Hajjat Namyalo’s gesture proves that employees matter most to you and your business

By Ben Ssebuguzi

In today’s continuous business-changing environment, your workers matter most. This was proved by Office of the National Chairman (ONC) manager SPA Hajjat Uzeiye Namyalo when she launched a mass-empowered programme for ONC coordinators and staff at ONC offices in Kyambogo this week.

When it comes to an organisation’s most valuable asset, a lot of areas come to mind. Research and development, marketing or even a patent might take a top spot. But that is not even close to your company’s most valuable asset. The answer is the tens, hundreds, or thousands of employees that make up the entire workforce that delivers good customer experience.

In fact all intangible assets such as patents, copyrights, intellectual property, brands, trademarks, and research and development are created by people. Therefore it is not the fixed assets or tangible assets that differentiate an organisation from its competitors, it is the HUMAN ASSETS. The knowledge economy distinguishes an organisation from another. 

Surprisingly, I feel offended when I see people who ridicule parliament for being paid well when they are the top human resources vetted by the people from across the country to go to the National Assembly to determine our fate in terms of making laws that facilitate our well-being.

Why do you feel jealous when you see your MP eating mandazi and tea during committee meetings? Do you know that if they conduct their work while they are hungry and yawning can affect the value of the output they produce for you? How about publishing the image of our MPs yawning on social media? Won’t it degrade our country and spoil our image outside which can affect the inflow of our FDI? 

Recently it was a tag of war on social media during the Parliament exhibition where some pundits were questioning the expenditure of parliament on training and welfare calling it extravagant. Yes, it is the job of every employer to invest in their people by providing them with the best micro-learning training and development that they can. It should not be the amount of money that they earn, but what matters is the productivity and amount of output such as bills passed among others for as long as it is commensurate with what they earn. 

Similarly, it was the same scenario when some members of the public were not happy with parliament approving the Ugx 500m service award, a retirement package for our Auditor general, a man who has distinguishingly spent over 24 years serving our country as an officer of parliament. This money will officially be adopted as retirement benefits for the subsequent Uganda Auditor Generals, hence ensuring equitable treatment for the same office as it is done in other countries.

It should be noted that this money doesn’t encroach on other government priorities but on the budget of parliament. Therefore our people should be careful not to indulge in matters that belittle the image of our parliament because their budget is determined and approved to scale up the progress of our country and grow our GDP. 

With such a structure, it strengthens the country’s public workforce and shows where the country is heading. One of the biggest considerations for retirees retiring from any job is who their employer is, and what type of benefits accommodates that employer. An institution like parliament which awards Hon. Matheius Mpuga is different from your local NGO. 

For Hajjat Namyalo’s case, she is aware of the tremendous work these coordinators who spread across the country do. They represent the Office in a number of assignments like spreading the message of our Principal and National Chairman of NRM, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni about wealth creation like a 4-acre model, PDM, Emyooga and practising commercial agriculture with calculations (kibalo) among others.  It would therefore look awkward when the teachers of transformation are not good role models in transforming themselves because they are a mirror to the ONC. 

Hajjat Namyalo’s gesture of equipping coordinators with the necessary resources to participate in one the most profitable livestock businesses like poultry is a vote of confidence in us the workers which makes us proud. She is aware that employees champion your business and determine its success and failure. The work they do determines what customers and partners see. So Hajjat should be upheld by that. 

In conclusion, besides ONC  monitoring various service delivery, we also champion the mass wealth creation campaign across the country where we have aided many disadvantaged youth, women, and ghetto youths with self-empowerment tools like farming inputs, sawing machines, grinding machines, popcorn machine, welding machine, saloon equipment among others which has gone a long way in improving people’s lives by increasing their source of incomes.

We greatly appreciate General Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for always putting his Bazzukulu first before anything else. May God bless him and continue to steer us well in the right direction.

The writer is the Head of Research at Office of the National Chairman (ONC) Email: ssebuguziben09@gmail.com