‘This is paradise’ – Golola raves about his new house

He came in a navy blue suit, but he had no sooner taken his sit than the coat sleeves tore off. It was too thin for his bulging shoulders and biceps, as he flexed them for the cameras. He peeled it off and remained in a Rock Boom vest. Now, whoever frowned at his late coming, was smiling. Trust the master of showbiz. ‘Golola Moses, of Uganda.’
First, he smiled as he sat on the comfy woolen grey sofa, flanked by his mother, sponsors and the sports minister’s representative.

Then he sat beside the dining table and screamed “Bring my porridge…” with an apish smile.
To his right, he crossed to the kitchen, fully stocked with a brand new gas cooker, a fridge, etc. ‘Jesus!’ he exclaimed. Went on his knees. “Get up, one of his sponsors tried to pull him up. But the fighter, soaked in emotion, stayed pinned on the beautifully tiled floor, speechless. For seconds. The first time Golola is seen speechless.
Then he rose, like he usually does in his ring encounters.

 To see more. From one bedroom to another. Like a WWE wrestler, he flew and fell, not on the opponent nor on the canvas, but on the sprawling bed in the master bedroom.
“Mama, where are you?” he screamed, goggle-eyed, “this is moment…” He muttered, as he turned aimless. “Am I crying?” he said as he wiped his face. “I don’t want to cry,” as his mother strolled in to marvel. 

Golola looked overawed. Confused, somehow. Cameras captured every single second. And surely, every single second mattered, especially with Golola around. He is a seasoned performer. Not only in the ring. Also in movies, ads and before media cameras.
He bypassed the single room he erected on this plot donated by his late father in Lugoba-Kawempe, like it never existed.
On seeing the detached guest room, “Oh my God,” he remarked. Sometimes he lies, or exaggerates, but perhaps, this time he is being honest, “This is beyond my dream, I never expected it.”

“This is paradise,” he said of the three-bedroom fully-furnished house, courtesy of Haris International, the makers or Riham food and beverages.
Outside, it was drizzling. He raised his arms and screamed, “All these are blessings.”
Mother’s wish
His mother, Mary Nakandi, equally couldn’t hide her delight. 

“May the Lord bless Haris for the good heart,” she said, shivering in emotion. “Many promise but few deliver. Where do you get a friend like this?”
She also couldn’t hide her prime wish for her son. “This mat is a gift for you and when you get a wife, she will sit her guests.”

Golola has, deservedly and controversially, defeated many men, most rated higher than him. In boxing and kickboxing. He has also earned from corporate endorsements. But none of those ventures ever delighted him like this moment. None of them rewarded him more than this. 
Haris did not disclose the cost of the project that begun late last year, but surely it is the biggest reward for Golola’s ceaseless fight for relevance on and off the canvas.

“Golola has been a good ambassador for our Rock Boom brand since 2014. And this is his reward,” said Ahmed Shadi, director sales and marketing, Haris International. “We made this promise November last year and wanted to deliver in record time, but Covid-19 greatly challenged us. I nearly postponed the project, but my team greatly supported me to this success.”

The project also hosts the Golola Talent Academy, with a proper ring, and punching bags, a dream that earlier took Golola to State House begging, in vain.
“I could have named it Golola Kickboxing Academy, but I named it a talent academy because I want it to be a training centre for all combat talents,” he said.

Golola thanked almost everyone. From “My God fathers – of Haris International” to government. To fighting colleagues, coaches and federation heads. And movie directors. And the media. Duly, he said, they have all in a way, contributed to this beautiful goal scored by Riham. 
“At all times, you have been there for me.”
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