🌶

I remember lying on my bed in my little bedroom at my father’s house. The room was dimly lit, with most of the light coming from my laptop screen. I remember asking God to take me out of this world. I told Him that even if He did it slowly, I wouldn’t mind. It was my birthday in 2011, and almost no one remembered. A couple of years earlier, I’d dropped out of university. My friends were beginning to graduate, and nothing seemed to be working out for me. I remember going through some difficult financial times and placing my hand on my old desktop computer, telling myself, “This is my ticket.” I spent most of my days teaching myself how to code, hoping to build the next Google. But there I was, with little money, almost no social life, and struggling with acne. I didn’t feel particularly good about myself. I remember feeling like life had passed me by. I was hopeless. And I really did want God to end my life. Today is my birthday again. And just yesterday, on the eve of my birthday, I was at Uganda Innovation Week, speaking about AI and some of the work I’ve been doing with Nsimbi and LugandaGPT. Looking back, I can’t help thinking about that young man lying on his bed fifteen years ago. I wish he knew what was ahead. I’m grateful that God didn’t heed that little prayer I made fifteen years ago.