Strike has been Bakabulindi’s mark
Jan 19, 2005
LEADING Strikes has been his stepping-stone in his rise to leadership. In the late 1970s at St. Mary’s College Kisubi he spearheaded a strike that saw a temporary closure of the school.
By Arthur Baguma
LEADING Strikes has been his stepping-stone in his rise to leadership. In the late 1970s at St. Mary’s College Kisubi he spearheaded a strike that saw a temporary closure of the school.
He carried the habit with him to Uganda Polytechnic Institute Kyambogo (now Kyambogo University) before hatching another strike at Uganda Breweries.
In all cases, Charles Bakabulindi says he was fighting for justice.
Now he has been appointed minister for sports at a time The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) is engulfed in a crisis. Is this an opportunity for the renowned workers union activist to spearhead yet another strike against the enemies of soccer in the country?
“I have been monitoring the situation closely as a football lover. I will assess what went wrong, who is handling what and what can be done to improve sport. I am going to meet the two warring sides, opinion leaders and all the stakeholders.
“The current administration at FUFA is not new to me. I know them well. I will be very serious on performance. I won’t entertain people pushing for personal interests at the expense of sport not only in football but even other games,†says the soft-spoken Movement Caucus Chairman.
The appointment of Charles Bakabulindi as new sports minister may be a belated New Year gift to the sports fraternity.
“It’s the beginning of a new revolution in football. He is not a stranger to sports. He is the Chairman of Parliamentary sports committee. The President has listened to the pleas of football lovers. We requested him to intervene and take disciplinary action against Bakabulindi’s predecessor,†says Aldrine Nsubuga the Chairman Save Our Soccer (SOS), a pressure group bent on streamlining the management of Football.
The workers MP, who doubles as the chairman of the Parliamentary Sports Committee and a former team manager of defunct Bell FC, is ready for the task ahead.
The legislator says his main goal is to see that sports hit the peak it had reached in the 1970s.
Public opinion shows that Denis Obua the incumbent FUFA President is not wanted at the helm of the soccer governing body. What will he do when Obua wins the February 5 poll again?
“Its not only public opinion to sort out issues. But ask how should FUFA go. What has it done? What should be done? It’s useless to remove them and again bring similar characters. Its not an issue of changing faces but performance,†he explains.
He has been aggressive in pushing for the workers rights. Regardless of the hitches he is strong willed and daring.
“He is social and friendly but I wonder how he won the vote of the workers. The world over, workers MPs never side with governments. There are times he has let down his constituents at the time of need,†says Ken Lukyamuzi MP Lubaga South.
Bakabulindi was born in 1959 to Daniel Bakabulindi and Esther Nakyejo in Kakuto sub-county Rakai district. His father served as a Muluka chief until his demise in 1983. The last born in a family of eight, he inherited his leadership acumen from his late father.
“My father inspired me into leadership. He was a highly respected chief. I vowed to follow in his foot-steps.†he says. Through his secondary school life, he was a prefect.
Bakabulindi attended Nazareth Primary School in Rakai before joining St. Jude Naguru where he completed his Primary Living Certificate.
Later he joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi for O-Levels where he masterminded a strike that saw the closure of the school.
“He was the ring leader but they never got him. Instead, his followers were picked up by police and locked up. The strike was against the degenerating condition of students’ welfare. I am not surprised he has been a union leader. His background is typical of all union leaders,†remarks a former classmate.
Bakabulindi’s passion of being aggressive and a dare devil leader could be traced from his childhood.
“There is a strong link between the rank order of children in a family and how they behave later in life.
First-born children tend to be authoritative. The last borns are usually subdued and surpresed,†says Calistus Tumwebaze, an Education Psychologist at Makerere University.
After the successful strike at Kisubi, his crave for them increased. In his second year at Kyambogo Polytechnic in 1986, he led another strike over industrial training allowances. He joined Kyambogo after a two years stint at Kololo High School where he completed his A’ level studies.
His first employment opportunity was at Uganda Breweries. But before settling, he led a strike over poor workers welfare. Again he survived dismissal and to date he still has strong ties with the company.
He joined Parliament in 1994 as a workers MP. In 2001 he was returned to the august house where he is still MP for workers.
He holds a Diploma in Electronics and Electro Engineering. He also holds a certificate in Labour Administration from Zimbabwe. Currently, he is pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Community Education and Development.
