are the same population contributing a bigger percentage to those living below the poverty line.
What happens then if this lady Nansikombi who wakes up everyday to sweep the roads is not paid her Ugx 150,000 for 4 consecutive months?
Also bearing in mind that Nansikombi works alongside another Mukiibi, Bosco, Nakitende and the list goes on. There are many others like Nansikombi who have not been paid for 4 months. What is the problem? Who is holding the funds? This therefore leaves many families in a predicament wondering where their next meal is coming from.
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We have created a system that gratifies those in positions of power instead of holding them accountable. So many people try to make it to a position where they will also gain and get their fair share of fat paychecks, mansions for retirement homes and latest cars as a reward for service.
We have been indirectly taught from a young age that some people are better than others and that leadership is a reward or title for those that deserve it. However, I'd like to suggest, if leadership is not about service to the people we represent in our communities, then I don't know what is.
We are all products of an education system and cumulative experiences. The problem is not the people, it is the system. If we do nothing about transforming the way our children learn, what they learn and who they learn it from, our nation is seated on a ticking time bomb and it will soon explode.
