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* Uganda to get a modern maize mill thanks to the UK Convention.* *Fellow Ugandans,* *With this business of foreign “investors” in maize mills in Uganda kindly go back with me in memory lane, and see how sad it is. I was the Senior Science Master at Kings College Budo, and also the In-Charge of all Electrical Installations together with other Machinery i.e. grass- mowers, the Water Pumping System from the valley at Nansove together with chlorination, piping and distribution of the water to the school and surrounding Community, you name it. That was on addition to taking care of all the Science Laboratories. For feeding the students we always had problems running around Kampala looking for maize flour for “ posho” , sometimes missing to get the supplies. That on top of the costs to run a lorry, the petrol, drivers etc.... So I advised the Head Master to go to Nairobi and buy two very big Electric Motors. * ** * I went into Katwe and worked with some Technicians there and we fabricated a fantastic Maize Mill for Kings College Budo, to make our Kawunga, right there at the school. * *It was a machine I was proud of, where you were capable of adjusting the quality of Kawunga right there at the machine; just behind Australia House. * *And the quality of Kawunga we produced amazed the students. They told me so. They had never had such delicious posho.* *Indeed also the capacity of the mill was way higher than the school needs so that we also started making Kawunga for Budo Junior School at Kabinja, and had plans to incorporate Trinity College Nabingo. With such technical success on my part I established for myself, at Kawempe Industrial Area, a Company to manufacture these Maize Mills , for Ugandans.* *A Physics Teacher worth their salt should not only be able to craft devices for Science Laboratories but also simple things like Maize Mills. * ** *My first Contract was at Apach, Lango District, to fabricate a Mill for Hon Henry Okello Makmot , a beloved former classmate at St Mary’s Kisubi. The next contract came from a Mr Ben Wanyama of Uganda Airlines. There was no looking back.* ** *After that I could teach with contentment, able to afford a cigarette and a cake of soap too; hard to do on a teacher’s salary.* * * *With Mr Sseggalye - then The Inspector for Chemistry in the Ministry of Education we approached UNESCO, ( I was on the Ministry Physics Subject Panel, so was the late Prof A.B.C.D. Kweri, writing syllabus, …), and on behalf of the Ministry of Education we got land for the Ministry, at a place way passed beyond Kyambogo.* * * *We planned with UNESCO , to stop importing foot rulers, metre sticks, test tubes, Geometrical Sets i.e protractors, compasses and so on…., bottles of small quantities of Lab Chemicals like Acids, Sodium Hydroxide, benzene, xylene, ……….. * ** *UNESCO agreed to help us start to fabricate our own metre sticks, Wheatstone Bridges and Potentiometers for experiments in Electricity, small reagent bottles and rulers etc……… and to import in bulk whole Tankers of these chemicals, to subdivide and distribute to all schools. We had plans to supply that whole part of Africa from that Facility.* * * *Unfortunately, that was the start of my woes and undoing in Uganda. * * * *Our project threatened to disrupt a clique that was siphoning Foreign Currency, money meant for Uganda’s School supplies for Equipment and Chemicals. * *These fellows were linked into Bank of Uganda and to some Indian Merchants in Nairobi.* ** *The Indian even sought me out in 1983 when I was, for about two months, at The Kenya Institute of Education in Nairobi, when teachers from several African countries were reviewing [Science] Education in Africa.* * * *They approached me at Budo offering me to join them in the stealing. * *In such things when you refuse you get murdered. * * * *I had never dreamt of exile. I was warned, and had problems one after another and so had to go into exile. * *I had always thought, naively, that you run out of your country because of conflict with Government or the Security Forces. My problems had nothing at all to do with politics.* *I had sent children into Engineering and Medical Schools all over the world and was beloved of all politicians, and even very “kali kali” parents who also happened to be soldiers even from Makindye barracks. * ** *But even now I still cry tears and I am tormented at night, about my beloved students like one Ssenkubuge with Senior 6 Physics results:- Paper 1 Distinction 1, Paper 2 Distinction 1, and Paper 3 Practical - 9 Fail . * ** *That because the money for Final Practical Exam equipment had been swindled at the Ministry. * *Whether this Ssenkubuge missed Engineering School I don’t know. But then if this could happen to Budo what about all the other victims of this wantom crime, students from upcountry say Nyakasura, Mwiri, Kigezi High, etc……….. * * * *Still, before I go to my grave I wish to meet this Ssenkubuge and say I am sorry. His is a case that has haunted me all my life since.* * * *How does a man heal and wipe away his tears?* * * *One wonders again about the Maize Mill at Budo, with a switching system we were proud to have crafted, whether it has not also been run into the ground, either through thieving or incompetence. I hear from friends that our beloved Budo of a Premier Institution has fallen on hard times.* ** *As to my Maize Mill Fabricating Company in Kawempe, it was mismanaged out of existence by those to whom I entrusted it when I left.* ** * We are hounded into exile, and now a whole First Lady is asking Indians from abroad to come take over our food processing industries and siphon the money to Britain.* * * *And our underpaid teachers are not even allowed even to coach, to buy a cigarette!! * * * *Not that coaching is bad. South Korea, Taiwan, Finland have built their countries into the world's Technological giants primarily on very very intensive coaching.* *Our politicians are afraid that parents will start figuring out that money for education is being stolen. * * * *Caucasian boys and girls with no skills to be meaningfully employed in Europe or here in N America are rounded up, shipped to us and financed through so-called NGO's under the guise of going to places like Uganda, to teach us how to dig latrines. And to show us Africans how to look after our children !!* * * *Now we entrust them to be better handlers of the food on our dinner tables. * * * *Ha.......... like our people have always said, „Ekuba Omunaku Tekya” !!* ** *Miatyo Potosi*
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