Paul Ssembatya was born in 1995 to a polygamous family in the central Ugandan district of Kayunga. He lost his father a decade later, leaving his mother, a nurse, in charge of his branch of the family. One day, when he was in secondary school, his mother helped a young woman to abort a baby, an event for which the nurse went to jail. The episode was a source of much suffering for Ssembatya, who was sent to live with his father’s relatives. Somehow, despite the odds, he was able to complete Senior Four, the level in his formal education that his mother had set for him as a target. “I grew up always knowing that I would stop in Senior Four,” he told TWR. “This is what my mother told me, that there was no money to continue studying. I always knew it.”
Ssembatya’s mother had hoped her son would become a builder. But his dream was to be a journalist, a sports commentator on radio. After dropping out of school he returned to his village in Kayunga, where he assisted a rolex1 maker when he was not working in the family garden. One day his cousin spoke to him of building opportunities in remote parts of Uganda. Ssembatya went to Karamoja in 2014 and then, in 2015, to Kabale. He regularly sent his earnings to his grandmother, who followed his instructions by identifying the heifer they later bought. The cow eventually was sold at a profit, and with the proceeds Ssembatya returned to Kabale later in 2015 to put up a rolex stand, for he had seen what a brisk business that could be.
The rolex stand in Kabale didn’t prosper as Ssembatya had hoped. He returned, defeated, to Kampala in 2016. He worked briefly at a rolex stand in the Namugongo area, as an assistant to the owner, before his breakthrough moment in 2017: the opportunity to be loaned a boda boda2 and pay a daily fee for using it. He took it and has succeeded so spectacularly that today he owns two motorcycles, two pieces of property, and a bank account into which he deposits his savings. He’s a homeowner, a source of deep pride.
But if he’s succeeding with his business, there’s been misery in his personal life. His wife, the mother of twins he believed were his, left him in 2022 when their union became disagreeable. After the children had been born, in 2020, a man Ssembatya vaguely knew started coming to his boda-boda stage to inform him that he had swung by Ssembatya’s house in Bukerere while trying to buy property there. “He would say, ‘I passed by your place,’ but I didn’t take it as a big deal,” Ssembatya said. “After a while I got into a disagreement with my wife, and she left. After she had gone, this man would come and ask me, ‘Are those your children? Are you sure they are yours? Did you take them for DNA?’” The woman later confessed to Ssembatya’s grandmother that he wasn’t the children’s father. He was devastated. “I spoke with my grandmother and she comforted me,” he said. “I spoke with my mother and she comforted me.” Because a recent girlfriend also proved dishonest, for now he’s focusing on making money. “On the matter of love, I am resting now,” he said. “Let me first work.”
This is Ssembatya’s diary between July and Nov. 2023, printed here in his rich, honest voice. TWR, to be clear, doesn’t edit the diaries, preserving and presenting them the way they are written. – TWR
July 20
Today has been the worst day in the week. Early in the morning I went for work, I got the first client who was going to Bukoto and we agreed to give me ten thousands shillings, we started the journy while conversing, Reaching to Bukoto at Kirabo Complex, and he asked me to wait abit so that he picks the money from inside, I spent there almost forty minutes when the guy is not coming, I saw where he enterd and tried to follow him reaching there it was a lift and I couldn’t guess which floor he was. I asked the security guy whether he knows the guy and he said that many people comes to the building he doesn’t know the guy. I realised that the guy has cheated me and I came back in a lot of thoughts very frustrated.
July 23
Its now a year since my wife left home, we got misunderstanding and she decided to go. In few months when she had gone, she called my grand mum and told her that the twins are not mine cause we had twins at home although she went with them. Before telling that to my grand mum, where she was working there is a guy who used to ask me whether the kids are mine and did not give him attention, when she said so I started thinking about what the guy has asked me before. My wife was working on the fuel station its where I got her. Before taking her to my home I asked her whether she had someone and she told me that if she had not got me she would have gone with that guy. Am wondering why is it that the same guy is the one asking me whether the kids are mine. I don’t know what to do but am mentery disturbed.
