This is Arua!

I write about sections of West Nile in a bid to share the positive insights into our society that many people have believed is different from what it actually is; some people actually get shocked to find Arua a very big municipality among the top towns of Uganda!

The Packwach bridge to West Nile

West Nile which is a big region is quite unique to other parts of Northern Uganda is swallowed under the "Northern Uganda Syndrome" - This region was actually vibrant even during the LRA war only that it was cut away from the rest of Uganda due to insurgency on the main access routes. 

People in this region are traditionally traders and farmers and hate to meddle in politics of division-ism in many cases they have avoided political office due to the bad PR of the past regimes.

What the region needs is good infrastructure, a good International airport, roads, linkages and such enabling services and the rest will just happen. I will share my experiences more from my view of people and places, in this first article of the series I look at some of the urban social places.

… It was midnight and it was the eighth day of August my birthday and Idd, on the previous day I had reflected a lot on what I had done in the past years and especially what I had achieved in this last one, I decided it was one of the most rugged years of my life but very full of lessons and good ones – those lessons that make one a better being.

On the last day of the previous year I had walked through Arua town to Orasia Plazza and climbed the stairs to one of the best salons in Uganda, yes it is based in Arua, “5ivers”, in 5ivers you are welcomed like a Sir and treated to soothing music or entertainment on TV while your hair is reduced to your style. Thereafter you get a very good wash and massage then finally the head is oiled and you walk out new and fresh actually younger by several years.

I am totally pleased with the lady running this place she brings with her a sense of customer appreciation that supersedes most such businesses in Uganda.

The biggest downside to this town is the poorly maintained “main road” that is so ugly and full of refuse, what a shame to have such a road for a very vibrant private sector in the capital of West Nile!

West Nile is popular for import export trade in addition to farming; it is full of life with people moving all over the place going about their business. There is the famous Arua hill too that attracts local tourists and romantics to walk around and sometimes bask in the sun as they watch the forest in the distance … 

The back side of Arua hill as seen from Rocks and Roots

Hidden in the back side of the hill is Rocks and Roots, a quiet & cosy motel & guest house suitable for traveling business people, here you are closed out of the hassle and bustle the busy town.

The motel has a close knit community of staff, mid-term & short term guests, with a business style restaurant, a conference facility and large compound one feels so much at home away from home! Here is where I was hosting my Kenyan business partners and friends.

On this day everyone was aware that it was my day & Idd, but first I had to do the ritual, the silent reflection and the walk. I decided to walk up and down the stairs on the back side of Arua hill as I reflected and prayed for a better future, then I run all the way to Barifa Stadium – a place that used to be very special now practically abandoned – I had started the new year reminding myself of the essence of good health to achieve my dreams.

It was now mid-morning as we set out to have a nice day for the celebrants of the end of Ramadan & for the turn of another year for me. We joined the chef and started to prepare the original pilau, we made some juice and vegetable mixes, we set the speakers out in the compound and set the music off … We invited a few to join us and celebrated Idd & my birthday – Allah Akbar!

Later in the day we took a walk to Heritage Courts – this is my “Celebrating West Nile Heritage & Culture” place. While walking there we met all these Muslim youth who had taken advantage of the green in the golf course to picnic & celebrate Idd … and finally we were at Vino World for a brief visit before retiring to our new home.

This year presents better promises, better business and indeed a light at the end of the tunnel not an oncoming train … 

Lessons to today's sales man!

First of all sales does not change, its the same old dating game, some buy your products/services others don't buy!

But don't bump into me and expect me to drop everything and listen to you especially when you are selling a service! God forbid I may just whisk you out of my office like an intruding idle and disorderly person!

When I was a pure sales man, I heard to carry out research on my target right from character, temperament, schedules to likes and dislikes, I carried out research on the capacity of the organization to buy my service.

I booked the decision makers time and ensured that it was mine, then I went in with well researched and clearly presented information appealing to his her needs to either reduce costs of operations or increase incomes or ensure sustainability.

I did not take his/her audience for grunted, it was a matter of life or death, I had to make the next dime to pay my rent, or fuel my jalopy, or even take my girlfriend out, worse still to save my job, because it was always on the line!

