Nkabakyenga ready for retirement

Having started his teaching career in 1990, it is now close to 31 years in service, Boniface Godianis Nkabakyenga, 56, says he will not wait for  60 years  to retire.

“Even if I receive a call now that I should retire today, I would be more than happy to go because I am more than 90 per cent prepared. I hope to retire, one year from now and I will retire honourably,” Nkabakyenga says.

He is always busy and when we met, he was gardening by the beautiful Lake Nyamirima in Rutete Sub-county, Kabarole District. Nkabakyenga says he is in his final stages of preparing for his retirement and he has invested in the tourism and hospitality sector.

Why go early
The teacher says one of the reasons he is opting for early retirement is that in 1990 when he started teaching, he started preparing for retirement.

“From the day, I started working I felt that I should not be among the lot who  ask to have their retirement ‘extended’ because they are not ready for that phase of life,” Nkabakyenga says.

He says he invested in buying land in Mbarara City where his family lives and his childhood dream has been  to own a tourist destination, which he has achieved.

Nkabakyenga says whenever he travels to different tourism sites, he learns a thing or two to implement in his own establishment.

His love for adventure has enabled him to establish Lake Nyamirima Cottage on the shores of Nyamirima crater lake in Kabarole District on Fort Portal-Kamwenge Road in Rutete Sub-County.

Asked whether he is not worried about missing his retirement package, he says the law allows people to retire honourably and they are entitled to retirement packages.

Preparations
Nkabakyenga says over the years his slogan has been, everyday is retirement day. He opines that those who wait panic at the last minute.

He started saving and from his savings, he bought cows, land and later sold them.
Investing in land, he says, has enabled him to raise more money to look after family and educate all his children. He is now preoccupied with his investments for life after work.

In 1993, he sold his two cows and topped up his savings to buy land at Shs 2.5m and in 2005 bought another piece of land at Shs 17m in Katete, Mbarara District.

With his wife, they travelled to Kabarole District and stayed at Rwetera Safari Park, one of the hotels around the crater lake. The next morning, his wife told him that they could get a place around to put their investment for retirement.

Nkabakyenga had dabbled in buying and selling land since he got his first job in 1990. By 2019, he had bought some 10 acres at Nyamirima Crater lake in Kabarole to establish his retirement facility.

He has since  turned the place into a hospitality centre for tourists which offers a panoramic view of three crater lakes, nature walk and birding space.

“I bought this land at Shs 40m, the area was bushy but now it is a tourist centre in Kabarole District, I have established Lake Nyamirima Cottage Ltd and with what is available, I will not wait for the remaining four years to retire,” he says.

Two cents
He advises that those who are still working need to know that investment does not mean money but saving early enough. They should not wait to first accumulate money and start investing.
Nkabakyenga says people also need to invest in social capital.

“It is important to associate with people but one needs people who matter; those who can share ideas. The mistake people make is that they run after money without ideas,” he says.

“Listen to others and learn from their experience. You also ought to trust God.”
He further advises that one should not wait to start investing after they have retired.

“If your dream is to invest in trees you cannot plant trees after retirement, because by the time trees mature, you may have died.  One of my friends sold 30 trees at Shs9m, that means he planted those trees before retirement,” Nkabakyenga explains.

Away from school
When  the teacher at Masha Seed SS is not at work, he spends his time at his investment facility at Lake Nyamirima.

The proud Roman Catholic says he wakes up by 7am, prays and prepares to start work. He takes a nature walk around the crater lake.

“I join my employees or work by myself before breaking off for lunch. I rest a bit and return to work until evening,”  he says.

Glitch
Nkabakyenga says the mistake he made was starting his retirement investment without registering it as a company.
“My clients may want to make bookings but they can’t do it with individuals except a company.”
PHOTOS/ALEX ASHABA