It is not every day that a prominent Ugandan business personality shares their life story as candidly as
However, last week, during the
For the uninitiated, Katongole is the executive chairman of
Below is the moving speech of his rise in business that he shared with his
"Good morning my Rotary Family.
Over the years,
Thank you, President
I am a Ugandan born in 1962.
My parents were both illiterate village peasants. My Father worked as a labourer at a tea estate while my Mother worked as a domestic servant to Church missionaries. I was the last child after 3 girls.
Looking for an opportunity, My Father moved to
In
My Mother could not afford to keep the 4 of us in our tree shed and grass thatched school. In 1969, she removed my 3 sisters from school to concentrate on me.
I spent much of my childhood doing odd jobs including selling roasted corn by the roadside. My evenings and weekends were spent herding goats & guarding them against hyenas.
Meanwhile, my sisters were caught up in absolute poverty. The oldest got pregnant at age 15. She carried the pregnancy to term but there was no money to take her to the nearest birth attendant. She bled to death. My other two sisters later died of HIV/AIDS.
I lived a lonely life with my Mother in our grass thatched hut, but the long hours of work paid off when I excelled in my Primary school exams.
Unfortunately, we could not afford College education. We gave up until my first
Sadly, my Mother soon after died of cancer. I was scared and frightened that I would be the next and last in my family to die.
Luckily, I got a spouse who became the Rock of my love and Mother to our children. They inspired me to be part of the solution to the diseases that were killing millions of Ugandans. These were HIV/AIDS, malaria & cancer.
I co-founded a pharmaceutical company. We did not have enough money and therefore started the business within
My second
This business has grown and manufactures HIV/AIDS and malaria medicines. We employ over 600 professionals and supply our medicines to 20 African countries. About 2 million people in
In
Not sure how my past takes credit for joining
Through Rotary I am determined to pay backwards and forward. About to reach my second AKS and growing.
I helped build a
My history and
As we leave
History will favour us. The next generation will be proud of us and a better World will be there because of our actions.
Thank you. God bless you. God bless
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