4 September 2009
editorial
Kampala — The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) continues to dominate our headlines, and with every story you shudder to think what is coming next. The latest revelation is that Alcon International Kenya, the firm that signed the contract for Workers' House and claims to have the title, has threatened to sue NSSF if they are not awarded the sh20b compensation for breach of contract.
The sh20b award was last week allocated to another company, Alcon International Uganda. The Fund, in other words, risks losing the amount twice.
NSSF previous managements' misdeeds must sometime in the future provide useful material for case studies on how not to manage a company. From day-to-day you wonder whether there is any depth to which the Fund's managements have not plumbed.
But irredeemable managements are not found only among high flying MBAs.
A snap inspection of Butolo Health Centere III in Mpigi district by health minister Stephen Malinga found the centre closed mid-morning because the in charge had taken his sick mother to a Kampala witch doctor.
How can they work when they are paid so little, public officials will argue. The logical response should then be: if you are paid less than your worth, then you should go to where they will pay you what you think you are worth and leave the work to those who want it. Of course the same argument does not apply to the clearly overpaid NSSF officials.
The true cost of Uganda's political instability of the 1970s and 80s is now becoming evident. Ugandans today see work as a mercenary endeavour. We do not see other values of work, for example as a service to community, a means to leave an imprint on history or to continuous personal improvement.
This is worrying because no matter how much money is poured into this country, how many roads are built and how many factories set up, we are bound to sabotage our own progress.
There are more important things to life than money, clichéd as that sounds. The sooner we collectively embrace the idea, the better for our country.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 New Vision. 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.