July 25
Today my neighbours wife is back from Saudi Arabia, she came back when she had not told her husband. Her husband has been changing wives like clothes. Now today the wife came back quietly to surprise the husband but she was the one who got surprised when she found another lady into her house which was built by the wife in the money she got from Saudi Arabia cause she had gone there before. The husband started asking for forgiveness, madam said no and decided to chasse the husband away from home that’s when I got to know that even the plot was bought by the wife, the guy had nothing. Now the question is if it was you, what would you do?
July 28
Today I feel so proud of my self cause I have bought my second plot of which it is bigger than the one I bought first, It has been a had time to collect that money on Boda Boda for a full year. There so many problems in the Boda Boda industry but I praise God that I have made it.
July 30
Today is Sunday, Sunday and Saturday I always help customer to deliver food to her customers. Now today she gave me her food to deliver to her customers in different areas but there was one of her customers who abused me because I had delivered the food late without talking to me, he just abused me and I felt hearted but since am looking for money, I did not have to shout with him. So the issue is getting money is not an easy buttle but we need to forcuss.
Aug. 1
Today early morning at our village there has been a buttle of two parties fighting for land ownership. A group of people came in the night and started slashing people’s food and destroying properties plus stealing valuable things of the villagers. Eventurly the RDC came and stoped the two parties from collecting the Busuulu and nobody among the two parties is allowed to trespass in the area and on that she ordered police to arrest these guys who were brought to destroy people’s things. Thanks to RDC.
Aug. 4
Today around midday I got a client, she was going to Sonde. On our way to sonde, I saw a pick up full of police men alarming on a high volume going to Nakiyanja wetland, in that wetland there is somebody constructing a petrol station. Reaching there I saw people running away but the engineer himself was caught. We decided to proceed on our way to Sonde with my client. Coming back, I found the site proceeding with there work, the engineer was free and there was no police man. What a corrupt police Uganda has!
Aug. 6
Today I have realised that love is expensive, I have a girl whom am dating but whenever I make a call to talk to her she can’t finish the conversation without asking for money, and she ever cry a lot of problems as if am her parents. Now what am going to do I have stoped loving and I have already blocked her cause even me I have my own problems, so whenever I need a lady, I know where to find them.
Aug. 11
Today one of our member at home village has got electricity. I am happy for that cause we’ve been collecting money since (2021) for electricity and the village natives told us that they requested for electricity ten years back. Eventurely we have got it now though it has not been too easy for us cause the one who was chosen as the treasurer ate people’s money but I thank all the people of new city in Namasiga village for their contribution in this development. God bless u people.
Aug. 14
It is now a full week since I brought a doctor to treat my animals. I have three goats at home, I wanted them to be dewarmed and to be treated against flu but in this full week there are still in the same condition. When I talked to my neighbour about that situation, she asked who treated the animals and told her who was he and I saw her laughing. I asked her why was she laughing and she told me that don’t you know that the doctor always adds water into the medicine to make much money? That’s when I realised that my goats were treated with water no medicine. So I have to buy medicine and treat my animals by myself.
Aug. 18
Yesterday it started raining at around (10pm) and it stoped at (7am) early in the morning. In that raining in the night thieves came and stole peoples cowes, Goats, Matooke etc. Five cows were stolen from different homes and were cutted. Early in the morning the villagers started serching for these thieves and found a Boda Boda carring meat and being ride on a very high speed, this Boda Boda was cheased and was caught and was asked where he had got that meat and he said that it was given to him to take it in the market. People started beating him and he started alarming that they forgive him it is not him who stole the cowes but eventurly he was beated until dead.
Sept. 20
Today a girl came at our stage very frastruated and she was fearing every body, we asked her, what was her problem and she said that she was going to Kiwango village. She said that she had been given poison by her own brother. She used to send money to her brother for buying her plot and building a house for her. The guy was just eating the money and doing what makes him happy. Now when his sister came back, she told him to take to the house he took her to his fellows. The fellows knew about the guy and the sister and they started planning how to kill the sister cause there was no money and there was no house and she was given poison though she did not tell how she escaped up to Angelina medical center for treatment. So never trust a man kind animal.
