Bbosa was an honest and generous man

The renowned American surgeon, Dr Ben Carson, once said: “Happiness does not result from what we get, but what we give.” Most individuals that have started and established a successful business exhibit a life of heroic virtue in perseverance, patience and grit in weathering the storms of life. Yet not many do so while maintaining high personal integrity and openness to those outside their circle. 

Daniel Bbosa, the immediate past Lwoomwa (chief) of the Ndiga (sheep) clan and proprietor of Transa Electrical Store in downtown Kampala, will be marked out as a remarkably generous and magnanimous person. 
I met Daniel Bbosa probably as a teenager, introduced by my father as a relative in a large extended family network. We would go on to interact several times in the years that followed until later in my adulthood. We met once in 2008 as I sought help to beat a path into graduate school in the United Kingdom. 

Our meeting place was always the Transa store in the Kiyembe area in downtown Kampala. Bbosa often interrupted his day or found time between receiving customers to speak when you showed up. He always appeared to set aside his business concerns just to listen to you, to offer ideas or inquire about the wellbeing of family members.

The fierce competition common in the world of commerce sometimes brings us to treat those in our trade as adversaries. Bbosa’s approach was often going against the current. He directed you to another store nearby if you came to his store and could not find what you sought. He kept no grudges and wished everyone well. 

It almost always felt antithetical that an individual would run a business in Kampala and thrive as Bbosa did. When he did not have anything to say in company, he stayed quiet and listened to others while observing their demeanour. He did not slight others or think less of them because they held a different point of view. 

If you spent a day with Bbosa, it was impossible not to notice that he was Christian. He paid tribute to God in his everyday interactions, acknowledging divine providence in each small accomplishment. Yet he did so without alienating those who did not share his faith. He spoke about his belief so as to show others where he was headed and what drove him. 

Our country desperately needs leaders in business or government who work, not only to serve the interests of their family, but those of society. Bbosa was the most appropriate individual to serve in a different capacity in Buganda Kingdom, after a long exemplary and successful business career. His character was one that would unite individuals of all walks of life while ensuring everyone received his or her due.

There is very little we will take with us at the end of our short or long sojourn here. But what we leave behind after we die is what cannot be destroyed by death. It is the wonderful memories of a life lived well in serving one’s community. 

Bbosa’s legacy will be one of doing business well, yet remaining open to live for others. It is no surprise that a local plumber risked his life pursuing the individuals who ended Bbosa’s life. Such was the outstanding character of Bbosa that another man risked his very life to bring in his murderer. 

May the memory of a man who was a friend and work colleague of so many in the city and in business and a towering figure in his family inspire us to live with integrity and with an openness to others. Our hearts go out to Bbosa’s wife and the children who must live with the memory of a most tragic end to a spouse and beloved father. We grieve with you and thank you for the gift of an outstanding human being your family gave to our country. 

Bbosa’s life was lived without rancour or resentment towards those he did not agree with. We pray that his family and friends will find strength to go on, remembering only with gratitude the pleasure of living with him and his immense contribution to meeting our needs in the electrical goods market.  

The author, Charles Sendegeya , is a mechanical engineer in Windsor, Ontario, Canada