A pioneer travel agent’s journey comes to an end

“Musawo, musawo, kindly come check on mzee, he is not doing well,” After hours of waiting  for a doctor’s attention in vain, Amos Kadahaya, a nurse and employee, watched his boss gasp for breath, as his eyes slowly shut.  Nurses came, but it was too late. Francis Xavier Tebasoboke, the managing director of Dove Tours and Travel was gone.

Portraits of  Jesus,  the Catholic saints, adorn off-white  walls of the living room and in one corner, a table covered with a floral cloth  where a portrait of a smiling man in a kanzu leans against the wall.  Three slow burning  candles stand at the foot of the framed portrait and a bouquet of flowers sits on the same table.

Clad in kitenge teamed with a brown coat, Immaculate Namakula sits next to the portrait of her soul mate with whom they wedded on May 31, 1970 at Rubaga Cathedral. Namakula is still inconsolable as she wonders  how she will cope with the  loss of  a companion of more than 50 years and  whether she  will preserve the legacy of her husband.

Namakula  still has a vivid memory of the first time she laid eyes on the man who would spend the rest of his life with her.

“Francis (as she prefers to refer to her late husband) and I first met at the Uganda Catholic Social Training Centre where I worked as a teacher in January 1970.  He walked into the institute with Rev Fr James Kabuye, inquiring whether we had some empty dormitories where one would spend a night,” she smiles.

She says a week later, Fr Kabuye returned asking what Namakula thought about Francis.

Namakula then realised, the tour around the different dormitories was a set up by the clergyman.

As wished for by the priest, Tebasoboke who was then a reservation agent at the East African Airways and Namakula fell in love and in May 1970, the Rev Fr Constanta Semakula wedded them.

The couple started off life in a two-room rental just below Rubaga hospital where Namakula’s workplace was walkable.  As the family expanded they built themselves a home in Kabusu.

Birth of tours and travels

In the 1970s, Tebasoboke was recruited as a managing director by Air France.   It was here, that he started up Dove Tours and Travel  in 1986.

 “Francis told me he wanted to start a travel agency, but its name should be Godly. One evening he came home and asked us to gather for a meeting,” she recalls.

Noting that during the meeting Tebasoboke asked each one of them to come up with a name that would be used for a travel company.  Namakula says  each had a piece of paper and names such as,enjuba and dove  were outstanding. 

“On analysing all the names and what they symbolised, dove which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit won. And starting out his major interest was to take pilgrims to the holy land,” she recounts.

By faith, he rented a room at Greenland Towers on Kampala Road, where he placed a table and two chairs from home. Like any other businessman, Tebasoboke had done research about the different holy sites such as apparition sites which he visited before taking pilgrims.

Without any media publicity, Tebasoboke used word of mouth to market Dove Tours. It was these different people that wanted to market him as well. As a member of the Catholic Church he also distributed brochures to different parishes.

 “He was one of the first people in the Catholic Church to take people for pilgrimage to the holy land and this has been his greatest contribution towards the church,” reveals Msgr Dr Lawrence Ssemusu, a confidante and business partner  of  Tebasoboke.

The two first met at Rubaga Cathedral in the 1980s.  At that time Ssemusu was a deacon and Tebasoboke was vice chairman of the Cathedral choir from 1982 to 1992. He also served as a catechist of Rubaga parish.

Msgr Ssemusu says the latter might not have been a church leader, but indirectly preached the word of God by bringing the Bible to reality.

“If you ever travelled with him, pilgrims to the holy land started from Egypt and followed the book of Genesis to Golgotha (Christ’s crucifixion site).

Generous

On many occasions he forgot, it was business and would let pilgrims travel at the half payment believing they would complete payment on return.  Some paid yet many failed, but this never changed his attitude towards humanity. Throughout the year he organised many tours.  There was no day he ever gave up on his responsibilities especially   towards the pilgrims. 

“You would hardly know or hear him complain of sickness. Like Moses leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land, Tebasoboke too, led many to the holy land. He was always a vibrant force destined to make a mark on Christianity.

Falling sick

In 2014, on a tour in Israel, his feet felt too  weak and painful  to support him.

“ We first learnt about his illness  when we had gone to welcome him back at the airport in 2014.  As leader of the pilgrims, he always off boarded the plane first. But this time, he came last and in a wheelchair, yet he kept smiling as he welcomed back each of the pilgrims,” Namakula relates.  

That day, driving home took them hours, because whenever the driver hit  a hump Tebasoboke would groan. 

When they got home, the couple thought the pain would eventually stop. But, they were wrong. His health started to deteriorate.

“After a week of seeking medical attention, we were advised to take him to India before the condition could worsen,” she recounts. 

Arrangements were made and in the company of his wife and one of his children, they travelled to India.

Learning that her soul mate was diagnosed with a multiple myeloma (cancer that forms in the bone marrow), she was terrified.  An operation was done and for the last eight years they had been making trips in and out of hospital. But,  he kept working until 2019 when he felt weaker.

Heaven-sent

Everything seemed to fall apart for Namakula, and she could not do much for her  spouse who at this point had become weaker,  and had to be taken to hospital for chemotherapy every week.  

“Amos Kadahaya, a nurse, was hired to attend to the patient. For every 12 hours he worked, we had to pay Shs100,000 to the company where he was hired from.  It was a lot of money, but did we have an option?” Namakula recalls. But, she emphasises that Kadahaya was heaven-sent.

 As an employer

To many, he is one of the oldest names in the aviation industry who laid a foundation for many travel companies as well as groomed many. 

 David Kivumbi worked with Tebasoboke.

“I joined Dove tours and travel in 1996 as a trainee and for 16 years, I was nurtured into what I am today.”

Kivumbi shares that once you got employed by Dove Tours, you automatically became family.  While there, you would hardly tell who the boss was.

“Tebasoboke freely interacted with everyone and was always ready to hear out whoever approached him. He emphasised personal growth which saw most of us rise through different ranks. Above all, he equipped us with social capital,”Kivumbi recalls.

 The travel industry enthusiast strived to bring the best out of each of his employees by talking to them about family, social life, work, and treated everyone with respect.  He always believed the success of a business was built on good, personal, customer service, and trust in his staff to deliver.

Fatherly

Tebasoboke was a father figure to many.

“Much as I was new into his family, mzee organised a party to congratulate me upon completing the nursing course, yet I had not known him for long,” says Kadahaya.   

For his immediate family, he consulted with them on many key things.

 “My father never made decisions without consulting  his family members. He never said much to me but assigned me to always read Proverbs 3:1-8; My child, don’t forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do. My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life.  Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.  If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you,” Lourdel Tebasoboke said  of his father.

Lessons

Archbishop Paul Ssemogerere: “Tebasoboke used his company to preach the word of God, for all those that travelled with him. He was resilient, even in pain, he never complained.”

Bishop Joseph Anthony Zziwa, says Tebasoboke had time for everyone.

Msgr  Dr  Lawrence Ssemusu, says, “Tebasoboke loved humanity and gave money to the poor and needy. He was trustworthy, especially with his work.”  

David Kivumbi, says “Francis was selfless, humble, and hardworking.”

Lourdel Tebasoboke says his father  encouraged team work and respect for everyone.  

Amos Kadahaya: He was compassionate and God-fearing. Many disappointed him, but he  forgave them. 

Son says...

As father

Our father never made decisions alone, he would always call upon everyone in the family. He never said much to me but assigned me to always read proverbs 3:1-8,  “My child, don’t forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do. My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life.  Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.  If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you,” Lourdel Tebasoboke recalled as he sent off his father.