In 2024, I stood at a crossroads that many professionals eventually face the choice between a structured, predictable path and an uncertain, demanding one. I had two clear options: A: Enroll in a PhD program B: Start a fintech Both were valid, both were meaningful but they were fundamentally different. One offered structure, recognition, and a defined journey. The other offered uncertainty, risk, and no guarantees. I chose to build a fintech today known as Twezimbe. At the time, it felt like a bold decision. In reality, it has proven to be one of the most difficult and stretching experiences…

Many boards acknowledge risk only after the organisation has already stumbled. By then, the board is managing consequences rather than guiding the future. The more disciplined boards recognise something different. Risk management is not a report prepared by management. It is a strategic lens through which directors guide the organisation. This is where Mr Strategy works with boards. Through focused board inductions and risk governance engagements, Mr Strategy helps directors sharpen their strategic oversight, strengthen boardroom conversations, and build practical systems that allow the board to see critical risks early rather than after damage has occurred. The engagement typically focuses…

I have learned that intelligence does not protect organisations from failure. In many cases, it accelerates it. In 1999, engineers finished the Millennium Bridge in London. On paper, it was flawless. Elegant design. Brilliant minds. World-class modelling. On opening day, the bridge began to sway, not because of poor engineering, but because people adjusted their walking unconsciously in response to movement. Each correction amplified the wobble. Intelligence created feedback loops no one anticipated. The bridge did not fail because it was weak, but because it was smart in the wrong way. That is how smart teams still make dumb decisions.…

The incident began in early 2024 within the operational accounts of an international non-governmental organisation headquartered in Kampala. Funds earmarked for water, sanitation, and health projects were diverted systematically over several months. Donor reports showed deliverables vastly out of alignment with cash outflows. At first glance, auditors thought this was a routine bookkeeping error, but a deeper trace revealed an emerging pattern. Payments to known vendors were routinely misstated, descriptions altered, and receipts fabricated. The red flags did not emerge from one misplaced figure, but from a cascade of small anomalies that, when stitched together, painted a coherent picture of…

I have observed that many boards are inefficient because committees operate perfectly in isolation. After years of evaluating boards across financial institutions, manufacturing firms, and state entities, one pattern repeats, Audit reviews controls, Risk reviews exposure, and Credit review portfolios. Nomination and Governance reviews succession. Each reports upward. Few connect sideways. On paper, everything looks covered. Under stress, gaps appear. The Board Committee Intersection & Oversight Alignment Map is designed to expose those gaps before a crisis occurs. It forces clarity on ownership, joint accountability, escalation triggers, incentive alignment, and capability gaps. It makes visible where oversight overlaps, where it…

Boards do not fail in crisis; they fail in meetings. After over twenty-five years sitting in boardrooms as advisor, evaluator, director, secretary and sometimes quiet confidant, one pattern remains constant. The loudest voices are often the least prepared. And the cost is rarely visible immediately. It shows up later in missed risks, defensive CEOs, passive chairs, frustrated company secretaries, and strategy that drifts. Usually, this is not a character flaw. It is a governance design issue. Preparation, airtime discipline, and psychological courage are not personality traits. They are board setup choices. When they are weak, ego fills the gap, and…