KAMPALA, Uganda: The term ‘orders from above’ first emerged prominently during the Justice Julia Ssebutinde’s infamous Uganda Police Force Probe Commission in the mid and late-90s where, almost every senior police officer questioned about their atrocities, claimed to have received orders from above to commit their alleged mayhems.
The open and highly televised Probe unveiled uncountable tons of rot in Uganda Police Force and a report was finally compiled and filed but whose recommendations were not acted upon, probably on orders from above. Since that time the term firmly and ‘officially’ set its foot in Uganda police duties before it spread like bushfire to the rest of the government and private institutions.
On March 24th this year, a one Ronald Ssebulime, who was erroneously suspected to have been following Minister Aidha Nantaba was suspiciously gunned down after his swift arrest! He was pulled off the police truck and shot dead instantly by a police man. Asked why, yet the suspect had successfully been apprehended, his answer was that he did it on orders from above. That sealed it. No more questions.
The word has with time grown so strong that even if, for instance a junior officer commits a vivid crime and the boss asks why, one only salutes and say ‘Sir, I did it on orders from above,’ no more questions. Ms. Orders from Above is an invisible boss in almost every sector, formal and or informal in Uganda. The moment it’s mentioned by the questioned, the story is over. Nobody has ever stopped to say, “Hey! Wait, who is that ‘Orders from Above’… No. “You will know”, is always the answer to whoever dares.
At a certain point, former Police boss Gen. Kale Kayihura demanded to know who ‘orders from above (him was) but he finally went into his current hideous trenches without an answer. Even his boss Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Ssabalwanyi at one point stopped to unsuccessfully ask, on a national TV; “But who is this ‘Orders from Above?”, the moderator just looked at him in agape, for many mistakenly believe that it’s actually him (Museveni).
The Story
Premised on Block ‘C’ Victoria Office Park 6-9 Okot Close in Bukoto, Kampala, the 2001 founded Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL) is a government-owned Limited Company whose primary purpose is to generate electric power for use in Uganda and for sale in neighboring countries. As of 2017, the parastatal’s generation capacity was 380 megawatts, the same expected to increase to over 1300 megawatts by the year 2023.
Standing at Shs1 trillion in assets by the year 2017, the Company never attracted any government bigwigs’ attention for deployment of their chosen ones. Looking for whoever to dump there, a senior National Water and Sewerage Corporation staff member, Harrison E. Mutikanga, who had issues with his colleagues in respect of replacing the NWSC ED then, came in handy.
The hitherto undermined Mutikanga has since developed the entity to the levels lucrative enough to attract the attention of the invisible government boss, Ms. Orders from Above. He has attracted senior and expertized staff members who have expressly run the day-to-day business, hence making the Generation’s development shoot in the skies at a speed incomparable to that of Finance Minister Hon. Matia Kashaija’s economy.
It is in this quest for experienced and hardworking staff members that he attracted Ms. Orders from Above’ courtesy call on him, and she/he visited when the position of Administration Manager was advertised. Irrefutable sources indicate that immediately the vacancy was announced, interested members of the public in 100s, including some, actually already working in profitable government institutions, rushed to send in applications followed with their rich and fat CVs.
“Some of us kept following up and indeed, we learnt that a shortlist had been developed out of the pre-qualified applications. We now waited to be called for interviews but things seem to have changed’” one of the contestants told us on condition of anonymity. Yes, indeed things changed … but who could have changed the officially and professionally arranged system of appointments at UGCL! Read on.
The Hon. Member of Parliament for the people of Koboko Municipality, is none other than the journalist-cum politician and currently all-powerful Hon. Evelyn Anite Kajik, the State Minister of Finance for Investments and Privatization. Via her docket, she wields powers over such government owned entities like UEGCL and the likes. For starters, her ‘Kajik” name is derived from the Husband’s, Mr. Allan Kajik.
A public Relations Practitioner, Allan Kajik was appointed by President Yoweri Museveni as Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Kampala in February 2014, just two days after his wife, Anite had on Sunday February 9th 2014 moved a motion in NRM caucus, endorsing the Party Chairman, Gen. Museveni as the NRM sole candidate for the 2016 presidential bid.
Whereas Anite went through un-opposed in the 2016 Parliamentary elections back home, the husband, Allan Kajik, the NRM Flag bearer for Padyere County at the time, badly lost, rendering him jobless and back on the streets and employment stalls of Kampala. Anite was not seeing this happen to her lovebird. No way.
Smelling the vacancy of Administration Manager at UEGCL, she wanted her husband to give it a shot but alas! The advert period had already elapsed, closed and shortlist made. “We stopped at tendering in our applications. Insiders tell us that Hon. Anite called for the shortlist and after perusing it, she ordered that it be shelved and the husband be given the job,” said another contender, also on anonymity condition.
When contacted’ the UEGCL mouthpiece and one of the country’s most senior journalists, Simon Kasyate confirmed that indeed, Mr. Allan Kajik is an employee of UEGCL. However, he jammed to discuss the topic of his style of appointment. UEGCL is not at liberty to discuss any employee’s individual files. It could be better if you waited for him and you talk to him instead’” he said before hanging up. Efforts to reach Anite were also futile as she never picked our calls or responded to our messages. Watch this space…
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