Quick Facts
- Age:
- 26
- Role:
- BodaBoda motorcycle driver
- Location:
- Buhoma village, near Bwindi
- Family:
- Married, one child
- Years driving:
- Since age 19
- Route:
- Buhoma to Butogota and surrounding lodges
“I am hustling to get a good life, and if I get the chance, I want to advance.”
The Story of Norman
Norman was born on the hillside above Buhoma, in a small house surrounded by banana plantations. His parents farmed matoke and beans. There was no money for secondary school, so Norman learned what the village could teach him — how to fix things, how to find his way through the forest paths, and how to keep moving when nothing else was certain.
At nineteen he scraped together enough to buy a used motorcycle and became a BodaBoda driver. It was not glamorous work, but it was honest. He learned the roads between Buhoma and Butogota better than anyone — every pothole, every shortcut through the hills, every muddy stretch that swallows tires in the rainy season. Tourists started asking for him by name.
Norman married young. When his first child was born with a disability, everything changed. Medical trips to Bwindi Community Hospital became part of his routine. The costs were constant. What had been a hustle became a necessity — every fare mattered, every slow week hurt. His child gave him a reason to dream bigger than the motorcycle.
Today Norman is one of the most recognized faces in Buhoma. He delivers goods from the trading center, takes tourists to their lodges, and sometimes rushes a sick neighbor to the nearest clinic at speed. He is quiet, reliable, and always there when someone needs a ride. But beneath the helmet and the dust, there is a man with a plan he has not yet been able to execute.
A Day in the Life of Norman
Norman wakes at 5:30, before the mist has lifted from the valley. He boils water for tea on a small charcoal stove, eats whatever is left from the night before — usually cold matoke or a chapati — and checks on his child before stepping outside.
The motorcycle is parked under a corrugated iron lean-to beside the house. Every morning begins with the same ritual: check the tires, check the chain tension, top up the fuel from a jerrycan he buys in Butogota. Fuel is expensive and the supply is unreliable, so Norman never lets the tank drop below half.
By 6:30 he rides down to the trading center near the park gate, where BodaBoda drivers gather in a loose line and wait. Some mornings the phone rings early — a lodge needs something delivered, a tourist needs a ride to the airstrip. Other mornings he waits for hours, watching the road and talking with the other drivers.
When a customer comes, Norman moves fast. He knows exactly how long it takes to reach Butogota (forty minutes if the road is dry), which lodges are up the steep hill (second gear the whole way), and where the network coverage drops out. Tourists pay more than locals, but they come and go with the seasons.
In the afternoon, if work is slow, Norman sometimes picks up small freight — sacks of sugar for a shop, jerrycans of cooking oil, boxes of exercise books for the school. It is not glamorous but it keeps the motorcycle earning.
By 6:00 PM he is back home. The evening is for his family — feeding his child, talking with his wife about the day, and working on the motorcycle if something needs fixing. He eats dinner late, usually beans and posho, and sleeps early because tomorrow the routine begins again.
Dreams and Future
Norman wants to become a tour guide. He has watched guides come and go at the lodges around Buhoma for years, and he knows the landscape, the wildlife, and the people better than most of them. What he lacks is formal training and the connections to break into the industry. He talks about it often — not as a fantasy, but as a plan he is waiting to execute.
His deeper motivation is his family. The medical costs for his child are constant, and a BodaBoda income is unpredictable. A tour guide position would mean a steady salary, better healthcare access, and the chance to give his child a future that does not depend on whether tourists are in town this week.
Norman also dreams of paving the path to his house. It sounds small, but in Buhoma, where the rains turn everything to mud, a solid path means dignity. It means his child can be carried to the road without slipping. It means the motorcycle does not get stuck. Small dreams in a place like this are not small at all.
Listen to Norman's Voice Notes
Norman also shares regular WhatsApp voice notes about daily life in Buhoma — unscripted, unedited, in their own words. Hear what is really happening in the village this week.
Norman's Voice NotesFrequently Asked Questions
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Last updated: July 2026