Jackie Rivanga has poured cold water on rumours that cheated on her ex-husband Andrew Rugasira, siring an illegitimate child, leading to their divorce last year.
“I have heard absurd rumours being given for our divorce, the worst being that I had a child out of wedlock. Under normal circumstances I would not even have dignified this nonsense with a comment but for the sake of my family I want to set the record straight; I did not have any illegitimate children. I have never had any extramarital affairs; Andrew can support me on that. Infidelity was never ever a problem,” she said.
Jackie admitted that the divorce was a trying moment.
“Andrew and I divorced last year. It was one of the most trying moments of my life. I would wake up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, heart pounding in panic. How would I live without the man I had loved for the last seventeen years? I was terrified. But it was the right thing. . .no the best thing to do given the circumstances,” she told shespell.com, an online publication for urban Ugandan women.
“We decided to divorce because when two people who loved each other and made each other happy no longer have much in common there is no reason to continue with the illusion just for appearances’ sake.”
“Because we both love our children so much, we wanted to keep it as private as possible. So we briefed the children that we were planning to divorce but we would remain friends. They would be able to spend time with both mum and dad but not in the same house.”
Jackie said the children are coping with the divorce. “So far I thank God for the progress. We still support each other, we are happier apart and we are “killing” the co-parenting thing.”
“Divorce is a horrible experience. Even as amicable as ours was, I still felt the pain. It should be the last resort. We have witnessed unfortunate instances where a couple held on for too long only for things to end tragically. Instead of losing your life please leave the marriage; there is always life after divorce it’s not the end of the world.”
Jackie was a school going teenager when she met Andrew Rugasira at an Aswad show in Kampala. Back then, Rugasira was into music promotion, bringing in foreign artistes under his VR Promotions.
“Oh my God I adored that man. To my little teenage self, Andrew was all worldly and sophisticated and fiercely intelligent. Everything he did had a sacred halo; it radiated brilliance. Every word out of his mouth was a pearl to be treasured; I would swoon at his smile and when he was not around I felt as if my whole world was devoid of color. Haha. I was smitten. Life was glorious it was brilliant,” Jackie reminisces.
Jackie was aware of their age difference and she had a few tricks up her sleeves to bridge the gap, at least via appearance.
“As soon as we started dating, I began to transform myself. I shopped around for dresses and skirts that would make me look mature enough for him. I remember spending the whole day downtown looking for a handbag. I was crazy in love as Jay Z sang and it was beautiful. It was beautiful because the man I was in love with felt the same way about me; I know he tried to pretend as if he wasn’t as crazy as I was typically male behavior but I knew that he was wild about me.”
Very soon she was mapping out his house as her territory. “I also started transforming his typically bachelor pad which had just a fridge in the kitchen and a colour TV on a chair in the sitting room. I brought my kettle from my high school so I could make him tea in the morning before he went to work. Before we knew it, I was using my school savings to buy little things that would turn his house into a home. I bought most of our first household items from batembeyi (hawkers). I would buy plates today and then realise we need forks, spoons etc.”
At that point we were still eating takeout because Andrew didn’t see the essence of cooking for just the two of us. This changed however when he fell sick and I needed to make for him African chicken soup which I knew would make him feel better. I went to Bugolobi market, bought a “sigiri”, saucepans and set up my first kitchen.
The proposal
As a girl, I had always dreamed of a grandiose proposal; you know the rose in the mouth and on one knee kind of proposal. I still laugh at how life wildly differs from our dreams when I remember the proposal I actually got: One time while hanging out Andrew asks me what my mum would think if he were to ask me to be his wife. I replied that she wouldn’t object so much because I was in love with him. And that was it. That is the proposal I got! So much for romanticism.
Motherhood is what I was born for. My life is richer because of my children. I set out to have a big family, my dream was to have ten children but Andrew flinched at the enormity of it all. So we compromised; we have five amazing children. I loved cleaning, cooking and making a comfortable home for my children and husband. I loved fussing over my husband and kids. I had fun decorating and making fabulous Sunday lunches for the family.
I am the fifth of the eight children born to Eliphaz and Mabel Rivanga Jones. I grew up in Kampala, Bunga to be exact where my family lived until 1994 when we moved to Kigali. I don’t remember much about my father because he died back in 1986 when I was still very young. Our mother struggled to raise us as a single parent. She opened up a grocery shop on Ggaba road and later an African restaurant (West End) in Kiyovu Kigali.
Coming from the background I did, I knew that I had to earn a living, do something, anything that would give me financial independence while contributing to the family.
My first foray into business was an Internet café called Surfers’ World in Bugolobi. This was long before the smartphone and laptops became commonplace. I made a killing in the first years; but then as per Ugandan practice other cafes popped up all over the place overnight. To beat the competition, I added snacks to the café and eventually I decided to go with the food because it was making more money. I also opened up Jackie’s Healthy Option on Kanjokya Street and later relocated to Lumumba Avenue. I have always been a health freak; I watch what I eat and I know all these great healthy recipes. It was rewarding to see client get healthy, drop a size or two or adopt better eating habits. It was great as a business too but I needed much more.
In 2004, I took the JHO head chef Buyoma and we worked on a menu, trained staff from JHO and within months Andrew and I pulled more resources together and opened up Rwenzori Coffee shop at Shoprite Lugogo which later became Good African Coffee. The start was crazy; I was a chef, waitress, procurement agent when things needed to be restocked. It was such an amazing experience.
I still needed to expand, you see when you are doing well it is dangerous to stagnate. Luckily we got to know that Hungry Lion was closing shop in Uganda and they agreed to sell to Andrew. This is what became Mr Tasty at Shoprite Ben Kiwanuka, the same opportunity was available at Shoprite Lugogo. I then approached my sister’s friend who worked at Bayport for a loan to finance the Lugogo branch. It was approved and I gave them monthly postdated cheques. Contrary to popular belief, I did not get millions from my husband to start any of my business. He probably would have given it to me if I had asked but I did not; blame me it on being raised by a single mother who taught me to be independent. I personally went down town in Kikubo to hunt for bargains. For machines, I boldly approached The Tamales and gave them my personal postdated cheques.
Décor business
I have always had a passion for interior décor. Whenever I would travel I would bring back something for friends or family; a throw pillow here, a stool there, a rug etc. Then I started getting orders from people referred by friends and family. This is what culminated into House of J which we opened in October 2013. Of course it didn’t open as House of J. I didn’t even have a store or the money to rent one for that matter. But I had a container of furniture from the manufacturer with an agreement to pay after selling it off. I approached the management of Forest Mall and asked them to let me have a bit of space in the store that had just been vacated by Nina Interiors. Thankfully they agreed and I put a little display. Magically, the business picked up. We made enough money to be able to afford the store formerly occupied by Mr T-shirt in the same mall where we are still located.