I’m a vet who fights for social justice â€" Kagonyera

By Carol Natukunda

FOR a veterinary doctor to become a politician is not always common. Yet for Mondo Kagonyera, the general duties minister and Rubabo county Member of Parliament, who is a veterinary professor, the profession did not stop him from joining politics. Rather, he works perfectly well in the two different fields perfectly.

“Vets are intelligent and versatile. Though I loved sciences, I was also interested in social justice and that influenced me to join politics,” Kagonyera says. He adds that while still a student, he was involved in fighting for students’ cause.

“Though I was a high school student leader, I was not on the side of the administration. I lobbied for the students’ rights and fought against bad and restrictive rules.”
Kagonyera, for instance, says while at university, he advocated for free interaction between boys and girls.

“At Nairobi, female students were not allowed to enter males’ halls of residence. But the restriction was not helping girls at all. We had several pregnancies compared to Makerere University that was more liberal. As a leader, I fought against that restriction,” Kagonyera said. He said he thought it was important for students to interact freely. He was interested in fighting for their social cause.

Born 63 years ago to Zechariah Kagonyera and Elizabeth Kiruhura in the then Kigezi district, Kagonyera says his life is a tale of worries. “My father had five wives with my mother as the third. He died when I was in O’level. I almost failed to sit for my final exams. That was the biggest challenge I faced because my mum couldn’t cater for my academic expenses,” he says.

He went to Kantale Primary school in Kabale district. He later joined Kigezi High School and Kigezi College Butobere for his O’level. He won a scholarship from the Kigezi royal government, which he refers to as “a generous bursary.”

He then joined the Royal College Nairobi for his A’ level. He joined Nairobi University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Veterinary medicine. He later went to the University of California, where he obtained a masters degree and PHD in Science.

Kagonyera was the eldest child of his mother.

“Being the eldest, I paid school fees for many of my siblings right from the time I started working,” Kagonyera said. When he returned to Uganda, Kagonyera was posted to Masaka as a district veterinary officer. According to him, this appointment was his turning point.

“The people in Masaka were so good to me. They treated me very well and I knew I had to work well in return.”

Kagonyera said he was disappointed when he left the district. He said he would even have married a Muganda had he stayed there longer. Unlike his father, Kagonyera is married to one woman and they are blessed with four children.

After Masaka, he went to lecture at Makerere University and later became the dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

Was teaching a lot better? Although Kagonyera shifted to teaching, he said he still wanted to work for the people, be their leader and that the only way to do that was to have knowledge of everything irrespective of his career. “Being a lecturer wasn’t bad either. You are teaching what you know and working with
intelligent people. So, the work was not hard.

As a dean, there was little to bother me. The pay was little, but that didn’t interfere with the kind of modesty I lived in,” he says.

Kagonyera was chairman of the appointments board at Makerere University where he said he instilled confidence among staff members. In 1979, he joined active politics during the time he describes as “the UPC and DP days”.

In 1988, Kagonyera was appointed agriculture, animal industry and fisheries minister. Under his supervision, he said, people were able to consume fresh milk.

“Initially, all milk was
powdered, but when I was a minister, we established Dairy Cooperation and
several dairy collections points at district levels.” Kagonyera added that his ministry succeeded in fighting sleeping sickness and eradicating rinderpest. Between 1996 and 2001, he represented Rubabo county in Parliament. Early this year, he retained his post as minister in-charge of general duties.

Is he so much liked by the people he works with? “The people you work with contribute to your success,” he said. He attributed his being in the current post to his being a fair and a straightforward man. “My style of leadership is unique.

I like mobilising people and making them feel comfortable working with me. I don’t want anyone working with me to feel disadvantaged. Since my school days, I never believed in religious or ethnic sectarianism.”

Kagonyera seems to have a sense of what is right for his constituency. “There has been a remarkable development under my leadership and I am ready to consistently make Rubabo county one of the most politically united.”

He added, “If a fellow MP says something silly, I brush them off immediately. I don’t fear to tell them that it is silly. Conversely, I would cheer someone if what they say deserve credit.”