The triple-chopper tragedy has taken its toll and the action reveals a
lot: mainly that unless you build institutions on other grounds than
profession and competence, catastrophe will follow, come what may.
The C-in-C has at last let go. Brigadier Moses Rwakitarate is no more and so is the highest ranking Chiga officer in the forces, Lt. Gen Jim Owoyesigyire. The reasons are as simple as cutting through butter. Look bellow:
Rwakitarate, a boy from Ruti [The Mzee Byanyima place] is the son of a pioneer engineer in telecoms, turned preacher, Mzee Rwakitarate, who worked in the communications area from 1948 to 1983 and is now a saved, revivalist preacher, in the evening of his life. It is reported that he, together with late prof. Wadada Nabudere [then reportedly a Postal-Clerk student at today's MMU at Mbagathi, Langata, Kenya [MMU- Multimedia University, for Post Office Higher Training Institute] cause a strike because they did not want to put on uniform like the compliant Kenyans they found there.Rwakitarate Senior retire from service with distinction in 1984.
The history of the two dismissed generals will reveal that the air force has been a ‘sanctuary’ of incompetence, nepotism and a disaster waiting to happen:
A). The air force commanding officer was never an airman, in the first place. He was picked from the former ‘armies’ as an artillery officer. Now, ground artillery and air force choppers/guns are different things.he was promoted bypassing carrier airmen and officers for the sake of ‘ethnic balancing’.
B). Moses Rwakitarate was body-guard to Army commander Maj. Gen then, Mugisha Muntu. He had never been to any air force academy before his accelerated advancement and training. Making a former servant, a master in such a short time was bound to result into disaster. details reveal that his promotions were on other grounds than merit alone.
C). Owoyesigyire’s replacement may, in the long run not be a better choice bit he, at least, is ‘a one eyed man among the blind’ since he, although with a police background, was in the Police Air wing at Naguru. Training and re-training should have been/found fertile ground.
The Mt. Kenya debacle was not un-expected by those in the know. Nepotism and incompetence, bribery have been the ‘modus operandi’ in the UPDF air wing for long. Look at this: the C-o-Staff Rwakitarate, the son of a telecoms engineer had, until recently, his mum as ‘a maid’ at State House [judging by the State House payroll and her physical presence there], meaning the Rwakitarate family may be said to be well connected at State House and therefore to the First Lady [Note: These are not personal affairs since, once you enter the public 'service' and start depending on the tax-payer, you are a public figure. The grand-mum's personal life therefore ceased to be private when she accepted to work in a public place, on a national budget]. Now, since the C-in-C has used the whip in the wake of the tragedy, (probably in view of the weight of the Mt. Kenya catastrophe), the protectors of the young Rwakitarate, who may include the first lady, may feel aggrieved instead of feeling guilty and this is one of the un-intended possible outcomes of the dismissals. A more direct consequence is that a lesson has been learnt and nepotism will no longer be the yard-stick by which promotions will be judged/offered/made. Or, may be, is this still an exercise in window-dressing, to hoodwink the outside, in view of the magnitude of the tragedy? “Me and You”, as Ugandans say.
Christopher Muwanga,
Nakasero,
Kampala
‘Post-Script: Happy Jubilee celebrations, for those not ‘under home arrest’ without court warrants or charges. The police have become the law here, deciding whom to allow to celebrate [batembeeyi, pro-ruling party goons, etc] but not freedom seeking citizens. The 50 years are therefore in vain but that is the theme of another post.
The C-in-C has at last let go. Brigadier Moses Rwakitarate is no more and so is the highest ranking Chiga officer in the forces, Lt. Gen Jim Owoyesigyire. The reasons are as simple as cutting through butter. Look bellow:
Rwakitarate, a boy from Ruti [The Mzee Byanyima place] is the son of a pioneer engineer in telecoms, turned preacher, Mzee Rwakitarate, who worked in the communications area from 1948 to 1983 and is now a saved, revivalist preacher, in the evening of his life. It is reported that he, together with late prof. Wadada Nabudere [then reportedly a Postal-Clerk student at today's MMU at Mbagathi, Langata, Kenya [MMU- Multimedia University, for Post Office Higher Training Institute] cause a strike because they did not want to put on uniform like the compliant Kenyans they found there.Rwakitarate Senior retire from service with distinction in 1984.
The history of the two dismissed generals will reveal that the air force has been a ‘sanctuary’ of incompetence, nepotism and a disaster waiting to happen:
A). The air force commanding officer was never an airman, in the first place. He was picked from the former ‘armies’ as an artillery officer. Now, ground artillery and air force choppers/guns are different things.he was promoted bypassing carrier airmen and officers for the sake of ‘ethnic balancing’.
B). Moses Rwakitarate was body-guard to Army commander Maj. Gen then, Mugisha Muntu. He had never been to any air force academy before his accelerated advancement and training. Making a former servant, a master in such a short time was bound to result into disaster. details reveal that his promotions were on other grounds than merit alone.
C). Owoyesigyire’s replacement may, in the long run not be a better choice bit he, at least, is ‘a one eyed man among the blind’ since he, although with a police background, was in the Police Air wing at Naguru. Training and re-training should have been/found fertile ground.
The Mt. Kenya debacle was not un-expected by those in the know. Nepotism and incompetence, bribery have been the ‘modus operandi’ in the UPDF air wing for long. Look at this: the C-o-Staff Rwakitarate, the son of a telecoms engineer had, until recently, his mum as ‘a maid’ at State House [judging by the State House payroll and her physical presence there], meaning the Rwakitarate family may be said to be well connected at State House and therefore to the First Lady [Note: These are not personal affairs since, once you enter the public 'service' and start depending on the tax-payer, you are a public figure. The grand-mum's personal life therefore ceased to be private when she accepted to work in a public place, on a national budget]. Now, since the C-in-C has used the whip in the wake of the tragedy, (probably in view of the weight of the Mt. Kenya catastrophe), the protectors of the young Rwakitarate, who may include the first lady, may feel aggrieved instead of feeling guilty and this is one of the un-intended possible outcomes of the dismissals. A more direct consequence is that a lesson has been learnt and nepotism will no longer be the yard-stick by which promotions will be judged/offered/made. Or, may be, is this still an exercise in window-dressing, to hoodwink the outside, in view of the magnitude of the tragedy? “Me and You”, as Ugandans say.
Christopher Muwanga,
Nakasero,
Kampala
‘Post-Script: Happy Jubilee celebrations, for those not ‘under home arrest’ without court warrants or charges. The police have become the law here, deciding whom to allow to celebrate [batembeeyi, pro-ruling party goons, etc] but not freedom seeking citizens. The 50 years are therefore in vain but that is the theme of another post.
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