Uganda joined the rest of the world to celebrate The International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8th March 2018, under the theme #pushforprogress. During the national day celebrations, President Yoweri K. Museveni awarded several medals to exceptional women at the center of leadership excellence in their respective fields. Speaking at the IWD, the President described Uganda Police and Courts of law as “bean weevil infested” and then added that “the weevil that has been in the Uganda Police Force has been purged”.
This comment comes within ten days of reshuffling the police force that saw Gen. Kale Kayihura, one of the longest serving IGPs, lose his job. Since the start of 2017, the state of insecurity to property and people in Uganda has been on the spotlight following the day time murder of the then Assistant Inspector General of Police early 2017. This incident was followed by series of murders of women, home break-ins and the recent kidnap and murder of one, Susan Magara, that left the country afraid. The boldness of the kidnappers, despite involvement of the top investigative organs of the state made everyone worried.
The changes in Police leadership and the revelations by the President came at the right time. May be security will return. We all wait to see.
We all know that one of the major causes of weevils in beans is poor storage practices. If Uganda Police is the store, the Police officers are the beans, some of which have been besieged and eaten up by the beans, who is the farmer that has left the beans to the weevils?
Like in government, the primary role of a great leader in any organization is the ability to attract great talent, establish systems and processes to identify and recruit the very best and retain them while at the same time identifying the average staff for performance improvement training and the mediocre letting them go. The other name of a mediocre staff or non-performers is a weevil one. If something is in your beans and does not make them better, it is spoiling them. A great farmer must identify such bean spoilers quickly.
So, what are the weevils in your business and for how long will you let them last? The earlier you purge them, the better.
