Crowned in Purpose, Rooted in Service _ A Conversation With Dorah and Francis Musinguzi | Episode 3
A Forest of Leaders, a Desert of Leadership
On a warm afternoon in Nairobi, the hum of city life spilled through the windows of a quiet meeting space. Inside, laughter and memory flowed freely as Jacqueline Asiimwe, lawyer, activist, and CEO of CivSource Africa, settled into conversation with two people who have walked alongside CivSource since its earliest days. Francis and Dora Musingizi, a couple deeply entwined in Africa’s leadership story, traced their journey through the transformative spaces that CivSource Africa and CivLegacy Foundation have built.
This year, CivSource Africa turns eight. The milestone coincides with the launch of a bold dream: the Leaders’ Oasis, a retreat space envisioned as a sanctuary for leadership renewal on the continent. It is also the backdrop for the inaugural Leaders’ Gala and Ball, where stories of purpose-driven leadership will be celebrated. But before the lights and grandeur of Kampala’s Serena Hotel, there was this intimate reflection in Nairobi, a reminder of why leadership, at its core, is about humanity, healing, and hope.
When asked to introduce herself, Dora paused, smiled, and offered words that seemed to spill from both conviction and gentleness.
“I am a people lover. I am a good lover. I also want to call myself a community builder,” she said.
Her leadership has taken many forms. She once served as the Executive Director of UGANET, leading efforts against gender-based violence. Today, she pours her energy into Raising Voices, a Kampala-based organization shaping violence prevention across Africa. Beyond formal institutions, Dora has always carved out “healing spaces”, places for women, young leaders, and communities to pause, breathe, and rediscover their strength.
“I bask in all these different identities,” she reflected. “I’m a mother, a wife, a child of God. They all make me who I am.”
Francis, her husband and partner in life, speaks with an energy that reveals his deep convictions. “I look at myself as a builder of leaders. This is what powers me. I believe Africa, together with the global South, can be empowered to take their place at the top.”
His professional path mirrors that belief. As Africa Director for water.org, Francis leads continental programs expanding access to safe water and sanitation. But for him, leadership is not just about systems and outcomes; it is about creativity, authenticity, and inner fire. “I believe in the place of knowledge, reading, writing, and applying it to help leaders navigate the shifts we see across the globe.”
In 2017, CivSource Africa launched its first leadership retreats, experiments in creating spaces that valued soulfulness over spreadsheets. Dora was among the first to attend. She admitted that when the invitation landed in her inbox, she expected strategy sessions about fundraising. “Oh my goodness, I was so shocked,” she recalled, laughing. “It was totally different. It was a space inviting leaders to be, to unwind, to think about themselves. It was about wellness.”
That experience proved invaluable when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “Leaders that are not well don’t lead well,” Dora said firmly. “The retreat prepared me and my team to survive COVID. It gave us healing, calm, and resilience when everything else was chaotic.”
Francis joined a later retreat, one that, by design, only brought men together. “It was mind-blowing,” he remembered. “I saw leadership differently: connecting with creativity, leading from authenticity. It revolutionized the way I lead.”
Shortly after, he stepped into his role at water.org. The retreat’s lessons followed him. He remembers especially the symbolism of a small toy car gifted during the session: “The speed of change is unprecedented. As leaders, our inner fire must match that speed.”
When conversation turned to Africa’s leadership landscape, Francis grew pensive. “Where have the leaders gone? And where has leadership gone?” he asked, his voice carrying both lament and urgency. He described today’s Africa as “a forest of leaders, but a desert of leadership.”
For him, history will not separate individuals from their generation. “I will be judged alongside the leaders of my time. If Nelson Mandela came back and saw this, history would ask us: what did you do with your moment?”
Dora agreed, pointing to the soulfulness framework she first encountered at the retreat: leading with empathy, fire, groundedness, and love. “The role of a leader within chaos is to create calm, to create peace, even in the hardest times,” she said. “But what we see too often is messiness, intrigue, fighting, and disconnection. We lose our wellness and values in that noise.”
What CivSource Africa offered, both Francis and Dora emphasized, was rare: a space that nurtures leaders not for output, but for wholeness. “You hardly hear of someone inviting leaders to a space to be loved, pampered, and honored,” Dora said. “That’s what CivSource Africa did. And seven years later, I still have my go-to community from that retreat.”
For Francis, the experience reshaped even the physical spaces he created for others. “I realized creativity begins with environment. My office had to become a place of soul, a place of peace. And it changed how my team worked too.”
As CivSource marks eight years, both leaders voiced their hopes. Francis sees CivSource as a community-builder. “We must continue to give value to leaders because the mountains we face demand collective strength.”
Dora sees ripples already expanding into waves. She recalls encouraging colleagues to join CivSource programs: today they are executive directors themselves. “You are changing the face of the continent. You may not always see it, but you are shaping leaders who are shaping others. You’re creating ripples that will soon become an ocean.”
Her voice softened with gratitude: “You don’t hear every day, ‘Come, let me treat you.’ But that’s what CivSource Africa did for me. That kind of love and support is rare, and it is what leaders need.”
As the conversation wound down, the afternoon light gave way to evening. What lingered was not just nostalgia but conviction. For Francis and Dora, leadership is not only about titles, strategy, or even legacy. It is about wellness, love, and soulfulness. It is about matching the unprecedented speed of a changing world with the fire that burns within.
And for CivSource Africa, eight years on, that fire continues to spread, igniting leaders, communities, and perhaps, a continent.
Quotes:
“Leaders that are not well don’t lead well.” — Dora Musinguzi
“The role of a leader within messiness is to create calm, to create peace, to give direction even in the hardest times.” — Dora Musinguzi
“You hardly hear someone inviting leaders to a space to be loved, pampered, and honored.” — Dora Musinguzi
“You’re creating ripples that will soon become an ocean.” — Dora Musinguzi
“Where have the leaders gone, and where has leadership gone? We live in a forest of leaders, but a desert of leadership.” — Francis Musinguzi
“The speed of change is unprecedented. As leaders, our inner fire must match that speed.” — Francis Musinguzi