By Jonathan Akweteireho
Once more there is a missed call that came in when answering another, and as you attempt to quickly respond to it, you realize it is instead one of the many ‘who calleds’. It is your superior wondering why your phone has been off.
The standard norm is to first apologize before explaining the restiveness of the gadget. A restless LC3 chairman is at the doorstep explaining how drunkards cannot listen to him, and a clan head relative of a parish leader arrested for holding a traditional marriage ceremony in violation of the lockdown is in tears requesting for help or some expectant mother’s labour pains have matured at 1am, and the ambulance driver that returned home at 11pm isn’t picking his calls. The army that would swiftly help the situation are miles away winding up the day’s operation.
Feeling exhausted, just an hour into bed following the previous day’s movements and meetings, the only one option is to take charge; the child and mother must be saved. Many times that’s the beginning of yet another day. At the hospital, a child bitten by a snake is struggling for life, another battling with malaria and being the first week of the corona hullabaloo, the medical workers are still in confusion due to shortage of protective gears. The RDC must talk to them humbly, and being an operation as it is, he jumps queues to call national medical stores, and other responsible people in full view of the medics for assurance of the supplies.
Electricity is done including from the power banks, the car fuel gauge is in red, an informer is restless that his tip to security about a drinking club in the forest is still active. The hungry in a slum need food, the prostitutes are threatening to go naked. Reports of domestic violence seem to be rising and the office is full of people requesting to be cleared to travel, quite a number clearly feigning sickness, the media wants a byte for their top of the hour news bulletin, yet there is a radio talk show you must attend in person; It is the third in a week. You “Hold on”, telephone calls from friends and family following news of a reported corona positive case in your region. So significant the RDC as head of the task force must uphold with grip the adhesive to keep the district together, yet again must not deflate focus on other areas of government If anything, the first weeks of the lockdown were a huge testing for any RDC; required to “go an extra mile” as urged by Hon Esther Mbulakubuza Mbayo, the minister for presidency.
The time was trying because of the new , rapid assignment that required plowing thinking beyond the normal if delivery was to be effective. In Many districts, RDCs had to find fuel and food for police and UPDF on patrol. Districts vehicles, quite many in bad shape couldn’t handle the swift responses, and this required RDCs to handover their official or sacrifice their personal cars. In just two weeks most of these cars hit service climax. Those on annual leave jumped out of it as duty called. Some are sick and limping but crawled out with clutches. And police cells were filling up every day with youths, drunkards and the unlucky ones. Besides, the isolation centres need to be checked on almost every day, just like every hour for emails and official whatsApp groups for communications from the line ministry. Even when His Excellency The President advised Resident District Commissioners -RDCs to decentralize tasks, many wanainchi have grown so much confidence in the institution that its only from them they want to hear.
True, giving systems a chance is ideal but to some extent in this situation of war we are in, micromanagement has an indistinguishable role. Thanks to the line minister, who amidst insurmountable pressure has stood tall and held on as a mother, to once again remind the country of the institution’s importance. At her risk, Hon. Mbayo, is, again, going around the country reminding RDCs to “keep in the lane”, applauding where necessary, while closing the possible gaps. “I cannot allow any more mistakes to continue. As social doctors working with medical doctors and other stakeholders we need to tighten for better coordination of troops”, Mbayo told a two-hour meeting with RDCs from Lango region on April 24. This is in line with her mandate of supervision and guidance of RDCs in the course of implementation of the covid-19 guidelines. Besides, Major Martha Asiimwe-The Dean of RDCs has no kind words for the frozen. Before and during the Covid-19 outbreak, her daily interactions and guidance to almost all RDCs is the other reason frontline fighters are doing a great job.
The writer is the Deputy RDC for Amolatar