Footprints Podcast Series

“What is it that I don’t know? And I can learn.”_ Charles Onyango-Obbo

What does leadership look like when it is shaped by curiosity, experience and the willingness to keep learning?

In Part Two of our conversation with Charles Onyango-Obbo, we continue a journey through journalism, leadership, changing media landscapes and institution-building.

Charles reflects on what it means to lead while still remaining open to what others can teach you. He speaks about leadership as the ability to step beyond your own position, see the wider field and understand the different people, pressures and possibilities within it.

In this episode, we explore:

🎙️ Leadership beyond titles
📰 Lessons from a changing media landscape
🧭 Seeing the bigger field as a leader
💡 Remaining curious even after years of experience
🤝🏾 Leading as part of a team
📚 Learning from people, institutions and changing contexts
🌍 Navigating change while staying grounded
👣 The lessons that experience leaves behind

For Charles, leadership is also about knowing that there will always be something you do not yet know.

“The captain is the guy who has the ability to gain a bigger view of the field.” _ Charles Onyango-Obbo

🎧 Watch Footprints Part Two and join us as we continue gleaning wisdom at the feet of our elders.

⁉️ What are you still willing to learn as you lead?

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“I never looked back. I just stayed at it.” — Charles Onyango-Obbo⁠What does a lifetime spent observing people, politics, media and society teach you about leadership?

In this episode of the Footprints Podcast Series, we sit down with Ugandan journalist, writer and curator Charles Onyango-Obbo for a conversation that begins long before the newsroom.

Charles takes us back to his childhood, an intellectually rich family environment and his experience growing up with a severe stammer. When spoken communication became difficult, books and writing became increasingly important, setting him on a path that would eventually become a lifelong relationship with journalism.

He reflects on his early writing, his entry into journalism, periods of political turbulence in Uganda, further study in Cairo, his time at Harvard and the experiences that eventually contributed to the birth and growth of The Monitor.

The conversation also explores a question at the heart of Footprints: What does a long life of experience teach us about leadership?

Charles offers a striking answer. He is less interested in being the person exercising authority and more interested in being the captain of a capable team. Drawing from sport, he argues that the captain is not necessarily the most talented player or highest scorer. The captain is the person who can see the wider field.

It is a conversation about finding a voice, surviving difficult times, building institutions, choosing brilliant people, remaining curious and understanding leadership beyond position.

🎧 Subscribe to the Footprints Podcast Series and join us as we preserve the stories, wisdom and lived experiences of elders whose footprints continue to shape the generations coming behind them.

“The captain is the guy who has the ability to gain a bigger view of the field.” — Charles Onyango-Obbo

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“If I tell my story to people and tell them how I managed to live, that is what gives another person the persistence in life.” — Dr Lydia Mungherera

There are moments in a life that divide the story into a before and an after. For Dr Lydia Mungherera⁠ , returning to Uganda gravely ill in 1997 was one of them. She speaks candidly about illness, treatment, family support and recovery, but what makes the story particularly striking is what happened afterwards. Survival gradually became service, and lived experience became something she could place in the hands of another person who needed reason to believe that their own story was not over.

She remembers a period when HIV carried enormous stigma and treatment remained inaccessible to many. Her response was to speak, organise and advocate. She says personal testimonies helped break stigma because another person could hear the story of someone who had become desperately ill, recovered and returned to a working life, and begin to imagine that possibility for themselves.

The conversation moves beyond survival into the architecture of a life of service: the networks built, women supported, communities reached, health systems challenged and younger leaders encouraged. And now, having spent years asking what can be done for others, Dr Lydia is also asking one of Footprints’ central questions: what happens to the work when the person who built it is no longer the person doing it?

For her, succession cannot simply mean identifying someone at the last moment and handing them a responsibility. It means teaching, mentoring and walking alongside younger people while there is still time to share the knowledge that experience has accumulated.

“We should be mentoring now the younger people to take over.” — Dr Lydia Mungherera⁠Listen to her story!

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💬 “There is hope. There is definitely hope. And there is hope in young people.” _ John De Coninck

What does it mean to belong to a place? What should remain after a founder leaves? And how do we continue contributing when the season of being in charge has passed?

In The Missing Dimension | Part 2, John De Coninck takes us further into a life shaped by Uganda, culture, civil society, institution building and the continuing search for identity and purpose.

