By Elizabeth R. Auma K, Trade Policy Leader/Bridging Policy, People & Purpose/ Founder, Hearts& Trade

“I am in team Nakato!”

“I am in team Ochola!”

“No, I don’t want her. I want her. She is on my team!”

That is how we organized ourselves as children before games of Kwepena (dodgeball), Kirindi Kirindi (multiple player dodge ball until the last man standing), and pass the stick (relay) games began. The playground gathered over twenty children from the neighborhood after school and more during the holidays. Many of us were from the same school. This actually meant that the team selection began in class.

I remember a girl called Awor. We often made sure to pass by her home on our way to the playground. Sometimes helping with her house chores increased your chances of being included in her team. She was exceptionally skilled at both Kwepena and Kirindi, effortlessly dodging the ball as though she had no bones in her body. Being in the Awor team meant that even if you were hit by the banana fiber ball early in the game, your chances of returning to the game remained high. No child wanted to be thrown out early. Then there was Apio, her tiny legs carried her as fast as the wind. Many of the non-skilled players always wanted to be on the strong man team. Unfortunately for the less skilled players, some of the strongest players always wanted to choose those who matched them. They argued that the ‘weaker’ ones often frustrated their efforts no matter how hard they tried. At the end of the game, you would hear complaints directed at the less skilled players; “You don’t know how to run! You keep making us lose!” That usually meant your chances of being accepted into a team the next day depended more on how helpful you had been at home before the next game.

The Kwepena or Kirindi game required the players to  dodge the ball for as long as possible. Even if all weak players were knocked out, the last man standing upon scoring a particular point, usually, 100 starting at 10, 20, 30….would recall them into the ring. The game would then become enjoyable only for those in the ring. The shooters team would eventually grow frustrated and the once beautiful game would become a nightmare.

The stick game was different, it required everyone to run. Victory did not depend on one exceptionally gifted runner. A team could have the fastest runner and still lose for various reasons. Success depended on the collective strength of the entire team. What was amazing is that no matter how much the ‘less skilled’ always caused their teams to lose, the game still needed them. The inclusion of the ‘less skilled’ ensured the required number of players were met. If a team required 10 players, it had to be 10 for it to qualify. Overtime, the ‘strong’ had to learn ways of incorporating the ‘weak’ in order for the game to go on and also ensure they won. What fascinates me today is that as children we were already undertaking strategy development and implementation, a requirement for leadership positions. In light of the strong and weak players, winning teams identified each player’s strengths and weaknesses, positioned them accordingly, and gave them the support necessary for the race. Usually when the ‘weak’ were handed the stick, the rest of the team cheered in a way that made the stick holder grow more confident knowing that the team believed and depended on them. Ownership and belonging were steered.

Many years later, I find myself relating these childhood games to trade policy effectiveness; from idea to development to implementation and performance. Unfortunately some institutions still hold onto the Kwepena or Kirindi principle where time and energy is spent defending wrong decisions, or inefficiencies. When it seems to go beyond what can be defended, the strong man somewhere in the system, arises at the cost of the vision and stakeholders are left frustrated. Fortunately, on the other hand, many governments have adopted a holistic approach to achieving their vision. This approach has been boosted by theories such as the Systems Theory, Theory of constraints, Collective Action Theory, and Network Governance Theory.

I equally pick a key principle from a game many African children born in the eighties through the nineties will relate too. A game which equally made its way into the global arena. I believe the stick (relay) game enables governments appreciate the value of stakeholder collaboration better than many policy documents.

The Relay Principle for Trade Policy Effectiveness: Sustainable and productive trade policy outcomes depend not on isolated strong performers, but on the coordinated preparedness, support, continuity and effectiveness of every actor in the trade ecosystem. It is hinged on the following:

1. The last player must be as prepared as the first-Shared responsibility strengthens both the process and the outcome
2. Every player must clearly understand their role-Role clarity
3. Every player must be facilitated adequately-Collective preparedness
4. Every player must understand the progress, challenges, and weaknesses of the others –mutual awareness and support for coordinated execution
5. No player is superior to the other – Every role and skill contributes to the outcome
6. Roles must complement each other, not overlap destructively-Complementary leadership
7. Every player holds and protects the movement of the stick- Shared vision sustains national growth

The application of the Stick Game Principle ensures that success is achieved holistically rather than celebrated as individual glory. In such a system, citizens gain confidence, stakeholders become more satisfied, trade partners build trust, internal players remain motivated, and efficiency is strengthened across all levels of implementation.

Therefore, for governments to achieve meaningful economic and social transformation, development cannot be approached as a game where only the strongest survive while the rest struggle to remain in the ring. It must be approached as a coordinated relay where every Citizen, Ministry, Department, Agency, the private sector, and development partners understand and run their part efficiently and effectively for the sake of the nation’s growth.

Trade policy effectiveness, therefore, belongs more to the relay race than to Kwepena or Kirindi game. Sustainable transformation is not achieved by one strong institution standing alone, but by the collective movement, preparedness, and coordination of all actors carrying the stick toward a shared national vision.

What game did you play better? Kwepena or the Stick…..

What game do you play better?………