Successful London convention sets new direction for ICOB

Former information minister Jim Muhwezi (left), ICOB president Dr Muniini K. Mulera (2nd left) and other delegates at the annual conventions of ICOB recently. Courtesy photo

What you need to know:

You introduce partisan politics into ICOB, you repeat the very mistakes our parents made in the 1960s. Effective, non-destructive management of political competition is still a major challenge in Uganda. So there is no room for ICOB to be or to appear to be partial to one group or another. Instead, ICOB must be the glue that binds Banyakigezi together.

Dear Tingasiga,
This past weekend, we had one of the most successful and memorable annual conventions of the International Community of Banyakigezi (ICOB). This very well attended and well-organised event was the 14th in a series of gatherings that has brought Banyakigezi together once every year since 2003.
Contrary to what, I am told, has been a flurry of fictitious reports and commentary on the social networks, the London convention was characterised by a unity of purpose that signalled a desire for rebooting ICOB.

I was very honoured by the unanimous trust the delegates put in me as the new president of ICOB. I was energised by the enthusiasm for change and growth of our organisation that was manifest in the serious and constructive dialogue about the future of our 13-year-old organisation that dominated the meetings.
A very clear direction was set for the leaders of ICOB to ensure successful realisation of its mission.
The delegates agreed that:

(1) ICOB must immediately adopt corporate governance, a mandatory requirement for any organisation that wants to survive, prosper, serve its purpose and outlive its founders. It is also a mandatory compliance requirement for any organisation that is registered under Section 501(c) 3 of the IRS in the USA.
(2) ICOB’s members must insist on transparency and accountability by their leaders, and ICOB’s leaders must demand of themselves and of each other transparency and accountability.
(3) ICOB must go back to its original vision and develop and adopt a comprehensive strategic plan to match its focus with its defined purpose. Everyone agreed that without a plan, our efforts would amount to wishful thinking.
(4) ICOB must ensure that its chapters and members are actively engaged in its activities throughout the year, including ongoing fundraising that enables members and supporters to give small amounts on a monthly basis.

(5) The teenage ICOB must be a home for all Banyakigezi, not just those with money and high status.
(6) Furthermore, ICOB is eager to partner with the government of Uganda and the governments of the districts in Kigezi in efforts to advance the common interests of Banyakigezi.
(7) We must keep ICOB free from partisan politics and other divisive engagements. My views on this last point are very well known, for I have written a fair bit about this over the years. However, it is worth reiterating.
First, as a Section 501(c) 3 Tax-Exempt Organisation in the United States of America, ICOB is strictly prohibited from engaging in partisan politics, including actions that favour one side over another.
Second, partisan politics has been the curse of Kigezi. The thick mist of divisive partisan politics that hangs over Kigezi is not new.

When our parents’ generation allowed it to take hold in the 1960s, Kigezi began a steep descent that has only been accelerated by the years.
I was old enough to absorb the lessons of the DP/UPC religious wars in Kigezi. I am a child of the Banyama-Baboga conflicts that undermined Kigezi’s opportunities and created life-long bitterness.
I have seen the war-like engagements that have passed for politics every five years, as brother destroys brother, sister destroys sister, with Kigezi being the biggest loser.

You introduce partisan politics into ICOB, you repeat the very mistakes our parents made in the 1960s. Effective, non-destructive management of political competition is still a major challenge in Uganda. So there is no room for ICOB to be or to appear to be partial to one group or another.
Instead, ICOB must be the glue that binds Banyakigezi together. ICOB must belong to no one, because it belongs to everyone.
I have insisted on that policy from day one in 2003 when we formed ICOB. I will continue to do so, both in my capacity as the organisation’s new president and as a long-term member.
We who understand and respect ICOB must be the agents that lift the thick mist of division and open our Kigezi to the warm rays of sunshine that nurture our collective growth.
As long as I am a member of ICOB, I will continue to fight to keep ICOB a melting pot for all Banyakigezi, regardless of the labels and political views that we carry and espouse outside its confines.

As individuals, we are free to belong to political parties and to be very active advocates of our chosen parties. But ICOB must be the neutral zone, where we leave our party colours outside the gate and enjoy the refreshing break from partisan politics.
Perhaps, just, perhaps, we Banyakigezi may then find that we can learn to compete without hating each other; we can compete without destroying each other; we can build each other, even as we offer alternative visions to Ugandans.
As president of ICOB, I look forward to constructive ideas from the members and friends of ICOB.

Dr Mulera is based in Toronto, Canada. [email protected]