Author of “Perseverance is Key: My Journey Through Life and Work”
Introduction George Steven Okotha is a retired chartered insurer, economist, statistician, farmer, and now author. His story is one of resilience, transformation, and purpose — a journey that bridges decades of professional excellence and personal growth. In this interview, he shares lessons from his life in insurance, retirement, and writing.
Q1. For those who may not know you, who is George Steven Okotha? A: I’m George Steven Okotha, retired but not tired. I’m a statistician, economist, chartered insurer, farmer, and now author. I studied at Kirewa Primary School in Tororo, Ngora High School for O-Level, Busoga College Mwiri for A-Level, and later Makerere University, where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Statistics and Economics. My professional career began at the National Insurance Corporation (NIC), where I worked for 13 years before joining the Uganda Insurance Commission, now the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA). I retired in 2018 and currently serve as a member of the Insurance Appeals Tribunal and as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Kenya National Assurance Company (Uganda) Ltd.
Q2. Looking back on your long career in insurance, what achievements are you most proud of? A: Several milestones come to mind. Achieving the Chartered Insurer status from the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute is one. I’m also proud of being part of the pioneer team that established the Uganda Insurance Commission in 1996 together with the late F.F. Magezi. That laid the foundation for today’s well-regarded insurance sector. Another highlight was coordinating the Chartered Insurance Institute (UK) examinations in Uganda for 20 years, benefitting more than 380 candidates who passed under my supervision without a single leakage. I’m equally proud to have retired honourably, transitioned into farming, and authored the textbook Insurance Management for the diploma program at the Insurance Training College of Uganda.
Q3. What values or principles guided you throughout your career? A: Hard work, integrity, professionalism, and mentorship. Integrity stood at the centre of my work, especially when handling international examinations and regulatory duties. I also believed in mentoring others to ensure continuity. To this day, I’m proud that the team I left at the Insurance Regulatory Authority continues to perform excellently.
Q4. How did your work in insurance prepare you for life after retirement? A: My work taught me planning and discipline. I knew retirement would come, so I began preparing early. I discovered my passion for farming during a work trip to Zanzibar, where I visited a spice garden and learned about cinnamon. That experience inspired me to start growing cinnamon, cocoa, and soursop. When I retired, I expanded into nursery farming for cocoa, cinnamon, and Ashok trees. For me, retirement was not the end; it was a new beginning built on preparation and purpose. Q5. Many people struggle with retirement. What lessons can they draw from your experience? A: Plan early and view retirement as an opportunity, not an end. Too many people retire unprepared because they don’t even check their appointment letters to know when their contracts end. I had already mapped out my next chapter. When I retired, three insurance companies offered me CEO positions, but I declined. I felt it was time to work for myself after years of working for others. That decision brought me peace, fulfilment, and independence.
Q6. You’re also active in Rotary. How has that shaped your personal growth and writing? A: Rotary has been a training ground for service, leadership, and continuous learning. It sharpens one’s time management, networking, and community engagement skills. Through Rotary, I met people like Rotarian Betty, who later became my book consultant. Rotary’s spirit of service and fellowship also inspired me to write this book to serve others through my story.
Q7. What inspired you to write Perseverance is Key? A: My life story. I grew up poor, lost my mother early, and was raised by stepmothers. I faced hardship through school, work, and even personal tragedy, including single parenting and several accidents in a plane, train, and car. Despite everything, perseverance saw me through. I wrote this book so that readers, especially those facing difficult times, can see that it’s possible to overcome through faith, discipline, and persistence.