Sept. 22
Today my client called me to take her daughter to school. By then when I was still schooling, I was also take into a bording section. By that time the packaging was cooked water in the five litter jerrycan, popcons, G.nuts, Sugar and other things but when my client called me, I rushed there and I found when she had packed for her as if the daughter was going for marriage, a box of water, a box of juice, a box of yorgut, box of biscuits plus many other things and I was wondering what changed in the Education system cause a parent gives all that to the child and the child faills to deliver results and this time the schools are very expensive. I think parents should put the effort on paying school dues and forcus on the chilld results than showing much love to their chilldren cause when you do reserch you will find such chilldren as failure in future.
Sept. 25
Around quality supermarket Nalya, there is a pothole as if you are sloping to Nalya-Children’s Clinic. Today early in the morning I saw Bodaman carring a woman, this woman was sited as if she was in the mortor vehicle because she was busy on her phone forgetng that she is on the Boda.They were following behind the trailler on a very high speed and stepped in the pothole and this lady falled down and rolled several time. Because of her relactancy, to me it was her fault not the Boda man cause when some body sits on my bike, I expect him or her to hundel and respect his or her life.
Sept. 28
I have a water tank at home, it is three thousand liters, since I stay alone at home, I decided to open it such that my neighbours can fetch water from there. I had dry poles at home which were used when I was renovating my house. These people have stolen all my poles and this has happened when I opened for them to fetch water. I had many Jerrycans in the store but now I see three Jerrycans only. I din’t know that I was calling for the absence of properties. People are not easy.
Oct. 1
I got a client today, she is my friend. This lady was a best friend of one of my workermate at the stage, This workermate of mine is the one who used to ride her everywhere. But nowdays there is no connection between them until today this lady found me at the stage and told me to take her. On our way she told me why there is no connection between her and the guy, one day the guy got a problem and called her for help. He needed fourty thousand shilling, madam gave him fifty thousand to use fourty and take the ten back to the lady, but he did not take the balance and the madam took it for granted. And another day madam called him for gass filling, madam used to refill a twenty eight thousand and the guy charged her fourty five and he did this several times until madam stoped the cooperative with this guy. Now what I have learnt here is, we should always be honesty, transparency and should have a sence of shame when we are doing our work or jobs in order to succeed in life.
Oct. 4
This is a true story. My wife left home long time ago, it is almost a year and a half when she left home. I told her she will never get a man like me, she talked each and everything about me, my family and my mom. She got married somewhere, I don’t know how the situation is that side but now days, she is calling my mom that she wants to be forgiven, she visited my brother asking for forgiveness. Remember when she was going, she said even the kids were not mine, cause we had twins with her. Anyway, if it was you would you forgive her? To me I would tell her to go and leave her own life cause me I don’t know how to forgive for sure I don’t.
Oct. 6
Yesterday my neighbour got broke, he was a chapat maker in seta town, he was brought by somebody to work for him. He had to pay a certain amount of money to his boss but he did not do this for a period of time. His boss was also renting for the working place when he came to ask for the money. This guy had no money cause he had even married some one. His boss told him to pay the landlord so that they can continue working and the guy failled to do so. So the landlord decided to lock his place until he is paid his money. After some days when this guy is not working, there is some boday who came and tooke him in Kampala to do street vending. On the very day K.C.C.A forces chased them in the Old Park until this guy falled in the sevage trench. Now when these forces reached on him they couldn’t take him cause he was smelling badly and he decided to come back home, he failled to get a tax because taxis where seeing him as a mad person because of the way he was looking.
