‘I can forgive a cheating partner’

Brian Daniels Mwesigwa Amooti

What you need to know:

  • Six years ago, I was pursuing a girl whom I will refer to as butterfly. She had all the qualities I wanted in woman and I would literary do anything to make her happy.
  • On one of her birthdays, I went to her boss and requested to access her office which I filled with candies and left an “I love you” note. I really think that was extreme.

THE KNIGHT: Brian Daniels Mwesigwa Amooti is a senior research associate at Innovations for Poverty Action who is passionate about using data to tell evidence-based stories. Joan Salmon had a chat with him.

Tell us about yourself
I am an economist with a bias to creating evidence regarding what works and what does not in development field. I consider myself as an orator with outstanding people management skills and although I cannot say I am very patient, I really enjoy sharing knowledge with people. On the fun side, I am synonymous with singing, love lawn tennis, and I am mostly a home person, rarely finding fun outside my living space.

What can’t you live without?
Food. Not just any food but good food, be it local or exotic. Good food means creatively crafted dishes. I have no problem stepping in the kitchen to prepare food my way. I also cannot make ado without the internet.

Who was your first girlfriend?
Her name is Precious and we met at church while preparing for a Christmas cantata. She was a very soft spoken girl, with silky eyes. It lasted for a holiday or two and we both moved on.

What do you love about your job?
Its complexity and flexibility. Unlike most data related jobs that are predictable, mine is not only hands-on but also offers an opportunity to work with top academicians from top universities, engage with development practitioners.
I have worked with subject matter authorities from Harvard University, University of California, and Berkeley. In my current role, I manage close to 80 people with various backgrounds yet all working towards a common goal. But most importantly, I feel like my work adds values to the whole human existence. So much money is put into development programmes and it would make a lot more sense if that money is put into things that have been empirically tested to work. I am just honoured to make my contribution in that regard.

If you had to change anything, what would it be?
There are times when work gets really crazy that I spend several sleepless nights getting things done. If there was a way this would change, I would appreciate it, but I guess it is a whole package and may be, that is what makes it exciting after all.

What sound advice has a woman ever given you?
My mum always tells me to be true to myself, no matter what the world wants me to be. I think this is the greatest and most liberating piece of advice I have received.

Is there anything people do not know about you?
I am an open book. What you see is what you really get. I am also an introvert.

What would you tell your daughter at 18?
“Darling, you can be anything you want to be in this world. You are your own limitation. I love you.”

If you caught your wife cheating, what would you do?
I would want to know what really got them there and how they feel about it. I think I can forgive. I mean, I have been there and the only reason I walked away was because the person was not remorseful.

Crazy about love
Six years ago, I was pursuing a girl whom I will refer to as butterfly. She had all the qualities I wanted in woman and I would literary do anything to make her happy. On one of her birthdays, I went to her boss and requested to access her office which I filled with candies and left an “I love you” note. I really think that was extreme.

Another time, she told me she was upset with me but she never told me why. The next morning, at about 5 am, on a rainy Thursday morning, with an apology card in hand, I waited on my knees at her parent’s gate to say sorry. I later found out that she was just messing up my life.