Africa-Press – Uganda. FRED KANGAVE, 31, is the boda boda rider challenging seasoned legislator Medard Lubega Sseggona for Busiro East constituency. He spoke to Baker Batte about his unique journey that he hopes will end in the august house.
Fred, tell me about yourself…
My name is Fred Kangave. I’m a boda boda cyclist by occupation and aspiring to be a member of parliament.
Otutwala supiidi [You’re taking us too fast], as they say these days…!
Ooooh, let me go slow. I’m was born in Kyengera, but I reside in Kasengejje, Wakiso district with my wife. I was born on December 20, 1989. I went to Kyengera Parents School where I did my PLE and got aggregate eight. I went to Mugwanya Summit College but sat for my UCE at Alpha and Omega SS also in Kyengera. I then went back to Mugwanya Summit College where I sat for my UACE and I got 16 points [whoever thought boda boda riders are illiterate, think again.]
What was your subject combination?
History, Economics, Geography and Divinity. I then went to Gulu University where I studied [for a degree in education] from 2010 and graduated in 2013. My subject combination was history and divinity. I taught from 2013 to 2017 and I quit the job and started riding a boda boda.
Such an unusual decision!
I was teaching at Cambridge Senior Secondary School in Kyengera where they were paying me only Shs 200,000 per month [but school owners… 200,000 in 2017 for a university graduate!]
When I joined boda boda cycling, I was earning Shs 30,000 per day. That’s Shs 900,000 a month. So, the choice of the two jobs was clear.
What have you gained from your choice?
I have been able to buy land and build my simple house of two rooms where I stay with my wife Esther Namugwanya and my child Treasure Nakimuli, who is one year and a half years old.
What does your wife do?
She is a housewife, although she also went to school and studied journalism.
Tell me about your parents…
My father is Emmanuel Ssekabira and my mother is Margaret Nankya. I have more than 20 siblings, but between my father and mother, we are eight children. I’m my mother’s last born.
Twenty siblings! It must have been an interesting childhood.
My mother separated from my father when I was one year old. She did not take me with her. My father married several other women, some of whom really never treated me well.
In 2004 when I was in S1, I left my father’s house due to mistreatment and started life alone. In order to pay for my school fees, I used to do casual work at school after class and during the holiday. I started paying rent for myself in S4. So, throughout my education, it was really my effort.
Impressive. So, where is your stage?
It is Kayembe stage at Wakiso- Kasengejje road. I tell you, this job has helped me to relate with all manner of people and to get to know things that affect them.
What are the challenges in this job?
Very many people don’t respect us; we’ve been arrested very many times by the police for carrying two passengers. The weather also affects us because of working very early in the morning and late in the evening.
That [could] wind has an impact on our lungs. During the lockdown, I was arrested twice for carrying passengers in order to provide for my family. I felt like setting myself on fire, but eventually I said, let me burn myself by going to parliament and represent my people so that I can relay their problems.
They label us as thieves and government opponents…
But are you not thieves? [Major heists and assassinations in the last few years have been by boda boda riders.]
We are not, I won’t say they were not there, but we have now cleansed our work.
Is the motorbike yours?
Yes, it is. You know I’m a trainer of scouts; so, I used to move from Wakiso to go to Bussi in Kassanje. So, the money I would give to the boda boda rider to take me there, pushed me to collect money slowly by slowly to buy mine.
My first boda boda was stolen from Kampala. I parked it somewhere and entered a building, but on return, it wasn’t there. That’s also another challenge with this job.
You want to take boda boda problems to parliament; why not just become their chairperson?
But my constituents are more than the boda boda riders. I have visited market vendors who are suffering with market dues.
Our roads are miserable yet we have representatives who can lobby for money to rehabilitate them. We have children who have gone to school but are suffering like I am; this takes me to parliament to help such people.
Nominations required Shs 3 million…
People like councilor Brian Kasumba gave me money. I also went to over 100 boda boda stages. I went to markets that all collected money. Personally, I don’t have money. Even for the two months we have spent campaigning, it was the boda boda stages that have been giving me money for fuel and to print posters.
What are the challenges you’ve got in the campaign so far?
If you don’t have money, things don’t go the way you would like them to go. But I move door-to-door. It’s my people who are giving me what to eat, normally which is kikomando [chapatti and beans] and water.
In your hearts of heart, do you really believe you can win?
I’m telling you without doubt that I’m the incoming member of parliament for Busiro East. What gives me the confidence is the power of the people. I have never given anybody even a single shilling to vote for me, but they are saying, this is the time; they want one of their own.
We are 10 people contesting for this seat but my only opponent is Sseggona…
You said you believe in Bobi Wine and People Power, in their wisdom, Sseggona is a better representative…
I went to NUP and expressed interest in this seat. The day we were going to be vetted, I arrived at 8am but I was vetted at 9pm. Sseggona came at 4pm and he was vetted within 10 minutes.
What came to mind was, omwavu wa kufa [a poor man is doomed]. I wasn’t called again to get the results or even to console me. But Sseggona had told us he wants only two terms; we want new brands like Kyagulanyi; so, all those who have stayed for 10 years should go with Museveni.
