Timothy Bukumunhe
8 November 2008
column
Kampala — According to the people at immigration, to qualify to work in Uganda as an expatriate, a company must first be looking for a Ugandan to do the job. If nobody can be sourced, then in steps the expatriate.
But, there is something wrong with the system that the immigration authorities have employed. There are a number of jobs which are being done by the so-called expatriates which could be done by Ugandans. Some hotels in Entebbe and Kampala employ Asians as door and gate guards. Others work in factories doing menial jobs, while some work in shops and bars.
Surely there must be some Ugandans out there who can do those jobs because those jobs are so basic that they do not require an expatriate all the way from New Delhi, London, Karachi or Johannesburg.
When high end expats come to Uganda, they live a life that is pure bliss. A massive house in Buziga, Kololo or Mutungo is the norm. Then there are the chauffered 4x4s at their disposal, while the kids go to one of those expensive schools like Kabira International or Lincoln.
Even the estate agents have a set of houses on the market that are advertised something like this: "Bungalow overlooking Lake Victoria. Six bedrooms all en-suite. Family room, large kitchen and well maintained gardens." The description of the house is capped off with the following words: "Would suit an expatriate."
And when the expatriates leave and sell off their cars, they emphasise the fact that they were expatriate-driven. Which raises the question: Are there houses that are strictly built with the expat in mind? Are those houses too grand for the ordinary Ugandan to live in? Are expatriates better drivers than we are?
But there are Ugandans who are also expatriates. The ones we tend to hear of most are those in the Kyeyo Brigade in Japan, England, America etc. There is an argument that those doing kyeyo spoil it for the rest of us because they (the kyeyo brigade) often go to those countries under dubious circumstances. They work in those countries illegally and because of them, getting a visa to go to those countries is now not an easy affair.
Recently though, there has been a group of 30-somethings who are intelligent, qualified and proudly flying the Ugandan flag abroad. Sandor recently returned from Nairobi after a working stint with EABL. Sandor aside, one of the Kaheru brothers is doing us proud with British American Tobacco in Germany.
Joshua, who used to work for Shell, recently left this dusty city of ours to work for Shell in South Africa. And Teo, too, has left us to work in Egypt first for six months and then he is off to Ghana to work for a major bank. Meanwhile, Juliana and Baker, who used to work for Uganda Breweries, now work with EABL in Nairobi.
For an expat working in Uganda, their worst nightmare is when the contract comes to an end. The tale is told of a former MD of Barclays Bank. When his contract came to an end, his wife cried for days because they had to give up the plush Nakasero house, which came complete with pool and other extras, for a small semi-detached back in England.
As regards Kaheru, Sandor, Teo, Baker, Juliana and the rest of the legitimate Ugandans working abroad, when their contracts come to an end, they won't be crying like the wife of the former Barclays Bank MD did. Just look at the number of returnees who are living it large in Kampala - Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, President Yoweri Museveni, The Madvhanis. Need I say more?
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