Uganda is a country that was referred to as “The Pearl of
Africa” by Sir Winston Churchill in 1907 during his travel tours in Uganda. The
country has gone through many tremendous changes in economic, social and
political spheres of life. Uganda offers an experience that is as varied ranging
from colonial British colonial rule, dictatorial regimes, and a wide range of
civil wars as well as modern democracy. What you see and experience are only
limited by your imagination and sense of adventure. Jenkins Kiwanuka is one of
the people who have witnessed these changing situations in the country. In his
book titled “The Son of A rat Catcher”,
he does share his memoirs - memoirs of one of Uganda’s exceptionally talented
journalists who turned himself into a remarkable public relations officer and
diplomat in Uganda’s Foreign Service. A man with no full formal education, this
‘son of a rat catcher’ presents to us a story of great determination, hard work
and self-confidence, thereby fulfilling the advertiser’s remark that ‘when you
follow your passion, success follows you. In his words, Prof. Samwiri
Lwanga-Lunyiigo, describes these as memoirs of ‘a tailor, carpenter, builder,
clerk, journalist, politician, public relations practitioner, diplomat and
business executive’. “It’s that versatility,” says the Professor, “that enabled
Kiwanuka to seize.
Son of a Rat Catcher, although relatively small, is just
about everything in life. There are so many things to read and wonder about:
Kiwanuka’s very humble beginnings; how he missed out on higher education; how
he rose from working (as a clerk) in the King’s African Rifles to journalism,
foreign service, journalism again, then business as an executive and progress
from that phase to his present working life as a newspaper columnist and
author.
Whom didn’t he meet and where didn’t he visit in his long
service in both public and private services? He rubbed shoulders (literally)
with such figures as Prime Ministers Harold Wilson of Britain, Holyoake of New
Zealand and Indira Ghandi of India (who served him a glass of water when he
dozed off in a conference), Pope John Paul II (now a Saint), Sir Andrew Cohen
(a former Governor of Uganda whom he gave a lift in his car), Chairman Mao Tse
Tung of China and many others.
As for his foreign service exploits, apart from serving at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at home, he served at our missions in London,
Washington D.C., New York, Ottawa, Bonn and the Vatican. He wrote tributes to a
host of people who have passed on and those of Pope John Paul II, Abubakar
Mayanja, Daudi Taliwaku, Dan Zirimenya and James Namakajjo form part of the
book.
Kiwanuka ends his book with 20 ‘Reflections,’ which are
fascinating to read. In fact, if there is a section of the memoirs the reader
should re-read, this is surely the one. There are lots of lessons to learn from
these memoirs, the outstanding one being that if you have passion for your life
and determination and self-confidence, the blue sky is your limit.
This is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary life told
by a man with an extraordinary pen at his disposal. I have read many memoirs in
my life, but these are among the best I have come across.