Q*8. Who do you hope will read this book, and what do you want them to take away from it? A: I hope parents, students, and professionals will read it. Parents should buy it for their children because it shows that success requires struggle and patience. Students will learn to take education seriously and not lose hope when things get tough. Professionals will see that integrity and perseverance pay off. The book covers themes of schooling, marriage, parenting, and survival. It is both a life story and a guide for self-development. Q9. You’ve mentioned surviving several accidents. Could you tell us more? A: Yes, I survived two plane accidents and one train accident, among others. Those experiences deepened my gratitude for life and strengthened my belief in perseverance. That’s why I share them in the book, to remind readers that giving up should never be an option. Q10. What message do you have for today’s professionals and entrepreneurs in Uganda? A: Persevere, persevere, and persevere. Success is often just around the corner. Many give up too soon. Even in farming, I’ve had to persevere through challenges like market access and crop maturity. Perseverance doesn’t end when you retire; it’s a lifelong companion. Q11. When is your book launching, and what can readers expect? A: Perseverance is Key will be launched on 5th November. It’s a major milestone for me, a product of reflection, resilience, and gratitude. Readers can expect an inspiring and practical life guide. I call it a training school because once you read it, you won’t remain the same. Q12. What’s next for you after this book? A: My next project is a book focused entirely on retirement to help Ugandans plan wisely and live meaningfully after formal employment. I see too many people retiring in distress simply because they didn’t plan. I want to change that. Q13. Do you have a favourite book or one that has inspired you? A: One book I always remember is Sincerity Divorced by Edward Hinga. It left a lasting impression on me and shaped some of my thoughts on integrity and personal perseverance. Q14. Finally, what word defines you today? A: Integrity. It has carried me through every stage of life. My motto remains, “Perseverance is key.” And yes, as I speak to you now, I’m sipping cinnamon tea from my own farm. That’s a taste of fulfilment, gratitude, and peace. About the Book Title: Perseverance is Key: My Journey Through Life and Work Author: George Steven Okotha Launch Date: 5th November Themes: Integrity, Perseverance, Career, Retirement, Faith Availability: To be announced at the official launch event.
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Q1. For those who may not know you, who is Florence Lusiba in a few words?
Florence Lusiba is passionate about promoting reading at every level—in the classroom, library, and home—because reading inspires students to learn better, be creative, and develop critical analytical thinking skills. My academic background is rooted in the sciences, with a degree in Chemistry from the U.S.A., complemented by a minor in English, where I explored creative writing and poetry. I began my career as a Chemist but later pivoted to the business sector after earning a master’s degree in business administration. I now serve as the Marketing Manager of Gustro Ltd, a company specializing in the wholesale and retail distribution of genuine educational books to bookshops, schools, and institutions, ensuring end-users receive competitive prices.
Q2. You have been involved in bookselling for a long time, working with your father at Gustro Ltd. What drew you personally to this work?
I was fortunate that my father fostered a strong interest in our academic performance from a very young age. He introduced us to storybooks and readers early on, ensuring we visited the library during school holidays to borrow books of our choice. This strong foundation, coupled with his close monitoring of our school performance, instilled in me the value of educational materials. When I joined him in bookselling, the transition was natural, as we share a common goal: ensuring that children and students in higher institutions of learning have access to the quality textbooks, reference books, and journals they need for academic success.
Q3. Can you tell us more about Gustro Ltd and Gustro Book Centre—what services you offer and how you serve authors, publishers, and readers?
Gustro Ltd is a private incorporated company operating out of the five-story Gustro Book Centre on Sir Apollo Kaggwa Road in Old Kampala. We specialize in the wholesale and retail of educational books. We ensure all books we handle have a registered ISBN to confirm they are genuine, as we strictly do not deal in pirated books.
The layout of the Gustro Book Centre is structured to serve our diverse clientele:
Ground Floor: Dedicated to wholesale and stores, serving bookshops in Kampala and upcountry.
1st Floor: The retail department, featuring a wide display that serves schools and parents directly.
2nd Floor: Houses Vast Publishers and rental offices.
3rd Floor: Displays a wide range of Tertiary books, including Business, Medical, Nursing, and I.T. titles.
4th Floor: Administration offices.
Gustro Ltd functions primarily as a distribution hub for educational books, sourcing and supplying material written by various authors and publishers for the Uganda Curriculum to schools, NGOs, and the Ministry of Education. We are truly a one-stop centre for educational books.
Q4. Gustro represents many foreign publishers. How does this partnership work, and what does it mean for readers in Uganda?
Gustro proudly distributes books for major international publishers such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, Penguin, and Taylor and Francis. Our stock includes a wide array of resources like dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, subject books, readers, novels, and tertiary materials. We also stock new curriculum books like the Active series from Oxford University Press East Africa, African Literature books from East African Educational Publishers, and various revision books.
Our strong partnerships with international suppliers, who offer us reasonable credit facilities for overseas books, are key. This arrangement allows us to provide Ugandan readers with an extensive variety of high-quality reading materials, ranging from classics and Shakespeare to new releases from African and European authors, as well as popular series like Bookworms and Penguin Books.
Q5. You have also been part of efforts to fight book piracy in Uganda. What has been your role in this struggle, and what challenges do you see ahead?
