'Mr Computer' has 162 phone contacts in his head

SUNDAY VISION

Nasenairi Ngobi aka Mr. Computer started saving mobile phone numbers in his “human memory card” in 2007 because he had no phone. He has so far saved 162 contacts and is still saving. He also claims to drink only four mugs of water annually.

By Tom Gwebayanga

When people clock 80 years, their memory fades and mental capacity stalls.

With old age, people forget the names and faces of their spouses, children and neighbours. This is the reason civil servants are mandated to retire at 60 years because beyond this age, our brain capacities begin to subside.

But this is not the case with the 92-year-old Nasenairi Ngobi Wampande, who has 162 phone contacts in his head and recites them like he is reciting the National Anthem.

He is likened to a fresh university graduate and has been nicknamed, “Mr. Computer.”

His home at Bugembe village in Kagulu sub-county, Buyende district has become a famous destination as people gather to see him. His “memory card” still has the ability to outwit the so-called brilliant youth.

You may doubt his capabilities, but can you recount at least 20 contacts (names and numbers) in your phone book, without scrolling through? You have a double line phone, but are you aware of the phone number contacts in each sim card?

When Sunday Vision met him recently, Ngobi was happy that his fame had attracted the press.

“I was worried of dying before the world knows me. I am happy and I want those boys of Bukedde TV’s Agataliko Nfuufu programme to come and film me too,” he said.

He said if he had studied beyond P7, he would have gone ahead to become a professor, but disappointingly, he dropped out of school in P4

“I would have been as intelligent as Rtd. Bishop Cyprian Bamwoze, former president Dr. Apollo Milton Obote, Mayanja Nkanji or a lecturer,” he boasted.

The making of Ngobi

Ngobi was born in 1921 to the late Yosefu Wampande of Bugembe village. He studied at Kagulu Primary School and later joined Namulikya. He dropped out in P4 because the school had no more classes.

He later underwent Anglican religious education, the interlude that perfected his reading and writing skills, before he qualified as a teacher and preacher.true

“My pupils would pass with flying colours and in church, I rehearsed full services without consulting any book,” he recalls.

His talents did not remain in books only. He was a talented sportsman who enjoyed wrestling, football and bicycle races.

These feats earned him trophies and attracted his wife, Miriyonsi Naigaga, whom he married in 1941.

The couple has four children. He later quit teaching and preaching to become a witchdoctor, earning him a lot fortune.

Deciding to cram numbers

Necessity is the mother of invention. It all started when he made a fruitless 60km journey to confront a debtor, who asked for a phone number on which he could be contacted when the money was ready.

He scratched his head to recall the phone number in vain. Once he got back home, Ngobi bought a notebook and wrote down all the phone contacts of people in his locality.

Later, the fear of losing his notebook made him embark on the task of cramming every number. To ease his task, he listed the names, localities of the phone owners and their contacts from one to 162, and rehearsed his list on a daily basis. This is how he became the man who locals have christened Mr. Computer.

Checking Perfection

At his home, he surrendered his notebook to Sunday Vision and sat aside waiting to be asked about the notebook’s contents.

“Who is number 67 in this notebook?” I asked, to which he responded; “Number 67 is Moses of Igoola. His contact is 0772458--- (number withheld to protect owner's privacy),” and he was spot on. He answered in a similar style to over 35 questions. Not outdone, he continued reciting more contacts and numbers like a nun reciting the Rosary.

His efforts made him the village contact curator. Curious youth bring numbers to test his memory and return after three months, only to find he can read it back to them from his head.

With 52 grandchildren, Ngobi recalls what happened before and after Uganda attained independence, the wars, famines and epidemics that have plagued the 51-year-old republic.

Unique life

Ngobi is believed to be supernaturally gifted because of his unique lifestyle. The aged historian hates foods rich in fats. He enjoys potatoes, cassava, posho, greens and cereals. He doesn’t take milk and never drinks alcohol.

These habits, he believes, have prolonged his life. Shockingly, he claims to rarely get thirsty and can go for three months without drinking water.

“I was a bicycle ace, but never got thirty and up to date, I take four mugs of water in a year,” he says.

Rev. Seemu Nasogola, the priest at Iyingo Church of Uganda, noted that Ngobi’s body is sturdy due to the foods he eats. “He also shunned smoking and ate wild, clever animals.”

Godfrey Pande, a youth leader awed at Ngobi’s acumen, says: “He is unbelievable. I cannot spell out even five contacts from my phonebook.”

But Jennifer Nankya of Igalaza village says Ngobi is unique because he is possessed by spirits, being a traditional healer.

“His brain is enhanced by the power of spirits. He can go without water for months,” Nankya says, adding that if he was normal he would be such an invalid that he would be carried around on a goat’s skin mat.