He reflects on the growing interest among young people in their culture and history, pointing to heritage clubs, museums and the curiosity of younger generations as signs of hope.

John also takes us into the story of the Quality Assurance Mechanism for NGOs (QAM), born from an effort by Uganda’s nonprofit sector to hold itself accountable through shared standards and values.

For John, those values remain essential.

He argues that self-regulation is still necessary and reflects on the importance of ensuring that organisations remain connected to the principles they claim to serve.

The conversation then turns inward.

After decades in Uganda, John asks:

💬 “Who am I? Am I Ugandan in some ways? Am I non-Ugandan in other ways?”

He speaks openly about the death of his Ugandan wife and the crisis of identity that followed, particularly as he realised how much of his sense of being Ugandan had been connected to her. Ironically, it was around this same period that he acquired Ugandan citizenship.

His conclusion is not a neat answer. Identity, he suggests, exists in layers and is continually renegotiated as life changes.

And leadership, too, must be renegotiated.

John reflects on leaving organisations he helped establish, resisting founder syndrome and recognising that strong institutions must eventually be able to continue without the people who began them.

Sometimes, he says, an organisation may even have completed the work for which it was created.

He recalls an idea from organisational development:

“Strategic funerals for organizations.” _ John De Coninck

💭 What do you believe should remain when a leader finally leaves the institution they helped build?

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Episode 8 part 1 traces John De Coninck's path from a floating theatre on the rivers of Belgium, to a childhood in the Belgian Congo, to nearly five decades of community development work in Uganda. Known to many as Mukiibi, John shares what it was like arriving in Uganda in 1973, teaching at Makerere during Idi Amin's rule, co-founding a university in Juba, surviving deportation, and eventually building one of the country's earliest organisations dedicated to strengthening how NGOs and community groups work.

Long before “localisation” became a buzzword in international development, John was already asking what it means to build an organisation, a curriculum or a culture that actually fits the place it grows in, rather than the place it was imported from. Fifty years on, that question still shapes his work.

Born in Belgium in the 1950s aboard his family's touring theatre boat, John trained as an economist in England before coming to Uganda in 1973. He has spent the decades since teaching, writing, and building institutions rooted in local context rather than imported theory.

“I think the missing dimension was understanding better the local culture.” _ John De Coninck Subscribe for new episodes of Footprints podcast series.

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"What we leave behind are our words, our thoughts, and our actions." _ Mary Moran

In this episode of Footprints, a podcast by Sauti Africa, we sit down with Mary Moran, an 87 year old teacher, counsellor, and former Catholic nun who has spent over six decades between Ireland, Uganda, the United States, and beyond, learning, teaching, and giving.

Mary shares her journey from a young home economics teacher arriving in Uganda in 1963, through 27 years at Maryhill High School, her years as a nun, her transformative decision to leave that life at retirement age with no home, no job, and no safety net, and her later study of Buddhist psychology, which changed how she understood family, culture, and herself.

She also opens up about the years she spent, almost by accident, raising money to keep Ugandan schoolgirls in the classroom during a period of deep scarcity, turning a single dinner conversation into a sponsorship network that spanned continents and decades.

This is a conversation about service, humility, and what it really means to leave a good footprint behind.

🎧 Listen to the full episode now. Like, comment, and share it with someone who values lifelong learning and quiet generosity.

"I hope that the footprint I leave will be one of respect for the planet and love for others, not for their sake, but for my own good." _ Mary Moran

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“Once you start working, the first day you start working, part of your budget should be retirement.” _ The Rt Rev Eliphaz Maari

In Season 2, Episode 6 of the Footprints Podcast, Jacqueline Asiimwe sits with The Rt Rev Eliphaz Maari, retired Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese and former Acting Vice-Chancellor of Uganda Christian University.

Born in Kazo and raised in a Christian family, Bishop Maari began his professional journey as a teacher in 1962. He later answered the call to ordained ministry, studied theology and education, and served in several roles across the Church and theological education.

He became Principal of Bishop Tucker Theological College and played an important role in its transition into Uganda Christian University, serving as Acting Vice-Chancellor from 1997 to 2000.

In this conversation, Bishop Maari shares wisdom about:

🙏🏾 Finding purpose through faith
📚 Education and answering the call to ministry
🙌🏾 Leading with honesty and listening to others
🏡Building strong family relationships
💰 Living simply and managing money wisely
🌱 Preparing for retirement from the beginning
⛪ Remaining anchored in God throughout life

With warmth and humour, he reflects on the people, decisions and spiritual convictions that have carried him through teaching, ministry, leadership and retirement.

