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In the Press |
Muhairwe manages people and water
(The Daily Monitor, Wednesday, 02 June, 2010)
By Edgar Batte
Kampala
Dr William Muhairwe is the managing director of National Water and Sewerage Corporation, one of a handful of successful public enterprises.
Why do you do this job?
I like it very much, it is satisfying. You see the results, you see people getting your services - water and sanitation, you interact with a cross section of people, of all colours and political and religious affiliations. I manage a cross section of tribes, affiliations, characters and experience satisfaction if it all clicks and works very well. So that’s why I like to do this job.
What training did you receive?
I finished my A’ level in Uganda at Ntare School, and then studied a Bachelors, Masters and PhD in business management in Germany. I started my managerial job at the age of 27. After my PhD, a German company called Wacker Chemie GmbH (Ltd) employed me as a corporate controller. Immediately after, I became the managing director of the East African Steel Corporation in Jinja - the biggest steel works at that time in East Africa at the tender age of 30.
I worked with the Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) thereafter as deputy executive director until 1998 when I joined the National Water and Sewerage Corporation as the MD. I got several training insights in management in Germany by working with several German companies during my education.
What happens between 8 am and 5 pm?
I wake up at around 4:30 am and do all my office homework up to 7 o’clock because I normally make sure that what is not finished, especially things that need a lot of thinking and analysing, I do at home in the morning. So the two hours in the morning are the best hours that I have in the whole day for thinking.
Then I arrive at office at 8 am. I leave office at about 7 pm after meeting people, customers, staff, visitors and donors, again from all shades of life. It would be impossible to do any meaningful work during this time because I never want to turn away anyone who takes trouble to come and see me. So practically I make sure I see each and everyone so I will never have time to sit and think or do meaningful work.
What are the ups of your job?
The satisfaction of my customers and my staff. When I see them happy to have got water and even write in the papers and appreciate. When they even call me and my staff and thank for the service, I really feel very humbled.
What are the downs of your job?
The biggest down is managing difficult characters especially those with political godfathers and godmothers from different political affiliations. When they are punished, they go alleging that they were punished because they don’t belong to the party you belong to or they are punished because they do not belong to the tribe you belong to or religion or whatever the case might be and that makes me very sad.
What do you plan to do in future?
Continue managing people and society, I like it very much. |
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Copyright © 2008, National Water & Sewerage Corporation | Plot 39, Jinja Road, P.O. Box 7053 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: (+) 256 414 315100 / 0312 260 414/5, Fax: (+) 256 414 258 299 / 345 531, E-mail: info@nwsc.co.ug |
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