Uganda Today Edition: Climbing Life’s Wall: A Salute to the Twin Pillars – Wasswa and Kato at 60
By Uganda Today Columnist
In a world often shaped by uncertainty, there are some lives that resemble a Chinese climbing wall—towering, rugged, and demanding unwavering resolve to ascend. Such are the lives of twins Godfrey Wasswa Kibugo Kiganda and Christopher Muganga Kato (CMK), born on the 20th day of May 1965 at Ntenjeru Health Centre in the enchanting district of Kayunga Bugerere, nestled in the beautiful place of Buganda.
They came into the world not as a solo note, but as a divine duet—children of now deceased Isaac Ssekirevu Lutaaya Ssalongo and Mega Namala Nalongo, whose love bore more than sons—it bore legacy.
Now, sixty years later, these sons of the soil stand not just as survivors of time but as symbols of resilience—a story akin to that famous Chinese climbing wall military tactic: where soldiers faced an unscalable enemy wall, not with brute force, but with unwavering unity, vertical will, and the spirit of collective uplift. Wasswa and Kato have scaled life’s heights, each with scars, lessons, and laughter as proof.
Wasswa’s Journey: Trials Carved in Stone
Wasswa, the elder by moments, did not glide through youth on smooth paths. His tale winds through valleys of pain and peaks of providence. As a child, the innocent fear of a chameleon, thrust upon him by a much older cousin named Jane Nampeera, resulted in a frightened sprint—one that fractured his leg and nearly clipped his flight too early. That broken limb became a metaphor for his early life: bent but not broken.
Years later, in 2008, another brush with death came under the shadow of the night, when iron bar hitmen—Katayimbwa—struck him down, leaving him for dead. But as in the legend of the wall, help came from the same DNA—Kato, his twin, who found him bloodied, unconscious, and hurried him to Mulago Hospital, where dawn returned to his spirit the next day.
And then again, on Mityana Road, a near-fatal accident reminded him that life, like the climb, offers no guarantees—only grit.
Kato’s Journey: The Quiet Rock
Kato’s ledger of trials reads shorter, but his soul no less deep. Save for a minor inguinal hernia surgery in 2019 and a mysterious bout of hiccups that followed, he has largely walked a calmer path. Yet, even in health, his character was chiselled by moments of rebellion against injustice.
He recounted, to an amused audience at their 60th birthday party, a memory from 1979. Then a spirited Primary Five pupil, Kato faced off with a tyrannical teacher who had turned the classroom into a field of fear— very often ordering boys to strip shirts and together with girls, hold stones in both palms as punishment for no justifiable cause at his will. Defiant and dignified, young Kato walked off toward the head teacher’s office, forcing the trembling teacher to reverse his decree and return order to the classroom. That day, he climbed a moral wall, alone but triumphant in reducing and stemming the errant teacher’s actions henceforth.
A Celebration of Legacy and Laughter
Their 60th birthday, like a crown atop the summit, was celebrated in joyful festivity. Hosted by their children led by Nabasirye Ruth and graced by their wives, siblings, grandchildren, and close kin, it was a day where memory met meaning. Wasswa and Kato, donning elegantly embroidered trendy wear courtesy of daughter Nakirigya Florence, were seen in photos cradling their grandchildren—their smiles echoing gratitude, their posture exuding quiet pride.
A life well-lived is not without scars—it is the presence of love, faith, and forgiveness that lifts it to the realm of legend. And so the twins capped the day with a humble thanksgiving, acknowledging that, as with every climb, there is a final descent—and when the game of life draws to a close, we shall all return to the Father.
Twin Pillars of Faith and Fortitude
Like the soldiers of the famed climbing wall, Wasswa and Kato have leaned on one another to scale hardship, outsmart injustice, and weather storms. Their story is not just a personal milestone—it is a testimony of resilience, a manual of brotherhood, and a parable for a Uganda in search of its moral footing.
As they enter their seventh decade, may their journey inspire the rest of us to cling to family, challenge injustice, and scale our own walls—no matter how steep.
Happy 60th Birthday, Wasswa and Kato. May your days ahead be as golden as the balloons that adorned your celebration tent.
Published by www.ugandatoday.co.ug, your trusted source for news and analysis
Website: https://www.ugandatoday.co.ug/about-cmk
Website: https://www.ugandatoday.co.ug
WhatsApp: +256 702 239 337
X (formerly Twitter): @uganda43443 | @ugtodaynews
Email: ugandatodayedition@gmail.com
Let’s help you grow your brand and keep your audience informed. Partner with Uganda Today—where your story matters in shaping the social and economic dynamics of the country.