UNAA needs Moses Wilson for leadership with a vision
Aug 26, 2009
WHEN I first heard the name, I had imagined an American with some connection to Uganda. Instead when I met successful entrepreneur Moses Wilson more than a decade ago, it turned out he was a proud Ugandan who was born and raised in Kampala, and retained v
Opiyo Oloya
WHEN I first heard the name, I had imagined an American with some connection to Uganda. Instead when I met successful entrepreneur Moses Wilson more than a decade ago, it turned out he was a proud Ugandan who was born and raised in Kampala, and retained very close ties with his Ganda roots.
Moses inherited his surname from his father John Wilson, who inherited it from his father Edward Wilson who inherited it from his father George Wilson.
Sir. George Wilson was a deputy commissioner in Uganda for many years before he assumed all administrative duties as the acting commissioner in early 1906. When Moses turned 10, he was given the name Mwesigwa, but chose to stay with Wilson in honour of his father and grandparents.
His maternal grandmother, Leyah Mukasa, was a daughter of Hamu Mukasa, the Sekkibobo (saaza chief) of Kyaggwe county in the 1920s. Hamu Mukasa was also the maternal great grandfather of His Highness, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II.
Moses Wilson is running to become president of the Uganda North America Association (UNAA) which will hold its annual convention in early September during the Labour Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois, USA. But, what I found most impressive about him was his easy rapport with everyone, and quick grasp of the issue at hand.
He possessed that keen ability to listen, work with all around him, and come up with a plan of action. That was the really big thing with him. Whatever was going to be done must have a measurable outcome at the end.
He would have none of the endless rounds of talking with nothing to show for it; that was just not his thing.
The one image of Moses that I cannot get out of my head was seeing him up at 2:00am during the UNAA Las Vegas Convention in 2002, cleaning and arranging the chairs so that delegates would have a successful meeting the following morning. Those qualities, in my mind, make Moses Wilson such a suitable candidate to become the next leader of UNAA. With an estimated 100,000 Ugandans in the US, Canada and elsewhere in the diaspora, and many cultural based associations being formed every year, UNAA needs a straight shooter who can bring people to work together.
When I reached him in his Los Angeles office over the weekend, Moses told me he was keenly aware of the challenges of making UNAA an all-inclusive organisation that can advance the social, cultural and economic development of all Ugandans in North America and elsewhere in the diaspora.
“I believe that these objectives are best attained by partnering and actively participating in the functions and activities of local Ugandan community organisations, such as UNAA Boston, UNAA Atlanta, the Ugandan Community in Greater Chicago, Association for Ugandan Community in Northern California, and cultural groups such as Basoga Twegaite, NAMCA, the International Community of the Banyakigezi, Acholi Diaspora Association of Toronto, Ggwanga Mujje, the Luo United Communities Organisation and othersâ€, he said.
Moses Wilson gave the example of the Northern Uganda Forum which in past UNAA conventions was organised and moderated by Dr. Ben Omara Abe of Seattle, Washington. “There is no way I am going to pretend to know everything that is happening in northern Ugandaâ€, said Moses Wilson. “But there are people like Dr. Abe who are knowledgeable and can help define how UNAA can be involved in supporting local efforts to make things better in the north, and elsewhere in Uganda.â€
A self-starter for whom no task is too big or small, Moses was born in Kampala in 1960. He attended Nakasero Primary School and the Aga Khan High School in Kampala before moving with his family to the US in 1974.
He graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA. In 1992, he met his wife Denni, and has two sons, Noah and Aaron.
He worked for three years as an associate engineer with a subsidiary of the Parsons Corporation, one of the largest engineering companies in the world, before founding WILTEC, a consulting traffic engineering firm. Over the last 20 years, the company has grown and now employs 50 employees in three offices.
Ever so keen to connect with Uganda, he co-founded Global Perspective Company Limited with 12 Ugandans living in the US and two Ugandans in Kampala.
The business successfully purchased its first real estate property in Kampala in 2006. The idea is to attract investors to expand business potential, as well as create employment opportunities in Uganda.
Moses says his first priority as UNAA president is the welfare the many Uganda diaspora communities that are daily confronted with issues such as employment, education, family life, and rearing children in the diaspora. Moses narrates a story he encountered recently while visiting Boston.
At a local church, he met many Uganda parents who are working hard, while at the same time raising children. For them, the challenge is how to ensure that their children follow the straight and narrow path to success.
“In this case, it would be beneficial to share information with parents in other Ugandan communities in North America. That is where we will focus UNAA’s energy when my team is voted in†he said.
