Tio Kauma Pours Out His Thoughts in Remembrance Of Bishop Misaeri Kawuma

51 years ago, on 29 June 1975, my father was consecrated as Assistant Bishop of Namirembe Diocese at Namirembe Cathedral in a ceremony led by the late Archbishop Janani Luwum.

In the picture below, I am the three-year-old boy behind my father, under the watchful eye of my sister, Canon Dr Ruth Senyonyi. It seems I was trying to tug at his vestments.

Like any three-year-old, Taata was my guide, protector and friend. I sat on his lap, played with his hair, sang rhymes with him and listened to the fascinating bedtime stories he told. As I grew older, Taata remained my guide, protector and friend until he passed away in 1997, when I was 25 years old.

Nothing could have prepared me for that loss. Yet the 25 years I spent with him were worth every minute because of the quality of the moments we shared.

One of the most memorable things he did was to usher me into spaces of power and influence that someone of my age would not ordinarily have been exposed to. My parents hosted countless distinguished visitors at the Bishop’s residence in Namirembe over the years, including Kabaka Ronald Mutebi, Uganda’s then Vice President Dr Samson Kisekka, and Cliff Richard, the renowned British musician, among many others.

I cannot count the number of dinner-table conversations about leadership and public service that I was privileged to be part of during that time. One memorable occasion was a dinner with the former President of Zambia, Dr Kenneth Kaunda (RIP), who regaled us with stories of his activism. When offered dinner, he mentioned that he ate only vegetables, which first had to be frozen for 15 minutes. Another memorable guest was the late Omukama (King) of Tooro, Patrick Kahimi Kaboyo III, who was serving as Ambassador to Cuba at the time and spent several weeks in residence at Namirembe.

Others from a very long list included Mugisha Muntu and his wife, Elly Tumwine (RIP) and his wife, and former Prime Minister of Uganda, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi (RIP), among many others.

Beyond these dinner-table conversations, my father often took me along with him—many times I was his driver—when he visited notable personalities. This is how I found myself in the homes of people such as Eridadi Mulira (RIP) in Namirembe; former Katikkiros of Buganda, Paulo Kavuma (RIP) in Lungujja and Jehoash Mayanja Nkangi (RIP) in Ntinda; James Mulwana (RIP); Gordon Wavamunno; and Cardinal Emmanuel Nsubuga (RIP), among others. Taata introduced me to Buganda royalty, including Naalinya Ndagire, Kabaka Mutebi’s aunt, who took a liking to me and gave me my first puppy. I was present, many years later when she breathed her last at the late Edward Nsubuga’s residence in Kigo (present day Serena Hotel in Kigo). He also took me, together with my mother and my brother Peter, on a personal visit to President Museveni at his home in Rwakitura in 1994.

If ever there was an introductory course on how to engage with influential people, this was it.

In retrospect, there could not have been a better way to prepare me for a lifelong career in development banking, during which I have had the opportunity to sit in rooms with some of the most influential people in Africa and the Caribbean, including heads of state, cabinet ministers, central bank governors and leading business figures.

Many of the prominent individuals I have met along the way are no longer in positions of influence for various reasons. Many have passed away. However, these encounters have taught me a couple of important lessons.

First, because power is derived largely from how we manage our relationships with others, it is by definition transient and fleeting. We should, therefore, treat it much like borrowed money: not wasted on frivolities; payment obligations honoured faithfully; appropriate respect accorded to those who entrusted it to us; and when it is paid back, leave behind such a legacy of stewardship that others are eager to lend you money again.

Second, while being in the presence of powerful people can be intimidating, we can learn to maintain a calm, level-headed demeanour that influences power to be exercised with grace, humility and collegiality.

Although Taata, my guide, protector and friend, left this world 29 years ago, the lessons he imparted continue to resonate with me every day. I hope they do the same for you too.

Tio Kauma