In the good old days (as the saying goes), I don’t know how much water that saying holds! So many things used to happen and they were taken or accepted innocently, what else could we do? Nothing, just fold our arms on our chests and pray that, the Almighty God seated on his thrown in the heavens above was watching and sooner than latter, justice would prevail. If you think I am a sort of “mulokole” (savedee), think twice; when all hope has been lost, only God can restore the status quo and that is a fact and not fiction. For those of you, who are earthiest, please do not rubbish my thesis, just wait and see, it is a matter of time “T” and the truth will be revealed to you. In the last millennium as well as decade, I was working for a small transport company in Kampala; this company was offering transport services, to be more precise, bus services. The company was known as Northern Express (NE). The main route of operation was to Northern Uganda, though the buses plied other routes; as the powers that were, hailed from that very axis. More so, most of the gurus were from the same axis. That said and done, the owners of the company deemed it right or necessary to appoint a one Onzima as the General Manager (GM) of the company. In those days and era, Onzima was such a power that he behaved like a sort of a god in the company. He made sure that all staff members felt the “hand” of his authority. Before I forget, this gentleman (Onzima), before he landed this big job of being a GM of a bus company, he was a driver of a “Twegerane” (Taxi), he had never been anywhere in any position of authority, and now here he was, running a bus company with several drivers, conductor, inspectors, office staff and all the necessary support staff. Most probably, he had never ever dreamt of ever landing such a job. This is what is normally called the “Rugs to Riches” scenario. True to the saying “be nice to those you pass on your way up, you may pass by them again on your way down. One of the laws of nature, is the law of gravity that simply put would say, “whatever goes up, sooner or latter will come down. In avoid this law of nature acting on you sooner than latter; you must make sure that you live up to your expectations so that you do not easily fall from the top downwards like a sack of stones. Obviously, some people believe that, diamonds are forever! Onzima did not spare time emphasising how he would run the company with or without any or all the staff. What was so disheartening to most of us was the fact that, he used to lecture us that, he had been appointed to manage the Bus Company because he was found to be more competent than any one else, how true his statements were, was only just a matter of time “T”. Imagine, a mere driver thinking that, he could be the conductor, inspector, driver, cleaner, mechanic etc! He “ruled” the company with such an iron hand that, sooner than latter, matters were bound to run out of control. You know, they always say that history is a teacher; the only problem with this notion is the fact that, history gives you the exam first and the lesson last; most probably, that is why we do no learn from history. How else would you explain the fact that people keep on committing the same blunders their predecessors committed? Ends
