Here I am walking in a pleasant street, posh cars come and go. Here and there are beautiful women, handsome men; all smartly dressed.
Cool music drifts in from the shops across, mingled with daily noise.
To my left is a coca cola full sized poster.
Encouaraging me to live on the coke side of life. The woman on it is angelic and the way she gulps the soda makes me envious. I continue with my errands. But before I go hundred yards from the poster. I meet someone.

Here is a poor beggar sitting on the floor in rugs, eyes beckoning me a desperate want for money . his hands are stretched out towards me. The hand looks dry and thin.
Before him his empty plate. My attention is drawn towards him, am moved with compassion and guilt at once, when I compare and contrast my state with his.
Instinctively I know I have to give him some money to ease his plight.
Search in my pockets for what is there , find only a coin of 500/= ; I had plans for this money however I decide to forego it.
Drop it in plate. Am thanked and walk way feeling like a good samaritian who has made a small change in someone's life.

The next day I pass by, this time am not alone. Am accompanying a pretty lady. We come also to the same man , with his hand pleading in competition with the empty plate before him. I drop into his plate 1000/= to help him but also prove to her that am compassionate.
The begger blesses us.
Several minutes later, I pass by the same street and am surprised to find the plate empty but what astonished me the most is that the man cries out to me for more money.
I feel like telling him that I have already helped you and also asking where the money vanished from but I walk away silent.

One month later; a friend of mine and I are walking in a slum, chatting as we go. He being a very talkative fellow.
“Derrick, do you see that good house over there?”, he asks me.
“I see, you know am not blind”, reply back.
“Jesus said,’you have eyes but you don’t see’, and this applies to you my friend.” He firmly asserts it.
This statement makes me angry but I hold my temper and talk to him in a smooth manner.
“That blue house is good, compared to the others; for I see it has power in it and the owner must be the LC1 of this area.”
“Ha ha ha ah!”, is the scastic laugh I get from him.
“The blue house is good when compared to the others; for I see it has power and maybe water in it. Probably belonging to the LC1 or a local businessman.”
“ha ha!” he laughs …
“The house belongs to a trickster who sits begging in town.”
Am confused as I ask him, “which begger could it be? As I know none of them can afford to build such house or even rent.”
“this one called Juma(true name witheld), whom you give coins”, am told.
“surely you are lying, no one will believe you!”, do tell him.
“Am not lying at all! I swear or else I eat pork! That house is his. People think that he is badly off basing on the empty plate and give him money.
Everytime he receives money , he pockets it so that no one can see that he has got some hence give him. He is a master at disguise and making people people pity for him. In this business he been in it for as long as I can remember.
Don’t be surprised.” Are the words am told.

This discovery made me mistrust all beggers in towns and cities. You think you are helping them survive yet they are robbing you indirectly.
After receiving for several weeks, what they get is enough to set them in another business but they persist in begging.

Manipulating our feelings. This is bad.
Giving is good, I believe in it and will still help other people in need but not beggers on streets.

Even the street children are not to be trusted. In Mbale there is a home and school for them.
But still they run away from it and come to beg in town. Some time back I saw good samaritian women pleading with them to leave the street life, follow them home so as to eat,play and sleep peacefully like their fellow children, however the Huckleberry Finn spirit stops them from going.
It was like the women were asking stones to turn into bread.

What they mostly want is money to buy gum and sniff plus in their other sports. Talk of taking them to school, and they will run away from you.
This is why I have decided not to give money to beggers and street children.

By kyabutumbwe on Friday 9th July '10 at 12:14 PM
man yo article very nice and true yo good.

By bernardz on Wednesday 7th April '10 at 5:07 PM
its not good

By treysongs on Sunday 21st March '10 at 4:18 PM
Its alcoholic not to give money to the beggers coz in every circumstance you to are beggers.
therefore give the little you have and GOD will reward you abundantly.

By christclems on Sunday 21st March '10 at 3:39 PM
By Clement Serunjogi
it's not bad to give beggers money, but it's only dat one nids to give them once in a while. Coz sm luck what to eat and they do have kids. in other way, give only kids and old people not forgetting pregnant and disabled people.

By sherinahnalukwago on Thursday 11th March '10 at 11:33 AM
BEGGERS GAIN ALOT FROM US EN YET WE DONT EARN ALOT

By elisakihumuro on Thursday 4th March '10 at 4:21 PM
i also dont understand why a mother shld put the kid on the street to beg. i av seen this with my eye...just go to jinja road-centenary park.. when u give the kid money, after a few second the mother comes en picks it from her..can u imagine. giving them money makes them lazy coz they know they will get what to eat even if they dont work... i would however give it to a disabled one

By akatuhweraanne on Tuesday 12th January '10 at 11:45 AM
Realie am suprised also one time Iwas in Kiwatule near akribu Super market the I met a boy who was begging me somthing to eat as Iwas from the market but I was totally confuesd when I went back to the market which is always there on Wed a boy was selling clothes and not feck ones these women geans so am on your side say no to beggers any more becasue you may be having 1000shs for lunch and you feel u can surrender 500 to the needy pple on street Kumbe you are adding to him more money.Emilly

By josekibs on Friday 13th November '09 at 10:15 PM
For what i can only say is that corruption is every where and in very many forms. For my case i don't as well give them them money just because i was told that they tend to leave you with their curses as it is believed that they've mostly lived on streets with very many of them.For case of street they beg during day and help thieves do their work at night.

