The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Book looks inito the question of preserving Uganda’s intellectual memory
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Veteran Ugandan diplomat, international civil servant, and author Dr. Jones Yosiya Kyazze on Thursday launched a new biographical work examining the life and legacy of former Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof. William Senteza Kajubi, in an event that drew educators, cultural leaders, academics, diplomats, and senior members of the Buganda establishment.
The book, Prof. William Senteza Kajubi: The Man and His Legacy, was officially launched by Oweek. Anthony Wamala, culture minister who represented Oweek. Charles Peter Mayiga on December 19, 2024, during a gathering that quickly evolved beyond a routine literary event into a broader reflection on Uganda’s educational history, intellectual heritage, and the growing importance of documenting the lives of individuals who shaped the country’s academic and institutional foundations.
As speakers reflected on Prof. Kajubi’s contribution to education and national development, the occasion also highlighted a wider concern increasingly echoed within cultural and academic circles: that many of Uganda’s historical experiences, institutional memories, and intellectual traditions risk fading with time unless they are deliberately recorded and preserved for future generations.
The biography revisits the life and contributions of William Senteza Kajubi, one of Uganda’s most recognized academics and educationists, whose career became closely associated with the development of higher education in the country and the broader East African region.
Rather than presenting the subject merely through formal titles and institutional achievements, the work attempts to reconstruct the intellectual environment in which Prof. Kajubi emerged, tracing both his personal journey and his role within Uganda’s educational transformation during the post-independence period.
At the launch event, speakers repeatedly returned to a broader concern: the preservation of African historical memory.
The discussion reflected sentiments also echoed in comments by Buganda Kingdom officials encouraging Ugandans to document family histories, institutional experiences, and cultural identities before they are lost to time. The event unfolded less like a commercial book release and more like a reflection on memory itself — who records history, who preserves it, and what disappears when documentation is neglected.
For Dr Kyazze, the project appears closely aligned with themes that have repeatedly surfaced throughout his own career and writings: education, heritage, public service, institutional history, and the relationship between identity and historical record.
The publication also expands a body of literary and historical work that has increasingly positioned him as both memoirist and documentarian.
Earlier, in 2020, Dr Kyazze published The Making of an International Civil Servant: My Incredible Journey, an autobiographical account detailing his more than thirty-two years of uninterrupted service within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The memoir explored the realities of international diplomacy, bureaucracy, institutional culture, family separation, adaptation across continents, and the balancing of personal and professional life inside the complex environment of international civil service.
In the book, he reflected on what he described as the “pleasures, trepidations, ups and downs” of life within the United Nations system, drawing from experiences accumulated across Africa, Europe, and North America.
For many readers, the memoir served not only as a personal narrative but also as an informal guide for younger Africans considering careers in international organizations.
Dr. Kyazze has also authored Thirty-Six Years Later: A Unique Love Story (2018), a fictional work exploring separation, time, diaspora, and emotional reconnection.
His educational and institutional writings include Education for All: The Ugandan Experience, examining Uganda’s educational system and development challenges, as well as Reflections on the Uganda National Commission for UNESCO, focusing on Uganda’s engagement with UNESCO and international cooperation structures.
In 2022, he published Omutuba Ndogoobukaba N’omukululo Gwagwo, a Luganda-language work documenting genealogy and the history of the Ndogoobukaba lineage. An English-language version is expected.
Taken together, the books reveal recurring concerns that extend beyond diplomacy or autobiography: memory preservation, ancestry, education, institutional continuity, and the recording of African intellectual traditions.
Those themes are deeply intertwined with Dr. Kyazze’s own life story.
Growing Up in the Shadow of Political Transition
Dr. Jones Yosiya Kyazze was born on 04 November 1943 at Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda.
He grew up in Nateete within an extended family compound shared between his father, Oweek. Yake Yekoniya Siki Musoke Kyazze, and his grandfather, Yosiya Kyazze, near Mackay Memorial College in Mmengo.
