Focus: A journey to trace Rwandans in central Uganda

It was a cold rainy Saturday. Unlike me, the best option for many on such days is to enjoy the comfort of their beds. The roads were slippery and the air chilly. For a second, I felt like leaving my bed was a big mistake, but little did I know that I was to experience a memorable day. My journey began at 12.30 p.m. Holding other factors constant (pot holes and discomfort form taxis) my journey to Mukono District was relatively smooth with less traffic jam. It took me approximately 45 minutes to get to Mukono from Kampala. On arrival, I realized I had forgotten my note book (with directions to my destination). I had been instructed by my editor to go to Mukono and then locate a sub county called Nnama, in Lutengo parish where it is believed that 78 per cent of the people in that village are Rwandans. Tough job wasn’t it? I had never been to Mukono, but the adventurous spirit in me readily took up the task. “Mukono, Nnama, Lutengo”. With that in mind, I knew I would finally get to my destination. I made inquires, and luckily enough most people had an idea about the direction to my destination, and as I moved further I landed on a small sign post reading “Nnama Sub county”. The road to Nnama is narrow and murrum, surrounded by thorny bushes just a few steps from the main road that proceeds to Mpoma sub-county, Mukono District. Apparently the village has so many old people and children. I suspected that the youth of this village had either gone to Iraq or were busy in town preparing for CHOGM (current preoccupations by most people in Uganda today). Nnama is a bit congested with homesteads very close to each other. The main economic activity is agriculture; with maize and cassava gardens every where. As a matter of fact, it was discovered that the Rwandans living in this village have also adapted to the environment and are now farmers. There are no signs of cattle keeping, something that is common among Rwandans. To my amazement, as I tried to make inquires if they are any Rwandans staying in the village, all the five people I approached agreed that the Banyarwanda are a big community in Nnama Sub-county. Among the Rwandan community members, two names were outstanding. The name Francis pronounced by the villagers as “Falanswa” and Gasheegu. I was first directed to “Falanswa’s” home. As I tried to trace the Banyarwanda living in Nnama sub county, it became apparent that these people had been living here for more than 20 years. Most of them had acquired Ugandan citizenship and were comfortable staying in Uganda. “These people are just Banyarwanda by blood but they are Ugandans. They have full rights like any other citizens as stipulated in the 1995 Uganda constitution. “They own property, some of them are now our relatives because of inter –marriages,” said the area LC 1 who preferred anonymity. “Falanswa”, an old man (with a grey bald head and grey beads) was seated in a white plastic chair listening to a small radio close to his door as I knocked at his door. As I entered his house, he tried to stand up to welcome me but age failed him (his back). My anticipation of a cold welcome and treatment by the old man was quickly replaced by a warm welcome (the old man gave me a firm hug like long lost friends meeting after a many years in isolation). The somber looking old man immediately offered me a sit and told me he couldn’t remember my name because of old age, and asked me to refresh his mind by telling him who I was. I assured him it wasn’t his fault since we had never met before. This raised suspicion in the old man, who didn’t hesitate to ask me how I got to his home and what I exactly want. I introduced myself, but it was not until I showed the old man my National Identity card, that the old man “opened up” to me and felt at ease (he was speaking to me in Luganda and later changed to very fluent Kinyarwanda). The old man spoke: “I don’t want to sell my country (Rwanda), so before I speak to anybody about my country, I must first know who they are and what their interests are. Since you are not an outsider I will give you all the information you need. Though I don’t think I am that wise to answer all the questions.” Falanswa, 77, came to Uganda when he was a 20 years old, in 1953 escaping the harsh Belgium rule in Rwanda. “I came to Uganda to escape from forced labour which was accompanied by canes. I tried to go back after a few years but life in Rwanda seemed to worsen day in and out. It was always guns and canes.” After several attempts to go back home, Falaswa decided to make Uganda his second home. “I got tired of the harsh treatment and discrimination. This old Mzee may not have gone back home but he allowed his children to go back home. “I love my country though I decided not to go back. I left Rwanda for my children and relatives. And I think Rwanda is more habitable today than those days when we were young.” This, the old man attributes to the current government in Rwanda. “I am grateful to Paul Kagame for his good leadership. Every Rwandan now has a place to call home and people respect us for that. We Rwandans in the Diaspora have gained respect again because of his great achievements. People now respect us because they know we have a home, our own beautiful country and a very powerful president. Even here in Uganda, they keep referring to Rwanda’s tremendous economic progress after the Genocide.” The old man speaks so fondly of the current leadership that he proposes that the president should be given a “third” term. “I thank Rwandans for voting for Kagame and I wish in the next elections they give him 14 years because he is hardworking, has tried to keep peace by not revenging on people who killed their own relatives.” Even though the old man commends his homeland, he says he now prefers staying in Uganda, where life is “easy” and he has adapted to life in Uganda. “Am now an old man; I can’t do much for my country. Besides I find life in Rwanda difficult. Here in Uganda you can meet a sympathiser who will give you Shs10, 000 but in Rwanda, money is difficult to come by.” He says he owns a piece of land and some property in Uganda and he will survive. Apparently some of the old man’s children have married Ugandans and this further makes the old man comfortable. “My children and in laws here in Uganda look after me .They visit me quite often. I go to Rwanda to visit and even now my wife is in Rwanda visiting our relatives.” Living in Uganda has not been a straight line. “On some rare occasions, we have not had the best reception, people think we are Bahima and recently we were confused for Balaalo yet we are not. Apart from misdeeming our identity, we are a happy people. We live here together as one people; we help each other in organising functions like weddings and burial ceremonies.” Unfortunately, Falanswa did not accept to be photographed, but instead “advised” me to take a picture of anything else around his house that I feel is Rwandan. After Falanswa’s home, I proceeded to Mzee Gasheegu’s home who wasn’t at home that day. Watch this space for Gasheegu’s story. Ends