Herbert Kayinda on why he left Kampala for Kiryandongo

HERBERT KAYINDA, 39, is a teacher and founder of Akaana-Kaitu Kids Foundation in Kiryandongo district. Akaana-Kaitu is aimed at uplifting the plight of vulnerable children through providing access to quality education and health care. Quick Talk caught up with him.  

Hello Herbert! Please tell Quick Talk about yourself!

I am Herbert Kayinda. I refer to myself as a professional teacher by experience. My experience working with children and teachers goes back twenty years. I am the founder of Akaana-Kaitu Kids Foundation. I double as the deputy director for Kigumba Center nursery and primary school, Kiryandongo.  

When does your story start?

I was born in 1983 in Kampala to Fred Lumu, [now] a retired politician, and Aisa Birungi Atwooki, a retired teacher. I am second born in a family of two children from my mother. My big brother passed on in 2015. However, we are multiple children from my father’s side. My father is a Muganda. My mother is a Munyoro.  

Which schools did you attend?

I completed my Primary Seven at Bat Valley primary school, before proceeding to Katikamu SDA where I sat for both my Ordinary and Advanced Level exams. I later joined Makerere University Business School where I did a bachelor’s degree in International Business. I proceeded to Uganda Management Institute for a master’s degree in Institutional Management and Leadership.  

How did you end up in Kiryandongo, of all places?

My mother was a teacher at Aga Khan Foundation until 1994; when she moved back to Kiryandongo, I could tell that the pay wasn’t as good. She, together with my late elder brother, decided to relocate to Kiryandongo where they established the nursery school. I was left in the hands of my relatives in Kampala since I was attending school. The mother’s love kept attracting me to Kiryandongo. I would come to Kampala for school and then move back to Kiryandongo for my holidays. By the time I graduated, I had decided to stay fully in Kiryandongo. I am a typical mummy’s boy [laughs].  

How was the transition?

I am a mummy’s boy; my mother was there. From an early stage, my mother made me and my brother believe that we had a stake in whatever she was establishing. I gravitated towards where my mother was in most cases. I have always wanted to support her dreams.  

A teacher by experience, not training…

I have worked with teachers for the last twenty years. The teacher in me comes alive through constant interactions with people in a school setting. It is then that I got to notice that most of our teachers weren’t professionals, but we came out well by God’s grace. Sometimes you don’t have to be in a classroom to understand the needs of the child. These interactions helped me to appreciate vulnerable children. This resonated with my desire to create a future for vulnerable children. I want these vulnerable children to enjoy a life that I was unable to enjoy while growing up. This partly contributed to the birth of Akaana-Kaitu. [Akaana-Kaitu is a Runyoro word that means ‘our child’. The foundation is inspired by his past and was established to help vulnerable children access basic education, health care and general welfare.]  

Who foots these expensive medical bills?

I am blessed to have like-minded friends. They are always ready and willing to share my plight. These friends always go the extra mile to ensure that children have a smile on their faces. They sometimes chip in both financially and materially.  

How was your life growing up?

It wasn’t a walk in the park. Growing up with a single mother took a huge toll on me. Although my mother’s salary was Shs 500 as a nursery teacher in the early 90s, my school fees was Shs 1,000. To complement her meager earnings, my mother sold fried fish along Rashid Khamis road. The huge Asian community there provided a ready market. Somehow, the fried fish and fried cassava became a source of extra earnings for my mother. Such experiences shaped my hopes that things would be better one time. They have also helped me paint a picture of hope for the children I am looking after. I am a success story of hope and persistence. When someone speaks a language that you have experienced, they somehow make sense.  

How do you benefit from all this?

I take pleasure in knowing that there’s a child whose life was saved by rushing them to the hospital for immediate medical attention. My mind is freed when we have a successful surgery to help a child walk again. I am proud that my successors will have good deeds on which to build. Improving the plight of a child is not an individual effort.  

Well, most NGOs die with their founders…

Akaana-Kaitu has a team of volunteers that have dedicated their resources toward the well-being of these children. As a founder, comfort is derived from knowing that you have a team of right-thinking people who believe in what you believe in. I am confident that even when I am long gone, there’s someone that God shall appoint to move my works forward. Secondly, part of my salary goes towards setting up different revenue streams that can sustain Akaana-Kaitu when I am long gone.  

Are you married?

I am traditionally married to Eva Nassuuna. We have four children together. Our eldest son is eleven and the youngest daughter is three years. My wife is a secondary school teacher. Her experiences in dealing with children have made my work of looking after children easier.  

How did you meet her?

My half-sister informed me that there was someone that she had wanted me to meet. She requested me to be nice and gentle. When I eventually met [Eva] in Kampala, she ticked all the boxes. We met in 2009 and got traditionally married in 2010. As they say, the rest is history.  

So, you are one of the success stories of matchmaking!

Oh yes! There are very many fruits to prove it. We are still together 13 years later. We have a happy family.  

So, teacher Herbert, how many pairs of shoes do you have?

I only have five pairs of shoes. I haven’t found time to go shopping but these five are my favourites. Although I love nice things, I am not a very luxurious person. I find it hard spending on these nice things.  

How many pairs of trousers do you have?

I have between five and 10 pairs of trousers. Enough to take me through a week [laughs].  

What is your best book?

I have attempted to read a book by Danielle Steel – I have forgotten the title. I prefer following up on current affairs.  

Do you have any regrets?

Yes! Akaana-Kaitu should have started earlier. There has been so much need and I have been so unaware of what I can do within my small little mind. It is something I regret to this day.  

What crazy side of you don’t people know?

Very few know that I am both a good dancer and a jovial person. I am very funny. My jokes are always at my fingertips.  

Hmmm… and what music do you listen to?

Gospel music. I have grown up in a very Christian family. Hillsong and Pastor Wilson Bugembe are my favourites. Their music is edifying.  

If you could turn back time, what would you do differently?

I would be the District Education Officer or anything that is in the role of looking after children.  

What superpower do you wish you had?

Turn anything into good that can fix the lives of children. After us, it is the children. samuelmhindo@gmail.com https://observer.ug/lifestyle/75042