The Weekly Observer (Kampala)
David Lumu
10 September 2008
In a country where a staggering percentage of the population is jobless, it is not surprising that most Ugandan employees spend a great deal of work time guarding their jobs. Prayer, juju, intimidation, all come into play to keep a job that fetches anything from Shs 30,000 (less than US$ 2) and above.
Yet it's amazing that there are a few individuals who switch jobs for a living. And a hobby. The rate at which they switch jobs makes the jobless jealous.
Many of these individuals are seen by outsiders as eloquent and hardworking. Employers don't judge them by how rich their CV is but by their ability to express themselves, with some of them helped by media hype. They are mainly young professionals who never settle for less. They go about their lives like smooth operators for whom the word loyalty comes only after personal satisfaction. Before a 'better' deal comes along.
Yet when it comes to recruitment, they top the wish-list of most organisations seeking well-known or famous figures. Some are driven by the hunger for power and influence, others money and in many cases, a new challenge before the biological clock starts ticking too loudly for comfort.
Aldrine Nsubuga
Mbidde's close buddy Aldrine Nsubuga has also lived his career life on the fence; from Multichoice to uganda telecom to Lions Insurance to Crane Bank and FUFA. Now he has set up his own consultancy firm, Anfield Communications. His career, like Mbidde's, has been greatly influenced by the media. He made a name largely through his New Vision sports column.
"I always got bigger and better contract offers before the expiry of my contracts and that is why I shifted," says Nsubuga. The urge to test uncharted waters drove Nsubuga further even though he insists it was his career dream "to start my own agency."
Dennis Mbidde
We won't mention where Dennis Mbidde works right now, for it might have changed by press time, going by his rate! This job-hopper, a marketer by profession, has so far worked in four companies in four years. From uganda telecom to National Housing & Construction Corporation to UgaReal Expo, and FUFA, among others. Mbidde is a self-made vocal character who pulls all stops to be seen or heard. He is also the guy behind the Corporate League.
His close relationship with the media, especially in the field of sports, makes him a highly sought-after individual. Mbidde has also had his fair share of controversies, but his extraordinary boldness has prevailed.
"My key motivation is treating setbacks as opportunities," he says.
Robert Kabushenga
Kabushenga's ambition, hard work and determination have seen him scale the job ladder from a factory worker at The Monitor in the nineties, to New Vision's CEO. His job hopping has not been so much outside the media circles, but rather a steady climb from rung to rung. He was once proof reader, then Legal Officer at The Monitor, before crossing to New Vision as Legal Officer and later Corporation Secretary. He then left to start the Media Centre as its first boss, before returning to New Vision as CEO. Along the way, he found some time to be part of Promoz, the company that organized the Miss Uganda pageant in the 1990s.
Rev. Steven Shalita
Not many professionals have Kabushenga's patience to wait around in the same sector and scale the ladders systematically. I wonder if this man of God keeps count of the jobs he has held!
Shalita has enjoyed stints in the media, education, banking and religious sectors. From The Monitor to the pulpit of All Saints Cathedral! He has worked with The East African, PSI Marketing strategies, Makerere University teaching journalism, Standard Chartered Bank in the public relations department, and is currently with the World Bank. And between this hectic short life, he went back to school, got a master's and also studied to become a clergyman. The World Bank is the longest place the young reverend has worked. We hope he also stays a while in priesthood!
Dr. Peter Mwesige
That said, if there is one person with a whole sector on his fingertips, it is Dr. Peter Mwesige. He is to the print media what Aggie Barongo (British Council, Save the Children, OXFAM, UNFPA) is to NGOs. When the New Vision wanted a political editor, they turned to Mwesige, so did Daily Monitor when they needed an Executive Editor. Don't forget that the young professor had left The Monitor (now Daily Monitor) in 1995 to start the defunct Crusader. He also headed the Makerere University Mass Communication department before being recalled by the Nation Media Group which also owns Daily Monitor, to take up a training director's job in Nairobi. And word on the grapevine has it that Peter might soon be on his way back to Kampala, to continue working for the Nation Media Group but in another capacity. What a journey!
Aggie Barongo
Did I mention that on top of that list of NGOs Aggie Barongo also worked for The Monitor where her career started, before switching to the New Vision? Then after that, she started job-hopping in earnest. It takes a very good friend to keep track of Miss Barongo.
However, all exoduses aren't self-driven. There is the other group of job hoppers we will not discuss here as a show of empathy; the kind that is bounced from organisation to organisation. They have been hired and fired by every organisation in this city.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Weekly Observer. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
