A blind man’s struggle to get pension

Mr Tibigambwa (L) is led by his son in Hoima recently. Mr Tibigambwa (L) is led by his son in Hoima recently. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MUGERWA By Francis Mugerwa In Summary David Kaliisa Tibigambwa, a 62-year-old teacher, who lost his sight in a laboratory accident in 1983, has been trying to get his pension in vain since 2010. Hoima David Kaliisa Tibigambwa is a retired teacher struggling to access his pension and gratuity. The 62-year-old resident Kijogo Cell, Busiisi Division in Hoima Municipality is sad and puzzled by what he is going through after spending several years in civil service but accessing his pension and gratuity packages has proved to be a hurdle. “I served this country diligently and even lost my sight while on duty but I am surprised why I am not being helped to access my pension arrears,” Tibigambwa, a soft spoken retired teacher, says sadly. On the evening of June 15, 1983, Mr Tibigambwa was preparing a chemistry practical exercise for Senior Four candidates at Duhaga Secondary School, when he lost his sight. “I adjusted a microscope and when I looked through it, my nerves were burnt by the sharp light,” he says. He was later told by doctors who examined his eyes that the microscope was connected to electricity which produced intense light that damaged them when he looked through an illuminated microscope. The challenges Since he lost his sight, Mr Tibigambwa’s life has never been the same. The able-bodied man had to be guided by good Samaritans to walk. He ceased seeing anything in this world. He can no longer select the clothes he dresses. He says after losing sight, his hearing sense also got impaired. He virtually needs a caretaker in every activity he has to undertake. He claims to suffer stigma from sections of the public who make fun of him. He reportedly spent one month devastated by the loss of his sight as he could hardly imagine how his life would be without seeing. On July 6, 1983, he went to the Iganga Centre for the Blind, where he spent one year studying how to teach the blind and other students with impairments. In 1986, he underwent rehabilitation at Nabumali Rehabilitation Centre, where he was taught life skills and how to cope with life after losing sight. He returned to Hoima in 1989 and initiated the Hoima Association for Disabled Persons. The association taught the blind to start income generating projects such as making charcoal stoves and chairs. Uganda National Association of the Blind (UNAB) officials convinced him to start teaching blind pupils at St. Bernadette Primary School in Hoima, a calling he accepted in May 1991. Mr Tibigambwa enrolled at Duhaga Primary Teachers College in 1994 and obtained a Grade III teachers Certificate in 1996. In 2004, he obtained a scholarship from Sight Savers which enabled him to enroll for a diploma in special needs education at Kamurasi Primary Teachers’ College. He graduated in 2007. Shortly after obtaining the diploma, he was posted to St. Bernadette Primary School to teach blind pupils. He retired from civil service in 2010. Tibigambwa joined the teaching profession in 1970 after he missed out a vacancy to enroll for A-Level at Kabalega Secondary School in Masindi District. “I had wanted to pursue BCM (Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics) with an ambition of becoming an engineer or a pharmacist but vacancies were so competitive,” he recalls. He secured a government job when he joined civil service as a teacher and was deployed at Kizibu Primary School in Masindi. He was transferred to Kasunga Primary School in Hoima in 1971. In 1972, he was posted to Kigaaya COU Primary School. The school where he spent the longest period of his civil service was Duhaga Secondary School, where he served from March 1973 up to 1983 when he lost his sight. His blindness has made the responsibility of catering for his family extremely difficult. He at times relies on the goodwill of sympathizers as he continues to await the time when he will access his retirement package. His struggle to earn a living in his retirement was slightly made easier when he secured a contract in February this year at St. Andrea Kahwa’s College, where he is teaching blind students. “I submitted by pension claims in 2010 but to date I have never got any response,” he says. He is married to Robinah Kaliisa, with whom they are blessed with seven children and five grandchildren. “I have accompanied my husband several times to various offices in Hoima and Kampala to pursue his pension. We have spent even the little money we have but we do not see any positive results,” Kaliisa says. Tibigambwa, who is struggling to care for his family given his meager earnings, hopes to find it easier when he is paid his pension and gratuity. But accessing his entitlements seems obscure given the widespread irregularities that have rocked the Public Service ministry where billions of shillings meant for pensioners were reportedly embezzled by some bureaucrats who are under police interrogation. He wants to use his retirement package to start dairy and poultry projects. He recently petitioned the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Service, Mr Henry Muganwa Kajura, who has promised to address his concerns. “I received his petition and I am making a follow up to ensure he gets his entitlements,” Mr Kajura said.