{UAH} The Observer - Pius Katunzi: Ugandans are a selfish lot

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The Observer - Pius Katunzi: Ugandans are a selfish lot

Columnists

Sunday, 25 August 2013 19:02

Written by Pius Muteekani Katunzi

Stephen Kiprotich, the world and Olympic marathon champion, is an enigma. He is a self-made man who has polished Uganda's image abroad for a song.

If the money that Uganda spends in hiring international PR firms was invested to develop athletes like Kiprotich, we would all breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that it was a worthwhile expenditure.

But wapi! There is no kitu kidogo (bribery) in investing in athletes! When Kiprotich won the Olympics marathon gold medal in London in 2012, all companies were all over him.

They all wanted to identify with him. He did a wonderful PR job, given that at that time, the international television screens were more littered with pictures of clashes between the walk to work protestors and the police. His victory was a timely change for the international screens, which were saturated with violent images from Uganda.

For a change, we had a hero on the tracks and all of a sudden, from the ashes of violence, emerged a talented athlete. More recently as the airwaves were filled with the Gen David Sejusa saga, again Kiprotich changed the narrative.

All of a sudden, talk about Uganda centred on a history-making gold medal from gloomy old Moscow, as Kiprotich won gold at the World Athletics Championships. Save for the money which government, in particular President Museveni, gave him when he won the first gold medal in London, there is no record to show that government has invested in nurturing and training our athletes.

The media reports from London and Moscow indicated that the athletes were living on bare minimum. When it came to training while in Moscow, they were left to their own devices. The private companies, too, which are now falling over themselves to award him sponsorship deals, did not feel attracted to Kiprotich before he became a champion.

They did not find it wise to invest in his training. But they now feel they should identify with him and shower him with all manner of rewards. Of course those rewards are not free. They are meant to promote the image of these companies.

Many a time when these sports people are invited for international games, they appeal to government for sponsorship and the standard answer is often: "government does not have money." Even when private companies are approached, there is always meagre or no contribution from them.

But when a hero emerges, then suddenly government can marshal Shs 200 million to reward a winner!
There is something strange about Ugandans. One can never fail to find money to buy a coffin and transport the dead to the burial site, but he may appeal to deaf ears when it comes to finding money to buy drugs for the sick.

Some people would rather contribute money for someone's funeral services than offer any assistance in rescuing the sick. Many Ugandans would rather contribute money for someone's graduation party or wedding function than offer help to a graduate who asks for money to start an income-generating venture. So the question is: do people prefer the dead to the living?

Why is it easy to spend money on buying ostentatious coffins than pay, say, Shs 60 million for someone's heart surgery in India or UK?

The value of sports in promoting the image of the country and tackling youth unemployment is only remembered when an unexpected hero emerges. That is when government promises to build an athletics academy. In Kenya, a visit to Eldoret, where sports academies have been built, would demonstrate how sports is a culture, tourism gem and an antidote to youth employment.

It is an industry because it earns the country foreign currency. The sports giants have transformed their lives and the lives of the community through the earning from sports. The sports department in the ministry of Education gets the smallest budget.

This year, the department was allocated Shs 4.6 billion, which was a slight improvement from the previous years. With sports, lies an idle gem. If Kiprotich has made it under very difficult circumstances, how about if government and all these companies itching to reward winners built a sports academy that offers training and talent identification?

The Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) at Entebbe developed an idea of being a friend to an animal of your choice. Under this friendship scheme, one chooses any animal and sponsors it for a year.

In the same vein, the corporate organisations could pick on any athlete and ensure that he/she gets the desired training and facilitation. This, if tried, could uplift the standards of sportsmen and women in Uganda, bringing the country more gold medals and national pride. 
pmkatunzi@observer.ug

The author is the Business Development Director, The Observer Media Ltd.