By Mulengera Reporters
Having served as Chairman for Education Service Commission (ESC) for more than 20 years, Hajji Badru Lubega Waggwa (whose wife Aisha Lubega Deputizes Justice Simon Byabakama at EC) is finally out of the job. Among other things, the Commission handles the recruitment of teachers and headteachers for government schools who are then passed on to the Ministry of Education for deployment. They also recruit Principals for government-owned post-A’Level institutions and Mubs’ Prof Wasswa Balunywa is among the big fish whose recruitment they oversee.
Having endured a vacuum for a while, fellow ESC Commissioners recently agreed by consensus that Dr. Violet Kajubiri Froelich (a younger sister to the President) takes charge on grounds of seniority. This strictly is in acting capacity as the President’s final decision regarding Lubega Waggwa’s fate continues to be awaited. The extremely down-to-earth Kajubiri (70) was considered the most senior (having served the ESC since 2010) among the available commissioners and she is now effectively taking charge of the all-important Commission without which teachers can’t be recruited and promotions can’t be effected. In fact, even non-teaching staff like bursars are recruited by the same Commission and this is an ongoing activity.
The other Commissioners at ESC include Dr. Elizabeth Gabona and Johnson Malinga (Kapelebyong) and James Kubeketerya (Bunya in Mayuge) who were given jobs there after losing their MP Seats at previous elections. According to Parliamentary records, as a Commissioner, Kajubiri earns Shs8,007,300 in salary per month. As Chairman, Lubega Waggwa has been earning Shs8,457,300 and the highest earning at the ESC is Asuman Lukwago their PS/Accounting Officer netting off Shs15.4m per month.
Sources say that leveraging on his vast experience, Lubega Waggwa recently sent his resume to the President indicating readiness/willingness to serve again at the Farmers House-based Commission once given fresh opportunity to carry on. His fate now remains to be decided by the President in consultation with security/intelligence agencies whose clearance is mandatory in such high-flying jobs.
WHO IS KAJUBIRI?
Despite being the only known biological sister to the President, Kajubiri lived in total quietness and deliberate obscurity until the 1st week of December 2016 when she got involved in a very tragic accident that claimed the life of ex-KCCA Physical Planning Director George Agaba at a place called Nyamitanga outside Mbarara town. This so far was the only time Kajubiri had her name thrust up into the limelight and media glare. Her humility still manifested as all her treatment was done at IHK as opposed to being flown abroad.
Page 3 of Sowing the Mustard Seed (the President’s own war memoirs) makes reference to Kajubiri with the big man disclosing that she was born in 1949. She was named Violet Kajubiri to memorize the fact that she was born at a time the Anglican Church in Uganda was celebrating its jubilee (50 years of existence). As he addressed mourners in 2001 as his mother Ester was being buried, Museveni recalled Kajubiri becoming polio-crippled in 1955, a thing that caused Mzee Amos Kaguta to become reluctant taking her to school thinking there was no hope for her.
Museveni says that is how his highly educated sister (up to PhD) ended up being solely educated by their mother who firmly believed in the education of the girl child.
Kajubiri went as far as Makerere University graduating with Bachelor’s degree in Science in the 1970s. Her resume shows that from the same University, she also has the diploma in Education (biology and chemistry). She passed well enough to be retained at Makerere as a teaching assistant in zoology department.
While at Makerere, she got herself a German scholarship that saw her join Hohenheim University where she read a master’s degree and eventually a PhD in zoology. She stayed there and even acquired German citizenship. In “My Life’s Journey,” Mrs. Museveni discloses that her sister-in-law Kajubiri married a German national called Hilmer Froelich with whom she mothered four children. Indeed, Kajubiri is the reason the President has had deep faith in the German systems to the extent he treasures their hospitals than those of any other country on planet earth.
In working terms, Kajubiri has vastly served including being a consultant for the German state of Saxony on matters to do with Education and Development (2008-2009). In mid 2000s, Kajubiri was part of the Museveni’s visitation committee that authored a paper on the chaos engulfing Public Universities in Uganda. In 2007, they produced a fantastic report that unfortunately was never implemented. They urged reforms but that was all. Prior to that assignment, Kajubiri had (according to the ESC website) served as a consultant for German Protestant Development Aid for four years. She also had a stint at some point at Uganda Wildlife Authority. Kajubiri, who workmates say is never desperate being identified as the President’s sibling, has also powerfully served on numerous governing boards in Uganda including NEMA, Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF-Int) and Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). The 70-year-old prefers living quietly the very reason she has never been cited in any controversy despite her many years of public service. (For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).
