There are birthdays that simply add another number to a person’s age, and then there are birthdays that make a community pause, look back and ask, What difference has this person made in the lives of others? Today is one of those days. As the calendar turns another page for this remarkable woman-Col. Mercy Tukahirwa, I find myself looking beyond the uniform, the medals, the photographs and the official responsibilities. I find myself remembering the work, the people, the places and, most importantly, the lives touched along the way.
From the valleys of Kasese to the busy border community of Mpondwe, and from the shores and landing sites where fishing communities depend on the water for survival, her story has never been merely about holding an office. It has been about showing up where people need leadership most. And perhaps that is why, on a birthday like this, one question deserves to be asked, When a leader leaves a place, do people remember the title, or do they remember the difference the person made?
For many people who encountered her during her time in fisheries, the answer may be found not in an official report, but in the memories of communities at Uganda’s landing sites. It is found in the conversations with fishermen, the women whose livelihoods depend on fish, the young people looking for opportunities, and the communities whose daily struggles are often invisible from the comfort of offices. Her work took her into places where development is not a theory written on paper but something people experience through their livelihoods, their markets, their families and their hopes for tomorrow.
And then there is Mpondwe, a place that carries its own story in the heart of Kasese. For those who know Mpondwe, it is more than a market or a border trading centre. It is a meeting point of people, businesses, cultures and dreams. Bringing attention to its development and the welfare of the people who depend on it remains one of those chapters that deserves to be remembered when reflecting on her public service journey.
By the way if i can ask, how many people can walk away from a responsibility knowing that somewhere, somehow, their work made somebody’s life a little easier? anyway i feel that is the real measure of service.
A proverb says, “A good tree is known by the fruit it produces.” And on a birthday, perhaps the best way to celebrate a person is not simply to wish them more years, but to acknowledge the fruits already visible. Her memories and photograph before me today tells another part of the story. There is a woman in uniform, carrying the seriousness of duty, but behind that uniform is a human being who has walked through different chapters of service. The medals speak of achievement, but the memories of communities speak even louder.
And as a young journalist from the Kasese valley, I cannot write this birthday tribute without remembering the conversations, the shared moments and those human interactions that sometimes remain with a journalist long after the notebook has been closed. Journalism teaches me something important that people may forget the exact words you said, but they rarely forget how you made them feel. That is why today is not only about saying Happy Birthday, it is about saying thank you for the footprints.
Thank you for the work at the landing sites. Thank you for the communities encountered along the way. Thank you for the development conversations. Thank you for the moments when public service was taken beyond the office and into the places where ordinary Ugandans live and work. And perhaps most importantly, thank you for reminding us that leadership is not always about how loudly one speaks. Sometimes leadership is simply being present, listening, acting and leaving a place better than you found it.
But birthdays also come with another responsibility which is hope. A new chapter can sometimes feel like standing at the beginning of an unfamiliar road. There may be tasks that appear bigger than yesterday’s responsibilities. There may be people watching, expectations waiting and challenges that are not yet visible. But as the old saying goes, “The road does not tell the traveller what lies around the corner.” So, whatever lies ahead, may this new chapter meet you with courage. May the experience gained from yesterday become wisdom for tomorrow. May every difficult assignment become an opportunity to demonstrate the strength that brought you this far. May the doors that need to open open at the right time. And when the road becomes dark, may you remember that even the longest night eventually gives way to morning.
To YOU my super woman whose journey has crossed fisheries, communities, markets, landing sites and public service, the woman whose story has touched parts of Uganda far beyond a single office or district “Happy Birthday.” Today, Kasese remembers, Mpondwe remembers, the communities along Uganda’s waters remember, and those who shared pieces of the journey remember too.
A river does not drink its own water, a tree does not eat its own fruit, and the sun does not shine for itself. The greatest lives are those that become useful to others. May this birthday mark not an ending, but the beginning of an even greater chapter.
Happy Birthday, Madam-Col. Mercy Tukahirwa, May the years ahead be kinder, brighter and bigger than the chapters you have already written. May your new responsibilities find you prepared always, your challenges find you stronger, and your service continue to leave footprints that communities will remember long after the headlines have faded.
From the valley of Kasese, with respect, memories and hope that your birthday is not just a celebration of the woman you have become, but a reminder of the difference one committed person can make.
Celebrated by the people of Kasese district
