WHAT’S EATING UP MZEE TANDEKWIRE?

Old man Aeneas Tandekwire is reputed to have served as a high flying civil servant for more than 40 years since graduating from Dar es Salaam University in mid 1970s. He eventually retired in October 2011 after serving as Clerk to Parliament for 26 years (counting from 1989).

Since his voluntary retirement, giving way to current Clerk Jane Kibirige, many people have gradually forgotten about Tandekwire who leads a quiet life at his residence in Makindye Kizungu Zone where DP Vice President Mukasa Mbidde also lives.

The saddening aspect of this story though is that the once much revered seasoned civil servant from Bushenyi has lately not been doing well health-wise. “He is really very sick and frail and can hardly walk unsupported.

He is a good old man who served this country with distinction and mentored many but he needs everybody’s prayers,” a reliable family source said of Tandekwire who is advancing 80. Since leaving office in October 2011, Tandekwire has resisted calls on him to allow being engaged as a consultant by donor agencies and some of the public administration schools we have in Uganda.

Family sources say this has largely been on the account of his frail health whereby he has been in and out of hospital so frequently. “Gratefully he has financially lived well courtesy of the millions he monthly collects in rent from his residential apartments located next to his home in Makindye,” the source said in a bid to explain how the good old man has been able to meet his medical expenses without having to resort to the very humiliating public fundraising like was done for late Archbishop Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.Tandekwire had also saved much more money in pension given his close to 50 years of service as a civil servant.

Even the Parliament of Uganda, where he first served as Under Secretary in 1981 before becoming longest serving Clerk in 1989, has materially been very supportive of the man. Tandekwire first manifested ill-health when still serving as Clerk to Parliament under then Speaker Edward Sekandi (aka Kyanamukaka).

For instance in 2010, he was away from office for a whole year after going on an indefinite sick leave and his prolonged absence sparked chaos as his deputies engaged in a succession battle with Emmanuel Bakwega (who was acting in his absence) being portrayed as one favored by State House for the job. Bakwega faced stiff resistance from fellow deputies Paul G Wabwire and Chris Kaija each of whom felt was good enough for the job. Sekandi had to weigh in shutting up Bakwega. Sekandi wrote a strongly worded letter to Head Public Service John Mitala clearly showing he wouldn’t endorse under hand methods to install Bakwega when Tandekwire still had a valid contract.

This infighting is understood to have negatively impacted on Tandekwire’s general state of health and partly prompted his decision to decline suggestions that he stays on longer than October 2011. After leaving office, Tandekwire initially remained outspoken and famously made very controversial comments in 2012 bashing Rebecca Kadaga and the MPs whom he accused of perceiving themselves as omnipotent as if they are God onto themselves.

He specifically was uncomfortable with MPs insisting that the three Ministers Amama Mbabazi, Sam Kutesa and Hillary Onek had to step aside after being implicated in oil bribery saga. The trio objected and then Kween MP KisosChemaswet proposed a resolution indicting them for contempt of Parliament. Mzee Tandekwire vehemently objected to this warning it was dangerous for MPs to assume powers of police. MPs were commonly threatening to arrest the three ministers for contempt of Parliament and accounting officers who appeared before them, something Tandekwire argued was totally alien to the long established norms of Parliamentary practice in this country. He will always be fondly remembered for many reasons including the fact that during his 26 years as Clerk to Parliament, he harmoniously served under 6 Speakers namely Francis Butagira (in 4th Parliament of the 1980s), 5th Parliament’s Moses Kigongo (NRC), James Wapakhabulo, Francis Ayume, Edward Sekandi (7th and 8th Parliament) and partly Rebecca Kadaga in the 9th Parliament.

He was the 6th Clerk in Uganda since inception in October 1962. His predecessors included expatriate Philip Pullicino (1962-1964), 1964-1969’s Ignatius Barungi of UPC (now a governor in Milton Obote Foundation), Edward Ochwo (1969-1971) and Prof Omwony Ojok who, as secretary to National Consultative Council, equaled clerk between 1979&1980. In his service, Tandekwire mentored many people including current communications director for EC JothamTaremwa. Renowned for speaking his mind, Tandekwire famously criticized his former boss Rebecca Kadaga for being in a hurry to pass David Bahati’s Bill against Homosexuality in 2012. Specifically Tandekwire wondered why the Speaker was circumventing Section 10 of the Budget Act which makes it mandatory for Bahati to obtain a certificate of financial implications before his bill could be considered by Parliament. Tandekwire maintained this was unacceptable contravention of the rules.