Piracy remains a significant challenge, with our bestsellers often being counterfeited and sold to unsuspecting buyers during the peak season. Gustro Ltd’s primary role is sensitization. We actively work to educate schools about the difference between pirated and genuine books through emails and WhatsApp messages, while also reminding them about copyright law which protects the intellectual property of authors and publishers.
Publishers help combat piracy by regularly printing new editions, which encourages schools and parents to purchase books with the most updated information. We also advocate for publishers to use holograms supplied by the Uganda Reproduction Rights Organisation (URRO) to mark genuine books. However, a major challenge is that pirates often mimic these security procedures, confusing the consumer and making it difficult to curb the vice.
Q6. You often conduct outreach activities to promote books and reading. Could you share some of the initiatives you are most proud of?
I am most proud of the Book Week and Book Club events we have championed in schools and community centres. These initiatives promote group reading and discussion of stories and novels. During Book Week, a school dedicates a week to a specific theme (like environment or recycling), and students engage in reading books, writing stories, and performing activities based on that theme. Gustro and other booksellers, including authors, are invited to display and sell books, engaging directly with parents and students. These school interactions are often our most successful business points.
The Book Clubs proved especially vital during the COVID-19 school closures. We managed to deliver assortments of readers and workbooks to different homes. Children in the neighbourhood could safely collect, read, and exchange these books (while masked), maintaining their reading habit when libraries were inaccessible.
Q7. With the rise of digital platforms and e-books, how do you see the future of bookselling and distribution in Uganda?
The digital shift is significant, yet currently, only 27% of Uganda’s population has access to internet services. E-learning platforms, like those offered by NCDC, have been crucial, especially during COVID-19, but their reach is predominantly limited to urban areas with reliable internet and access to digital devices (tablets, laptops). Booksellers work with publishers to connect these e-learning packages to urban schools, and the distribution of digital platforms will certainly grow as internet access expands nationwide.
However, textbooks and physical readers will remain essential for rural schools that lack reliable internet service and digital devices. Therefore, booksellers will continue to be relevant in supplying the bulk of educational materials. While some NGOs provide online services to rural schools, this remains a private, project-based arrangement and not a systemic change.
Q8. How is Gustro adapting to the digital shift—whether in marketing, distribution, or engaging with readers online?
Gustro Ltd utilizes online marketing by maintaining a professional website that details the publishers we distribute for and provides a link to our catalogue. This allows customers to view and select their required books. Additionally, we use a WhatsApp Business catalogue, enabling customers to easily browse and select dictionaries, readers, and literature books directly on their phones from Gustro Book Centre.
While we provide e-books to international schools on an on-demand basis, the majority of schools in Uganda, especially outside the few private institutions, still rely heavily on hard-copy textbooks and readers as the main mode of instruction and learning. Our strategy therefore focuses on enhancing hard-copy distribution while using digital tools to streamline marketing and ordering processes.
Q9. In your view, what are the biggest opportunities for booksellers and distributors in Uganda today?
The biggest opportunities are driven by market demand for localized services, particularly as head teachers and teacher associations increasingly establish bookshops within schools. To capitalize on this, booksellers and distributors should focus on two key areas:
Strong Partnerships with Schools: Offering schools a variety of approved books and ensuring quick, reliable service delivery at competitive prices. Booksellers can also partner with schools during major events like Book Week or Visitation Days, bringing services directly to the users.
Strengthening the Uganda Booksellers Association (UBA): Enhancing unity and networking among booksellers builds trust with publishers—our suppliers—and ensures customers can source the books they need from any bookshop across the country.
Q10. What challenges do booksellers face in this market, and how can they be addressed?
The main challenge booksellers face is the lack of regulation or a comprehensive Book Trade Policy. This regulatory vacuum contributes to three critical issues:
Counterfeit Books: A surge of counterfeit books floods the open market during the peak Back to School season. Since they are cheaper, they compete unfairly with genuine books and significantly reduce sales for legitimate bookshops.
School Photocopying: Schools often buy a single copy of a textbook, then use in-house photocopy machines to create and sell unauthorized, low-quality copies to students. This is an illegal violation of copyright and results in students receiving poorly printed materials.
Competition from Schools: Schools setting up internal bookshops compete directly with professional booksellers. Furthermore, publishers supplying books to schools at the wholesale prices reserved for bookshops disrupt the established book distribution chain.
