“A Piece of Cake”

A SEMA user in Kampala, inspired by SEMA’s mission to gather citizen feedback, wrote this poem.

A PIECE OF CAKE

When the government bakes the National cake,
it is the role of the public servant to ensure that everyone gets at least a piece of cake.
A piece of infrastructure, peace and security, education and even health.

 Without an effective service of the National cake,
the public faces the risk of starvation and even death.

True leadership is selfless service.

What kind of a leader do you think you are, when all you serve is;
empty promises, broken-system office and streets full of garbage

 When the public trusts you enough to make you the head of department,
you are not supposed to depart and use the resources you were handed
to buy yourself the most luxurious of apartments!

 It is the role of the head
to ensure that the rest of the body is fine.

This can only be achieved through
effective coordination systems like the spine.

Where resources flow,
from the head to shoulders, knees and toes.

Resulting into decent growth.

 Without the effective service of the national cake,
the public faces the risk of starvation and even death.

 To the men and women that selflessly serve the public,
our words of gratitude often fall short like the trousers on a ‘mutabulic’

But we appreciate you, you make the system complete.

You are the nation’s strongest foundation, completely concrete.

Bribes do not break you.

Corruption can not corrode you.

Greed does not greet you.

Tribalism cannot even try to try you.

We need more people in the service, just like you.

 Some of you are in the police force.

Ensuring that the society does not roll out of its course

You work with the little scraps that you are given
to extend the piece of the security cake to even the least citizen

 Some of you are in the KCCA.

Tirelessly helping the KC see a properly planned brand new day.

You have been hated by a few while trying to serve many.

Such courage you portrayed is nothing like any.

Many more are at the different serving points,
diligently serving the public without asking them for a single coin

 Since we are all here, allow me to speak of this,
there are still public servants out there who are the direct opposite.

They are diverting the public’s piece of cake to their direct families.

They are not public servants; they are something else, they are serving self.

The public is at the brink of death while they are illegally amassing wealth.

 Let us not overlook the role that the public plays,
in keeping these servants accountable, everyday.

For it is very hard, close to impossible,
to serve a public that is either non responsive or simply irresponsible

So citizens, when you receive and start to feed off your piece of cake,
give the public servants your feedback on how to improve the taste.

If it so happens that you do not get your own share,
the solution is not sitting back like you do not care

Citizens should help the servants to serve them better.

Because public is most effective, when these two work together

Written and performed by WAKE