By Mulengera Reporters
On Wednesday, ex-KCCA Executive Director Dorothy Kiyimba Kisaka’s book, ‘Lead the Shift: The 7Hills City Explosion,’ was launched at a pageantry event at Sheraton Hotel Kampala.
You had lots of big people who matter in Kampala gracing the event and they came from all categories namely the corporate, the clergy, the political class, the academia and the civil service etc.
It was a well-organized event whose organisers ensured there was enough for everyone to eat and drink. Some even carried away stuff at the end of the event, towards midnight.
Remarkably, the event said a lot about Kisaka including being an organically good person who keeps friends as opposed to losing them or falling out with people very often. Her OGs with whom they joined S1 at Gayaza more than 30 years ago, were there to cheer their girl. The Gayaza headmistress, Mrs. Kizito, was there too. She cheerfully joined Kisaka and the other OGs for a group photo at the podium.
From the corporate world came leading tax consultant Francis Kamulegeya, lawyer Apollo Nelson Makubuya, businessman Agha Ssekalala, Allen Kagina, Makerere University Governing Council Chairperson Lorna Magara and Vision Group’s Barbra Kaija just to mention a few. The first three are friends Kisaka made as she worked as Secretariat head for the Covid19 taskforce the President established in 2020 at the OPM involving private sector leaders led by Quality Chemicals tycoon Emmanuel Katongole.
Supreme Court Judge Catherine Bamugemereire was there along with her husband George Bamugemereire. For Busoga Kingdom, the Kyabazinga was represented by Katukiro Dr. Joseph Muvawala and others. Deputy IGG Dr. Patricia Okiria Achan was there, kept time and stayed till late.
Many EDs always have issues with their deputies. Not so with Kisaka. Eng David Ssali Luyimbazi, who deputized her at KCCA for their four years of service, was there. He came on time and flanked Kisaka as she received and ushered in her guests.
They cracked jokes and took plenty of photos together. Kisaka later hinted in her speech that the post-Kiteezi experience, and the misery it occasioned, brought them closer and deepened their bonding as professional colleagues.
Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe was abundantly present and Kisaka thanked fellow government institution heads, like him, for the moral support they rendered as she endured the Kitezi consequences.
The current leadership at KCCA attended and were led by ED Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki and her deputy Benon Kigenyi. The two actively participated in the event and even generously contributed Shs4m to buy the book during the auctioning session that was spearheaded by Emmanuel Gabula, a manager at KCCA.
URA’s Johnson Musinguzi was also there and cheerfully participated in everything including parting with his two hard-earned Shs2m towards the book auction. He shared a table with the Kisakas, Muvawala and Chief Guest Ruhakana Rugunda. He stayed around till late and was very cheerful throughout the entire evening.
You bad many other notables in the room and yet even those one would easily dismiss as too ordinary for such a VIP event were there in big numbers. Examples of these include market vendors and Kampala street cleaners. Former Owino Market chairperson Suzan Kushaba, who is eying Kampala Central MP Seat, was also there with a delegation of other City markets stakeholders.
In fact, the book itself was largely inspired by the success that was accomplished by a group of city cleaners who came to be known as 7Hills. This group has thousands of former street criminals who the President one time commended Kisaka for transforming into useful citizens.
The big man from Rwakitura likened this to the “Saul to Paul” conversion and saluted Kisaka for the vision she exhibited in giving them a chance to contribute towards making Kampala cleaner and a more livable city.
At least three leaders of 7Hills namely Menton, Jamil Kabugo and Bashir Bugembe were given awards recognizing them for their leadership role under 7Hills whose success Rugunda attributed to Kisaka’s humility and open door policy, which made the ED office accessible to all manner of Kampalans including the down trodden.
First Lady Janet Museveni’s chief of staff Irene Kawuma did a fantastic job as the evening’s MC and her jokes kept Kisaka’s guests smiling and cheered up throughout the evening.
She is very close to Kisaka, now ED for Destiny Leadership School, and the two ladies pray together at Makerere Redeemed Church several of whose leaders (present and past) were present.
There was a moment for Kisaka’s daughter Ssanyu Aganza Kisaka (a film director in Kampala) too spoke about her mum and her speech was accepted as deep, inspiring and well delivered.
Dorothy’s husband Peter Kisaka did well too-eloquently speaking about his wife being an exceptional person. Leveraging his great vocal abilities, the deep-voiced Peter Kisaka led the children to sing happy birthday for Dorothy whose birthday was the next day.
For several minutes, Peter led them in singing as the audience ululated with birthday girl Dorothy joining them in the dancing. It was an energetic performance and that segment made many in the audience reflect on the need to have family cohesion and oneness.
The young lady, Ssanyu, created the impression that Dorothy Kisaka was the best mum in the world. Rugunda was to subsequently make repeated reference to her speech which he confessed was inspiring and had been delivered powerfully.