These challenges can be addressed by the Ministry of Education establishing a clear Book Policy (often referred to as an “Orange Book” in places like Kenya). This policy would provide strict guidelines for schools, listing approved textbooks per publisher, vetted prices, and requiring that orders be placed through the bookshop chain. Such a policy would enforce standards, reduce overpricing, and curb the sale of pirated books.
Q11. As someone who has grown up in the book trade, what lessons have you learned from your father, Augustine Lusiba, about business and passion for books?
My father is deeply passionate about education and has always sought out the best educational materials through strong partnerships with both international and local publishers. As the first Chairman of the Uganda Booksellers Association, he demonstrated the importance of community by travelling with his team to different National libraries to explore ways to improve reading and library services regionally.
From him, I have learned that success is built on:
Partnerships and Collaboration: Building strong, collaborative relationships with all stakeholders, including suppliers, customers, and networking with associations.
Core Values: Working hard with integrity, honesty, consistency, and maintaining continuous specialization in bookselling. These values have been Gustro’s foundation for growth.
Financial Discipline: As an accountant, he stressed good accounting principles, including meticulous record keeping, documenting and posting all transactions in the business system, and timely payment to suppliers, with clear communication in case of delays.
His key principle is maintaining good communication with staff, customers, suppliers, and service providers to identify and correct gaps early, ensuring consistently excellent service.
Q12. What advice would you give to young people who want to get into bookselling or distribution?
My advice is to first volunteer or intern at a bookshop or publishing house. This hands-on exposure is crucial for understanding the complexities of bookselling, publishing, marketing, and distributing academic or leisure books through the established chains.
They must understand that the book business in Uganda is seasonal—peaking during the Back to School period—and constantly faces challenges from piracy and illegal photocopying. Therefore, continuous training and sensitization of school leaders, teachers, students, and parents is necessary to generate substantial, ethical sales.
A positive development is the growth in self-publishing, attracting creative talent from all generations who are documenting their history, stories, and expertise in educational and self-help books. This signals a positive shift in the reading culture. I would encourage the youth to be innovative and form more reading hubs or clubs that offer discussion and entertainment on diverse book topics. These hubs can boost cultural tourism, strengthen the reading culture, and provide opportunities for authors to connect with the public through book signings and events, ultimately driving more book sales.
Q13. Beyond work, what personal passions or values drive your involvement in the book industry?
My personal history with reading, including enjoying series like Enid Blyton, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys, alongside African literature classics, informs my passion today. In hindsight, I wish I had had more access to locally written leisure series, like Barbara Kimenye’s Moses series, that captivated young Ugandan readers.
My main personal passion is seeing the younger generation read a wide variety of books and novels that ultimately inspire their own creativity as writers. I want to see more novels written by Ugandans, about the Ugandan experience. I am proud that schools are now supporting reading and book week events, and that young people are writing and launching their own storybooks, inspiring their classmates. At Gustro, we actively encourage parents to bring their children in to buy diverse readers, and I participate in training sessions on why reading is important—it exposes you to the world, fosters creativity, and develops analytical thinking, enabling you to write your own book and help improve society.
Q14. Finally, what message would you like to leave with authors, publishers, and readers about the role of booksellers in building a reading culture in Uganda?
Booksellers will continue to be vital, serving as a one-stop centre where customers can purchase an assortment of academic books from various publishers, alongside readers, novels, and leisure books from a multitude of authors. This unique position enables us to bring reading resources physically closer to users across the country.
The book market is changing. While new O-level curriculum books are available, the reading culture is also growing to reflect societal changes. Readers are connecting with information globally and buying books that address personal experiences, whether in soft or hard copy. There is also a major shift in schools from purely academic materials toward skill-based and vocational books that are learner-based. These resources empower students to apply skills practically in their daily lives and create their own jobs.
The reading culture is specifically growing with the promotion of self-help books, local creativity in fiction and non-fiction, and innovative books on value addition in sectors like agriculture and oil, all of which are seen as opportunities to improve youth employment. My 2024 sponsored visit to the Sharjah International Book Fair, also known as the Sharjah Booksellers Conference, in the UAE, confirmed that bookselling is a global village. To benefit from this global industry, we, as a country, must create more reading and discussion spaces and events to share new, innovative products, online platforms, and distribution techniques that reflect the changing demands of our consumers.
