The undercover
boss
The most important lesson he taught me was not to delude myself into
emotionally investing into romantic engagements with female rotaractors.
Good or bad, I still take it as worthy advice.
He said, “Well now you are not doing nothing
anymore, gear up and come to Kyambogo
basketball grounds.” He also offered to pay
my boda fair as my presence was needed.
It’s not every day you have an undercover boss
that is not a work of fiction from the mind of a
scriptwriter somewhere in Hollywood. Yet again,
often times we meet good people that define how
we live the rest of our lives, a few bad people who
remind us the imperfections and a couple of loyal
acquaintance that give us reason to wake up in
virtue and work through the day with purpose.
These are accounts of a friend, not blood but
a good colleague, a mentor and a boss. Can’t
say he was a role model but I did look up to him
on a couple of things as a male, who was a few
years my senior. He would come to be called the
undercover boss as he often joked about himself
in office when he either offered to facilitate lunch
for us or give me a ride home.
His humour was as good as his discipline,
articulate manners and casual yet authoritative
will to lead. He was my immediate supervisor as
the chief technology officer and a director in a co-
owned small company with one of my relatives.
Our short office encounter would eventually lead
me to commit to a Rotaract membership as well
as play a major role in my professional growth
and my personal growth. You see he did ask me
to join the club he was then a member of; The
Rotaract club of Kololo.
“Pius, you should come to one of our fellowships,”
I recall him saying one evening. “In fact, there are
some members who went to university with you
so you will fit right in” he continued.
I don’t remember taking him up on his invite but
sometime later, a weekend it was, he asked me
if I was doing anything in particular and I said no
“
“To be a great leader, first become a great
person.”
Robin Sharma
The Leader without a title.
Among the many sports, I engage in was and
still is basketball. As a combo guard, I can
hold up myself on the court as a shooting
guard, point guard to some extent and often a
small forward on smaller teams.
On that day I met 3 other members; the funny
and entertaining Gideon Malugge, the then
president, Mutebi Deo who would go on to be
my mentor as I prepared for induction into the
Rotaract club of Kololo and the often serious
but nonetheless lovely Nairuba Joan who is
currently among the few people I confide in
when it comes to club and Rotaract matters.
Later I would once again cross paths with
Esther.B, Angela.N and Roland.B who also
were in the same university I went to. Others
have since from there have joined the club
and so the bond of connection and friendship
in a bid to serve a greater purpose continues.
And so began my journey in Rotaract. As
I would go on to be inducted into the club
about 4 months later. So it’s safe to say the
the undercover boss was more than just a
boss but also a friend.
The undercover boss never offered half lifts.
If he offered to give you a lift home after a
Rotaract meetup or activity, he would either
drop you off to a place safe enough from you
to complete your trip home or he would drive
you home and make sure the gate was locked
behind you before he drove off. And so I
learnt to look out for my friends especially the
females no matter what as I often find myself
walking them to taxis or respective means of
transport. I have also walked a few friends to
their homes given proximity to the Rotaract
fellowship venue.
As I recall he said this one evening as we waited for 2 female friends he
had offered to give a lift, “Pius, if you think you like a girl, two things are
going to happen, either you are going to want to sleep with them or you
are going to want to propose some sort of exclusive arrangement. Just
know 5 other guys are doing the same, 3 have probably succeeded in
sleeping with that person and one of them is currently involved with this
person. So don’t get excited, this is not campus.”
I forgot about that until, a few weeks
later, I remember living home for
work with news he was in the ICU
and a few hours later I receive a call
from my aunt that he was gone. The
world was already crushing down
on me and as always I was smiling
and pretending everything was
okay. I walked into the restrooms,
cried myself dry and walked out
hoping my eyes were not too red
Him being a guy in a relationship with a lovely responsible female at the
time I took his word as good advice and tried to grow by it during my
journey in Rotaract.
The Undercover boss would pass away before I was inducted into the club
he had so faithfully persuaded me to join. I do remember contemplating
changing my mind about my commitment to the club but I then thought
about the bigger picture and I have to say it has been a good run. I will
feel even more proud when my time to transition finally comes.
On the day he passed away, I was at work hoping the worst wouldn’t come
to the worst as was my mood whenever I such situations developed.
to expose my rare vulnerable self.
The last time I felt this down was
when my father died. This was also
a trying time for me as I have made
an account of in my article; Boxing
up my early adult experiences
just in time for 2019.
The undercover boss had been sick for a while.
My worry even though minor all started, I think about 3 weeks before the
fateful day, as I came to find out that for the 1 st time during his time in
the club he had not actively performed at peak performance due to what
seemed as a minor illness. This was an event we have not lost since I
joined the club as I have taken it upon myself to dominate the sports field
in memory of him. And also because I hate losing.
A week or two later, he oddly used words to describe his sickness I didn’t
fit in his vocabulary and even if I didn’t give it much thought I did find it
rather disturbing. This was when on one evening he came home to say hi
to my Aunt, his co-owner at my previously employment with them at the
time of the visit.
And so came the end of my time
with the undercover boss. A mentor
and true friend. As is the case with
all such situations time passed
and we all came to live with the
reality of the loss but his memory
has forever been engraved in us.
As friends, close friends, relatives,
loved ones, fellow Rotractors and
partners in Rotary, workmates and
associations in a lot of other ways.
The undercover boss earned the
title by simply being a great person
and in time he became a great
leader. And a great warrior he was
to the Rotaract Club of Kololo and
Rotaract in general.
May your soul forever Rest in peace
Peter Wamanga.
By Pius Muhumuza.
ROTAMIRROR Holiday Issue 2018
24
ROTAMIRROR Holiday Issue 2018
25