Ugandan entrepreneur Racheal Naijuka has shared how a chance encounter with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in 2001 changed her life and helped her family overcome difficult times. What began as a simple day helping her mother decorate a venue in Katuna, Kabale District, eventually opened the door to an education scholarship through State House.
Naijuka was about 10 or 11 years old when her mother, who operated a small decoration business, was hired to prepare a venue for peace talks between Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. While helping with balloons and flowers, the young girl never imagined that she would attract the attention of the Ugandan President.
According to Naijuka, who shared the experience during a podcast interview, Museveni noticed her sitting at the back of the venue and called her over. He asked her name and why she was attending the important meeting. After she explained that she had accompanied her mother to help with the decorations, he reportedly took her by the hand and brought her closer to the presidential delegation.
The unexpected experience continued when rain forced organisers to move the meeting to White Horse Inn in Kabale. As the presidential convoy prepared to leave Katuna, Museveni reportedly directed security personnel to put Naijuka in one of the vehicles. Her mother remained behind at the border, unaware of where her daughter had gone.
At the hotel, Naijuka spent time playing in the gardens as the meeting continued. After the discussions, the delegation returned to Katuna, where Museveni met her family and reportedly instructed then Foreign Affairs Minister James Wapakhabulo to arrange for the young girl to visit him at his Rwakitura home. He also handed the family a brown envelope, although Naijuka said she could no longer remember what it contained.
However, the family later faced serious difficulties after Naijuka’s father died in 2001. Her mother struggled to provide for the children and sought assistance from State House, hoping to follow up on the earlier encounter. Unfortunately, she also died before the process was completed, leaving Naijuka’s aunt to continue pursuing the matter.
Her aunt later contacted presidential adviser Grace Nyakwenegura, who reportedly helped present Naijuka’s photographs and details to State House. These efforts eventually led to Naijuka receiving a State House scholarship that supported her education and helped her and her siblings continue with school despite losing both parents.
Looking back on the experience more than two decades later, Naijuka, now an entrepreneur and chief executive officer of Tanias Reusables, says the intervention played a major role in her family’s future. “If it wasn’t for President Museveni, I and my siblings would never have finished school,” she said, adding that she hopes to meet the President again someday.
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