Lango Conference 2012

The Lango people from the Lango sub-region in Northern Uganda have taken time off to reflect on their past and present and design guiding strategies for the future. A three-day conference dubbed 'Lango Conference 2012' has been organized for this purpose. It started today 27 December 2012 and ends 29 December 2012. At the end of day three resolutions and recommendations will be presented, discussed and agreed to by representatives of the community. I will be one of them and I am excited about it because I am proud to be a member of this community. I will be twitting so please follow me @sgokech.

Two terms of service to the Veterinary Fraternity

I thank them heartily. They being the larger portion of the veterinary fraternity in Uganda, members of the veterinary profession's umbrella body in Uganda - Uganda Veterinary Association (UVA). It was on Friday 5th December 2008 that they first put trust in me and my team to lead them. They renewed the mandate on Friday 10th December 2010 for two years. That made it two terms for me in office as President Uganda Veterinary Association.

After a period of four straight years of faithful and dedicated service as some of my colleagues called it, last week I handed over the mantle of UVA leadership to one of my colleagues, Dr. Dominic Venture Lali Mundrugo-ogo. To work with him is a team that I know all too well so I rest assured that progress is all that will happen for the UVA; a process I prefer to refer to as "moving from glory to glory". What this means is that my team and I were able to move this organisation through positive strides and with the new team, the organisation should be able to take several other strides in the right direction.

The four years I did this voluntary work have been years of unlimited exposure, networking, servant leadership, great sacrifice, juggling strategy & operations, mentoring & empowering, innovations, venturing into unknowns, fighting oppression, team building & management, managing criticism, arbitration & conflict resolution, initiating & refining strategies, perfecting boardroom etiquette, productive negotiation, etc. All these could be summed up as a period of tremendous learning. I am definitely much wiser. I should be able to share the key areas of learning either in a series on this blog or maybe in a book. May God help me and may He bless Uganda Veterinary Association, its entire membership and the global vet fraternity.

EPL referees contemplate boycot? What a joke!

It is reported that referees in England are contemplating boycotting Chelsea FC games. Anybody who follows the Barclays English Premiership would predict that such an issue could only come up in association with the name of Chelsea FC. This is not because CFC deserves anything like this but simply because they are 'hated'. They cried foul over alleged referee's 'misconduct' (read inappropriate words) in addition to two game-changing blatant errors he made during the Chelsea vs Manchester United game last Sunday and that earns them such hatred and a possibility of such an extreme action!

What did CFC do to FA? I wrote before about the charges meted out to their managers, Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas. I bet that if it was any other club making such complaint this drastic action would not have even been thought of at all.

On the other hand, I think the EPL referees are doing a great job to distract people from their recent poor performances, the one by Clattenberg being so far the worst and most blatant this season! In the same weekend Liverpool FC was denied three points due to a poor decision by a match official. A few minutes ago I saw a West Ham goal disallowed erroneously!

Love them, hate them, CFC is still very much a factor not only in EPL but in Europe. Talk about Europe reminds of the injustice by a one Ovrebo, a UEFA referee. Guess against which club. CFC.

Komla Dumor on "right to roam"

Reading the Kenya Airways (KQ) inflight magazine for September-October 2012, I came across an article by Komla Dumor about visa-free entry into African countries and the benefits thereof. Interestingly, I was traveling to a meeting in Nairobi to discuss issues related to free movement of professional services (read professionals) across the borders of the 5-member countries of the East African Community (EAC).

Komla asserts that free movement of people has significant economic benefits for host countries as well. I need the source of evidence supporting this. I am not doubting Komla. I am actually inclined to agree entirely with him but providing such evidence would help us strengthen our push for the free movement of people (labour and services) in the EAC.

This article also reminded me of my related one earlier published in this blog. You might find the opinion interesting to read: http://samwiri.blogspot.com/2012/06/some-10-points-for-professionals-to.html

Jose Mourinho: the special one or the only one?

Jose Mourinho in the hot seat at CNN. Visit and listen to what he has to say HERE.

Saving for economic empowerment

Today, 28th July 2012 goes in the history books as the day the Veterinary Wealth Savings and Credit Cooperative Society (Vet Wealth SACCO) held its first Annual General Meeting and constituted its first Board and Supervisory Committee. The meeting was held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity in Makerere University. It is a development for which I greatly thank God for letting me and several colleagues be part of from inception through registration to now full composition of the governing structures.

This SACCO is one step of demonstrating that veterinarians in Uganda have embraced the principle of harnessing synergies and are willing to use it to improve their economic position and capacity of offering services and support to the community.

Long live Vet Wealth SACCO.

Gone to the dogs. Why dogs?

