John Ssekandi Katalikabbe, popularly known as Ssaalongo John, was born on June 24, 1934 as the first of six children of the late Yesero Ssettubakkadde of the Njovu clan, and Miriam Nansubuga of the Mmamba clan. His grandfather is the late Yeremiya Katalikabbe.
His father, Ssettubakkadde was working at Entebbe Government Printer but because there were no schools for locals in Entebbe, he was taken to his grandfather’s home at Nabuti in the outskirts of Mukono town, and began school at the age of 6.
He started school at Bishop’s Primary School, and his headteacher was the late Paul Mukasa, the father of Mukono district chairperson, Rev. Dr. Peter Bakaluba Mukasa.
On completion of Primary Six (that was the highest primary school level then), he joined Luwule school for his Junior school studies up to Junior Three. His father retired and through mutual agreement, it was agreed that Ssekandi stops studying and gives an opportunity to his siblings to also get some education.
One exciting thing that Ssekandi remembers vividly while at Luwule school is the day he jumped on a train as it was slowing down on getting to its station at Kyetume. He missed a step while jumping off again and he fell down, sustaining grave bruises which earned him a thorough thrashing at home.
Having completed Junior Level Three, he was taken by his uncle Kamad, to Nakawa where the former had a dry cleaning business, and took him on as a laundry manager.
He later joined a cooking oil refinery factory near BAT factory in Kampala city centre, he however spent there only one week as he couldn’t sustain the nature of the job. He said he was a very smart and clean man who did not stand that situation.
From there, he again became a mechanic but he agreed that it was not any better job at all, because he was also supposed to be so dirty. But being the proud man that he claims he was, Ssekandi did not love that job, and so gave it up.
At the age of 23, Ssalongo John got married in 1957. With his monthly salary of sh12, he managed to build a house at Nabuti. He was working at Entebbe airport up to the time when his white South African Manager called him a black ape. Seething with anger, he engaged the white man in a fight and it cost him a job.
He then embarked on frying pancakes and doughnuts which he used to sell in Mukono town, until a colleague came to his rescue. Moses Nkangi, an age mate working in the commercial section of Radio Uganda, himself famous for his “Matalisi” programme, fixed him in the same section as a personal announcements reader.
He is the father to another prominent personal announcements reader at Central Broadcasting Services Christine Jennifer Nassozi.
After the 1966 chaos in which government forces attacked the Lubiri and forced the Kabaka into exile, many pro-Kabaka Baganda attempted to storm the palace and engage the army in a fight. Many were rounded up and killed, but Ssalongo managed to escape and went into hiding as the army looked for Baganda activists.
In 1967, he started reading personal announcements at Radio Uganda, then the only radio outlet. He had been assisted into getting a job by an age mate the late Moses Nkangi, himself famous till his death, for his “Matalisi” programme.
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In 1975, for no offence committed, he was bundled into a car boot and confined in a military barracks for 3 days till his release after intervention of a Nubian who knew him. On release, he was transferred to the Ministry headquarters as a clerical officer but retired in 1976.
In 1980, he agreed to let NRA bush fighters to recruit and train in his home at Nabuti in Mukono but before beginning, he was arrested by government spies who held him in confinement for three weeks. He was tortured before release.
He later joined CBS where he began reading personal announcements, and later joined Super FM on the same mission. By death, he was growing bananas, coffee and mangoes in Bunankanda village in Mukono South.
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