The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
By Joan Akello
Evelyn Anite Kajik, the 29 year-old Northern Youth Member of Parliament spoke to Joan Akello about her fear of making enemies
Any three things we don’t know about you?
I’m loving, assertive and love to be loved. Recently it was my birthday and I had received several gifts but the best from my husband did not arrive in time and I cried. That’s how much I want to be loved.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I ‘ve so much at my age, married and my goal is to satisfy the expectations of my constituency and people who relate with me.
When and where were you happiest?
On November 11, 2011 when I introduced my husband and it was in my birthday, I danced in excitement. The wedding was the second climax when my dream came true having the President and Archbishop (former) Henry Luke Orombi and those close to me attend.
What is your greatest fear?
Making enemies; it scares me and want to make them my friends. I know with my assertive character it is inevitable.
Don’t you fear an uprising by the youths?
They can’t because they’ve a lot of freedom and express their problems. If they were being held at ransom they’d. The Youth Livelihood Programme has given them capital and now them want to work in an office. Yet majority of those occupying these offices are young even in political parties like Mugisha Muntu, Anite. In Parliament, the old people are an endangered species.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Being assertive finds me crossing people’s paths but you don’t want to be my enemy because you will get it.I can be so loud and demanding because it gets me to places. I am first born of four children and I don’t associate with failures and I take long to forgive.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Slow people and traitors
Which living person do you most admire?
Sarah Wokoru Dravu, my mother who got the president to visit her in our village in 1996 because of mobilizing for him in a region he was not supported.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Airtime; I think I use Shs100, 000 plus daily.
What is your current state of mind?
95.9 percent is delivering the sole candidate and the other is to become Koboko MP.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being over submissive turns women into slaves.
On what occasion do you lie?
Between my sleep and other things, you can be sure I’ll lie.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Smart, gentle, loving, family man and does not beat, tall and well built like my husband.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Gentle, loving and not quarrelsome and loves good things.
Who is the greatest love of your life?
My darling husband
Which talent would you most like to have?
Singing
If you could change one thing, what would it be?
The terrible roads in Koboko and the level of poverty among Ugandans.
What is your greatest achievement?
Winning the youth elections,I would not sleep becauseI was always traversing the 28 districts of Northern Ugandan. I campaigned for three years.
What is your most treasured possession?
Treasure, my daughter
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not having shelter, medication, or food.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Courageous, confident and being an honourable does not curtail my freedom.
Who are your favorite writers?
Love stories and soaps especiallyFearless Heart. Democratically we all watch soaps even my husband. The only football match we watch is Uganda Cranes.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Mario Cimarro as Salvador in El Cuerpo del Deseo (Second Chance); he is handsome.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
President Museveni; he is a revolutionary and trendy, he changes according to the times. In the bush he was their hero and those who are born in his regime feel him as the man. His country is first, not after amassing wealth. Imagine someone who has been in power for 30 years is bragging about cows he says he inherited from his father.
Isn’t there someone else who will serve like him?
Leaders come and go but I’m not sure they will serve as well as he did which scares me.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Condoleezza Rice like someone said she is not a woman; all she cares about is work and is very confident. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga and Beti Kamya who would be the only woman among four men hosted on Radio One’s Ekimeeza. I became the second lady on the show.
What is your greatest regret?
None.
What about the kneeling and why did you?
An African woman if you want something, go on your knees; it cuts across. I was pushing a motion by pleading to the President because there were signs that he wouldn’t stand and the best option for me was to kneel. If I had to, I‘d kneel again.
What can you tell those who harbor presidential ambition on the NRM ticket?
It’s OK but strategically, this isn’t their time. The most likely presidential candidate to win is Museveni and second to him is Besigye, not Muntu because many people admire Besigye.
What is your motto?
I can go in a fire and walk through.
