The last few days, weeks, months have not been exactly what our New Year, 2020 resolutions had in mind.

Some of our plans were beginning to take shape.

New businesses were starting to pick up.

Children already in school excited about all their different activities.

Planning, executing and some more planning.

Rethinking strategy for one or two instances.

Ensuring we achieve that which we set out to do.

For, how shall we then take stock of the first quarter events and plans?

Like the biblical rapture, the ground was pulled from below our feet.

The streets and public places are fast emptying.

Like babies we are learning new ways of doing things.

No more hugs, handshakes and new boundaries defined.

Who saw this coming at a time as this?

Super powers have no deliberate answers to give.

The brilliant of them all are back to books.

I can hear fear screaming in every heart and tongue.

Where does our hope come from, we ask?!

Leaders are humanly trying amidst the bubble.

Churches too, have been brought to their knees.

Some are praying while others undercover.

Parents are advised to stock food for days.

Has anyone cared to know if funds are available?

The smell of this confusion is too much to bear.

It feels worse than the virus we all try to dare.

When does this storm come to an end, I ask?

Who then has an answer when the world is at its knees?

This morning I smile as I hum this hymn

I do not know what lies ahead, it says

But I know him who holds the future, it confirms

I choose to trust him for everything

This is where I’m finding my hope and joy

This storm too shall come to pass, some day

I choose to stay in one piece (peace) as I pray.

Lord, heal the world as we bow at our knees.

For this is a burden only YOU can bear.

I have always boasted about the three–four different routes that are available for me to access the city centre from my home. If I suspect that route A has traffic jam, I would opt for B or even C. I have always been spoilt for choice and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This morning as I race to beat the Monday traffic jam, with my day’s to-do list ringing in my head, mind and ears like a beautiful hymn, I am hugged and greeted by this mother of all traffic jams. I start wondering if the car park had been shifted to Nabweru!!! But no, I should have heard about it. Should I now turn to my usual route B or C?! Wait a minute, how do I even move from this point to where I want to go? Interesting discussion going on in my head, with me as the Chair.

As I adjust and tune into the slow jam, I overhear “boda boda” (motor cyclists) advising taxis to simply turn back and take a totally different direction (from my usual known routes). What?!! Another n^th route?!! Apparently a huge truck had overturned at (or in) the junction and blocked off all routes. Plus all drivers seemed to be so much in a “hurry” thus creating third lanes in our not so wide roads. This is when it dawned on me that I was in for a complicated maze. Of course my better friends of open roof transport (boda) came in handy. Risky, I know. But thank God I got to all my destinations in one piece and my errands sorted.

Being my month of deep reflection, the situation at hand presented some great insights. How often have I been at such spots in my life? Moments when I thought I was driving at full speed with a perfect layout plan, only to find a truck falling in my family, career, business and personal growth paths. Times when my devotion of Psalm 9 quickly turned into Psalms 121. How did I come out of that maze, that life offered?

Am still smiling even I type this post. Psalms 124 now seems to make more sense than never before. There were backup plans that worked and others that failed, that I had to search for new routes/ways for me to wade the waters of life. There were points in time when the sports person in me would scream, “Jump the hurdle” and depending on how high it was, I would jump or even simply jog around it. I needed to keep moving.

I knew and still know where I am headed to, but my roadmap is simply not showing me the trucks fallen along my path. But with age comes experience (atleast some), plus I know my Guide and he is super perfect at what he does since he knew me before I was even born. I will jump, jog, ride and even fly but will not stop in my pursuit. Have a great week.

That up there is the most appropriate title I would choose to share my experience for the History Makers Training (HMT), 5^th– 8^th December, 2019.

We had prepared for five (5) months. We all waited in anticipation. What is this HMT elephant? Mixed fillings I should say. Our minds played us on how far our trainers would go to push us. We all knew, or thought, we were set for the challenge. We started the countdown and boom, the day was here.

We got to our rendezvous an hour earlier than the departure time. This was evidence that the five months at the Institute of National Transformation (INT) had trained us on time management. No more “African Time” excuses. We were like campers ready to roll. I knew INT was yet to see the strongest of them all, Class 25.

We started off with a transport challenge. Our coaster did not arrive at the agreed time. Our minds yet again played us. Was this like in movies where you are promised something then things do not turn out as planned; just to see your problem solving skills? Was it one of their conspiracy theories? We started to race our brains. We got alternative transport just to be at the Leadership Prayer Mountain in Jinja on time.

Voila, we made it on time. Proud of the team work.

The programme was then shared. It all looked like the usual. Nothing to freak us out. Oh, we got even happier. Another holiday to enjoy the beautiful scenery and cool breeze away from the hustles of time. The accommodation was great. I could not wait to dash into that bed after a busy day. We had a great lunch and the lectures started.