What does it mean to live wisely today while preparing faithfully for tomorrow?

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“The greatest moment a human can enjoy is when you are in tune with God.” _ The Rt Rev Eliphaz Maari

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“I must stand to be a shoulder, not only for my family, but for people who are going through circumstances like I am.” _ Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule

What happens when the experiences that nearly break a person become the foundation from which they serve others?

In Season 2, Episode 5 of the Footprints Podcast, host ⁠Jacqueline Asiimwe⁠ sits down with⁠ Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule⁠, Founder and Executive Director of ⁠Lungujja Community Health Caring Organisation⁠.

Maxensia reflects on growing up as a cherished last-born child and watching her mother work tirelessly to keep her in school. She speaks of the brother who helped finance her education and encouraged her to pursue qualifications that would allow her to support her family, a decision whose importance became painfully clear following his sudden death.

Her story traces a life marked by repeated loss, early employment, marriage, and the responsibilities of caring for an ever-growing family.

She also speaks candidly about her husband's illness, his HIV diagnosis, the denial and violence that accompanied that chapter of their lives, and her decision to remain by his side until his death.

When Maxensia later learned that she, too, was living with HIV, she was overcome by anger, fear, and the belief that her life might soon end. Sitting alone and questioning what remained for her, she came to a difficult realization: leaving, revenge, or surrender would not change her diagnosis.

Wrestling with fear, anger, and uncertainty, Maxensia made a decision that would shape the rest of her life: she returned home, embraced her responsibility to her children, and chose to keep living.

After her husband's death, the people of Lungujja surrounded her with food, encouragement, and psychosocial support. Older women and widows reminded her that grief did not require her to disappear.

Their generosity planted a conviction that would shape the rest of her life: she would become for others what her community had been for her.

Maxensia went on to serve in local political leadership and established Lungujja Community Health Caring Organisation, opening part of her home to provide treatment, counselling, and practical support to individuals and families affected by HIV.

Her advocacy eventually carried her into national and international spaces, where she spoke about HIV, grassroots leadership, women's experiences, community health, and the importance of including affected people in decisions about their own lives.

This conversation is about surviving without pretending the pain was small. It is about faith that asks difficult questions, forgiveness that does not erase accountability, and leadership that begins with remembering who held you when you could not hold yourself.

Content note: This episode contains discussions of bereavement, HIV, domestic violence, illness, and stigma.

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“God, I am not dying today. I must live to witness your goodness.” _ Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule

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John Taylor on Philanthropy, Power and Transition

How do you remain grounded when yourposition gives you influence, resources and authority?

In this episode of Footprints, Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with John Taylor, a lawyer and philanthropy practitioner who spent 25 years leading a grantmaking organisation.

John reflects on moving from volunteer activism into philanthropy, building bridges between funders and the people doing the work, and recognising the power imbalances that can shape relationships within the sector.

He also discusses his transition into retirement, the freedom of stepping away from institutional importance and his continuing commitment to advancing social justice as an active citizen.

“Social justice is decency at an institutional level.”_ John Taylor

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The Boys Were Fighting. The Women Were Building.

"Women made enormous contributions to helping Somali communities survive and rebuild through conflict." _ Faiza Mohammed

What does it take to organise for peace when a country's institutions have collapsed?

In this episode of Footprints, Jacqueline Asiimwe sits down with women's rights leader and movement-builder Faiza Mohammed a conversation about conflict, courage, and what leadership looks like when the work has to outlast you.

Faiza takes us back to her childhood in Somaliland, climbing trees and playing tennis with dreams of becoming a pilot, through to her work with the United Nations, CARE International, and Equality Now.

She recounts travelling through conflict-affected Somalia, connecting civil society organisations across divided regions, and helping communities confront the forces sustaining violence. She also shares how women, elders, journalists, religious leaders, and former militia members came together to build pathways toward peace.

The conversation covers:

Faiza believes leadership should never make one person indispensable, it should empower many people to step forward, become visible, and carry the work into the future.

Subscribe to Footprints for more conversations with the people whose lives and leadership continue to shape Africa.

"I felt responsible for giving back because an investment had been made in me." _ Faiza Mohammed

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For more on CivLegacy Foundation's Change Initiative,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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