MY FAMILY will be surprised to learn that my favourite dog amongst the canine coterie in the homestead is a small Spitz named Kasa.

Kasa does not look as impressive as Kooto, the White Swiss-German Shepherd mix who believes I fathered him, but is probably handsome amongst his breed. He is also about a tenth of Kooto’s size. 

Kasa’s ranking shot up when he used his teeth on a couple of people who he decided did not belong within the four walls. 

Those canine attack situations resolved themselves but with a clear understanding all round – specifically amongst the humans involved – that certain domestic policies needed to be followed strictly.

In one case Kasa’s teeth ripped through the trousers of a service provider who nimbly jumped over furniture and shot through the gateway as the askari on duty distracted his more efficient canine colleague.

The cost of the damage – a new pair of trousers and some basic medical attention – fell squarely upon the askari. The fellow pleaded but I did not relent – rules are rules. 

Because he did not follow the policies and Standard Operating Procedures of the home he deserved the punishment and sanctions that came with Kasa biting people in the calf and tearing their trousers right off.

Ever since that latter incident no askari has made the error of letting people in without controlling the dogs – all of them. 

Till that incident, meanwhile, Kasa had never been suspected of being the most aggressive of them all.

Because of the cost, we only conduct periodical dog training sessions for the large dogs whose size makes everyone assume they are ‘Guard Dogs’.

The small dogs, like Kasa, were always allowed to watch the proceedings in the hope that they will pick up some lessons.

That strategy worked very well, as Kasa has proved, because he watched and learned and executed much better than some of the senior dogs who had received direct training.

“Waliwo embwa, naye waliwo oyo Kasa!” remarked one domestic worker that day.

Embwa, for those who do not speak the language, is Bantu for “Dog”.

In the corporate world it means something else, spelt MBWA.

MBWA – Management By Walking Around.

One internet explanation of MBWA includes, “Popularized in the 1980s, the goal is to build trust, gauge morale, and spot operational bottlenecks without relying on formal meetings.”

In recent weeks, and hopefully for months to come, MBWA has captivated us through the activities of mostly Cabinet Ministers Balaama Barugahara, Fred Byamukama and Justine Nameere.

As expected from our society, there are different reactions to their very public inspection of public service delivery and on-spot declarations, ultimatums, sanctions and arrests of suspect officials.

I am on their side and hope for more of their MBWA in full view of as many cameras as possible.

The camera part, probably because I am a journalist at heart and will root for the media to always be present where society can benefit.

The MBWA because it works in many fields – including the manufacturing world.

I worked in a business where the most effective Managing Directors and their leadership teams were required to engage in MBWA – conducting regular Factory Tours and Trade Visits.

Factory Tours had us walking round factories checking cleanliness, equipment use, and even simple things like the use of protective clothing. On Trade Visits we walked round shops talking to traders and consumers alike about our products, how easily available they were, their look and feel, and so on and so forth.

The most effective Factory Tours and Trade Visits were the unannounced ones – even though the organised ones were also welcome because they made our people in the Plants and the Trade “clean up” and put them on the alert.

In some ways it reminded me of boot camp parades or visits to camps by senior military officers.

The rules and regulations around what all these employees at my workplace were supposed to do – the Policies and Standard Operating Procedures – were all written down in thick manuals developed over decades and updated annually. 

Many of the employees in the Factories and the Trade were even required to do refresher training courses and sign paperwork to confirm that they understood what they were supposed to do.

Yet many times they did not do it. The Factory Tours and Trade Visits periodically revealed this, causing both punishments and sanctions.

MBWA works.

And without forcing a link to my embwa Kasa, I am happy that we are now seeing ministers conducting MBWA with more biting, after so many years of barking.

Like my Kasa, the Ministers doing this were not in the front of the aggression training queue during the sessions but observed very carefully and appear to have taken the lessons from there to heart.

It is not important that the Ministers are biting much more than the ones who undertook the training directly. 

What counts is the results being a concerted focus on ensuring that there is a direct benefit to Ugandans by way of value for the tax money they pay, and the faith that they have placed in their leadership.

(We still have very few people entering our compound without following the right policies and Standard Operating Procedures, thanks to Kasa and his teeth, and the fear within any askari on duty of him having to pay the bill.)