KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan author and academic Jimmy Spire Ssentongo is challenging his country’s culture of dishonesty in his new satirical book, “What Died When We Lived.” The book, launched at the Human Rights and Peace Centre, argues that Ugandans have normalized a life of cheating and fraudulent behavior.
According to Ssentongo, who specializes in ethics, the book aims not to portray a pessimistic view of Uganda but to highlight issues that require immediate attention. “I focus on honesty because I realized that many problems we face have a lot to do with truth, values and principles,” he said. He described a society where people scheme to cheat or take advantage of others, a behavior that has become cultural and consumed all sectors of society, from families and religious institutions to government offices.
Ssentongo uses the Luganda word “enjawulo” — meaning “the difference” — to describe a common form of normalized theft. He explains that everyone from a child buying groceries to a foreman on a job wants to pocket the difference between the actual cost and the amount they’re given. In both the public and private sectors, kickbacks are a standard part of business, often leading to a compromise in service quality.
“They say, ‘We are many to eat on that.’ It is a thick ecosystem of feeding and eating — a giant cobweb of inescapability,” Ssentongo said.
Winnie Byanyima, a key speaker at the book launch, compared the work to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” stating that while Orwell’s pigs became men, Ssentongo shows how corruption in Uganda has become normalized, even celebrated. “This book is a gift to Uganda — for the activist seeking courage, the student learning to question and the journalist holding the line under pressure,” she said.
Dr. Bishop Zac Niringiye, another speaker, urged Ugandans to read the book, calling it a “masterpiece” that makes it clear that the responsibility for transforming the country lies with all its citizens.
Ssentongo dedicated the book to those “who have allowed their conscience to die while they live.” It is organized into seven sections covering moral crisis, governance, politics, social services, education, patriotism, Pan-Africanism and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic.
