In the quiet hills of Kigaga Village in Ntungamo District, it does not take long before visitors hear stories about a man who seems to have quietly defied the rules of age.
At 103 years old, Fenekansi Rwamwire is still doing what many people half his age struggle to manage. He farms - actually he wields the hand hoe like it is a tiny stick - walks without assistance and, perhaps most astonishing to many residents, he still drives his own car.
On a recent afternoon when we visited his home, the elderly man was not resting or seated in the shade as many might expect of someone who has lived for more than a century. Instead, he was deep in his banana plantation, harvesting cassava tubers and cutting down diseased banana stems.
Bent slightly at the waist but steady on his feet, Rwamwire, wearing a maroon tunic (kanzu), worked methodically with a hoe in his hands. Each swing of the tool was deliberate and controlled, striking the soil with surprising strength.
To him, this routine is not extraordinary. It is simply part of staying alive and well.
“Sometimes I come here to do gardening for proper flow of my blood in the body so that I feel a little better,” Rwamwire says.
The plantation around him is lush with banana trees whose broad leaves sway gently in the breeze. Fallen banana leaves cover the ground, and scattered bunches lie where he has been working.
A woman in the distance watches with quiet admiration as the centenarian bends to clear debris around a fallen banana plant. The moment captures the quiet disbelief many residents feel when they see him at work.
Despite his age, his movements remain remarkably steady. His grip on the hoe is firm, and the rhythm of his work is slow but determined.
But what surprises visitors even more is his appearance.
Standing before his home later in the afternoon, Rwamwire cuts a striking figure. His hair is completely white, forming a soft halo around his head. Deep lines crease his face, marking the passage of time across more than a century of life.
Yet his eyes remain alert and focused.
Dressed neatly in a light beige Muslim tunic (kanzu) and a pale jacket, he carries himself with a quiet dignity. His posture is upright, his shoulders still broad, and his gaze steady. There is something calm and resolute in his expression — the look of a man who has lived long enough to see generations pass.
When he speaks, his voice is measured and clear.
“For the years I have spent on earth, all is from God. He has kept me alive to date,” he says.
His daily life does not end in the gardens.
Rwamwire still drives himself from his home in Kigaga village to Rubaare town using his automatic Toyota RAV4 — a fact that continues to astonish motorists and traffic officers who sometimes stop him after noticing his age.
When questioned, he calmly produces his valid driving permit.
“When I show the traffic officers my driving licence, they question it and say when it expires I will not be given another,” he says with a faint smile.
Watching him behind the steering wheel is another unexpected sight. He wears no glasses behind the wheels, a testament to his remarkable eyesight.
His hands rest confidently on the steering wheel, his movements deliberate and controlled. There is nothing hesitant in the way he handles the vehicle. To someone observing from outside the car, it would be easy to assume a much younger driver is inside.
Driving, after all, has been part of his life for decades.
In the 1950s, Rwamwire owned several vehicles and even operated a Tata bus that transported passengers between Ntungamo and Mbarara.
At the time, the route was far from the developed highway it is today. Much of the journey passed through bushy terrain, and passenger numbers were often very low.
“It gave me less money. That’s why I sold it,” he recalls.
Even so, the experience left him with a lifelong confidence behind the wheel.
Back at home, his 98-year-old wife, Janet Kyalageire, speaks about the habits that have defined her husband’s long life.
She believes discipline has played a central role.
“When I joined him, I found that he did not take alcohol, he did not run after other women, and he would not move at night,” she says.
Over the decades, the couple has built a life grounded in routine, work and faith.
That life has not been without challenges.
Rwamwire says he has faced serious health problems in the past, including a condition locally known as “ekyata,” which caused severe complications and required surgery.
Yet he recovered and returned to his normal activities.
Friends and fellow elders in the community say his resilience has made him a respected figure in Kigaga village.
According to Rev. Gad Kangumizemu, Rwamwire has also played an important role in supporting the church.
“He built this church with his strength, put seats in it and also built the reverend’s house using his own money and effort,” the reverend says.
For many residents, the 103-year-old has become something of a living lesson.
In a time when younger people often complain about fatigue, stress and illness, the sight of a centenarian cutting banana stems and driving himself to town offers a powerful contrast.
Even traffic authorities acknowledge the uniqueness of his situation.
Frank Beinomugisha, the Officer in Charge of Traffic in Ntungamo, explains that Ugandan law does not set an upper age limit for people driving private vehicles.
“The law only limits those who are going to drive Public Service Vehicles at 65. At 65 and beyond you cannot renew your permit if you are driving a public service vehicle. If you are driving your own vehicle, there is no age limit,” he says.
As the sun begins to sink behind the hills of Ntungamo, Rwamwire slowly walks back from his garden toward his home.
His pace is measured but steady.
There is no walking stick in his hand, no assistance guiding him.
At 103, Fenekansi Rwamwire is still living life on his own terms — one garden row, one drive, and one day at a time.
