President Zahara Mpaata Babirye

Various things are foreseeable, for example heavy traffic jam on the streets of Kampala whenever it rains or the grammatical errors every time my brother Emma (Rotaract Club of Kyengera) opts to tweet. But  there are those things that continually astonish us, the switching off of Analog TV a day before the set date, the presidential bid by Mbabazi etc. (Well, I couldn’t help but notice these have been the topic of discussion this month). Today however, I am sharing about my president 2014/15 Zahara Mpaata Babirye.

For the past Rotary year, President Zahara as she has been baptized has graced Rotaract and Rotary with her beautiful smile says Lewis (Rotaract Club of Kyambogo). She has been many things to Rotaract and Rotary. One thing however stands out, Zahara’s love for Rotaract has been supreme to many I know. (And yes, this is the Truth, I am not sure if it’s fair to all concerned, but that’s the least of my concern).

For many a man, love is relative; to the Greek though, love is either Agape, Eros, Philia or Storge. To understand what President Zahara has been to the Rotary family, we look at these kinds of love, one at a time. Having been her secretary (right hand man) let me give you an insight on the above.

Agape this can be used to refer to brotherly love, charity, the kind of love that serves regardless of circumstances changing, the kind of love that is common in the Rotary family. President Zahara has been one of the most committed presidents of the year as she has fought hard to see that her set goals have been achieved. Many a time, she pushed her club members so as to see to that we serve to the best of our abilities, not because she wanted us to serve, but because she had the end beneficiaries at heart. The story of the Kabutemba orphans who were passed onto her by IPP Amina as she completed her term is one of the most amazing stories, from the fundraising to the actual construction let alone visiting them. Witnessing her almost shed a tear as she urged the parents in Kabutemba to be more concerned about their children, got a few Rotarians wondering what drive this lady had.

Philia means affectionate with regard to friendship, usually between equals. Termed as a “hip and cool” by some recently inducted rotaractors into one of the Rotaract clubs got me wondering “akikola atya by the way, by the way?” Zahara’s infectious smile and tender hugs have left many with no option but to like, and her treatment of everyone as an equal and a friend has left many hopelessly (forgive my language) attracted to her. To have made many friends within such a little time and have people say nice things about everywhere she goes, I can only shudder at the thought of someone not having fallen for her sweatness.

Storge means love, affection and especially of parents and children, now you are going to ask me who was the parent and who was the child. When a child is born, a relationship is developed one that is not easily explained or described but only felt. This kind of love was experienced by a special group of people, the members and guests of the Rotaract Club of Bukoto will surely back me on this one; the motherly extended to us by the outgoing president is one that we shall surely miss. However, the members of the Rotary Club of Bukoto will also live to tell the tales of the daughter they never had. President Zahara Mpaata, we cannot love you back enough.

Eros means love, mostly of the sexual passion or the love to join two bodies as one through the joy of touch. In regard to this kind of love, President Zahara ……… (Looks like am running out of space, and will not write about this)

To say that am willing to take on challenges, I wouldn’t want to be the one to step in this Lady’s shoes (well I never want to step in any Lady’s shoes) but like Tush said, it’s “The Dawn of a New Age”. President Sharifah Nanziri, I wish you the best in this Rotary year 2015/16.