In his speech, Rugunda, who has known and closely mentored Kisaka for 15 years now, reminisced their days under the NRM Electoral Commission which was the first presidential assignment they delivered together.
He said Kisaka headed their dispute resolution department as NRM EC and helped deescalate many things at a time they didn’t have any predecessor experience to reference and draw lessons from.
He also spoke about their time at the OPM where he was Prime Minister on whose behalf and instigation Kisaka headed the governance unit. That she did such a good job and Rugunda says he was able learn many things about her including “being very good at sorting out messes.”
Then came COVID at the beginning of 2020. He was still Prime Minister and she too was still there heading the governance unit. The President called on the private sector and business leaders to emulate their counterparts in other countries and aid government efforts to respond to the pandemic which saw citizens locked at home for months.
The taskforce for resource mobilization was enacted at the OPM with Kisaka playing the main administrative role for its Secretariat. This was an additional assignment to her and Rugunda says she did it so well, with the usual enthusiasm and dedication. She was also accountable and took good custody of every coin that was fundraised. Not even a coin was stolen.
Rugunda said that in just three months, Shs50bn was fundraised by the group that was headed by businessman Emmanuel Katongole. Kisaka was the steward for this money, which enabled government buy COVID response pickups for every district, and not even coin was lost. The ex-Premier said it was remarkable that not even coin was lost.
Rugunda says this shows how Kisaka is above board and the extent to which she has never been a corruption-minded person. “Having known the type of person Dorothy is, when I saw news on TV that she was now the Kampala Executive Director, I said to myself KCCA is very lucky to have such a person,” reminisced Rugunda who had ceased to be the Prime Minister by the time Kisaka was named KCCA ED.
He said she has always been a very transparent person who had been strengthened as opposed to being weakened or broken by all that befell her after the Kitezi debacle.
He said that the book, and the thought processes that went into its production, was proof that Dorothy Kisaka was back and still very much around. Referencing on her own speech, Rugunda predicted that more books are coming because there is no way the Kisaka he knows can stop at just one book.
Rugunda also thanked the new KCCA ED, Hajjat Sharifah Buzeki for carrying on with some of good programs her predecessor left in place. Drawing on his public service experience of decades, Rugunda said that some people land into big positions and behave as if no one else has ever been there or will ever be after them.
This remark by Rugunda caused prolonged laughter in the room. As if aware of something no one else in the audience knows about, Rugunda predicted that Kisaka is still very much around and still has a lot to offer in the public sphere.
The Prime Minister emeritus was grateful Buzeki and Kigenyi aren’t that type (who get into the job and behave as if they are the alpha & omega). He was grateful the duo has carried on supporting the 7Hills program as opposed to dismantling it. The 7Hills boys had, in an earlier speech, commended Buzeki for continuing to collaborate with them just like Kisaka used to do.
On her part, Kisaka recalled getting the idea to write during the 19th December 2024 Rotary speaking event she attended (virtually) and participated in a few months ago.
The 7Hills boys had been invited too and the eloquence with which they narrated to guests how the whole thing started, with her full support as then KCCA ED though she was initially lukewarm, inspired her to tell the more comprehensive version of the story in writing.
She originally came up with a small pamphlet of barely 60 pages which she enlarged into a 160-page book. Her brother’s death also motivated her to work even harder on this writing project. The Pastors at Redeemed Church she shared her pamphlet idea with motivated her into taking the project more seriously and come up with something more comprehensive.
She also recognized her other mentor at the OPM, Dr. Ezra Suruma, who was also in the audience, having come with his dear wife. He heads the GoU’s Services Delivery Unit at the OPM and Kisaka jokingly told her guests about his undying love for both the scriptures and coffee.
She also recognized her biological siblings, the brothers & sisters, and also reflected on how excited her dad the late Hon. Dr. Richard Bulamu of Luuka would have been if he were to attend her book launch and hear others testify so powerfully about his daughter. Kisaka also thanked the leadership of Busoga Kingdom for standing with her always.
Rugunda said the integration of 7Hills into the City’s broader sanitation program had enabled Kisaka as KCCA ED to “make a dramatic contribution to Uganda’s transformation story.” That she proved that you don’t need to be ED or hold any other public position for an eternity to have lasting impact on others.
He thanked the leadership at Redeemed Church for being positive, practical and solution-oriented which enabled them to effectively support the former KCCA ED to counsel and eventually transform thousands of these formerly rejected boys and girls from criminals into useful citizens they have since become.
At the same event, several trainees who included senior civil servants, corporate and private sector leaders graduated having completed mentorship training from Dorothy Kisaka’s Destiny School of Leadership that is based in Kampala.
Many have had the privilege to be mentored and nurtured through this School including Irene Kawuma herself. Kisaka is the Executive Director for the School. Those who graduated paying glowing tribute to the School’s mentorship program, highlighted the benefits, and urged their peers to enroll too. Col Geoffrey Brian Kambere, a Commissioner at Immigration/Internal Affairs Ministry, spoke on behalf of the 14 graduands. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
