From 2pm onwards, John Kaboroga Kabigabwa, 86, sits in his library to read business books or write business project proposals for aspiring businesspeople.
His library shelves are stacked with more than 3,000 books, and could be mistaken for a legal officer’s space. Kaboroga is a retired agricultural officer, who worked for 18 years and resigned from formal employment when he was 45 years old.The resident of Kibasi Town Council on Kijura Road, Kabarole District, was born in Kabale District. The retiree says for the years he worked up to his retirement, he was never prepared at all for retirement but says his few investments he made after joining civil service cushioned him.
“At 45, I resigned because my work environment was unconducive. I had several investments, little knowing they would help me in such times,” he recounts.
With a Bachelor of Science and Agriculture from the University of London affiliated to Makerere University, Kaboroga’s first posting was for six months in Fort Portal in 1964 , after which he was posted to Bunyoro region as an agricultural officer.
“In our days, provided one had attained a degree, a job, unlike today, was automatic. I was posted before receiving my final results,” he explains.
He says his monthly salary at that time was Shs1,330 part of which he save and used the rest to pay school fees for his siblings. He later bought 1.4 acres of land at Shs 3,350 in Kabale District.
“I never drank alcohol because I felt it was a waste of money. I would also save part of my allowance and go home right after work,” he recounts.
In 1969, he became the project manager of Uganda Seeds Scheme in Kawanda that was being implemented in Bunyoro for four years. In 1972, he was posted back to Fort Portal, where he worked as regional agricultural officer in charge of Tooro, Bunyoro, Ankole and Kigezi regions.
Kaboroga in his library at home
Two years later, he was posted to Entebbe as an assistant commissioner for agriculture and in 1977, he became provincial commissioner for Southern Ankole and Kigezi regions. Kaboroga was general manager for an agricultural enterprise heading eight tea factories in Uganda.
He says after buying his land in Kabale District, the father of famous journalist Shaka-Sali, Mr Mushakamba gave him 3,000 bricks and some of his friends gave him other building materials to start building his house.
“I constructed my first residential house but I did not stay in it and in 1970 I completed it, and rented it out to Asians who paid me Shs7m advance for four years. But in 1971, then president Idi Amin expelled them,” he says.
He then rented it out to an Italian company for some years and currently, the same house is being rented by a private school. Kaboroga says he used the rent he collected to buy other pieces of land in Kabarole, where he later established 200 acres of sugarcane and maize plantations.
“In the 1970s, I processed a loan of Shs 3,999 from Uganda Commercial Bank where I used the money to acquire two maize mills, a tractor and jaggery mill, for sugarcane, which I started using on my farm to generate more money.
The retired officer says by the time of his retirement in 1982, his monthly salary was Shs 7,500 but on his private farm in Kabarole he was earning Shs 40,000 per day.
“By retirement, my salary was less then my income from the farm. However, I was not prepared at all because I had no residential house, I had to rent a two-bedroom house in Kagote Housing Estates in Fort Portal as I was starting to plan for my residential house,” he says.
The 86-year-old made a lot of money from his farm and later joined tea farming where he currently owns 100 acres of tea and bought more pieces of land and established a home.
“I was not prepared at all by the time I retired because I resigned but it was a blessing that I retired because my farm paid off. My salary was meagre compared to the money from my farm. To date, I call myself a successful farmer,” he notes.
The retired agricultural officer says people who earn a salary need to save part of their earnings by investing in different projects both long and short term.
“Don’t spend all your money, make some investments now so that in future your money accumulates. But, lately people want to ‘eat’ their salary,” he notes.
He wakes up early in the morning, takes breakfast and drives to his farms to supervise until midday.
Kaboroga returns home for lunch and at 2pm he enters his library to read up to evening hours.