Bakabulindi is married and has children. The last word from the seasoned strikes architect is “I am no longer interested in strikes. They should be the last resort.â€
LEADING Strikes has been his stepping-stone in his rise to leadership. In the late 1970s at St. Mary’s College Kisubi he spearheaded a strike that saw a temporary closure of the school.
He carried the habit with him to Uganda Polytechnic Institute Kyambogo (now Kyambogo University) before hatching another strike at Uganda Breweries.
In all cases, Charles Bakabulindi says he was fighting for justice.
Now he has been appointed minister for sports at a time The Federation of Uganda Football Association (FUFA) is engulfed in a crisis. Is this an opportunity for the renowned workers union activist to spearhead yet another strike against the enemies of soccer in the country?
“I have been monitoring the situation closely as a football lover. I will assess what went wrong, who is handling what and what can be done to improve sport. I am going to meet the two warring sides, opinion leaders and all the stakeholders.
“The current administration at FUFA is not new to me. I know them well. I will be very serious on performance. I won’t entertain people pushing for personal interests at the expense of sport not only in football but even other games,†says the soft-spoken Movement Caucus Chairman.
The appointment of Charles Bakabulindi as new sports minister may be a belated New Year gift to the sports fraternity.
“It’s the beginning of a new revolution in football. He is not a stranger to sports. He is the Chairman of Parliamentary sports committee. The President has listened to the pleas of football lovers. We requested him to intervene and take disciplinary action against Bakabulindi’s predecessor,†says Aldrine Nsubuga the Chairman Save Our Soccer (SOS), a pressure group bent on streamlining the management of Football.
The workers MP, who doubles as the chairman of the Parliamentary Sports Committee and a former team manager of defunct Bell FC, is ready for the task ahead.
The legislator says his main goal is to see that sports hit the peak it had reached in the 1970s.
Public opinion shows that Denis Obua the incumbent FUFA President is not wanted at the helm of the soccer governing body. What will he do when Obua wins the February 5 poll again?
“Its not only public opinion to sort out issues. But ask how should FUFA go. What has it done? What should be done? It’s useless to remove them and again bring similar characters. Its not an issue of changing faces but performance,†he explains.
He has been aggressive in pushing for the workers rights. Regardless of the hitches he is strong willed and daring.
“He is social and friendly but I wonder how he won the vote of the workers. The world over, workers MPs never side with governments. There are times he has let down his constituents at the time of need,†says Ken Lukyamuzi MP Lubaga South.
Bakabulindi was born in 1959 to Daniel Bakabulindi and Esther Nakyejo in Kakuto sub-county Rakai district. His father served as a Muluka chief until his demise in 1983. The last born in a family of eight, he inherited his leadership acumen from his late father.
“My father inspired me into leadership. He was a highly respected chief. I vowed to follow in his foot-steps.†he says. Through his secondary school life, he was a prefect.
Bakabulindi attended Nazareth Primary School in Rakai before joining St. Jude Naguru where he completed his Primary Living Certificate.
Later he joined St. Mary’s College Kisubi for O-Levels where he masterminded a strike that saw the closure of the school.
“He was the ring leader but they never got him. Instead, his followers were picked up by police and locked up. The strike was against the degenerating condition of students’ welfare. I am not surprised he has been a union leader. His background is typical of all union leaders,†remarks a former classmate.
Bakabulindi’s passion of being aggressive and a dare devil leader could be traced from his childhood.
“There is a strong link between the rank order of children in a family and how they behave later in life.
First-born children tend to be authoritative. The last borns are usually subdued and surpresed,†says Calistus Tumwebaze, an Education Psychologist at Makerere University.
After the successful strike at Kisubi, his crave for them increased. In his second year at Kyambogo Polytechnic in 1986, he led another strike over industrial training allowances. He joined Kyambogo after a two years stint at Kololo High School where he completed his A’ level studies.
His first employment opportunity was at Uganda Breweries. But before settling, he led a strike over poor workers welfare. Again he survived dismissal and to date he still has strong ties with the company.
He joined Parliament in 1994 as a workers MP. In 2001 he was returned to the august house where he is still MP for workers.
He holds a Diploma in Electronics and Electro Engineering. He also holds a certificate in Labour Administration from Zimbabwe. Currently, he is pursuing a Bachelors of Arts in Community Education and Development.
Bakabulindi is married and has children. The last word from the seasoned strikes architect is “I am no longer interested in strikes. They should be the last resort.â€