No regrets in retirement

My last day at work went smoothly and I had spent the last  weeks tying up loose ends as  regards my work assignments and responsibilities. There was no person designated to take over my duties so I had to hand over to my immediate supervisor,” Abbas Hirya recounts of his time before retirement.

Hirya retired as a project engineer at the  New Jersey  department of transportation in the US in 2012. He was responsible for sourcing and hiring professional technical consulting firms to provide services for the department including supervising the transportation planning studies, university research studies and project designs.

“I felt a great sense of satisfaction with my contributions to my employer –the communities and state of New Jersey – which I helped develop and implement several transportation studies and projects,” Hirya says.

School and work

After secondary school in Teso College Aloet , Hirya joined Kyambogo Teacher Training College (KTTC), to train as a Grade III teacher. Left with only one term to graduate, he got a government scholarship funded by the Soviet Union to go for further studies in Russia.

“I was left with one session of teaching practice to complete my course at Kyambogo. So, I sneaked out of the country without letting the college principal (Mr Whitehead) know that I was leaving. I feared that if he found out, he would stop me from leaving, as the country was badly in need of Grade III teachers shortly after independence.

In 1964, he left for Russia and did a civil engineering bachelor’s degree plus a master’s in Urban Planning. Hirya returned to Uganda in 1970 and joined the department of Town and Country Planning in the Ministry of Local Government. He was the first Ugandan to qualify as an urban physical planner.

“I worked in the department for four years before I was appointed principal of Uganda Technical College (UTC). I took over from a British expatriate in 1974. I was the first Ugandan to head that institution,”Hirya explains, adding that the UTC was the second highest institution of learning in Uganda after Makerere University. In 1975, he took a sabbatical to go for further studies when he got a scholarship in the US.

At Rutgers University, Hirya earned a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning and a PhD in transportation planning in 1981, then, he returned to Uganda three years later.

“At that time, there was another principal at UTC and, I joined the department of education on special assignment. That was during the time when there was political unrest in Uganda, so I  felt  the need to return to the US,” Hirya says.

In the US, Hirya worked in the department of transportation of New Jersey for 26 years.

Preparing for retirement

Hirya knew that at a certain point, he would give up regular employment and pursue other interests. He emphasises that retirement is a part of life. If one needed money while working, one still needs it in retirement.

“You need money and you ought to prepare some source of income after your regular paycheck stops,” he advises.

He remarks that there is no specific amount of money one needs but it depends on your lifestyle but you have to be ready when it comes to retirement. One should have investments that bring in income.

“In my career, I chose to work in the public sector where there is pension and I planned in such a way that as far as post-retirement I have a steady source of income,” he says. “I started investing early through my employer-funded contributory pension plan, where a portion of your salary goes into the pension plan and the employer matches it. I also put some money in the bond market and other managed accounts,” the 81-year-old  explains.

Asked whether he has any businesses he is running post-retirement, Hirya says, “I don’t have businesses and do not like business headaches.”

Also, with his wife Eunice they ensured they had homes in Uganda and the US to avoid rent expenditure. The retiree says, he learnt how to manage a household; from house cleaning, taking care of the compound and repairing appliances so that he does not hire people to fix such.

“Retirement is not a one suit fits all, thus you cannot have one formula for everybody. I prepared myself so that I do things at my pace and leisure,” he notes.

Staying and travelling through different countries has helped him understand how the world is changing. 

“When I travelled to Russia, it was a communist country so the lifestyle there was different from what I had been used to in Uganda. Travelling to the US helped me understand a developed capitalist country,” he shares.

Missing work?

Hirya does not miss his typical work day, but he misses the camaraderie with his colleagues.

“Those things may not seem as important but they keep your way of thinking alive. However, I have adjusted and I am in a different phase,” he says.

Hirya says he has a flexible schedule. He wakes up when he feels like, takes breakfast and decides what he will do for the day.

“I look around the house and see what needs to be done. When I am tired, I rest then wait for dinner and news. I also surf the internet to read world news before going to sleep.”

He adds that he goes to town only when he needs something.

“I am happy to have taken my career path, which prepared me for my dream retirement that I am enjoying,” he says.