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Emmanuel Karungi (31), a resident of Rukoko I Cell in Nyabitusi Parish, Kamwenge District, and a cobbler in Rukunyu Town, has for years been entertaining people at functions to earn a living
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Karungi says disability cannot stop his ability
Born with a disability in his legs, Karungi cannot stand or walk. However, he uses his condition to entertain people at various functions. Karungi, who performs at events, dances while squatting. It was at a certain graduation ceremony in Ibanda District that he was found entertaining guests as they offered him money.
"I was born like this, and because I could not walk or go to the streets to beg, I decided to find a skill where I could use my hands to earn. I am able to work even more," he said.
Skill
Married with three children, Karungi puts food on the table by repairing shoes and entertaining people at functions in Ibanda, Kiruhura, Kazo, Kamwenge, and Fort Portal in order to earn a living and support his family.
He says he learned shoe repair in Ibanda and can make a shoe when given materials. However, due to limited capital, he is only able to repair old or damaged shoes for people who pay him between Shs 500 and Shs 2,000, depending on the condition of the shoe.
Entertainment
He narrates that while performing at functions, if things go well, he can earn between Shs 70,000 and Shs 100,000. Whenever he arrives at a venue, he asks the master of ceremonies to give him a chance to perform. However, when the MC fails to recognize him, he becomes stranded.
"I got connections through a friend who saw me at a function and began linking me to other places where I could perform, and that is how I have managed to survive. At first, I was nervous about appearing before people, but I later developed confidence. Whenever I get to a function, I inform the MC to include me among the performers, and sometimes they slot me in. When the MC is not informed, I may not get a chance to entertain people. And when the MC fails to call me, I get stranded, and the only option is to return home," he narrates.
Karungi dancing at an event
Karungi has spent ten years hustling to provide for his family.
"I have spent 10 years doing all these jobs, but the money is little. Whatever I get, I use it to take care of my children. I must ensure that I do all it takes for my children to study because my firstborn started school this year. Where I fail, my wife takes over," he added.
Advice
He advises people with the ability to work to avoid risky behavior, work hard, and fight poverty with the little they have. Ms. Christine Kyinkuheire, Karungi’s wife, says that in the 10 years they have spent together, she has found her husband to be a caring man.
"Karungi has been a good husband who takes care of his family. I met him in 2016, and everything he promised, he fulfilled. He asked me to marry him and was willing to make me happy," she said.
Ms. Kyinkuheire adds that they work together to sustain their family, and as a farmer, she contributes to the household needs alongside her husband.
"We work together, and he puts in all his efforts. I grow potatoes, beans, maize, and other crops for the family, and he also hustles as a cobbler. He brings whatever little he gets, and where it is not enough, I also contribute so that our home can survive. Our children go to school, and sometimes we fail to raise all the school fees, but we try to ensure they study like others," she explained.
What keeps them going, she says, is ignoring community gossip, which she believes cannot sustain their family but only brings negative energy.
"Even here in the neighborhood, people talk behind my back, asking what I admire about him. But my husband ensures that we are happy, and we have children to raise. I have to stand with him so that our children grow well," she narrated.
Torch Media Africa
