KULWA KATONDA NEGWANGA LYAFFE

At the recently concluded home coming event for the alumni of Busoga CollegeMwiri, veteran politician, civil servant and Rotarian, Hon. Henry Kyemba, talked about the time, towards the declaration of Independence of Uganda from colonial rule, the new Prime Minister Dr Apollo Milton Obote chose to lend (or was it borrow?), the motto of our former School to this young nation of Uganda. I am not aware of the genesis of this motto prior to being adopted by my alma-mater, but it has recently been the muse for my thinking about who I am and what my particular role on earth is.

The Motto -loosely translated to mean ‘For God and My Country,’ implores the Ugandan citizen to pursue their dreams, mission and vision, not to the fulfilment of their own selfish ends, but to a but on a much higher calling - that is GOD. This is because God is the beginning and end of all human life and endeavour. I am aware that some of the readers of this blog might not necessarily agree with this prism of thought and argue that the pursuit of self-fulfilment is also godly. I do not necessarily disagree. I can only add that this should not be the end. Rather, we should strive to position ourselves –be it financially or otherwise- to be of help to our God and our nation.  Indeed, the second part of the motto further instils in us a love for the country and its citizens or inhabitants. Once again, the focus here is not one’s individual needs or fulfilment per se, but on the advancement of the nation/country.

I am reminded of a story of a farmer who invested heavily in planting quality seed in his land amidst poverty and hunger in the neighbourhood. One need not be surprised that when the crop was ready, the neighbourhood helped themselves to the benefits, much to the farmer’s chagrin. Obviously the solution here would have been to help the neighbourhood plant their own seed so that there is not only bountiful harvest, but also enough crop for everyone. Besides, if the farmer had attempted to sell his produce, the neighbourhood was too impoverished to purchase it from him.  There are numerous examples of people who have engaged in the selfish accumulation of wealth, only to lose it when they are either frail or when there is a change in the leadership of our nation.

The raison d’etre for adopting this motto are therefore true today as they were at the time when it was being coined. An objective assessment of this nation, its resources and potential would reveal that we are indeed ‘Gifted by Nature’ although I would rather say we are ‘Gifted by God.’ While Uganda has over the years undergone a lot of civil strife and mayhem, the root causes can, to a great extent, be attributed to the clash between selfishness and the pursuit for happiness and equal opportunities for all.  While a lot of strides have been made over the years to strike a balance between selfish ambition and national outlook, it is fair to say that indeed, focusing on God first and our country, is more beneficial than not.

I submit

Daniel R. Ruhweza

Mwirian, Christian, Nationalist, Rotarian, Nature-Lover