The household occupied a notable position within Buganda’s political and administrative history during the late colonial period.
His grandfather, Yosiya Kyazze, served as Minister of Finance in the Buganda Kingdom during the reigns of Kabaka Daudi Chwa and Kabaka Edward Muteesa II. He later gained prominence for acting as guardian to Muteesa II during the Kabaka’s studies at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom between 1945 and 1948.
The elder Kyazze also participated in the well-known Namirembe Conference chaired by Professor Keith Hancock, discussions that contributed to the 1955 Buganda Agreement and the eventual return of Muteesa II from exile.
Dr. Kyazze’s father later became Speaker of the Buganda Lukiiko.
The environment in which Jones Kyazze grew up exposed him early to political discussion, traditional governance, and public administration during the final years of colonial rule and the approach of Uganda’s independence.
His childhood was shaped by an unusual tension between formal schooling and traditional obligations.
According to family recollections and his own accounts, his grandfather frequently withdrew him from school to accompany him on errands and engagements. The interruptions reportedly caused him to lose a year of formal education.
Yet the same experiences immersed him in political conversation, leadership culture, protocol, and the workings of traditional authority at an early age.
The influence of those years would later appear repeatedly in his writings and public reflections.
Education, Student Leadership, and Intellectual Formation
Dr. Kyazze began his education at a local primary school in Nateete before transferring to Aggrey Memorial School, an institution founded by African educators who had resigned from King’s College Budo following disagreements with colonial administrators.
The school played an important role in grounding him in Luganda language, culture, and African-centered education.
He later attended Makerere College School for junior secondary studies before proceeding to Old Kampala Senior Secondary School, where he completed his education from Senior One through Senior Six.
At the time, the school had a predominantly Asian student population, exposing him to a multicultural environment during a period of significant social transformation in Kampala.
While there, he participated actively in extracurricular activities including athletics, boxing, scouting, drama, and student leadership.
He served as both Head Prefect and Sports Captain.
Following secondary school in the mid-1960s, he initially travelled to Tanzania to study law at the University of Dar es Salaam, since Makerere University had not yet introduced a law degree.
His stay was brief.
He later described dissatisfaction with the academic and social environment under the Ujamaa socialist policies of President Julius Nyerere, which he considered restrictive.
After approximately one to two weeks, he withdrew and returned.
The decision altered the trajectory of his academic life.
He subsequently enrolled at Makerere University, then part of the University of East Africa, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree focusing on History and French.
Initially, he also studied English before dropping it to concentrate on French.
Despite not having studied French during secondary school, he excelled in the subject:
– Graduated with distinction in French
– Ranked top of his class
– Earned a scholarship for postgraduate studies in France
The Makerere environment of the late 1960s occupied a central place in East Africa’s intellectual and political landscape.
Students from across the region interacted within an atmosphere shaped by post-independence debates, literature, student politics, and emerging African scholarship.
Dr. Kyazze resided in Northcote Hall, later known as Nsibirwa Hall, a residence associated with prominent alumni including Kenyan writer Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o.
He participated in travelling theatre groups, athletics, drama, social events, and formal university dinner functions.
He also served on the Guild Council, Makerere’s student government.
Among Baganda students, he held the title “Ssaabaganda,” a role historically associated with leadership among Baganda students during the era of the University of East Africa, now remembered within Nkobazambogo circles.
Studies Abroad and Entry Into UNESCO
Following his undergraduate studies, Dr. Kyazze proceeded to France to study at the University of Besançon, where he obtained a Licence-ès-Lettres.
During this period, he attained fluency in French and gained exposure to European academic and cultural systems.
He later pursued further studies in the United Kingdom:
– University of London — Postgraduate Diploma in Education
– University of Sussex — Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.)
Following postgraduate studies in France, he entered UNESCO through a competitive recruitment and training process.
He began as a stagiaire, or intern, during a period when African representation within international organizations was gradually expanding in the post-independence era.
