The Katikkiro (Prime Minister) of Buganda Kingdom Charles Peter Mayiga has said that it’s a mistake to allow people with only certificate of advanced level of Education (senior 6) to contest for political offices that involve policymaking in the country.
Owek. Mayiga expressed his dissatisfaction while delivering an inaugural public lecture for the former Buganda Katikkiro Martin Luther Nsibirwa at Makerere University on Friday.
He said higher political offices need to be ran by trained leaders at higher institutions of learning if a country is to have quality leadership.
He disclosed that because the late Nsibirwa was a trained leader, he foresaw the necessity of a having learning institution in Buganda when the populists were only focusing on opposing colonial suggestions of expanding Makerere college (now Makerere University).
“I always say that leadership or politics is not a game but it’s about the livelihood and the wellbeing of people (the common man). So it’s a mistake to think that people who have done nothing after their theoretical study in school, good orators and perfect debating skills can make good administrators,” he said.
Mayiga further cautioned that the political system Uganda adopted poses a danger of producing incompetent people who view political contests simply as a measure of their populism.
“From what we know Nsibirwa was neither a person trusting in ideology or a populist. And if he had been so, maybe Makerere University would not be there, because it was easy to say we can’t give away the Kingdom land. Therefore, leadership in its proper form should concentrate on delivering results and leaders who are properly oriented, seek to be judged on the things they have done for the people and not simply on how many promises they can make.”
Mayiga also advised that in order to have quality leaders in Uganda, higher learning institutions plus scholars should come out with solutions on how leaders and those aspiring to be both in the corporate world and politics can be polished for the betterment of the country.
“Emphasis should be put on the few selection criteria and training methods of our leader. I strongly believe that actions speak louder than words and our people should not be taken by the empty sloganeering by the populists but by the execution of tangible programs to improve their standards of living. Martin Luther Nsibirwa left a very big lesson that every leader must learn. ‘You have to do what you have to do at times or many times’ So giving the land to colonialists to build Makerere University was the right thing to do despite the populists saw it as a problem.”
Nsibirwa, a two-time Buganda premier, was murdered as he walked out of church service at Namirembe Cathedral in 1945. He was buried at the same church. His death followed the handover of a big chunk of land for the expansion of then Makerere College into the University of East Africa on September 4, 1945. The land in question was in the hands of private owners, who were opposed to the idea.
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