After 36 Years in Classroom, Retired Tororo Teacher Turns to Farming as Gratuity Delays Bite

A veteran mathematics teacher who devoted over three decades to public service is now relying on subsistence farming to survive, as delays and alleged corruption stall access to his retirement benefits.

For 36 years, Patrick Martin Wandyambi dedicated his life to teaching mathematics in government schools, waking up before dawn each day and riding long distances to ensure he never failed his learners.

Today, the 63-year-old retiree wakes up for a different mission—not to teach, but to survive.

In Chaminula Cell, Tororo Municipality, Wandyambi now spends most of his days tending to a two-acre yam garden that has become his only dependable source of livelihood after retirement.

“This garden helps me survive. From here, I can earn close to three million shillings,” he says as he inspects the crops that now sustain his family.

Wandyambi joined the teaching profession in 1988 and served for more than three decades at Kisoko Boys Primary School in Tororo District.

Throughout his career, he says teaching demanded total commitment, leaving little room for side businesses or alternative income sources.

“I used to leave home at around 4:30am. Even though the school was far, I always reached there by 6am. Some people would ask me whether I slept at school,” he recalls.

Behind that dedication, however, was a life marked by financial strain. The father of five says low salaries and restrictions on supplementary income pushed him into debt.

“I could end up going to money lenders for help and you had to surrender your ATM card. The lender would be the one withdrawing the money for you. It was very painful,” he says.

When he retired in April 2024, Wandyambi expected his gratuity—about Shs29 million—to offer relief and restore dignity after decades of service. He planned to invest in poultry farming, purchase a dairy cow, and expand his agricultural activities.

But two years later, the money has not been paid.

“I had planned to use the money as my PDM. I wanted to invest in poultry, buy even one dairy cow, and hire more land for farming so that I can harvest more,” he explains.

Instead, he survives on a monthly pension of Shs300,000, much of which goes toward servicing loans accumulated over the years.

The retired teacher says the process of pursuing his gratuity has been both emotionally and financially draining. He claims to have spent nearly Shs1.8 million on follow-ups, often encountering demands for facilitation without results.

“Each time I go to the district, someone asks me to give them five hundred thousand shillings but nothing happens,” he alleges.

What troubles him further is that some teachers who retired after him have already received their gratuity.

“You find people who retired just three months ago already received their gratuity. I do not know the criteria being used,” he says.

Tororo District Chairperson John Okea acknowledged the issue, blaming delays on alleged corruption and internal conflicts within the human resource department.

“Our biggest problem is with the human resource department. Their work is fighting each other and collecting bribes from our former workers before attending to them, which is very bad,” Okea says.

Deputy Resident District Commissioner Albert Amula said authorities have taken action against some implicated officials.

“Our office has received a number of those complaints. We recently arrested some of the culprits. Others we asked the district to interdict. So we are handling such cases,” Amula says.

As he waits for the benefits he believes he earned through years of service, Wandyambi continues to rely on farming to make ends meet.

For a man who spent decades shaping young minds in the classroom, retirement has instead become a daily struggle for survival—one harvest at a time.