Chevening alumni asked to lead by example, transform Uganda

 “I am not a champion of cut-and-paste when you’re talking about issues of development…one of the problems in this country is that we have done that and it just doesn’t work,” he said, adding, “There are other areas of exposure which are important like culture, the ethics of hard work, professionalism and ethical behavior. These are things you can lift.”

 “The totality of all of us,” he told guests and Chevening Alumni Association of Uganda (CAAU) members, “we should be able to move this country to the next level”.

 “We should not just talk about it, we should do it. And it comes in small bits,” Justice Kiryabwire said in his keynote address at the CAAU-organised public lecture in Kampala.

 Themed Chevening @40: Skilling leaders, shaping our world, the public lecture which followed an alumni dinner a couple of days earlier was to celebrate the gains of Chevening scholarship over the past four decades since its founding.

 Slightly over 300 Ugandans have benefitted from the scholarship run on behalf of the British government by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) through the Chevening Secretariat in London.

 Recipients undertake one-year graduate study top universities across the United Kingdom, honing their technical and leadership skills by plugging into a network of cohort scholars and a diverse global group of 55,000 alumni.

 At the Tuesday public lecture, various speakers challenged Chevening alumni to lead, serve and improve their communities --- in personal, business and official spaces --- to make transformational leadership real.

 Mr Allan Ssembajjwe, the CAAU chairperson, said the lecture was focused on starting a conversation about purposeful leadership, a key focus area of the group launched in 2021.

 The British High Commissioner to Uganda, Ms Kate Airey, also patron the Chevening alumni association in the country, commended its leadership for pursuing initiatives positively impacting communities, and pledged  her country’s continued support to building better leaders and institutions.

“No one should bear any doubt about the role of good leadership in helping us achieve sustainable economic prosperity and growth across the world. Strong leadership is key in fostering innovation, unlocking talent innate in our human capital and ensuring institutions have the right strategies to deliver for their people,” the diplomat said.

She added: “The role of Chevening here in Uganda is not to support the development just of leadership, but also it is to inform and support the development of Ugandan institutions to set the norms and rules, ensure accountability and effectiveness. It has given you a platform and the tools and the network to make profound impact on your community.”

 There is an expectation, she noted, that each of the scholarship alumni will have a legacy.

 “Let’s not lose sight, there is much for you to do…,” she added.

 High Commissioner Kate described the scholarship as one that encourages critical thinking, freedom of thought, ability to challenge and constantly improve, and tasked the beneficiaries to offer solutions.

 “What is the long term vision?  I hear a lot of problem statements, but no one says here are policy solutions. Instead what I hear is lots of analysis of problems, where are the actual policies? I think more of us can be braver,” she said.

 Mr Daniel Kalinaki, the general manager editorial at Nation Media Group-Uganda (NMG-U), also an alumnus of Chevening Scholarship, said it is important to get brilliant, intelligent, solutions-bearing Ugandans into rooms of influence, policy making and politics as the public lecture made possible.

 Launched two years ago, CAAU galvanises some 300-plus Chevening recipients in Uganda and has been involved in giving back to society by leveraging the diverse skills of the members.

 Mr Ssembajjwe highlighted some of the interventions, among them, supporting urban refugees in financial literacy and development of a curriculum to support learning for people with special needs, which was embedded in the National curriculum. 

 The team has also embarked on a project to inculcate proper rubbish disposal amongst students, which will then be cascaded to society. 

In words of Chevening alumni...

Pumla Nabacwa, Economist at Bank of Uganda.

Be the influence, the change you want to see in the world. You want to transform nations, but your own households have a problem. Start where you are, where you can. If three people can listen to me, that’s an impact.

 Justice Geoffrey Kiryabwire, Court Of Appeal Judge.

I remember my father telling me that this was not just an opportunity to study law [in the United Kingdom], but it [was] an opportunity to see how things are done differently in another country...It is from there that... you can assert influence.

Miria Matembe, ex-ethics and Integrity  minister.

In your own space what can you do? Speak of integrity. What If all these Cheven[ing alumni] say, ‘I will not be corrupt’. Pick a space and make an influence. Leadership is about service and influence, not about self-gratification.

Miria Matembe, ex-ethics and Integrity  minister.

In your own space what can you do? Speak of integrity. What If all these Cheven[ing alumni] say, ‘I will not be corrupt’. Pick a space and make an influence. Leadership is about service and influence, not about self-gratification.

Daniel Kalinaki, General Manager Editorial NMG-U.

We need to have a long term view about the social transformation that needs to happen and to decouple that from the political decisions. The theme we hear coming out is; educate yourself, educate the people you have influence over.

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