We called it living on the edge every new day was a day to go to the battlefield what ever happened – I don’t see such people anymore!

I had to take control follow up the meeting with a proposal, adjustments, rally all stakeholders into the agreement and manage the entire team including the boss to ensure the service was delivered.

These days chaps come waltzing into my office and they are selling big products like insurance, internet connectivity among others unfortunately there is no more money for someone to sit and block the way for me.

I feel sorry for these hombres they need to sharpen their skills!!!

In a typical day of a man :-)

It was one of those days,

I had woken up lazy and a bit frustrated about unfulfilled promises, the un-paying clients and unpaid bills! A circle that makes one stark in the middle & may sometimes be viewed as a liar, due to promises based on promises unfulfilled - I slowly rolled off the bed it seemed to be the only understanding feature in my life at the moment.

Thinking as I walked slowly to the kitchen, a glass of water and a cup of tea, I walked back to the bedroom thinking, what has become of me, the enterprising man who made practically anything seem like Gold, sipping quietly on my cup, I watched a bit of the news, all the heroes of the world were there changing the world but none of them was me…

I thought about the days when I was much younger, totally energetic confident and virile, sometimes with empty wallets packed with business cards and photos, sharing dreams that were beyond comprehension by the “simple brains”, the ideas were exotic and complex, they were fantastic and desirable! Those were the days we walked out of the house with literally no money and walked back in the evening with everything, it was that easy, it was cheap and it was spontaneous!

Life depended on charisma, confidence and mighty looking ideas and plans, having explored a few of them now they seemed quite trifling!

Anyhow seeing that giving up was not an option, I slowly got myself together and listed the activities planned for the day, prioritizing some over the others and making plan B’s for each and every item on the list as well as plan C’s for the most crucial … I then set out for the day!

… I am driving, I have given up on all local channels because I almost know what they are going to talk about and now listening to Swahili on BBC because its Swahili, but kind of not really listening but somehow enjoying the sound of the voices, as I drive closer to the CBD, realizing the heavy jam has raised a lot of exhaust fumes, I turn on the AC only to realize that it had run out a few days ago and I had ignored it, well all will be well I say to myself, just as a light turns red on the dash board – it is indicating an engine complication.

I read into the air … I read many troubles a head today, this Monday “si ya muchezo”! … I think I need jazz to keep me calm, so I switch to “A wash in the rain” sounds good, then on to “A year ago & Alone” all saxophone based Jazz collections.

I have now calmed down, reading through mail on my laptop, the phone rings and I think this might be the first good thing today, well it starts well, then I hear words at a distance because somewhere along the way I stopped listening, but they are familiar words like loser, not man enough, weak, you’ll be poor for ever, your family is blah blah blah - so finally the call comes to an end and my ear is hot from listening, I do not like the phone any more – I wished for the days of landlines…

I take a walk around the office ask John to bring me some spiced tea and samosas, I look for the monitor, it’s still not here again! Anyway I have not started on my work list as I turn my attention to the list call number two, I will not tolerate this …, I will not tolerate that…. Eh!, I said to my now really hot head, is this what it means to stray from God’s ways, but I thought God was a forgiving father – I start repenting again and suddenly the call is gone again!

Suddenly a new priority forms in my head and off I drive – to garden city, I walk around the shops looking at everything on sale, then on to next mall,  I walk to Arapapa and assure them that I will soon be there to finish with my order … Call three was like one and two, so I picked the phone put it back in the pocket - I continued to look at the nice new things in Bata, the new movies showing in Cineplex, the electronics in Nakumatt – I remembered that the days in Kampala were getting more complex and could be arrested for idling and looking at government buildings suspiciously…

It was time to get back to office …

It is fast past noon nothing on the list done, then the call, thee call, master callers says “Hello? Hello Sir? Hello is that Sir Riche” … … I said “Well yes this is he…” = “Well then Sir, the concept has been considered and accepted, could you join us for lunch and lets discuss the implementation” I was suddenly “Sir...red!”.

Bingo