Mayanja, the Businessman and Musician

Mayanja, the Businessman and Musician

This is the story of Rasta Mayanja, a resident of Kabowa. He is an accountant by profession and a music artiste by birth.

“Hajji Ashraf, I’m called Rasta Mayanja. I was born 45 years ago. I studied Commerce at Nakawa and stayed with my father and mother in Ndeeba.

“My father was a popular mechanic in Ndeeba. He stayed happily with our mother in a monogamous family, but Mom and Dad died in a motor accident on Mubende/Mityana Road.

“I have four siblings; a sister and three brothers. The property of our late Dad was distributed equally and we were all satisfied with the distribution. I was chosen to be the heir (Musika) to our late father. There was some hard cash given to each of us. As the heir, I was also given the main house on a land of two acres in Ndeeba.

“By that time, I had finished my education and had got a Diploma in Commerce. So I started to deal in buying and selling spare parts. Things were working out very well, until I became greedy and wanted to expand the business for more profits.

“I went for a loan from the bank and opened up another shop, after using part of the loan money to marry Hasifah, in a colourful wedding ceremony that was the talk of town. I later assigned Hasifah to take care of the second shop. Little did I know that the interest on the loan money was accumulating so fast that it was eating up my capital.

“Hasifah was also pregnant with our first born; and she was attending an expensive antenatal clinic.

“The business was running so bad that I was forced to close Hasifah’s shop by selling the little goods in it to pay the bank loan. But it was like kusiwa nsaano kumazi (like I had done nothing).

“From the property I inherited there was an acre of land in Wankulukuku. I sold it and paid another part of the loan but still I had a long way to go. Meanwhile, in the bank, I had presented my Ndeeba land title where the main house of my late father was as the security. It was the very house where I was staying with my wife, Hasifah.

“Being in a prime land the bank wanted to sell it. There were many willing buyers from the bank itself who wanted it at the fall of the hummer.

“Hajji Ashraf, I couldn’t let my late father’s home go just like that. I was determined to save it. Hasifar was always there to keep me calm when she realized that I was stressed. To avoid me getting depressed, Hasifah acted the best wife I’ve ever seen.
“Hajji Ssemakula, a long life friend of my late father, was there. I went to him and presented my problem. He acted so fast to save his late friend’s son. He gave me the money on condition that I pay back in five years. After the elapse of five years he would have to take the land tittle.
“This was more than honest, that Hajji Ssemakula was. I rescued my title and gave it to him as security for his money.

“Already my business was on the drip under the mercy of Allha. I agreed with Hasifah to sell the shop and open up a small retail store for her before I went for kyeyo. I was determined to work day and night to pay Hajji Semakula to get my tittle back.

“I went to Canada and worked while studying music. I didn’t know that I was a good musician. I worked during the day and in the evening, go to music lectures. Things really worked out for me, and Hajji wange, in three years, I had paid Hajji Ssemakula all his money plus a bonus of one million shillings. It was big money then.
“I stayed in Canada for another ten years, working tirelessly and I saved a lot of money. We were always in touch with Hasifah. And I sent her money almost on a weekly basis for all the time I was in Canada.  With enough money to start up something big in my country Uganda, I made up my mind to come back.

“NAYE, MUKAMA KATONDA. HAJJI ASHRAF, NASANGA HASIFAH YAFUMBA EWA HAJJ SSEMAKULA.”

This will be continued at Bat Valley Theatre in the play “Engalabi ya Naduli”.
Asalaam Alaikum

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