At 78, Iganga Water Vendor Works Through Pain for Daily Bread

In Iganga District, 78-year-old Henry Balikowa defies his age and persistent physical pain to earn a living. Every morning before sunrise, he embarks on a strenuous journey to supply clean water to households and businesses.

Balikowa’s daily routine begins at 6:00 AM. He loads his bicycle with eight 20-liter jerrycans, a load weighing approximately 160 kilograms, and cycles about three kilometers to fetch water. He aims to sell at least 50 jerrycans a day at Shs500 each.

To cope with the physical demands and the intense heat, Balikowa splits his work into two shifts. He works from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM, completing roughly half his target, then rests during the hottest hours before resuming at 4:30 PM until dusk. However, his elderly body often struggles, forcing him to settle for fewer deliveries on difficult days.

“Every morning, I wake up with pain in my joints and across my entire body. At night, the pain follows me to bed,” Balikowa shared. He relies on over-the-counter painkillers to manage the pain enough to push his loaded bicycle, and sometimes chest pain prevents him from working altogether.

Despite having adult children, Balikowa chooses self-reliance over seeking financial assistance, which he found unsustainable and often met with neglect. “After repeatedly seeking support and being ignored, I decided to find something I could do for myself,” he explained. He saw his bicycle as a tool for an independent livelihood.

Balikowa also faces challenges from some clients who refuse to pay, arguing that water is free at the source. He counters that they overlook the significant physical effort, weight, and distance involved in delivering it.

Looking ahead, Balikowa dreams of acquiring more jerrycans and large storage drums. This would enable him to store water fetched during cooler evening hours, allowing his body much-needed rest from the harsh daytime sun. Until then, he continues his demanding work out of necessity.

This story was first reported by the Daily Monitor.