On the legacy one should leave at the end of life

The tragic, violent and untimely death of a young man who was a popular and promising Ugandan musician made me reflect on the legacy one should strive to leave when one’s life on earth comes to an end, as it sooner or later will for everybody.

I never met Moses Ssekibogo, aka Mowzey Radio, but heard a few of his many hits on Arua One and Radio Pacis FM stations of Arua where Congolese music is a lot more popular.
Rev Fr Deogratias Kiibi Katerega’s homily at the requiem mass for Mowzey held on February 2 at Rubaga Cathedral and several tributes published in Ugandan newspapers clearly reveal how important it is to leave a good legacy which one’s children and grandchildren can be proud of.

Columnist Nicholas Sengoba’s opinion titled, “Accept Mowzey as he was, this land made him so” published in the Daily Monitor of February 6, was spot-on. I agree entirely with Sengoba where he laments:
“Uganda has been through a lot in the last 55 years that has left many on the verge of madness. State inspired violence, wars, wanton killings and lawlessness that have dominated the post-independence era left a dysfunctional state and society. It has done great damage and left a very great scar on the conscience of this nation with far reaching consequences.”

Ugandans must be among the most resilient of the human species. To live and survive in a theatre of the absurd and a den of thieves for over 30 years and remain reasonably sane is surely an achievement which deserves recognition and inclusion in the Guinness Book of Records!

The question of legacy, especially of national leaders, reminded me of the legacy of King Jehoram of Israel whose story is recorded in 2 Chronicles 21:5-20. The beginning and the end of the reading are almost similar, except for two short sentences which summarise Jehoram’s legacy.
“Jehoram became king at the age of 32 and ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. He followed the wicked example of King Ahab and the other kings of Israel because he married one of Ahab’s daughters. He sinned against the Lord.” 2 Chronicles 21:5-6 (GNB).

The reading concludes: “Jehoram had become king at the age of 32 and ruled in Jerusalem for eight years. Nobody was sorry when he died. They buried him in David’s City, but not in the royal tombs.” (Verse 20)
Soon after Jehoram became king, he decided to consolidate his grip on power by killing all his brothers and some officials of Israel. He also indulged in idol worship, the equivalent of witchcraft.

Well, the things men do for the sake name of power are simply too much to contemplate! Jehoram thought the use of brutal force to silence his real and imaginary opponents would guarantee him a powerful legacy. It did not. He is instead remembered as an evil, self-centred and worthless leader.

In modern times many national leaders have emulated Jehoram. In Africa you have men like Mobutu, Jammeh, Mugabe, Gaddafi, Bokassa and many others, dead and living. Such men become so powerful and drunk with power that they delude themselves to believe that they are invincible and immortal.

These notorious and violent men have left terrible legacies; unlike Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela, fallen African dictators are barely remembered in the countries they dominated, misruled and plundered for many years! They are mere footnotes in the history of Africa.

During the 1960s, a law was passed by the Bunge or Parliament of Kenya which made it treason, punishable by imprisonment, to imagine or say that president Jomo Kenyatta would die. Sir Charles Njonjo, the initiator of that infamous law, is still alive today. He witnessed Mzee Kenyatta’s death in 1978 and his fears about Kenya without Mzee Kenyatta never materialised. Kenya did not collapse or fall apart. On the contrary, Kenya has risen to higher levels after the demise of Kenya’s first president.

The leaders whose legacy inspires people for generations are those who were humble and servants of the people they ruled.
May God bless Uganda with good and honest leaders with integrity whom the illustrious wananchi of Uganda deserve!

Mr Acemah is a political scientist and retired career diplomat.
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