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Impossible!! Ugandan youth can’t be billionaires – Gashumba

Frank Gashumba

To the youth of today, you will never be Sudhir, Wavamunno or Dangote overnight. Nobody in Uganda interacts with the youth like me on a daily basis. I have been invited to many Universities, High Schools etc but there is something I have discovered. The youth of today that are below 30 think they can be Dangote, Sudhir etc overnight.

Last week, I was invited to Nkumba University by the University’s Law Society and during the Q & A session, I learnt that many of these students believe that when they are done with LDC, they will automatically become Judges or the next Supreme Court judge. When they look at Chief Justice Bat Katurebe, they think he got to where he is overnight. They don’t know that he started as a State Attorney, and rose through the ranks over time

The same applies for students studying business courses; they think that after graduating, they are becoming Sudhir Ruparelia or Wavamunno right away. What they don’t know is that Sudhir was once a taxi driver!

It’s the same when you meet police cadets at Kabalye Police training school. They think after their course, they will become the next Inspector General of Police not knowing the new IGP Mr. Okocho Ochola has spent over 30 years in the force. The same theory applied to the army. Upon interacting with them, many of the UPDF Cadets at Kabamba, they think after their course, they will become General Salim Saleh right away, not knowing how many battles he has fought and won.

So to you the youth, if you want to be a successful person in any career, don’t skip a stage. Every successful person I have met will tell you serious money is accumulated through time and ranks and serious money doesn’t make noise. It is always quiet. That’s why you will never see Sudhir or Wavamunno splashing away money.

It’s in Uganda were you find a 25 year old who wants to drive the same car Wavamunno is driving. It’s also in Uganda where you find a 25 years old who wants to live the life of Dangote. There people whose name sounds like Coca Cola, that’s Wavamunno.

It’s in Uganda were you find a young girl who is 22 who wants to live a life of the grand children of the Queen of England.

I made it a point to them, is that even if you graduate with a first class degree, be ready to be a bag boy, a clerk, or even a messenger in a law firm.

Never enter a car before your boss enters a car if at all he is giving you a ride. If you go with your boss for lunch, never order for a meal pricer than his.  Actually, if he is going to a 5 Star hotel for lunch, tell him that you can get lunch at a cheaper price. In summary, never live a life of your boss. Live in your limits.

Be ready to commute in taxis and Boda-bodas

Never arrive late for work. If the office opens at 8:30, make sure you arrive earlier than your boss everyday and never leave your boss in office. It’s in Uganda where Juniors arrive late for work and will be the first to leave the office.

To you the youth, do you know that Pope Francis was once a  bouncer at a night club and the late James Mulwana was also a bouncer White Nile Pub in Katwe? Now Pope Francis Commands the entire Catholic Community with a population of 1.2 billion people.

 

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