A bible in one hand, truth in the other; her truth. To be CEO of Uganda Airlines, you just have to be Jennifer Bamuturaki – No pantsuits, stylish dressing, bodycon attire, formal office outfits or elegant hairstyles. Just keep it Bamu.
All she needs is skill, she says. And she’s right. The ability to appear before COSASE to comment about the Auditor General’s report and do so as though she were having a routine gossip session is a unique skill. The belligerent mood in the room motivated rather than intimidated her.
Joel Ssenyonyi thought he was hitting hard; frequently posing for effect but JB only felt sorry for him – which country does this man live in? she wondered. “I got the appointment, ask the appointer,” Quick to listen, fast to speak but slow to understand, Joel probed even deeper. He wanted to know about qualifications, experience, relevance, god fathers; name it.
Plot thickens. Taking the lid off, he revealed the 87 million per month salary. JB smiled. Joel and his commission must be driven by a pang of jealousy, she mused. She was not here to face investigation as Joel thought but to educate; to bring Ugandans up to speed on what’s going on in their perceived country. MPs who pretend not to know how this economy is run , who drives it and who the beneficiaries are must be aliens.
As usual, the gullible public believed a new scandal had been unearthed and jumped on the Joel wagon. Many sounded shocked, others flabbergasted, angry, resigned and shaken. Within minutes of the news break, emojis were being shared, captions coined and woeful commentaries followed. They don’t get it; that in this script, the plot is ever changing but the conclusion always the same – sometimes the biggest stars are the most insignificant looking. In this stage act, JB is the real deal not a side show. The arrogance, vain manner, abrasiveness and vile character are for real. Deal with it. She’s angry that no one gets it.
A CEO – one would expect, should carry themselves with class and style. They effuse elegance, authority and command. One look and you want to give them an audience. With JB, that aura of respect is missing. She reminds you of that thing called Uganda Airlines, the mention of which makes you hate the thought of flying. It’s mundane. Something historic. Why people still get shocked with on goings there is more surprising than what is reported. This is the point that JB was making. The point that Joel still can’t get. ‘Kulabisa’ as the red berets call it, is as empty as it is opaque. An exercise in futility. 87 million is take home to one’s fantasies. Moralists are not for this country; idealists belong to fantasy.
Our country is about the individual. About today. It belongs to those who have perfected the dark arts. Impunity is no longer evil, it’s a demonstration of omnipotence. A display of power. It’s godly. A reminder that this country has its owners who have a law unto themselves. Am sure Joel gets it but he is just another in a long list of players who have mastered the game of survival.
Those of us who understood this early will remain slaves to our passion – football. There we find our freedom, joy, happiness, elation and there we face our sorrows, frustrations, anger, disappointments, tears and depression. There is no one to blame. Only our passion.
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