Browsing by Author "Kamweri J. M. M."

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The Church in Africa:
(Little Sisters of St. Francis Publication., 2016) Namuli A.; Bwangatto A.; Kamweri J. M. M.; Okello L.; D’Arbela P. G.
The authors of this book have attempted to assemble in one volume basic information about the Church in the setting of the Uganda social fabric, in many respects applicable to the African situation south of the Sahara, with some local variations. They have tracked the Church’s evolution right from mid nineteenth century when explorers and colonizers plotted their advance into the continent then referred to as the Dark Continent – for development and business. Alongside these missions for exploration and business exploitation came the missions for evangelization... The Catholic Church in Uganda thriving on the seed of the blood of the Uganda Martyrs, is well entrenched in the community. The clerical profession has been well accepted and continues to attract a good number of young people, and shows increasing growth. The Church is exerting its moral influence on national policy; it has impacted in a major way on the development of educational, health and other social services in the country. Outstandingly, the Church in Africa has started sending out missionaries to the West where often personalities there refer to the status of their countries as post-Christian. They need to be re-evangelized (By His Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, Archbishop Emeritus of Kampala Archdiocese).
Development Ethics: Talking to recipients of development funds about vulnerability and human dignity
(International Journal of Ethics Education, 2016-05) Kamweri J. M. M.
The often deplorable stories of corruption, lack of transparency and accountability, raises concern that the ethical foundation for the global development initiative is yet to resonate with some recipients of development funds in Uganda and elsewhere. Ethicists consider the notion of social justice as the appropriate category for articulating the moral demands of promoting development in resource-poor countries. The social justice approach entails acknowledgement of the inviolable dignity and inherent value of a human person. The language of vulnerability is often used in reference to the need to provide those in less developed countries with adequate support for socio-economic development, so as to enhance individual freedoms and dignity. This endeavor draws support from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that regards the principle of human dignity as foundational for freedom, peace, and justice in the human family. However there is no clear mechanism for relaying this moral discourse to recipients of development funds in rural communities in Uganda. Too often this gap is filled in by human rights activist who are at times prone to human rights reductionism. To maintain high ethical standards a new approach necessitates the articulation of a set of UNESCO’s bioethics principles that include human dignity, respect for human vulnerability and personal integrity, solidarity and cooperation, autonomy and individual responsibility. This presentation demonstrates a strategy of using workshops in rural communities to specify and analyze the substantive and procedure issues involved in the ethical principles that are relevant to socio-economic development
Stewards of the Natural Environmental Resources:
(Duquesne University, 2015-09) Kamweri J. M. M.
The slogan often used to describe the scenic beauty of Uganda’s natural environment is ‘Gifted by Nature.’ Rightly so, Uganda is home to Lake Victoria and four other lakes, not to mention crater lakes. Of the 241,550 sq km surface area, 41,743 sq km is covered by water and swamps. Forest cover was estimated at14.95% in 2010. The country receives between 700-3,000 mm/year rainfall, and temperature of 16C-31C. To protect Uganda’s environmental resources the government enacted the National Environment Act in 1995 right after the Rio de Janeiro Summit (1992). The Act provided for the formation of National Management Environment Authority (NEMA) mandated with coordinating, monitoring, and supervising environment related activities. Twenty years down the road, there are fewer success stories; necessitating rethinking the approach. In fact NEMA’s State of the Environment Report of the year 2010 and recent dossiers, on the subject, casts a worrying trend on the sustainability of the country’s natural environment resources. Uganda faces severe soil erosion, decline in soil fertility, deforestation, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and, depletion of forest cover, fish and water resources. These environmental problems have been evidenced by the recurring Bududa landslides in Eastern Uganda, the near annihilation of wetlands in Kampala Central Division, and encroachmenton Mabira tropical forest. New strategies for sustainability of Uganda’s natural environment resources are needed. Beyond NEMA, the Association of Religious in Uganda has an obligation to engage the communities in a God given mandate of stewardship of the natural environment resources – to protect and restore. Protection of the natural environment requires being good stewards of what counts as a common good. Repairing what is damaged calls for commitment to restorative justice. For, nature harbors a reciprocity principle – we take good care of the natural environment resources, nature takes good care of us.
Training for professionalism:
(2016-09-30) Kamweri J. M. M.
If we are in search for proof of the grand ingenuity of modern engineering, we need look no further than the success of the recent JUNO mission to Jupiter. That engineers and scientists can capture our remotest imaginations and stylishly actualize them in real-life settings is awesome. To maintain these standards, engineers are expected to commit to professionalism through: rigorous specific training, robust ethical conduct, and hearty service to others, institutionalization of the specific knowledge and skill, and, dedication to engineering as means for livelihood. To be engineering professionals is to be trusted that you take seriously the obligation to dutifully serve the needs of others and not to prey on clients’ vulnerability. For this cause, vigilance on the part of engineering professional body necessitates the formulation of effective ethical framework for monitoring and evaluation of performance and results at all levels of: design, planning, implementation, management, and assessment. With the help and protection of the state, engineering professional ought to cultivate ethical leadership and create a culture and environment that prioritizes ethics.