Oct. 8
There is a vehicle on the number plate there is Museveni tinted black in the mirrors, this vehicle driver always drive recklessly but today at jjoggo trading center this guy was caught by people. Few days backwards, he knocked a boda boda rider another day he knocked a cyclelist but today he knocked a taxi when there is traffic jam he couldn’t run cause he has been doing this several times and he runs. Today this guy has been beaten so badly to an extend of taking him on oxygen, the police came to secure him but it couldn’t cause people were many until when the milltery patrol came and that’s how he was servived. On this my saying is; even if you are who, you should learn how to co operate with people there is noboday who was created by man, we are all God’s creatures.
Oct. 12
Yesterday it was around 10pm, I saw two guys on the boda boda snaching a bag from a lady who was also sited on a boda boda in Kireka trading center, the lady shouted at them thief, thief and we followed them up. Since we weire in the centre there is traffic jam they couldn’t run far, we managed to get them and they were beated until death. What I saw here people are tired of thieves because even the police came after there death although the distance from police to the scene is just a short distance, to me this means that the police is also tired.
Oct. 15
Today I got a client near my stage, she was a lady but was carring a baby, she was going to lifelink hospital but reaching to the hospital, they told her that they cannot manage her baby and she was told to proceed to Kiruddu hospital. For sure this lady had no money to go to Kiruddu, as she was there confused, one of the doctors came and told her to go back home cause the baby was already dead. When I asked her where she was coming from, she said that she has been to the witchdoctor for two weeks and to me I think this is where the baby died from.
Oct. 18
Today I went to the village to transplant my coffee seedlings, reaching there, I found when all my seedlings have been stolen by some body of which I had prepaired the garden for transplanting in. I dont know how will I keep my things cause it is abit far away from where I stay. They steal everything they want wether matooke, jackfruit, coffee they just take.
Oct. 20
Yesterday I ate pork, I had never tasted eating pork. I have so many clients who use to send me to buy for them pork but yesterday I also tried to test it but reaching the evening the whole body started iching me whenever I scratch it gets swollen. I will never eat again cause the whole body of mine got swolled, there is no part of the body that dint get swollen.
Oct. 23
Working while it is raining is bite risky cause yesterday I was working while raining and reaching in the evening I felt sick and now I have been injected of which in my understanding I have never been injected before because when I fall sick since at the age of (7 years) my father use to get me herbals like (mululuza, bombo) etc. Since I got injected my body is weak I feel headch.
Oct. 26
Two days ago I went to the village, my parents were very happy to see me. They prepaired for me everything g.nuts, maize, fruits etc. Here what I mean people should learn to go there villages cause even if you don’t have, still yor parents will welcome you wether you have or you don’t have you will get blessing from them as long as you show them that you are with them.
Oct. 28
I got some body to come and do finishing at my home, we agreed with him to work at two hundred thousand for plastering the siting room and the bedroom. I gave hime one hundred eighty thousand shillings and the balance was twenty thousand shillings but the guy came and did the smallest part of the work and left the biggest part unfinished remember I had given him one hundred eight thousand shilling and it is two weeks now the guy is not coming. I don’t know what to do with him.
Oct. 30
I have a client who makes cakes, she gave me a cake to take to her customer, she always make cakes of good quality but yesterday her cake falled down as I was taking it to the customer. I dint know how much was this cake, I couldn’t go back at the same time I couldn’t continue. I started sweating thinking of what to do. In the deep thinking I decided to call the cake mother and told her the situation and she told me to take it back and she remake it again and eventually I took it carefully.
Nov. 10
At Bukerere play ground, they have been anouncing that a musician Joseph Mayanja known as Chameleon was to come and perform for the people at ten thousand shillings per person who enters the venue. But we waited for him until 1:00am when his no where to be seen. In the lot of hunger, people had paid their money, they started shouting, fighting and finally they started breaking the chairs, the stage was destroyed and many things were stolen due to the absence of the musician.
Nov. 15
Today early in the morning, I was coming from home, I got a client who was going to Kyaliwajala. I got him from misindye trading center, on the way I was over taking a taxi and this taxi was avoiding a pothole, it came over us and throw us into the treanch. I thank God that we din’t get injurly apart from my bike being spoiled. ▪