Some people impact others’ lives in humongous ways. Such was the late Mzee Joseph Byanyima who passed away 10/10/21.
Like his physical build, his achievements and pioneering contributions to educational development and mentorship of other leaders shall keep towering high for a very long time.
He was one of the few native africans to be educated to the level of being a teacher trainer.
He attended Primary School in Ibanda and then joined Kitabi Seminary in 1940 hoping to become a priest which unfortunately did not materialise.
He then trained as a Primary School Teacher and later as a teacher trainer. He taught for some years in a number of Ibanda primary schools and in the immediate post independence era he was a formidable trailblazer as an educational administrator par excellence.
Outside the work life, he was a role model christian with impeccable integrity and a committed family man. He was a successful farmer, a wise Counsellor to many and a meticulously clean and organised person.
Perhaps it is the reason he lived a long and enviable life as a man of many superlative firsts.
I first knew him when I was a very young boy. He visited our home then in Kabale Kigezi, twice. I would later learn that his visits were but a head hunt for a teacher of English at St George’s Teacher Training College in Ibanda for which he was the Principal; by 1974.
A year later when my Dad rejoined St George’s TTC teaching staff (once nore) in Kagongo Ibanda, yours truly was privileged to accompany him for the two year stint of the duty tour.
I was enrolled in the attached Demonstration Primary School. We lived in the beautiful college Campus.
The teacher trainers had some exquisite title; “tutors.” As children it made us feel special (mostly at school) because our parents were afterall the teachers of our teachers!
The Byanyimas too lived in the teachers’ Quarters. His house though was bigger and had more amenities i guess because he was the Boss.
He drove a white Peugeot 404 saloon. Only him and two other tutors who were apparently married (the Ntures) owned cars. This ranked them a notch higher than other tutors! This community of teachers was very much an inspiration to behold.
Most Tutors At the college held him (Kalanda – his nick name) in very high esteem because of his committment and integrity. In return, he loved and cared a lot for them. Life and activities around the college revolved much around him as the main man!
He was always smart,; often wearing a neck tie and long sleeved white shirts.
Occasionally he would don suits with marching shoes.A patting in his hairdo was like his trademark.
Unlike today, the Teacher Training Colleges then would admit the top PLE graduates. Candidates also had to be of good character and high moral standing. Ibanda TTC and I think Kakoba TTC were then the only Teachers” Colleges in Ankole. Students and their parents dreamt and idolized teaching careers.
These educational institutions having been established and first run by expatriate Missionaries , would run programmes shoulder to shoulder with the British teacher education curriculum standards.Many college tutors including Mzee Byanyima had been British trained. Morever from Britain .
After the decolonisation, Mr. Byanyima replaced the.last expatriate College Principal (Fr. Thora) which was no mean task.
He over worked himself to live up to the expectations. I actually think he even exceeded the expectations, given the circumstances of the time.
His reign was not made any easier by the effects of the Amin Economic War.
Captation grants to schools were cut. Workers’ salaries got devalued. Basic necessities of life could no longer be accessed from the shops and worse of all, there was unprecedented hostility towards professionals in general.
Teachers seemed to bear more the brunt of the failing economy. They would be scorned by the nouveau riche traders and, or smugglers of essential commodities in the black market dubbed “Mafuta mingi! The infamous phrase “Nasoma wa?” ( to spite the now poor salaried employees) got coined.
I recall that at home, we had at one point ro add a little salt into the maize porridge (for breakfast) so as to give it some taste.
On some other occasion we substituted paw paw leaves for laundry soap!
The shortage of carburants made long distance travel a night mare. Life quite steadily became hell-like.
Dad eventually sought to tranfer his services to schools closer to home where with subsistence agriculture we could supplement our livelihoods. We left Ibanda. Sadly.
Amidst all these difficulties, Mzee Byanyima held firm and continued to run the college churning out competent teachers that became the.bed rock of school education in all of Ankole and beyond.
A servant Leader, Mzee Byanyima would personally lead tutors to supervise student teachers doing teaching practice all over the region. Several times he intervened to protect both staff and students from the murderous rulers of the day.
The College students were however always rivalling the neighbouring Ibanda secondary school students.
During one football match between the two schools played in the college premises, an all out violent fight broke out and it took two days for police to restore normalcy. I recall that the then Minister of Education Brigadier Barnabas Kili even visited the College to augment the efforts of pacifying the two communities.
There was a popular view that Mzee Byanyima had handled the situation with as much dexterity as he did with skill.
As young boys, we had yet another plutonic reason to fear and respect Mzee Byanyima in equall measure.
His daughter Komworeko then in St. Theresa Primary School ( presently Dr Rose Byanyima is the Deputy Director of Mulago Hospital) was without doubt the most beautiful girl in the world! Our world!
Almost all the boys in our school lived for the day when Komworeko would at least Hi them. Us who lived in the Tutors’ Quarters and had more access to Komworeko (she even knew us by name) were quite like legends in our own right!
We would later meet again with the more grown up Rose in pre and University days and laugh at all these childhood fantasies.
Condolences to you Dr Rose and to all the family. You were always nice, kind and good neighbours.
It’s impossible to pen down all the achievements and values learnt from such giants while they lived.
Mzee Byanyima towered even taller during his retirement. He took to modern farming and also championed the bringing closer to home many services to his people.
He was a pillar and elder of his local church of Nyakatete and Ibanda Parish in general.
He educated many children and contributed to building a lot of public
and social infrastructure.
My last close encounter with him was during the first Synod of Mbarara Diocese. He was like the encyclopedia on matters of educational development in the.area yet he was always humble.
He shunned politics but was a close adviser to many leaders of the.day.
He believed in rhe transformative role of education and invested a lot in the.same for his children. Several of them have served well the nation. I already mentioned my old plutonic flame Consultant Radiologist Dr. Rose.
As a teacher trainer Byanyima’s fruits can be found in all continents and corners of the world. He did well his part. He has left the world a lot better than he found it. May you and I emulate him and carry on his great legacy.
Rest in peace Magister.
Eulogised By Marcellino
Bwesigye Kyamutetera