A tribute to my superhero & mentor
I was born in a family of thirteen. Nine boys and four girls of which I am number 11. To date, three of us are surviving.
I tell this brief story in honor of my late Mum Mary who passed on at the climax when all that she had trained me to be and worked for seemed to open.
My Dad retired as a teacher in 1978 and took on to serve as a preacher in the Anglican church in my home Village of Buwenge, Eastern Uganda. He did this calling until the time when he went to be with the Lord in November 1985 . I was just fourteen years of age at the time of his passing.
From the time of my Dad’s passing, my Mum had to shoulder both parents’ role of ensuring that all of us young ones were clothed, fed ,nurtured and schooled.
Mum was such a hard-working woman who never took anything for granted. She was committed to everything that she did, while ensuring that we had the best within her means. In so doing, Mum took on a number of odd jobs, from ferrying fresh fish to Busia (at the Uganda-Kenya Boarder, to selling kerosene in Jinja . One had to be very ruthless in doing the fish business those days as the risks of losing all the money was high since there were no freezers those days, thus the common phrase ,’mmaali efa’,back then. My mum never lost a penny!
This great woman I continue to live up to till today believed in never letting any mouth go unfed. As such, our home was always full of children she picked along the way in her sojourners, for she firmly believed that there is a lot of reward for doing good . We were not rich financially,-and I do not know how she managed to look after all of us-, but spiritually, we were very wealthy, as we prayed hard and practiced the value of hard work and patience, impacted in us children by both Dad before his passing, and my dear Mum.
Through thick and thin ,I managed to complete my school at Namasagali College, in in Kamuli Uganda ,with good tho not super grades at high school in 1990. After high school, I moved to Kampala and enrolled for an Accountants professional course , Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (CPA-K) , for this was a cheaper option for me than proceeding to the University straight away. At his time, I had to start raising my tuition, which I did through doing all kinds of jobs. Such jobs included making small envelopes used to package drugs- which I supplied to drug shops and pharmacies around the city; teaching in schools around the city suburbs, making clay bricks, lumber jerking , digging up building foundations; you name it. I did this for about three years, a period that truly turned me into a man that am proud to call myself today. These were truly tough years that I do not regret going through. They built me up.
In the same period, I was not without good friends, both at home in Uganda and abroad. These friends, to whom am forever grateful, sometimes made the harder times lighter when they sent me a few shillings and a few pounds here and there. Their help extended to non-financial help as well ,for it was their notes-in carbon-copy-that I often read, as I missed classes while I did the few jobs to raise tuition. I will forever be grateful to my dear friend Edward (RIP) who made sure his notes were often available for me to read for my CPA-K exams and we always shared a cup of tea and few slices of cassava for lunch as we studied for the CPA at Multitech in 1990/91.
Why I call Mum my Superwoman and Mentor
Mum had the gift to love and love tirelessly and selflessly. She shared all she had and never had self-pity, but the strong spirit of endurance ,and the belief that all good things would come to us if we worked hard and were patient. It is this same lesson that carried me through life ,and that I believe has made me the successful man I am proud to call myself today. In carrying the lessons from my Mum, I often share the little I have with my dear ones and those around me. It is amazing how the Lord provides when you give.
The greatest lesson I learnt in the few years I stayed with my parents was that happiness does not come with material things but with the love that is engraved within small gesture accorded to one., and the happy environment we choose to surround ourselves with..
To-date, I still remember the sweet aroma from the white boiled rice and corn that my Mum brought with her to visit me ,while I was studying at Namasagali Boarding school. I knew then that I was happier than any student who got colored-fried rice, cookies etc, because I knew that my Mum had every ounce of her love made with it.
As a child, I had a lot of self-confidence due to happy environment I grew up in, created by my Mum, and to-date it is that self-confidence that makes me have the fear of losing people’s trust in me.. This enabled me grow in my career for all these years, for it also made me to always win the trust of people that I work with, subordinates and superiors alike.
To-date, I recall the day, way back in November of 1985,when I got home from school to the news of Dad having been laid to rest, and on the day we laid my Mum to rest in 2007,. And I node to the great job well done. To the skills, empathy and care she impacted in me, and that I try my best to live up to them.
I still recall her last words on Monday 19th 2007 at about 3pm, “My son, I think I am going today. Take care of your siblings, God will bless and richly reward you”. She lived up to her promise that same day and went to be with the Lord.
Together with Margaret my darling wife, we have taken care and carried many on our back with the support of our little ones. We shall keep to Mum’s promise until when we cant no more.
RIP My superhero.
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Biography
Alex is a Ugandan Born Canadian. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPAK), a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) as well as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)
Alex started his career as an Internal Auditor in Uganda Revenue Authority, worked in Posta Uganda as a General Manager Internal Audit, Ag Managing Director and General Manager Finance. He worked as a Financial Management Specialist with the Ministry Finance, Planning and Economic Development/ Ministry of Local Government prior to his relocation to Canada.
Alex has worked as a comptroller ad regional manager finance and administration as well as an Internal Auditor in Canada.
Alex contributed to the growth of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Uganda through training of students and authoring books in business taxation, professional ethics as well as auditing.
He is a family man and happily married.
Being your classmate at Namasagali, you played it well. You were a highly regarded student who looked like all was well. Bravo. May God’s hand keep guiding you.