In some cultures in the world, animals are praised, adored, almost regarded as human and in some (almost) worshiped. While this demonstrates the close ties and mutually beneficial relationship between man and animals, man also coined a saying that seems to suggest a demeaning of the animal - at least one specie which ironically, on the other hand, is also described as "man's best friend".

The saying "gone to the dogs" is used to describe something or a situation that has gone bad or lost all good things associated with it. The question is, why the dogs when it is known that in many cultures, dogs are very important members of the family and community for various reasons: company, hunting, security, recreation (sports), disaster prediction, etc?

Which culture coined this saying and why? Join me in searching for the answer. As we search, I think we (humans) should also stop 'messing up things' and quickly (as if to avoid responsibility) say they have 'gone to the dogs' instead of admitting that 'we have, in our normal minds, deliberately chosen to mess the things up so badly that they are not even useful to us anymore'. Why don't we 'take these things to the angels' instead? Let us strive to make things better.

Some 10 points for the professionals to consider about the East African Community Common Market Protocol

One of the milestones on the road to the East African Community (EAC) federation is the Common Market Protocol (CMP) which came into force in July 2010. Its spirit, I believe is to make trade operations for both goods and services easier, faster and better across members' borders.

Based on my ('little') understanding of the CMP, I deduce from it some implications for a professional service provider. I will not delve into details of the CMP and will also steer clear of its components that deal with free movement of goods and instead concentrate on free movement of professionals (persons who deliver professional services).

1. Professionals should take it upon themselves to clearly define who a professional is and which organisations qualify to be referred to as professional bodies (association or regulatory) with reference to their respective professions. This does not only contribute towards limiting and subsequently eliminating quacks thereby protecting the consumer and profession but also helps other players correctly identify which bodies to work with in regard to a given profession.

   In simple terms, a professional should be one who has acquired and demonstrates applied skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours (competence and competency) obtained through formal professional training to the benefit of his/her clients and holds certification to this effect from an accredited recognised training institution. In a few instances they even take an oath - Hippocratic oath in the medical/veterinary field - but in all cases must be registered by the profession's regulatory authority, a legal and professional requirement to practice in a given jurisdiction. At the earliest possible opportunity professionals should candidly and without fear emphasize the fact that business bodies/associations are not necessarily professional bodies/associations.

2. Quality assurance will be a vital area of concern in movement of professionals (services). The professional service provider must be qualified to offer the demanded service and must offer the optimal or the best service and must do it within the law of the country where the service is offered. This therefore calls for professional regulatory authorities and their associated enforcement units to ensure that no consumer is lured into consuming 'fake' or inferior services ('imported' from a member state). I love to provocatively refer to 'fake service' as 'counterfeit' to the amusement of many who are used to the current common definition of 'counterfeit' being restricted to goods. The alternative and more common word in services is "quack" but this may not immediately sound as catchy and terrifying as the word 'counterfeit' hence the perceived misuse of the word. A person who labels themselves a professional when they are not and yet tricks consumers into requesting for and consuming his fake services (carefully disguised as the true service) is, to me, offering a 'counterfeit service'. Spare me the debate on semantics and instead follow the drift.

   A loud warning must be sounded as well to some misguided professionals who seem to have put greed for money ahead of professionalism thereby not religiously observing professional ethics as defined by professional practice guidelines. Thanks to competition; these acts will hopefully soon be exposed and the consumers will get enlightened and liberated from this "hostility".

3. Every professional should participate actively through their professional associations and regulatory bodies in the negotiation of and implementation of the Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) that should define guidelines that facilitate and enable registration of professionals and professional practices across borders of the five member countries. The MRAs should especially define bounds but ensuring that it does not cause unnecessary encumbrances. The interest here is to make it easier and yet within professional and legal bounds for an EAC national/citizen to freely move and practice in a member state. Professionals should not delegate the role of designing and negotiating MRAs to parties that do not effectively represent their professional interests. In my opinion, this a shared role between professional associations and professional regulatory authorities. They should also take interest, in among others, immigration requirements associated with movement of persons so as to contribute towards designing processes that facilitate efficiency of the operations.

4. While professionals should appreciate their guidance, they should resist the temptation of being ‘crowded out’ in decision-making fora by Government officials, trade and business specialists (not of their professional leaning) who can derail professional focus on issues related to the CMP. Professionals should therefore not worry about holding minority opinion in such fora for as long as that represents the position and practice in their profession - preferring "professional correctness" over "political correctness" during such meetings. Be bold and loud even if you are a lone voice; stand for your profession without shame; nobody else cares about it except you.

5. Professionals should work together with their respective mother Government Ministries and the Ministries responsible for the East African Community affairs in their respective countries to provide a clear roadmap complete with realistic targets and demand that the ministries work towards it.

