13/04/2026
Last Friday, 10th April, we gathered at the CEPA office for the fourth module of the CEPA Research & Policy Fellowship, this time centered on ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐๐๐ข๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ.
At one point, Timothy Ainebyoona reminded us that this fellowship is not just about building knowledge or sharpening professional skills. It is also about raising a community of young people who are growing into influence in their different spaces, and learning to live out the change they hope to see. He encouraged fellows to keep showing up for one another, because friendship, collaboration, and solidarity will matter just as much as technical competence.
That tone carried into a personal reflection session where fellows opened up about their journeys, both within the fellowship and in their lives beyond it. Some spoke about how the fellowship is already changing the way they think about policy in their workplaces. Others shared the personal challenges they are navigating alongside their professional growth. It was honest, vulnerable, and grounding.
Later, the practical session, led by Mr. Lodrick Wabwire Odo, challenged fellows to work through a real policy communication issue around the mismanagement of Parish Development Model funds. Drawing from concerns raised in Auditor Generalโs reports, each group had to think through how such findings can be communicated clearly to rural communities, but in a way that does not shut down engagement or get misunderstood as hostility toward government programmes.
The discussions were thoughtful and very real. Fellows reflected on how messages must change depending on who is being addressed, whether citizens, youth, media, local leaders, SACCO leadership, or government actors. They also explored how accountability can be communicated in ways that are firm, clear, and constructive.
By the end of the session, it felt clear that policy communication is not only about passing on information. It is about clarity, empathy, timing, and responsibility.
A good reminder that policy leadership is not just about ideas and institutions. It is also about people, relationships, and the willingness to keep growing.
