Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga: Lover of nature and literature

Private home
In a blue flowered shirt with black dots, jeans of the same colour and casual scholar shoes, we exchange pleasantries. He extends a firm handshake, a direct gaze, through his spectacles, and speaks with poise. This is fortified by his signature smile that lights up his face.

How he built his home
At Lweza, he shares the story of how he put together the house that is now a home. As a young lawyer in 1996, he acquired the land in Lweza, formerly owned by Mitchel Courts.
Brick by brick, one bag of cement and then another, savings here, then an unconventional loan here and there, the dream seemed big but eventually got realised. It was a decade-long construction journey. When it came to furnishing, books already had a special place in his heart. They certainly deserved well-furnished shelves in his living spaces.
The Katikkiro is a collector and reader of different literary works and genres. For every spare time he can find, Mayiga, gladly flips through pages of a book or pull out his laptop to take some notes.
He is a fan of literature on diverse subjects such as world economies, politics, autobiographies, and women. At the moment, he is re-reading Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal.
“When I first read the book in 1988, I wanted to learn about how the businessman did commerce but I am now reading the book again to sort of understand Trump’s character,” Mayiga says, before he volunteers to read a few lines he highlighted, from the book’s preface. He reels on the beauty of reading.

Around the house
Beside his seat, is a single-skin cylindrical drum, known as engalabi. Next to it, is the embuutu or big drum.
His main living room is neat with a sofa set of a fair green shade. There is a sideboard, adjacent to the window that lets in light, which holds a number of photographs.
Atop the coffee brown board is a photograph of the youthful Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi the second, the sitting king of Buganda Kingdom. It must have been taken in the early nineties when he still had his mid head hair.
Besides the portrait, is a flag of the kingdom, in blue and golden colours that accentuate the shield and lion. In the same vanished ledge, on a lower cabinet is a picture of the Katikkiro holding eddamula, the royal mace he received on May 12, 2013 as a symbol of taking up office, as Katikkiro.
There are also photographs of the queen, the Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda and those of his late parents and his siblings. His house has fine carpentry work, on sections of the floor, the roof, tables and chairs.

The literary hub
He has worked with three carpenters whose work and precision is admirable particularly for the fine finishing. From the living room, my host leads me to another common room that doubles as a meeting area.
It is an artistic difference whose bucolic floor is made of hard core stone put together by cement. There is another set of seats, coffee tables and a book shelf with more literary works.
One among many is autographed biography of former British premier Tony Blair. As he holds it to show me the autograph, his face beams. The shelf also stores gifts and plaques he has received locally and from friends while he trotted the world.
Relaxed
Upstairs, is an open space that shares space with a reading and relaxation area. In a corner, on the floor and in wall cabinets are more framed certificates, accolade and gifts. His daughter is enjoying a read on the seats. The two share a joke before he tells me about her helpfulness in keeping his stuff in order.
He cautions me on not directing my camera towards her, adding that he would like his children to enjoy their private and public life without having to take extra caution on who is looking, and why.
There is a room with a shut door. “This is my study room. This is where I sit when I decide to write, sometimes late in the night,” the agile premier says as he opens its door.
Behind his seat is a painting of Archbishop Cyprian Kizito Lwanga and above a bookshelf is one of the Kabaka. There, he has authored books and is currently working on more. Given his busy schedule, one would imagine he hardly gets the time to write.
“People will always find time to do the things they love or want. Before I go to bed, I spare about three hours to write something on my laptop. Even if I am working out of town, I will find some time. On rare Sundays, I get time to write,” he further explains.
Being Katikkiro is a full time job, one where Mayiga drives the development agenda of one of Uganda’s most influential kingdoms.
His six-year tenure is a colourful one, a portfolio that has seen him journey, preaching the gospel of revival of Buganda, canvasing for resources to make it happen.
In effect, his leadership skills have been exposed, his oratory skills the vehicle of his objectives. His persona is of a go-getter, sailing past challenges, including spates that have found space in local media. He keeps his head high enough to keep him pushing efforts embedded in the job at hand.

Butikkiro home
At 11am, two days after Christmas (2018), we are scheduled to meet at Butikkiro.
Minutes to the agreed meeting time, he comes out through one of three entrances of the main house, apologises that the meeting session reserved before mine, would be taking longer than anticipated.
His appreciation for timekeeping is part of the principles that drive him. He writes as much in his latest book, Uganda: 7- Key Transformation Ideas. Quickly, he calls on one of the housekeepers to serve your writer with a drink in a cool, bamboo canopy shade.
As I sip on the Olwendo mineral water, a cool breeze sweeps through. It is against the sound of motor traffic of revving engines and hooting cars and bodaboda rides, off The Royal Miles that connects the Mengo Palace and Kabaka’s administrative seat that houses offices of a number of kingdom businesses and the Olukiiko (parliament).
In the bamboo enclave, Mayiga is relaxed, casual and cheery with ordinary bearing. He shares about his other side, away from the public figure. I discover as much through observation, on a Sunday afternoon at his home in Lweza.

Fitness is his love
He is the family man who enjoys a joke with his children and attentive to healthy lifestyle habits. Years back, he was a regular at one of gyms in Bugolobi but public life has left him a few options.
At times, he will have to work out within the vicinity of his home, which is quite an expanse. His position has proved restrictive. For example, he likes to go out to the nightclub and dance but there are cameras and eyes looking his way. The last time he went out to enjoy his favourite musicians, Afrigo Band, playing, women approached him on the dance floor and knelt to pay their respects, again drawing attention to him which ended up causing discomfort and ‘ruining’ his experience on a night out.
“My friends no longer freely socialise with me. I am no longer their friend Peter. Back in the day, they would call me nicknames but today, they are too formal and call me Ow’ekitiibwa. They don’t relate to me the way they used to,” he explains, somewhat desolately.

His hobbies
But there are moments that bring his fascination alive. Travel is the default that comes with his work, and sometimes as a hobby. “I like seeing places, for a week or two, and learn about the heritage and history and its people as I explore. I like it fascinating.”
Some of the enthralling places he has been to include the Dikes in Netherlands, the channels of Rotterdam, the Alps in Switzerland and the Temples in Thailand. In Uganda, he likes the topography of Tooro, crater lakes, taking boat cruises and appreciating the islands of Lake Victoria and the general wilderness captivates his adventurous side.
Like he says, one will always find time to do what they love. If the schedules are not tight, he will read a book, write one or even travel the world or choose to explore what motherland has to offer.

At a glance
I am currently reading: The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump
To keep healthy: I work out
His favourite meal is: Well steamed matooke with organic sauce.
Favourite childhood memory: Engaging in sports activities.
My role model is: My parents for raising us with good values.
If I were not Katikkiro and lawyer: I would be an author.
My definition of leisure is: Reading a good book