Last Saturday Moses, a rather small 14 year old but still in primary 4 where he should be at age 10 - 11 years came and did some work around our compound [garden, yard] trimming the edges etc. and earning the comparatively large sum of 2000 shillings [$1= 1750 and1 euro = 220]. After giving him lunch he fell fast asleep he has a 4 mile walk to get to our place fom his village. Sunday morning he arrived again, completely unexpected and not very welcome as these sort of visitations usually mean a problem and the need for money. However he said he did not want anything and since I was just going to church, Mass takes from 1 1/2 to 2 hours, he would come too and tell me afterwards. We had another 12 year old to pick up from school and return after Mass so it was a while until I discovered what he wanted. He had saved 5000 shillings from work he had done and wanted to buy a pair of trousers and a T shirt. He wanted me to come along as shot gun in case he was robbed in the market. He bought both for 4000. I then took him part way home but before he got out we sat for some 15mins in the car while I read his latest school test, standard ones from Kampala. I was rather dissappointed in some of his answers until I realised they were to do with traffic lights, he could read the word traffic and guessed the answer incorrectly of course. His problem is that he has never been more than few miles from home and the nearest traffic lights are in Kampala 200 miles away.
I left him to walk to his vallage and I drove home to get some well earned lunch at about 3.00pm. As I started on my glass of beer, who should reappear, really really not welcome but Moses in an awful state without his precious bright orange trousers and black shirt. A borda borda driver had seen him sitting in the car for a while and assuming that I had given him money had beat him up and robbed him. So back into the car to try and find the young man who Moses knew well from school. No luck. So we went to the police where we made statements. Monday morning I had to take time off work and he from school to go the hospital and get a signed report on his injuries. The next day we had to return to the police for some reason I never discovered, but 2 police decided to have a look so I had to drive them around. This is quite normal as funds don't run to police having vehicles except for special occasions like presidential visits. To their extreme delight we found the robber who was promptly arrested and admitted what he had done and then took us to where he had left the clothes so those will be returned in due course. All very satisfactory. This morning at 7.00am: who but MOSES AGAIN, this time with the distraught father asking whether I would forgive. Not a word of English and Moses still has a lot to learn so I tried to explain, I was nothing in the case, It was a criminal case and the police would do their own thing. We expected the case in court today but no luck. I think the young man has learned a lesson and is unlikely to do it again, Meanwhile I imagine he will lose his licence to carry passengers, for their safety. What a cost for nothing.
I am coming to the conclusion it is dangerous to be seen with muzungus.
The University starts in a week, compared with other places amazing progress has been made all due to the immensely hard work of everyone involved but a lot is still needed. I find I am giving a course in Biochemistry, which I should be working on instead of telling you all stories like this, also some lectures on the human body. Then as light relief a half hour talk on the Place of the University in National Development at a conference organised by the Tooro Kingdom. Some years ago Uganda reinstated some of the traditional kingdoms as cultural organisations, some like the idea some don't. The trouble is some kingdoms are trying to become political along tribal lines which is not a good sign, also with the intentions of getting their hands on rentable property to help with party time.
