Nelson Bugembe’s life journey to a promising entrepreneur with disability

Bugembe Nelson is a 23 year old graduate from Kampala International University (KIU). He holds a diploma in Information Technology and a certificate in computer repair and maintenance from Datamine Technical Institute.

Nelson was born just like any other ordinary child, however, at the age of two, he was taken for the well known polio vaccine immunization but he did not remain the same. Instead, they were shocked that the immunization ended into polio. It was very unfortunate but nevertheless life had to continue for Nelson irrespective of what happened. It took him close to seven months getting treatment and being attended to by medical doctors at  Mulago Referral Hospital. 

“Medical personnel tried their best to level my legs because one side had become shorter. Later when I was discharged from the hospital, I was taken back home and my father removed all that the doctors had improvised.” He said. 

After this tragedy, he was not able to walk any distance but rather just kept in one place, or perhaps crawled on his knees in case of any necessary and urgent movements. This went on until his father taught him how to use a walking stick to support his movement.

The long rehabilitation of learning to walk with the support of a walking stick, led Nelson into enrolment for his primary education and after completion, he qualified and proceeded for secondary school. 

In secondary school however, life was challenging for Nelson. He encountered bullies who made his stay at school very difficult. This however did not stop his persistence till he completed and enrolled for the university. 

While at the university, he also encountered barriers like accessibility. “I had to climb the stairs on a daily basis because my classes were on a storied building and hard to access considering my nature of disability. Amidst all the challenges, I didn’t give up on my dream. I had to look for half of my tuition to top on the half scholarship that the university had offered me. Besides that, I also had to look for ways of getting upkeep for myself with only a little assistance from my family and friends.” He said.

Nelson sat his final exams at the university which he passed hence paving way to the dreams he has always had.

“Today, I am proud to say that I am a qualified I.T Personnel, and I also decided to major in Social Media Management. During the outbreak of Covid19 and prior to my graduation early this year, I struggled with survival while taking care of my younger brother who had come to live with me from the village alongside two other friends of mine.” He said

During the period, Nelson came up with an idea of starting up a project of making detergents named Divine Detergents Uganda Ltd. The project mainly deals in the production of multipurpose liquid soap and dog shampoo. He said it has not been so easy being a startup but he has remained persistent and continues to look for clients for  his business idea and  products. This has also made it a little easier since he has  some social media knowledge. He therefore had to utilize this opportunity and market his products through social media platforms like, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

“My message to my fellow brothers and sisters with disabilities is that they should not undermine or pity themselves. Decide in life and break the barriers because everything is possible. Disability is not inability. Knowing you are not defined by your disability makes you do the impossible. Don’t allow your disability to limit you. Know that your ability is stronger and mightier than your disability.” He concluded.