Remember when in 2021 President Yoweri Museveni described social media as “an idiotic problem” for the idle talk that is peddled there?
An argument could be made that things have since changed for the worse.
Social media has increasingly become the place everyone runs to to escape life and let loose. TikTok for example played a significant role in offering comic relief during the pandemic. Today, comical banter is what drives the most engagement on platforms like Twitter.
Hand a phone to someone going through a very slow day and you will be shocked by what they are capable of.
On Saturday, NBS TV anchor, Canary Mugume made an innocent compliment to his work colleague, Samson Kasumba, but what followed was a hilarious thread of sarcastic responses.
Let’s start at the very beginning. Kasumba posts photos of him seated in his car and explains the story behind the photos. He explains that he took the photos while parking at his daughter’s school waiting for her to have a nap.
According to the news anchor, on a daily basis, he and the daughter leave home at 5:40am so he can beat the morning rush hour. The two get to school by 6am. Then he has to wait for the little one to sleep a little longer until 7:30am when he wakes her up to go to class.
“Life of a Ugandan dad,” Kasumba added.
The post solicited mixed opinions.
But in a comment, Canary wrote a compliment to Kasumba calling him “a good man”.
Then he shared an experience during the Covid lockdown when Kasumba picked him from home and dropped him at work each morning since his (Canary) car was in the garage. He says the gesture humbled him.
Sam is a good man, in 2019 my car was in the garage for weeks but I had a bulletin to deliver at 6am. He woke up his daughters very early, passed by my place and picked me, dropped them together at school and we would be at nbs before 6am. This happened every weekday, for weeks. https://t.co/S5o5JOgvhk
— Canary Mugume (@CanaryMugume) April 15, 2023
In a twist of events, typical of what social media has become lately, tweeps chose to throw some banter by sharing their own versions (made up stories) of the good things Samson did for them.
Rib-cracking stories of how Kasumba supported Uganda’s Covid vaccination campaign by taking jabs of all the 4 million vaccines that were about to expire. To his selfless acts during World War 2, and how he gave in his bald head to act as a bell (for communicating time) when a school bell was stolen.
“Sam’s goodness dates way back to the time when Jonah was swallowed by the fish [Biblical story]. He waited 3 whole days until it spat him, he offered Jonah a ride home since they were going in the same direction…. I was humbled,” @the_bad_ojame tweeted.
Another Twitter user described Kasumba’s gesture of consulting Ugandans on Twitter (UOT) last year on whether to keep his beard, as a ‘humbling’ since it meant he is not a dictator.
It’s all sorts of crazy stories. The kind that would make a script for a comedy TV.
Canary later tweeted admitting “UOT is mad”.
Oh my!! I am so glad that people can testify this way about Sam's goodness. In 2021, when 4M Covid-19 vaccine doses were about to expire in Uganda, Sam offered to get jabbed by all these. This act went a long way in helping the COVID-19 vaccination program in Uganda
— Phionah Atuhebwe (@PAtuhebwe) April 16, 2023
Sam Is a very great man. There’s a time I was so stranded when I had no rent. Sam gave me one of his apartments for two months as I figured our life.
— The Romantic Mukiga (@emeka_ug) April 16, 2023
Oh! Oh! Oh! Sam is, indeed, a good man. During World War 2, when my father was doing his things at war fronts, Sam would buy us data and give us free rides to school on his Uber. Sam is, indeed, a good man. Kabaka Mwanga! Konka Sam is such a good man.
— Emorimor (@IvanOkuda) April 15, 2023
Guys, you do not know how good Sam is. He used to discuss for us every Saturday at LDC and even used to wait for us after orals to tell us our mistakes. I remember when he wanted to sit for my civil litigation paper so that me I just sleep and wait for grad. Sam u r good.
— TumukundeTonny(TT) (@TumukundeTT) April 16, 2023
Sam is a good man indeed,praise Lord.
— SABAKRISTU (@Sabakristu) April 16, 2023
I remember in 1901,when our school s metallic bell(Ekidde) was stolen.Sam offered his bald head and it was always beaten so that we could get to eat breakfast and lunch in time. Bald head actually sounded louder than the original Ekidde. pic.twitter.com/0YIwx1Lb4c
I remember in 1945 immediately after world war II Sam would bring an extra gun from home to our work station and back home. He did this for nearly 4 months but he was shot in the butt on a certain evening when we were ambushed by LRA. All in all, Sam is a good man🌚😂
— Asingya (@eAsingya) April 15, 2023
Sam is such a good man. He helped me push my baby during lockdown that's why i named my baby girl Sam after him.
— PRINCESS SERA (@sadiesarax) April 16, 2023
I remember my neighbor’s hen lost its hair but sam drove by and donated his hair to the sobbing chicken and the hen laid 5 hairy eggs later on that day..we both cried…sam is indeed a good guy 🚮
— Blackdude5 (@Blackdude51) April 15, 2023
Last but not least,sam is really a good man..while working together with the Indian coolies to build the uganda railway, he used to read bedtime stories to hungry lions in tsavo so they cudnt attack during night since his euphoric voice cud send them to hibernate for a month.
— Blackdude5 (@Blackdude51) April 16, 2023
Guys, you do not know how good Sam is. He used to discuss for us every Saturday at LDC and even used to wait for us after orals to tell us our mistakes. I remember when he wanted to sit for my civil litigation paper so that me I just sleep and wait for grad. Sam u r good.
— TumukundeTonny(TT) (@TumukundeTT) April 16, 2023
