My dream was to become a priest- Baine

Congratulations upon your promotion. How does that make you feel?
A promotion comes for different reasons. First, it motivates us to work harder, but it is also a way of appreciating one’s commitment towards work. When one does their work diligently, they ought to be rewarded. It also comes as result of long service, because I have been in service for 25 years.

What’s your best childhood memory?
My love for cows was unstoppable. I spent a lot of time in the bush grazing cows, and that is where some of the good experiments come from. I learnt how to graze, slaughter, hunt, and in some way, my life was hardened. It is more of a laboratory of leadership.
Do people with hardened lives fall in love?
Definitely. By the way, they are the most loving people you will ever find. The presumption that they are still and numb is not true. And because we have little time with our spouses, we optimise each moment we are with our loved ones. People in uniform have love, discipline and dedication.

Who was your first crush?
I got my first crush in nursery school. She was my friend and I admired her brown skin. I sat next to her in class. At that time, my father had given me a cow. One day, I went back home and told my father that I had found a girlfriend and I wanted give in my cow as payment for bride price. He simply laughed at me.
How has Coronavirus affected you?
Personally, it has shocked me. I am one of the regular visitors to China, and incidentally, I have been to Wuhan twice. For some reason this year I decided not to go there save for a conference I had in Hong Kong in August. I thank God for saving me. As a farmer, currently sales are low. While people are told to stay at home, I can’t help but associate with people whose status I do not know. It is a scary calling but I have no option.
Did you want to become a prisons personnel as a child?
I had one of the most contradictory dreams. My first dream was to become a priest. I used to go with my father to church and I used to see a man of God at the pulpit, who everyone listened to attentively. Priests commanded so much respect and they would not be questioned. Everyone clapped for everything they said. I admired him and I wanted to be as powerful as a priest.
What kind of a Uganda do you wish to see?
One where we the population does not politic everything. For Ugandans, there is a political connotation to everything. Can we separate politics from administration? I wish to see a nation whose youth have a positive mindset.
Is there anything people don’t know about you?
I am a simple person and a workaholic. I am an extrovert who will look straight in your eye and tell you what I feel, whether you like it or not. I also like to crack jokes, and I can’t live in a miserable environment.

Profile
Frank Baine hold a bachelors degree in social sciences, a masters in management, a post graduate diploma in public administration, and a post graduate diploma in Education.

He is a qualified teacher whose teaching experience spans seven years. He later joined prisons and started public service through training as a cadet prisons officer.
He started as a cadet assistant superintendent, and over the years, he has risen through the ranks.