I Have Been Robbed

“Hello”

“Joel Jemba hello”

“Joel, I have been robbed”

“What?! Where?”

“On these busy streets around the old taxi park”

“Ayah! What exactly happened?”

I am getting ahead of the whole story, let me start from the start.

A couple of months back, a close friend of mine had planned a surprise visit to yours truly, Joel Jemba, for the purpose of the story, let’s call her Becky. Cool name, right? So, Becky was at the University by then, and on a certain weekend she was so bored at her hostel and she decided to give a close friend a visit. (Yes, I am just a friend to her, she friend zoned me)

Moving on swiftly, on that weekend, I remember it was a Saturday, she called me to confirm a few things on his surprise arrangement yet to keep me out of the knowledge of the surprise. At around 10:30am my phone rings and I answered.

“Joel Jemba, hello” I said

“Good morning Joel Jemba” She said

“Good morning Becky.”

“Any plans for the day? Going out and all?”

“Nothing really, I am just going to be home all day, reading and eating nothing serious.”

“You and eating you are inseparable!” She said with a sigh

“Hehehe” I giggled

“Anyway, I just wanted to check on you and also know if you had any plans for the day.”

“Oh, okay, thanks for the check, I appreciate.”

“Alright.”

In just a split second, she hang up and started to prepare to leave the hostel. Meanwhile, as she was preparing, I am home eating and reading, sticking to the plan of the day. After she had prepared and ready to go, she checked her purse and she had money to use, okay, not a lot of money, but enough, she then placed the purse in the backpack with had a laptop in it, she closed all the backpack zips carefully – very keen person.

She walked to the road to get a taxi (By that time there was no Uber, at least here in Uganda) so anyway, a few moments, the taxi stop and she embarked and just after she was comfortably seated she started sending messages constantly. Take it from me, girls ladies have tactics and tricks when they are sending messages. But this is not the time to expose them.

The taxi made it last stop at the shell petrol station Kampala Road next city square. After paying the conductor of the taxi, the conductor gave her change (Most Ugandans call it balance) and she pocketed it instead of putting it in the money purse which was now inside the backpack.

Kampala Old Taxi park, Uganda. commonly known as Park Enkadde

Amidst the commotion in the city centre and the busy streets, she was in search of Ggaba taxis, as she walked towards mega standard supermarket around the Mutaasa kafeero building, someone opened her backpack and stole her purse and in the commotion she didn’t notice until she was crossing the road when she turned and noticed her backpack zip was open.

In that panic, curiosity and frustration she observed around to spot the thief, but how can you in all the commotion and noise. In a few moments she stood on the roadside on a less congested placed and called me.

Now let’s pick it up from the first lines of the story, “Ayah, what exactly happened?”

“I am going to explain everything when I am there.”

“Ooookay”

“Yes, I didn’t tell you before, but I planned to surprise you today with a visit”

“Oh really? Okay, come through and tell me everything”

Moments later she came and she told everything, how it all happened. I had even seen her so sad and frustrated like she was. In her purse there were identity cards, money, ATM cards and other things ladies usually carry.

There is an African proverb that says, you always learn a lot more when you lose than when you win. You see, yes, it was a bad experience, but I believe she learnt something, no? And one the things everyone should know is; when walking through the city centre of Kampala, especially around the old taxi park commonly known as Park Enkadde, be swift and mindful about your belongings, because Kampala ain’t buildings.

He who learns, teaches. ~ Ethiopian Proverb.

This blog was curated on ugbloc.com