6. The free movement of professionals will bring with it competition which will largely be based on professional performance hence it calls for a high level of professionalism. This implies that if any professional does not keep themselves polished, they will soon be out of service/business because the consumers' "catchment area" and choices will expand. One example is that should any professional take Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programmes lightly, their progressive irrelevance and incompetence will soon be exposed to their detriment. The majority of professions in the member countries now renew registration based on credit points accumulated from CPDs over a defined period of time. A professional should therefore raise their bar. Are you acceptable in the neighboring country? Is it possible that a colleague from a neighboring country will be preferred to you in your own backyard?

7. A loud warning must be sounded as well to some misguided professionals who seem to have put greed for money ahead of professionalism thereby not religiously observing professional ethics. Thanks to competition; these acts will soon be exposed and the consumers will get enlightened and liberated from this "hostility".

8. It is important for professionals to take interest in understanding their respective profession's regulatory law(s) in the partner states not just to ensure they operate within the law but also for them to identify and propose areas of harmonization.

9. Furthermore, the professional should acquaint themselves with the prevailing trade laws (for both goods and services) in the various EAC member countries.

10. Professionals should consider establishing smart partnerships with their counterparts in the EAC member states to facilitate movement of service even without physical movement of the professional in some cases.

The CMP brings with it opportunities which can only be effectively harnessed by a prepared professional. Long live EAC, long live professionals, long live consumers of professional services.

Click here to download a pdf version of the EAC CMP.

This piece was sent to some media houses in the region but none has so far found it worth an inch of space in their pages. Thanks to personal blogs.

Happy birthday Petr Cech

Happy birthday to my goal keeping star, Mr. Petr Cech. How to celebrate a birthday! The saves you made won Chelsea FC their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy. Above all I thank God for He made all the miracles happen. Who would have believed it if you told them a few weeks ago that Chelsea would bag two big trophies: The FA Cup and the UCL? God you are almighty.

Thanks to God yet again

Lord God almighty thanks again for yet another victory. The miracles you make never cease. May your name be glorified forever.

God's favour, God's mercy, God's love

Thanks Lord for making my evening. All victory comes from you. Thank you. I hope the readers will get my drift. Sing hallelujah!

World Veterinary Day celebrations in Uganda

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries (MAAIF) together with Uganda Veterinary Association (UVA) coordinated the efforts of various partners in planning and managing activities of the 'Vet Week' in Uganda which culminated into the World Veterinary Day celebrations in Rushere town in Kiruhura district today. The celebration was attended by a government minister, Members of Parliament, MAAIF Officials, UVA Executive, district leaders, farmers, veterinarians, regulators of the drug industry, NGO representatives, pharmaceutical suppliers, students from veterinary and animal production training institutions and members of the public.

The Minister of State for Animal Industry, Hon. Bright Rwamirama, presided over the function which was also blessed by, among other dignitaries, the area Member of Parliament, Hon. Fred Mwesigye - both of them are commercial dairy and beef cattle farmers. Coincidentally, they are both retired army officers belonging to the same political party, the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

Miracle at Camp Nou

I know it was a miracle by all standards - the odds were all against Chelsea FC but they knocked out Barcelona FC from the UEFA Champions League. They are in the finals. May God help Chelsea FC take this trophy for the first time this year. Blue is the colour.

Teach a man to 'grow fish'

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Chinese proverb.

Lifetime? Maybe not anymore. I guess we now have to teach a man to create a 'lake' then 'grow fish' in it and hopefully be able to feed him for a lifetime.

Charles Onyango-Obbo seems to suggest so: READ

What do you think? Make a comment and let us know.

AGRICULTURAL LAND IN UGANDA IS LOCKED UP IN THE 'PRISON OF GREED AND PRESTIGE'

A lot has been said lately about solutions to the setbacks in agriculture in Uganda especially with reference to enhancing national food security and contributing to foreign exchange earnings. I agree that in order to transform the agricultural systems in Uganda, several things have to be done right (read differently) and one among them is effective utilisation of the land resource.

It is very likely that one of the major contributors to our setbacks is that the bulk of agricultural land is held (read locked up) by “non-farming” title holders. It is not uncommon in Uganda to hear of a land owner of 1, 2, 4, 5 or more square miles of agricultural land (as one block) with only a small fraction of it, if any, being used for meaningful modern, commercial agricultural production. It is also very likely that the owners of such huge chunks of land are not engaged in commercial agriculture neither do they primarily earn a living from agriculture. It is therefore debatable whether they are bothered about or conscious of the significant role they play in national food security and agricultural exports.

If such people subject the land to some crop production, it will most likely be underplanted and if it holds some livestock, it is grossly understocked but in both cases, the land is largely unimproved. The irony is that the title holder in this case, although not adequately farming the land, will usually lock out those who earn their living from farming from accessing (even for hire in some instances) any inch of the land (grazing land, watering points, land for crop production). Furthermore, it is noteworthy that these small scale producers are the ones who feed the cities where the owners (title holders) of the ‘dormant’ (‘underutilised’) land dwell!