By paul.l on Saturday 7th November '09 at 7:31 PM
Well let that show you what African Governments and people DO....

By hollyburner on Thursday 5th November '09 at 6:21 PM
By Fred:
Derrick, thanks for the good spirit of helping people.
But whenever you help, don't follow up for what did some one use my money for.
Just give and let God do the rest and Bless you the more.

By darees on Thursday 5th November '09 at 11:42 AM
Derrick i salute your care observation i also realised this days back, i had only 5k in my pocket and felt helping one of da street beggers when i tried to look for change he supplised me to be having more than what i had Pliz try it one day.SAYZ DARIUS.

By immak on Monday 2nd November '09 at 7:58 PM
true Derrick some people are there to dupe others. thought I was the only one who doesn't do it anymore. Welcome to the world. you know may be you should start doing this. when I get a woman selling sweets I don't hesitate giving them more and tell them to keep the change because I know they are struggling and may be I have a little more. you can try that instead of those who don't have at all. after all God rewarded the one who had doubled his fortune with more.

By reime on Thursday 22nd October '09 at 12:16 PM
bby honest .thanks derrick for being with such akind heart.its what good thing you do that God rewards you of in abundancy,may you be bleesed for that and never give up.

By bpeace on Tuesday 20th October '09 at 5:22 PM
I feel u i have also been tricked by these so called beggars who are even richer than me. a man tricked me twice with the excuse of needing money for the hospital. i know better now, even the handicapped ones have their own agenda

By ibana on Friday 16th October '09 at 9:30 PM
Thanks man, all of us were given hands to work. It is out of our sweat that we get what to eat and so What right has that man got to sit on the road side when God gave him hands? I think we need to teach them a lesson by not giving them money, in that way they will learn how to make their own money and stop begging.

By ajaljunior on Tuesday 13th October '09 at 9:51 AM
on sunday i was lookiing for an open mobile money outlet in kampala and only had 1,000 in me, knowing if i go home , leaving will be imposible on monday morning. i came across a woman who needed morney badly and was moved with tears that i gave her my livelihood, but all is not gone whem a few minuts later i reached nandos and the shop was just being closed at 7pm in the night. i then becaqme a begger. i got 40000 and my sunday ended well. a little compassion doesnt hurt. bless

By skaheru on Saturday 3rd October '09 at 10:39 PM
Man, the ultimate help one can give to a beggar is to take them off the streets and give them a job. Today I came across an able-looking woman at the back of Charm Towers and thought about solving my housegirl problems there and then...but then remembered the high likelihood of her calling up her Seeyas one night and throwing me out of the house...

By okellocos on Tuesday 29th September '09 at 4:57 PM
susan in lira.

its important to help the poor/ begger and i do remind you to give in the name of helping the poor, whatever he or she does with it is out of your concern, to you, you would have helped a begger the rest leave to our father in heaven

By realone1 on Friday 25th September '09 at 9:01 AM
better give 2 those who make good use than them who drink off. personally i feel so happy whenever i give without strings attached.just imagine not giving...how would these guys live? Secondly, without them you would have nothing to write about. there are far bad scenarios than giving to a beggar for instance donating to NSSF. ways of survival is quite diverse but all tend 2wards mutualism.

By mcnemesis on Friday 25th September '09 at 3:33 AM
2day i really liked this one Namisi

I sure don't like symbiosis; these guys sure do play upon the weaknesses of stranger's minds, and using emotion manage to get paid.

For the kids, i didn't mind giving them something once in a while - but hey, i soon realised how we might be grooming a whole generation of dumb stupid beggars!

If they can't legally earn it, let them earn it the dark way (don't mind skilled thugs - these dudes earn their living), hate the idea of begging what to eat!

By bafudde on Monday 21st September '09 at 3:31 PM
Man Derrick! the article is very cawa! you've alerted me on the kind of people I've always been dealing with. from today man am to behave the same as your doing 2wards them.keep it that way man in allerting as on such wonderful experiences.Jah bless

By ahama on Monday 21st September '09 at 9:33 AM
thannx so much that was nice of u giving to someone but however u sh'd not stop giving b'se of only one person i think u sh'd keep on giving them and God will judge.thanx God bless u