richardbalenzi.blog

  Growing up in East Africa in the ’90s, the road to success seemed pretty straightforward: do well in school, get good grades, earn a degree, land a stable 9-5 job, work hard, and save for retirement. It was a tried-and-tested formula that had worked for the previous generation. But even back then, there were signs that things weren’t as secure as they seemed. Economic changes in the region led to job cuts and restructuring in the public sector, leaving hundreds of thousands of professionals out of work. The once-stable 9-5 didn’t seem so solid anymore. Still, for many, the dream remained—that is, until the 2000s came along with a new way of thinking. Books like  Rich Dad, Poor Dad  by Robert Kiyosaki changed the game, making us rethink what success and financial freedom actually looked like. The War on the 9-5 In  Rich Dad, Poor Dad , Kiyosaki contrasts his two father figures. His biological father, a well-paid university professor, is called the “poor dad” because...

It has been about 30 years since I first set foot in St. Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK). Looking back at that first week, it was an intimidating experience. SMACK was arguably the best boys' high school in Uganda at the time, renowned for academic excellence. The walls had a fresh coat of white and blue paint, the lawns were immaculate, and not a single window was broken. The students were well-spoken and smartly dressed. Every teacher who addressed us referred to us as "gentlemen" and informed us that we had joined the country's crème de la crème. We were expected to conduct ourselves impeccably to be worthy of that reputation. I came from the more modest Shimoni Demonstration Primary School. I wondered if I would  make it. I was somewhat lucky—my older brother, Paul, a Form 4 prefect, had already paved the way. That year, 15 boys from Shimoni were admitted, including my closest friend, Edwin Muhumuza, the highest number at the time. Our Form 1 class had about 170 b...