ISSUE 10, Vol. 43 Nov. 22, 2002

After legal scare, Ugandan thankful
for second chance
By Tully Corcoran 

As he sat in his jail cell on Sept. 23, Johnny Sebabulya’s previously promising future seemed to be little more than a pleasant memory.

Senabulya

“When I first got arrested I never dreamed of stealing someone’s money.  It was like everything I dreamed of was coming to an end,” Senabulya said.

The American dream wasn’t supposed to be like this.

After accepting a lucrative offer in a Nigerian email scam, Senabulya received and attempted to cash a forged check worth $151,000 at two local banks, was promptly arrested and spent the night with about 40 other prisoners in the Reno county jail. 

Senabulya was never criminally charged for his involvement in the crime.  But for several long hours, his American experience became a nightmare. 

His homeland

The son of a successful Ugandan multi-businessman, Senabulya, now a 20 year old pre-med student, grew up dreaming of America like most of his countrymen. 

“A lot of people want to come here, enjoy the opportunities.  It's something to look up to,” Senabulya said.

 In schools as well, American ways are held high.

“They take studies about how people work hard here, spend their money,” he said.

Indeed, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, there should be no doubt as to Uganda’s admiration of the United States’ governmental system.  In 1962, Uganda gained its independence from Britain, swore in its first President in 1986 and has operated under a representative government ever since.

“Things are going good.  People are choosing their leaders,” Senabulya said.

Though Uganda has taken the first step in the proverbial thousand-mile journey to world superpower status, there is still a long road ahead.  35 percent of Uganda’s 20.3 million people live below the poverty line. As of Jan. 2002, the Ugandan shilling was worth 1/1738.7th of the U.S. dollar and military spending accounts for only 2.1 percent ($121.3 million) of the Gross Domestic Product.  These are some of the many reasons they are so eager to leave their country for greener pastures in the U.S.

“It’s a developing country, so the only way out is education unless you have a big family with things going for you,” Senabulya said.

 Moving to the U.S.

Senabulya was fortunate enough to have both the education and a big farm.  Two of his 24 siblings were Christian ministers, one of them, older brother John Deo Dalabyekkubo, spent a year ministering in Canada where he met an American woman who had suffered from over 20 knee surgeries.

“My brother prayed for her and miraculously, she got healed,” Senabulya said.

Eventually she visited Senabulya’s church in Uganda, where she met him and asked if he wanted to go to school in America.

“I said I’d been dreaming of it,” he said.

The necessary paper work was completed and, after developing a relationship for over 4 years, Senabulya moved to America and in with his host family, who he had met through the ministry in Uganda, in April, 2001.  

Next week:  What attracted Senabulya to the scam?  What happened when he tried to cash a forged check?  The Collegian responds to a similar scam.                  
 

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