Let’s unlock the huge chunks of land from the ‘prison’ of prestige, greed and primitive pride and make it available to the genuine producers who wish to feed the nation and generate surplus for exports.

While I have no idea about who owns how much of Uganda’s agricultural land, the hypothesis that the bulk of it is in the hands of individuals not earning much of their living directly by - and could do without - themselves being farmers needs rigorous testing so that we can get a clear understanding of the situation.

Should it be established that these land owners do not primarily earn a living from farming and are not about to think that way, government should interest them to either engage in joint partnerships with agricultural investors or sublet (lease) the land to production-minded individuals for a given period of time. That way, their land remains secure, they earn from it without working and they contribute, albeit indirectly, to food security and foreign currency income to the nation.

As it is now, the rich city dwellers who own the huge underutilised chunks of land in the countryside can be said to have used their money to literally lock out not only food but also money for the nation! Several land- and agricultural-related policies and laws ought to be revisited including - sensitive though it is - considering levying a fee on underutilised huge chunks of agricultural land. I am told this idea was once mooted by a distinguished Member of Parliament. What merits / demerits did cabinet and parliament find in that proposal?

We ought to broaden our entrepreneurial acumen into agriculture and take the agricultural land resource from its current perceived underperforming state to a more profitable one. If in the current state of underproduction we still manage to export agricultural products, how much better would we do with just a little more organized use of land?

(This article was published in the New Vision newspaper of 20 March 2012)

Drogba and Africa score 100 goals in England

It happened in London on Saturday 10th March 2012. Didier Drogba of Chelsea FC scored his 100th goal in the Barclays English Premiership. He goes on record as the first African to do it. Kudos Didier.

What a day to make that history. It happened on the day of the Didier Drogba Foundation Charity Ball 2012.

UNDERSTANDING MARKET DEMANDS FOR ANIMAL AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Every market dictates terms be it a commodity or a service market. Producers and
suppliers of animals and animal products are not exempt from ʻdancing to the tunesʼ
dictated either by the controllers (regulators) of the market or the consumers(buyers). It is imperative therefore that the players in the market understand the rules of the game and also adhere to some basic requirements in order to remain relevant in the competitive market.

Commercial animal farmers ought therefore to embrace and put into practice some of the following principles irrespective of the species of animals or type of animal products they trade in whether locally or in foreign markets: maintaining a reliable and timely supply; providing safe and high quality products that meet market needs and regulatory standards; and appropriately pricing their supplies, among others.

As a first year student in the Makerere University Veterinary School in the early 90s, one of my Professors, in his attempt to illustrate the size of the international market (foreign exchange potential) for our animals and animal products and the urgency for the players in the animal sector to enhance production of animals and animals products, narrated to us one of his experiences as a then highly placed government official in the Ministry of Animal Industry, Game and Fisheries (how we wish it be re-instated) in the 1970s. While on one of his visits to the Middle East, he negotiated a ʻjuicyʼ deal that would make our goat and sheep farmers smile all the way to the bank. When the first order came, we (Uganda) supplied. The clients were happy and a few weeks later placed an order for a regular supply. The Professor was humbled when it dawned on him that if we supplied as per the order, the goat and sheep stock in the country would be depleted in less than 6 months! Would anybody sign that contract?

While we probably cannot meet that demand yet, we are told a country in the horn of
Africa supplies the Middle East with goats and sheep and they attempt to do it timely and in accordance with demand waves in that region. Could they have mastered the principle of reliable and timely supply? Any lessons for Uganda (farmers, government, animal health and production professionals)?

Reliability and timely supply will only work if one supplies what the market accepts. It is sad to say that most of our animals and animal products cannot access certain markets due to non-tariff barriers (NTBs), the majority of them being failure to meet safety standards prescribed by regulators. We therefore have to demolish these barriers so as to access the lucrative foreign markets and boost foreign currency inflows.

Recognising the significant role and necessity of the veterinary profession in
contributing to the improved production of ʻcleanʼ animals and animals products for the global market, and thereby overcoming the NTBs and establishing fair play, the UN World Organisation for Animal Health declared veterinary services a ʻpublic goodʼ. Unfortunately, in Uganda, some districts boast of having one or even no veterinary professional (Public Service) and yet hope to be significant players in this highly competitive market laden with barriers. Government should revisit its agricultural priorities especially the amount of resources (human, funding, equipment) accorded to the animal sector as it harnesses the collective efforts of all stakeholders towards the common mission of increasing animal protein, meeting local food security demands and foreign income earnings from animals and animal products. Sow the right seeds in right amounts on the right ground and your harvest will be big.