Oyite-Ojok, Muhoozi and when the  powerful bail out those in need 

The soft-spoken Charlie, who lived in Kololo, was a playmate of former president Milton Obote’s kids, so with him, I was privy to many interesting tales that few ever got to know about. 

It is Charlie who told me the story of a coffee meeting between Alden Winship Clausen, president of the World Bank Group 1981-1986 and Dr Milton Obote, most likely in Washington DC, sometime in 1982 or early 1983.

It is when I grew up that I understood and appreciated the broader context of the coffee talk. 
At the time Clausen assumed presidency of “Benki ya Dunia”, the world economy was in really bad recession. 

The Bank itself was under immense pressure from intending borrowers. Clausen was of the considered view that it was time to think outside the box, so he would look at each situation closely and then make recommendations, some of them, off the record. 

Clausen consistently stressed the importance of doubling the amount of lending to poor sub-Saharan Africa as a stimulus for economic development through infrastructure, improved agriculture and energy development. 

Like most top executives, Clausen followed the usual pattern of engaging people at the formal platforms; but he also knew that some of the more critical decisions were better negotiated one-on-one, “Far From The Madding Crowd” (no disrespect to Thomas Hardy), at a game of golf, a bottle of wine, or, in this case, a cup of freshly ground, nicely aromatic Ugandan coffee, with the Ugandan President. 

The fact that the Ugandan President would, in all likelihood, have preferred a bottle of whisky or some of the finest wine that the grapes of those climes had to offer, was beside the point, and another important point that would not be discussed that day. 
 
The Uganda president, who also doubled as minister of Finance, had been in deep talks about getting World Bank assistance for his war-ravaged economy. Clausen had carefully considered the figures involved, and thought that he had a ready shortcut.

“Why don’t you borrow money from within your country?” he asked Dr Obote who laughed loud and long before asking, “And who in my country would be richer than his own government?”

Clausen took a sip of the coffee and, after praising Uganda’s strong Arabica brand said, “We are of the opinion that Gen Oyite-Ojok is able to lend this money to Uganda.” A thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

Obote was mesmerised and it was his turn to sip the coffee in silence, as he considered what he hoped would be an intelligent response. Oyite-Ojok was the chief-of-staff of the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA); probably the finest military brain, by far, this country ever had. But as chairman of Uganda’s Coffee Marketing Board (CMB), he controlled Uganda’s biggest export. The Americans, quite clearly, knew more about Uganda than the Ugandan president did.

A few weeks ago, Uganda was rocked by a scandal, when its National Basketball Team, attending the continental tournament in Kigali, Rwanda, could not pay its bills. What transpired is public domain stuff – no scoop: the Rwandan government offered, in the spirit of good neighbourliness, to bail Uganda out. 

The Uganda entourage, even though desperate, were only too aware of the very pleasant consequences back home, if they accepted assistance from our dear Uncle Paul in Kigali. Then the Commander of Land Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba (son of the President), tweeted that he had heard of the crisis and he would be happy to “ask Mama [First Lady and minister of Education and Sports] to help”. 

It took the kindness of the First Lady and the First Son to save the basketball team of this poor country. I read the stories as I sipped a cup of porridge…and remembered Maj Gen David Oyite-Ojok.

Mr Tegulle is an advocate of the High Court of Uganda     [email protected]