Buhweju,Uganda – When Hon. Nnamara Annet Oyes Byamukama returned from Kyankwanzi, she did not come with slogans. She came with strategy. She spread a mat under her mango tree, sat with the elders, and began with her first lesson: _leadership is knowing what to say, what not to say, and when to say what ought to be said_.
Before Kyankwanzi, she told us, she spoke from the heart in every meeting. Now she practices discipline in speech. “Not every truth belongs in every room,” she said. “Some battles are won in Cabinet, others in Parliament, others in the village. And some are won by saying nothing at all until the facts are ready.”
Her second lesson was heavier: _listening is much more important, depending on the subject matter_. Kyankwanzi taught her to read the forum. In caucus, you debate with rigor. In Parliament, you persuade. In the district, you consult. And when the discussion turns to billions for projects, she laughed, “you first listen to the technical officers and the farmers before you open your mouth. If you misread the room, you can kill a brilliant idea by voicing it in the wrong place.”
Then she grew serious, tapping her notebook. _Resources are very scarce_. “Government has Shs84.2 trillion to allocate across the entire country. Every shilling must be invested wisely. If Buhweju wants schools, roads, or coffee factories, we cannot merely ask. We must arrive with serious, evidence-based justifications. We must show the returns, the jobs, the exports. Money follows preparation.”
She added with quiet resolve that she will _double down on her BCTI commitment, Building Capacity Through Initiatives_, focused on education for our children, incomes for our households, and networking for our district. “Kyankwanzi reminded me,” she said, “that one MP cannot lift a district alone.”
But she smiled and assured us she is not alone. _She now leverages a network of at least 50 key MPs, Speakers inclusive_, who stand ready for Buhweju. “We share notes, we lobby together, and we will defend each other’s motions. When Buhweju’s budget line comes, it will not be one voice. It will be fifty plus.”
And she is aiming higher. “Now I want one more network,” she said, rising and dusting her long dress. “I want the President to be my networking champion. If he carries Buhweju’s case, doors open in the Ministry of Finance, in BOU, in State House. _My job is to give him a bankable, national-interest case for Buhweju so solid that he will be proud to champion it_.”
That is what our Hon. Nnamara learnt. Not mere politics, but strategy. Not just speaking, but timing. Not just asking, but justifying.
End.
As recounted by Mzee Kateganda, a farmer from Buhweju who sat with her under the mango tree after the retreat.
