Robert Kigongo
As two-time Olympic medallist Joshua Cheptegei continues to market Uganda through sports, our diplomats seem to be doing the opposite; tainting the image of the Pearl of Africa abroad.
Political talk shows, X spaces, blogs and mainstream media have recently been filled with the dismissal of the Ugandan High Commissioner to Canada and the recall of our ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Canadian government declared Ms Joy Ruth Acheng persona non grata, while Mr Henry Mayega was recalled from the UAE.
Ms Acheng was captured in a video of what seemed like an altercation with National Unity Platform (NUP) supporters in Toronto, Canada. Confronting NUP supporters contradicts her cardinal duty as ambassador who is, among other things, responsible for the security and safety of Ugandans in a foreign nation.
Ms Acheng was, in my opinion, rightly declared an unwelcome person by the Canadian authorities for engaging in uncouth behaviour.
On the other hand, Mr Mayega was recalled by the Ugandan government following reports that part of our embassy in the UAE was converted into a casino. I wonder if gambling is one of Uganda’s foreign interests in the UAE that our embassy is aggressively promoting.
The duo's conduct speaks to a bigger problem that Uganda has been grappling with under the National Resistance Movement administration. Political appointees, sometimes referred to as political ‘failures’, are appointed to these prestigious positions without any prior foreign service training.
Ms Acheng, the former Kole District Woman Member of Parliament, from Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC), for instance, was appointed by President Museveni a few years ago after failing to make it back to Parliament on an NRM ticket.
Mr Mayega, a former UPC senior member and vice president for Buganda region who crossed to the ruling NRM party in 2010, was appointed in 2015.
The duo is just an example of politically appointed ambassadors that we have continuously witnessed, contrary to what we see in other countries where Foreign Service officers go through training and rise to the level of ambassador after years of preparation and service.
Ambassadors are meant to be seasoned Foreign Service officers who have grown through the ranks, but in our case recruitment is sometimes done based on politics and patronage, among others, rather than meritocracy.
Not to say that all political appointees have misrepresented Uganda, but we need to train the men and women who represent our country in sometimes sensitive duty stations.
Appointments based on quid pro quo terms are damaging the image of our country. Imagine a Ugandan ambassador being expelled from a country for beating his wife.
Our diplomats, trained by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ought to be crème de la crème in our society. They should have the highest form of discipline, decorum and stature in order to ably sell the image of Uganda abroad.
The government needs to go back to the old ways of picking diplomats. Before one can be named ambassador or head of a mission, they should have a track record of training and on-the-job experience in Foreign Service.
We need programmes tailored for people charged with representing our interests abroad. The orientation that the government provides for those it has posted abroad should also be made more rigorous. Training one for a few weeks for a position that requires a deep understanding of global issues and etiquette is not enough.
Otherwise, the good work of individuals such as Cheptegei will only be reduced to waste by scandals in our foreign missions.
