Honorable Accountability

We sat down in some new and humble school installation, to listen to M/S Aisha Kimolo, the Head Teacher of Chamwino Primary School, giving us EDs a brief report on the implementation of a Primary Education Development Program.

Ten minutes later, after hearing Mr. Kimolo address his Honorable Guests in clear words and a firm voice, accounting for a Capitation Grant of TSHs (the currency in Tanzania) 7,614,873.60, (about 8.000 US dollars) down to the last cent, using clear indexes, and ending with a forward-looking description of how they intended to achieve sustainability, we knew that we had not heard just another project report, we had just witnessed a very rare and marvelous example of true accountability. We thanked him and regretted later not having been even warmer in our congratulations and not having had a group photo taken with such an honorable man. 

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Here Jim, my editor, warned me about using “honorable” as it might remind people of Mark Antony’s irony when he says “For Brutus is an honorable man; So are they all, all honorable men,” (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3, scene 2, lines 88–89). He suggests using “a man of such outstanding honor and wisdom” instead. Having traveled in Africa addressing all ministers as Honorable and also being always addressed as Honorable-ED, I ignore his suggestion, claiming, and shielding myself in, blissful ignorance.