In these uncertain times, it is most reassuring to have a leader with a vision. In my mind, that person is Moses Wilson.
Opiyo.oloya@symptico.ca
WHEN I first heard the name, I had imagined an American with some connection to Uganda. Instead when I met successful entrepreneur Moses Wilson more than a decade ago, it turned out he was a proud Ugandan who was born and raised in Kampala, and retained very close ties with his Ganda roots.
Moses inherited his surname from his father John Wilson, who inherited it from his father Edward Wilson who inherited it from his father George Wilson.
Sir. George Wilson was a deputy commissioner in Uganda for many years before he assumed all administrative duties as the acting commissioner in early 1906. When Moses turned 10, he was given the name Mwesigwa, but chose to stay with Wilson in honour of his father and grandparents.
His maternal grandmother, Leyah Mukasa, was a daughter of Hamu Mukasa, the Sekkibobo (saaza chief) of Kyaggwe county in the 1920s. Hamu Mukasa was also the maternal great grandfather of His Highness, Kabaka Ronald Mutebi II.
Moses Wilson is running to become president of the Uganda North America Association (UNAA) which will hold its annual convention in early September during the Labour Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois, USA. But, what I found most impressive about him was his easy rapport with everyone, and quick grasp of the issue at hand.
He possessed that keen ability to listen, work with all around him, and come up with a plan of action. That was the really big thing with him. Whatever was going to be done must have a measurable outcome at the end.
He would have none of the endless rounds of talking with nothing to show for it; that was just not his thing.
The one image of Moses that I cannot get out of my head was seeing him up at 2:00am during the UNAA Las Vegas Convention in 2002, cleaning and arranging the chairs so that delegates would have a successful meeting the following morning. Those qualities, in my mind, make Moses Wilson such a suitable candidate to become the next leader of UNAA. With an estimated 100,000 Ugandans in the US, Canada and elsewhere in the diaspora, and many cultural based associations being formed every year, UNAA needs a straight shooter who can bring people to work together.
When I reached him in his Los Angeles office over the weekend, Moses told me he was keenly aware of the challenges of making UNAA an all-inclusive organisation that can advance the social, cultural and economic development of all Ugandans in North America and elsewhere in the diaspora.
“I believe that these objectives are best attained by partnering and actively participating in the functions and activities of local Ugandan community organisations, such as UNAA Boston, UNAA Atlanta, the Ugandan Community in Greater Chicago, Association for Ugandan Community in Northern California, and cultural groups such as Basoga Twegaite, NAMCA, the International Community of the Banyakigezi, Acholi Diaspora Association of Toronto, Ggwanga Mujje, the Luo United Communities Organisation and othersâ€, he said.
Moses Wilson gave the example of the Northern Uganda Forum which in past UNAA conventions was organised and moderated by Dr. Ben Omara Abe of Seattle, Washington. “There is no way I am going to pretend to know everything that is happening in northern Ugandaâ€, said Moses Wilson. “But there are people like Dr. Abe who are knowledgeable and can help define how UNAA can be involved in supporting local efforts to make things better in the north, and elsewhere in Uganda.â€
A self-starter for whom no task is too big or small, Moses was born in Kampala in 1960. He attended Nakasero Primary School and the Aga Khan High School in Kampala before moving with his family to the US in 1974.
He graduated with a B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, CA. In 1992, he met his wife Denni, and has two sons, Noah and Aaron.
He worked for three years as an associate engineer with a subsidiary of the Parsons Corporation, one of the largest engineering companies in the world, before founding WILTEC, a consulting traffic engineering firm. Over the last 20 years, the company has grown and now employs 50 employees in three offices.
Ever so keen to connect with Uganda, he co-founded Global Perspective Company Limited with 12 Ugandans living in the US and two Ugandans in Kampala.
The business successfully purchased its first real estate property in Kampala in 2006. The idea is to attract investors to expand business potential, as well as create employment opportunities in Uganda.
Moses says his first priority as UNAA president is the welfare the many Uganda diaspora communities that are daily confronted with issues such as employment, education, family life, and rearing children in the diaspora. Moses narrates a story he encountered recently while visiting Boston.
At a local church, he met many Uganda parents who are working hard, while at the same time raising children. For them, the challenge is how to ensure that their children follow the straight and narrow path to success.
“In this case, it would be beneficial to share information with parents in other Ugandan communities in North America. That is where we will focus UNAA’s energy when my team is voted in†he said.
In these uncertain times, it is most reassuring to have a leader with a vision. In my mind, that person is Moses Wilson.
Opiyo.oloya@symptico.ca