Kulyennyingi, by M.B. Nsimbi, Chapter 1, Part 2

Commentary: This passage from the novel contains several humorous Luganda coinages for everyday household items. Obutebe bu mwasajjute are wooden folding chairs so hard that they "split a boil." At the other end of the comfort scale is the mwamyakooye: "chief-is-tired" easy chair. Finally, outdoor markets are dimly illuminated at night by many flickering munakutadooba oil lamps, which a "poor person" can use "without getting poorer."


At the start of the year 1963 the bosses of Lumiramwenge came to Jinja to get him and move him to Kampala. Those who witnessed his things being loaded onto the car and those who were there at their unloading in Kampala did not forget the laughable and even shameful things they saw. On the car there were three beds baled with a length of rubber cut from a tire. There was one straw mattress, stained and worn out. There were three egya jiija [?] sewn in an old jute sack. Four "split-a-boil" folding chairs and one ancient "chief-is-tired" easy chair. There were two tables, very dirty, that had to be steadied with a cooking pot. Those who were there saw one kerosene lamp with a glass cracked in six places and covered in soot. Of "poor-man-won't-get-poorer" oil lamps there were two, likewise very old. A big chest visible on top of the car was made of planks, very old and termite-eaten. Those who looked upon these items marveled that Lumiramwenge knew how to keep things forever. But some asked themselves, "What happened to this man's money?"
Lumiramwenge left Jinja with four children: Eriyazaali Wantaate and Paulo Ssambwa were born to Soga women who he had not married, Musa Kulyennyingi and Luusi Nakkazi were born to Ludiya Bukirwa, his ring-married wife. Namboozo Omugisu [another woman] who he had brought into the house, had not yet been married or had children. He would drive her away soon to go get married.
Although they sent Lumiramwenge to Kampala, where there was a school or schools on every corner, he didn't think much of book learning, saying "This kind of money they are asking for at the schools–that I don't have–I'll use it to teach the children myself." His own education had stopped at Junior 2, at which point he had gotten his job.
Fortunately, the education of all of Lumiramwenge's children was secured by a friend of Paulo Ssambwa. Mukama, Ssambwa's maternal uncle, worked in Kampala. When he saw how his nephew wasn't studying, he had a sit-down at his house and pressured his brother-in-law to educate his children. In the end, Lumiramwenge agreed to take the oldest children to school. Ssambwa and Kulyennyingi were the first to go—later he took their younger siblings—but all went to non-boarding schools.


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Mu matandika g'omwaka 1963 bakama ba Lumiramwenge mwe baamujjira e Jjinja ne bamuzza e Kampala. Abaalaba ku bintu bye nga bitikkibwa ku mmotoka n'abaaliwo nga bituuse gye baabiggirako tebagenda kwerabira bisesa ate nga biswaza, bye baalaba. Ku mmotoka kwaliko ebitanda bisatu eby'embaati ezisiba endiboota n'eky'ebipiira bya mmotoka kimu. Kwaliko omufaliso gumu ogw'olwanyo naye nga gwaguba ne gukamala. Kwaliko egya jiija esatu nga gyatungibwa mu nsawo za kkutiya enkadde. Obutebe bu mwasajjute bwaliko buna ne mwamyakooye enkadde enyo emu. Emmeeza zaaliko bbiri naye nga ziddugala nga ze batereezaako entamu ezifumba. Ettaala ey'ekirawuli abaaliwo baalaba emu naye ng'ekirawuli kiriko enjatika nga mukaaga ate ga kikutte omunyale. Bu munakutadooba bwaliko bubiri naye nga nabwo bukadde nnyo. Essanduuku ennene ku mmotoka yali ya mbaawo, nayo nga nkadde nnyo ate ng'enkuyege zaagiwalakata nnyo. Abaalaba ku bintu ebyo kye baatenda ku Lumiramwenge kwe kumanya okukuuma eby'edda. Naye abamu beebuuza nti "Ensimbi omusajja ono z'afuna zifa ki?"

Lumiramwenge yagenda okuva a Jjinja ng'alina abaana bana: Eriyazaali Wantaate ne Paulo Ssambwa be yazaala mu bawala Abasoga nga tannawasa, Musa Kulyennyingi ne Luusi Nakkazi abaazaalibwa Ludiya Bukirwa, mukazi we gwe yawasa empeta. Namboozo Omugisu gwe yalina mu maka nga tannawasa teyazaala. Oyo yamugoba mangu ng'agenda okuwasa empeta.

Newaakubadde nga Lumiramwenge baali bagmuzzizza mu Kampala omuli essomero oba amasomero ku buli kasozi naye eby'okusomesa abaana be yali tabirowoozaako nnyo, ng'agamba nti "Ensimbi ennyingi bwe zityo ze basaba mu masomero nze sirina gye nziggya okusomesa abaana be nnina". Sonno nga ye baamusomesa n'akoma mu Junior II, kyeyva afuna omulimu gwe yaliko.

Omukisa gw'okusomko abaana ba Lumiramwenge bonna baagufunira ku munnaabwe Paulo Ssambwa. mukama, kojja wa Ssambwa, yali akolera mu Kampala. Bwe yalaba ng'omwana wa mwannyina tasoma atudde butuuzi waka n'anyeenyerera mukoddomi we okusomesa abaana, okutuusa lwe yamukkirizisa okutwala abaana abakulu mu masomero. Ssambwa ne Kulyennyingi be yasooka okutwala, oluvannyuma ne bato baabwe n'abatwala naye nga bonna basomera mu masomero agatali ga bisulo.