SNAKE IN A POT

One of my best quotes from Colin Powell is about mediocrity.  He says ‘any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity’.  And I agree.  Being average is a fatal thing, if the majority of people around you settle for less than perfect, you will end doing the same, even if there was chance for you to be excellent.    Unfortunately, the same is true with being orderly, law abiding and conforming to acceptable social etiquette.  The moment we are tolerant to anti-social behavior and transgressions, many of us start doing the same and at times even worse.  I have noted this to be true especially within our communities in the last 30 years.  Over time, we have accepted and become tolerant to some misbehavior, those who now speak out against these misdemeanors are called out – as if they are the ones who are wrong.  We are paying the price of accepting mediocrity in our communitie...

In the last week I was so preoccupied with the sudden passing of one of my closest friends that I could not care less what else went on in this world.    While I grieved my friend, I caught bits of a debate about a girl/woman being a   musika – I use the word   musika and not heir deliberately, but for purposes of non-luganda speakers let’s assume the two words are interchangeable.     Now that my friend has been put to rest, I am ready to wade in, both feet.     During last week, it came to be publicly known that one of the prominent sons of this country and great Kingdom of Buganda clearly stated in his last will that his  musika will be one of his daughters.  This was breaking with the culture of Baganda to which cultural grouping the late Apollo Nsibambi belongs.   I am told that as soon as it was announced, those charged with the responsibility to safeguard the customs and traditions in the  Fumbe clan...

This eulogy is dedicated to one of my closest friends George Francis Walusimbi Mpanga who passed away suddenly on 5 th June 2019  It has been hard writing these lines because I couldn’t find the exact words.  For the first three to four hours after I received the news, I locked myself away in my hotel room and I grieved – it was easier that way than face the reality on social media. Later, I composed myself and I thought I should write some kind of eulogy especially that I would not be able to escort my friend to his final resting place.   I first met George Walusimbi Mpanga in 1991 in Kyankwanzi.  We were part of the group that attended the political education course that was hastily organized for all high school leavers that were due to join Makerere University. When I met him, we immediately connected because of his jolly and humorous way of putting things.  I liked the fact that he spoke with a deep and authoritative ye...

Architects don’t like being called engineers.     The not so patient ones will look at your with an eye that is literally translated ‘how dare you insult me?’      The more social ones will take time off to explain their role and why they should not be confused with the lesser profession of engineering.    In the professions of the built environment, not so many of us take this seriously. It is mostly banter.       However, there is another group of people in the building industry that really wind up architects when they call themselves ‘architects’.     It is the draftsmen or technicians.     Most architects are fed up with these people using their title.     So what really upsets architects when technicians and/or draftsmen call themselves ‘architects?’ You see the title ‘architect’ is protected by law in this country and an institution that I lead, the Architects Registration Board, is supposed to ta...

Call it partnering, helping or sharing, husbands or men tending to domestic chores is still considered a very unfamiliar subject and almost a taboo in some parts of the world.  As a man who has not only shared housework with my wife but also worked as a full time househusband for over 3 years, I can understand why most men, not only in Africa will find unease in supporting or even debating the idea of a man attending to housework.  By nature, men are brought up to be macho, to provide for the family and only take the tasks that require a lot of strength.  That’s why some men are scolded for crying.  We are not meant to be soft.  There is nothing African or backward about this.  It is what is expected in all patriarchy societies. In Europe, probably the most advanced continent on this planet, the Irish are just trying to get rid of a clause in the constitution that specifically made reference to the kitchen or home being t...

Good construction regulation matters for public safety and an organized built environment.    However, striking a balance between enforcing the laws/regulations and having a quick and efficient approval process has proved a problem to almost all local authorities in Uganda.    A  good permit application process ensures properly planned neighborhoods, safety standards that protect the public while bringing revenue to the authority.    Such permit process should be efficient, transparent and affordable for the developers and professionals who use it.    If the procedures are overly complicated, unclear and shrouded in mystery, developers tend to proceed without a permit.    It is estimated that 60-80% of building projects in Uganda are undertaken without the proper permits and approvals.     My assertion is that this is happening because of the delays experienced in the building applications across Uganda. An effic...

Almost 30 years ago when I joined the architecture program at Makerere University, one of our magnificent lecturers came to class and decided to spend the entire three hours asking why we ‘wanted to become architects’.   We gave reasons as diverse as students attending that lecture and while most of us tried to conceal it, the ultimate reason was that we wanted to make loads of money.  This was before our lecturer crashed our dreams with this statement ‘If you want to make money, go and join law’ (and many people in that class could make the cut off points for law).  While that was the most hard-hitting statement (at least to us), it was not the only one.   He went on to list 9 other reasons why one should not consider becoming an architect.   One of the reasons was     ‘the lack of recognition’. Our lecturer noted then that     ‘if you are doing architecture because it sounds cool to say to your friends a...