We were given assignments to be handed in each day before 6:00p.m and 8:00a.m, a great book of over 400 pages on leadership challenges to read in the three days, plus four movies to watch. Okay, it was now beginning to settle in or should I say making sense. I knew I needed to come up with a schedule to manage this programme. It was beginning to grow bigger.

We then discovered that our multi-tasking skills were now being put to a test. If you waited for the lecture to end for you to start on the assignments, then you would not be able to submit on time. This meant disqualification of your assignment and a zero result. When the following day results were read to us, panic started building up. Assignments had to be well done for one to get a good grade. Thus submitting on time was one thing, but it also mattered that one put effort in accomplishing the task well.

Participants stayed in class the entire night cheering each other on to submit and celebrating when one of them did. One by one others walked out after 3:00a.m, just to steal a few minutes sleep before the Aerobics exercises at 6:30a.m.

The rain was like another conspiracy. It practically rained each and every day from about 4:00a.m to about 6:40a.m. We were freshly baptized every day as we went downhill for the aerobics. It was like a sign from the heavens that transformation was real and not for the faint hearted. I, however, picked a lesson from my morning jog down the dark wet road to the exercise place. That however dark a situation may be, if one keeps moving and not give up half way, you eventually get to where you desire to be. This was practical transformation for me.

For the three and a half days at HMT I realized that sleeping was a luxury for me. I had 1 hour sleep on Friday morning (5:00a.m – 6:00a.m), that was after submitting my 8:00a.m assignments and another almost 1 hour on Saturday night between 8:30p.m – 9:20p.m during a coffee break to prepare for presentations. The total almost 2 hours made me realize that the brain is elastic and can be stretched. Even when the entire body would scream for some sleep, the brain would highlight the assignments that lay ahead and was able to handle.

Tensions continued to build up as Internet played us. Having worked throughout the night with only 30 minutes to hand in before your next programme, then you realize that you actually did not have internet all along? Taking instructions also became very key. Some ended up submitting to a wrong email address which also earned them disqualification. Were we going to survive this?

I remember a time when a friend had 10 minutes to handing in deadline and we all practically stood around her telling her to hand in before time. She had another line or two to add and we kept pushing and pushing and pushing. Five minutes to timeline, internet was off. We prayed in tongues, we called the heaven to come down for No weapon fashioned against our submissions would prosper…. It had been a long night, no sleep, lots of work and internet decides to misbehave now? We uprooted and smashed and crashed, and the heavens listened and in the last 2 minutes, she was able to submit. We ululated like we had set off a time bomb a second away from blowing the white house.

By and large it was the best experience of my life. I realized I had resilience I never knew I did. Hitting timelines and target tasted better than I had ever imagine. I saw teamwork at its best and how much we had achieved. I grew stronger and more determined. I became a writing and reading expert. Our slogan Class 25 “That no man should be left behind” still echoes and speaks volumes to me. I needed this so many years ago. But having it now is evidence of what is in store for me.

Watch out for the new me for no one goes to HMT and remains “usual”. To INT, Trainers and Class 25, Bravo.

I had always heard about the Institute for National Transformation Program for Executive Leadership, but was always too busy studying so many other courses that I had not found the time to enroll. But from the first time I heard about it, I knew I had to do it. I had this burning urge to change the world – “superstar style”. I always blamed myself for all the problems that befell Ugandans. I thought if I did a bit more, I would be able to address many of them. I knew we could do better as a country, but was overwhelmed by the many negative voices of friends and peers who told me that Edith, you cannot change much. You are not in a leadership position and for some reason I believed them.

In July, 2019 I finally resolved to join INT, I wanted more. I could do more for this country. I did not like the trend of events and I knew something had to be done to change that. I needed a positive voice to tell me how and who else out there had done it or was doing it.

I was very excited that the very first lecture did for me just that. They fixed my puzzle like they were the missing link and dotted the lines. INT confirmed to me that I was a leader, no matter the title I hold and that I was created for a bigger purpose than am already doing that has to be done to change my country. The lecture had case studies of who had done something both locally, internationally, biblically and in history. I felt I could fly from the word go. Actually for me I think by the end of the first lectures (Module 1), I felt I had found it all. A place to belong, likely minds, positive thinkers, people who not only care about themselves, but about others and are willing to do whatever it takes to change this country. I was home.

In this period I have read and researched on topics I have never thought I would. I no longer give excuses like I would have loved to. The “African time” concept has since left my vocabulary and I am leaving INT bolder and stronger, than I joined. I am more action oriented, in areas I thought prayers alone could yield results. Am on fire to change the world and nothing is going to stop me.

Special thanks to the INT team and Class 25 for giving me this gift in my lifetime. My story is definitely going to change and I will scream transformation from the mountain tops.

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