By Joseph Mbazzi Muguluma
Forty-three years later, Joseph Mbazzi Muguluma still remembers 1983 as the year an ordinary act of kindness transformed his life, taking him from a village in Uganda to Moscow and leaving behind a youthful escapade whose unanswered questions endure to this day.
His extraordinary journey began on a Saturday morning near the Bulumagi–Nyenga Road, where he was collecting water and firewood for his grandfather, Livingstone Naidoo Mukasa’s family bakery, which produced Living Bread.
Driving a Peugeot 404 pickup, the young Muguluma encountered a stranded Nissan Laurel bearing diplomatic registration number CD 14.
Its occupants, Russian diplomat Mr Poklad and his wife, Yuri Shevenko, were struggling with a battery problem.
Muguluma helped jump-start the vehicle, restoring its engine to life. Grateful for his assistance, the couple invited him to visit them at the Russian Embassy in Kololo.
That encounter became the beginning of an extraordinary friendship.
Bringing Diplomats to the Village
With characteristic audacity, Muguluma persuaded his new acquaintances to bring a Kampala diplomatic football team to his home village in Namwezi Hill, Nakibizi, Mbiko.
They accepted, arriving with an 18-man team to face local footballers.
The match ended 1–1, drawing spectators from neighbouring communities, including Nyenga, Buikwe, Nazigo, Kangulumira, Wakisi, Naminya and Njeru.
His grandfather welcomed the visitors with freshly baked bread, roasted potatoes and cheese. The diplomats exchanged gifts and greetings, while the young organiser earned a reputation for connecting his village to a world previously beyond its imagination.
A Village Boy Takes Flight
The friendship soon yielded an even greater opportunity: a trip to Moscow.
Within a week, Muguluma had obtained a passport and boarded an Aeroflot aircraft for his first international journey. He recalls travelling through several African countries before reaching the Soviet capital, where he spent approximately one month.
Returning home with Russian souvenirs and T-shirts, he carried himself with newfound confidence. For a young man from Namwezi Hill, Moscow had become more than a distant name; it was a personal experience.
Yet 1983 also delivered a less glamorous adventure.
The Mystery of Alowo
During a night out in Mbiko, Muguluma says he slept at Alowo’s home, unaware that she was married. At approximately 3:25 a.m., her husband returned from a night shift at Nytil textile factory.
Muguluma escaped through a window wearing only his shirt. Musician Fred Ssebale rescued him by providing trousers.
Now, decades later, he is searching for Alowo—not to rekindle old troubles, but to understand what happened and finally close that chapter.
His memoir ultimately celebrates initiative, practical skills and the courage to pursue unlikely opportunities.
For Muguluma, 1983 remains proof that destiny can begin with a stranded car, a bold question and the willingness to help a stranger.
