Retired policewoman Nyabigambu’s rentals pay off

In Kityanga Village, Buliisa town Council in Buliisa District is a retired special police constable (SPC) Grace Nyabigambu who worked for 28 years in Uganda Police Force.

Nyabigambu’s did not believe in sending girls to school, so she was kept at home doing chores while others attended classes.

“During our time, most families did not prioritise education for  girls and only boys would be taken to school. I did not get a chance to study,” says the 64-year-old.

Nyabigambu cannot forget the day when she was attending to customers in a bar and an army van passed by their trading centre scouting for people to join the Local Defence Unit (LDU) in 1988.

Because she was not educated, the young woman was afraid to try her luck at the opportunity but the officers persuaded her to join LDU after she spoke to them in Kiswahili.

“The army officers found me selling alcohol at a bar, in their words, ‘young lady why don’t you join LDU so that you protect and safeguard your area?’ but I quickly replied, ‘I am not educated.’
They pressed on asking whether she knew how to speak Swahili and Nyabigambu responded in affirmative. The officers arranged for a meeting for the next day.” 

The journey starts
The next morning, Nyabigambu went for training which lasted six months and after they were passed out, she was handed a gun.

Her first deployment was in her locality in July 1988  at Wasenko Landing Site in Buliisa district on Lake Albert to protect the water borderline of Uganda and DR Congo.

“My first deployment was at Wanseko Landing Site to check luggage of people going to DR Congo but we were not paid any salary because we were told that we are protecting our area and country. I worked for five years,” she says.

Thereafter, she was taken to join Uganda Police Force for reinforcement.

“After being selected to join Uganda Police, I was taken for a three-weeks-course and after, we were taken for target shooting training at Butiaba Rift Valley Escarpment and our names were forwarded to Kampala for screening and approval,” she recalls.

Nyabigambu says she was lucky and her name came on top and she was recruited into Uganda Police where she worked for 28 years.

The pay
The first years when she joined the police, Nyabigambu says, she only received a measly allowance for upkeep.

“After working for some time, they started paying us a salary of Shs 47,000 and by the time I retired, I was earning Shs 370,000,” she says.

On how she managed to save, “Our leaders in the force used to advise us on how to handle our little monies and emphasised our need to be frugal. I cannot forget an example they always cited that you should not see your neighbour cooking chicken and you also buy one. Buy vegetables bearing in mind that you need to develop yourself by buying chicken and goats to look after,” she adds

She says this advice stuck and always rang whenever she got paid. She saved and bought pieces of land in Buliisa District.

Retirement
When time for her retirement approached, Nyabigambu says she requested for more years because she wanted her beneficiary (her nephew) to first complete Senior Four.

“ I was ready to retire sometime back but  my nephew’s needs were pressing,” she explains.

She says with paltry earnings, she bought land and later built rentals. She rented other pieces of land to farmers.

“I have always had a knack for business and so, the rentals came in handy. I have also established a shop where I make some income to run my family. And, I am contented,” she states continuing: “For all these years I served as a police constable, I carried my gun all the time like a baby, it is time to focus on business.”

She is happy to have left a clean record with her former employer. 
“In all my years of service, I never committed any offence and I had never been detained,” she says. 

Typical day

“I spend the day at my shop attending to my customers and in my free time, I move around to check my other properties,” she says.

Unlike in the past when she had to be  at the duty station by 6am, today, she has time to catch up on her sleep.

Two cents

Nyabigambu advises fellow service men and women to maintain discipline while on duty.

“Officers ought to be passionate about service and in police, discipline is paramount whether you are educated or not, otherwise you will not have a smooth ride,” she reveals.

She says when young educated police officers would be posted to her duty station, she had to mentor them on how to carry out day-to- day activities of the Police Force. “We were always referred to as senior special police constable,”  she recalls with a smile.

Nyabigambu is grateful to have been  recruited without  formal education and allowed to serve for so long.