Mentorship from senior African professionals already inside the system reportedly helped guide his early career.
He quickly distinguished himself through assignments in Algeria, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, and other countries before rising through the ranks.
More Than Three Decades in International Service
Dr. Kyazze spent approximately thirty-two and a half years working within UNESCO.
His assignments took him across Africa, Europe, and North America, including service in:
– Paris, France (UNESCO Headquarters)
– Dakar, Senegal
– New York, United States
– Other international postings and assignments
His work focused on education, cultural heritage, diplomacy, and international cooperation during a period marked by post-colonial state formation, educational reforms, Cold War politics, and expanding debates surrounding cultural preservation.
He is particularly remembered for his involvement in efforts linked to the inscription of the Kasubi Royal Tombs on UNESCO’s list of World Cultural Heritage sites.
The recognition elevated the international profile of one of Buganda’s most historically significant cultural sites.
Service in the Buganda Government
Following his retirement from UNESCO and return to Uganda, Dr. Kyazze served in the Buganda Government between 2005 and 2007 as Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, following his appointment by Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
Personal Life and Cultural Identity
Although much of his professional life was spent abroad, Dr. Kyazze maintained close ties with Uganda throughout his years in international service.
He frequently returned home, invested in real estate, participated in family life, and remained connected to Buganda Kingdom affairs and cultural activities.
He has four children.
Three reside abroad, while his youngest child lives in Uganda.
Throughout interviews, writings, and public reflections, he has often emphasized the importance of preserving cultural identity and maintaining connection to home despite long periods overseas.
He continues to speak and write fluently in Luganda.
Rotary International and Civic Engagement
Alongside his diplomatic and literary work, Dr. Kyazze has maintained a long association with Rotary International.
He joined Rotary in 1989 through the Rotary Club of Greater Freetown in Sierra Leone, where he served as Club Secretary.
In 1990, he became a Paul Harris Fellow.
Following his transfer to Nigeria in 1992, he joined the Rotary Club of Ikoyi in Lagos, serving first as Secretary and later as Vice President.
In 2001, while serving as UNESCO Representative to the United Nations in New York, he became a member of the Rotary Club of New York.
After returning to Uganda in 2004, he joined the Rotary Club of Kampala Arch, serving as Treasurer and later Secretary.
In 2007, he became Charter President of the Rotary Club of Nateete-Kampala, his birthplace.
By June 2014, he had become a founding member of the Rotary Club of Kampala-Munyonyo, where he served as Club Trainer and later continued as a senior member and adviser.
At national level, he held several leadership positions including:
– Rotary Community Corps Country Chair (2009–2010)
– Country Trainer, Uganda (2010–2011)
– Country Chair for Membership (2011–2012)
At district level within Rotary District 9200, he twice served as Assistant Governor between 2012 and 2014, overseeing multiple clubs.
In 2012, he also led the District 9200 Group Study Exchange Team to Sweden, heading a delegation from Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
At international level, he later became associated with The Rotary Foundation as World Coordinator for Basic Education and Literacy and served within the Foundation’s Cadre of Technical Advisers.
His participation in Rotary activities has included:
– 18 District Conferences and Assemblies
– 18 Rotary International Conventions
– 5 Zone Institutes
– 2 Presidential Conferences
He is also recognized as a Major Donor and Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation.
Recording Lives Before They Fade From Public Memory
In many ways, Prof. William Senteza Kajubi: The Man and His Legacy reflects the same archival instinct that has shaped much of Dr. Kyazze’s own life and work.
Whether writing about international diplomacy, education systems, genealogy, cultural institutions, or prominent Ugandan intellectuals, his work repeatedly returns to one central concern: the preservation of memory.
At a time when many institutional histories across Africa remain undocumented or scattered across oral accounts, private archives, and fading recollections, the act of recording lives and experiences increasingly becomes an effort not merely of literature, but of historical preservation itself.
