Mwalimu :HAKIZIMANA Maurice
- Source
- Initial author:Abdou Aziz Diédhiou
- Role: BBC News Afrique
- First publication: 28 november 2025
Becoming President of the Republic is certainly one of the highest and most powerful positions a person can dream of attaining. Yet, achieving such a goal is not easy for everyone. Still, one should never lose hope, because some people who never imagined becoming president eventually reached that office to everyone’s surprise. Destiny can sometimes lead someone to the coveted position of “Mr. President.”
Behind some rises to the highest political office lie incredible stories and little-known, even unusual, pasts.
BBC News Afrique takes you through the extraordinary journeys of several presidents and reveals what they did before becoming heads of state.
1- Paul Kagamé, Rwanda: A Refugee’s Life
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda since 2000, is considered one of Africa’s most influential leaders.
Nothing in his early life seemed to foreshadow such a destiny. Born in 1955 into a Tutsi family, Kagame was forced to flee to Uganda with his family as Rwanda was ravaged by ethnic violence.
In Uganda, young Kagame lived as a refugee and had to work hard to survive and help his parents.
He eventually left high school to join the rebellion led by current Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who was seeking to seize power.
Those years as a refugee shaped his character. He developed resilience and discipline that later enabled him to lead the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), the armed movement that liberated Rwanda from the genocidal regime in 1994.
Since then, according to his critics, he has governed Rwanda with strictness, even with an iron fist.
2- William Ruto, Kenya : The Chicken and Peanut Seller
Nicknamed “The Hustler,” William Ruto is living proof that destiny can take a person far beyond what they ever imagined.
The current President of Kenya had a modest and touching beginning.
He attended primary school barefoot and wore his first pair of shoes at the age of 15. Before entering politics, he sold chickens and peanuts.
Ruto traveled through village markets and stood by roadsides in the rural Rift Valley, trying to sell his products to passersby.
Through determination and perseverance, he completed his studies and earned a doctorate in botany and zoology from the University of Nairobi.
Born on December 21, 1966, near Eldoret in western Kenya, the former chicken seller later presented himself as the “champion of the poor” during his presidential campaign.
3- Adama Barrow, Gambie : London’s Security Guard
The story of Gambian President Adama Barrow is the story of an ordinary man.
Unemployed in his country, Barrow left Gambia in 2003 at the age of 38 to seek opportunities in England.
In London, because of his imposing stature, he became a security guard.
“Life is a journey,” he once said when asked about his past.
He reportedly stood guard outside stores with a book and pen in hand, continuing his studies while working.
He says this experience helped shape the man he is today because “working fifteen hours a day builds a man.”
Born in a Gambian village on the eve of the country’s independence in 1965, he later became a successful real estate entrepreneur before reaching the State House.
4- Jacob Zuma,South Africa: The Shepherd
Jacob Zuma is one of South Africa’s most controversial and charismatic presidents.
Born in 1942 in KwaZulu-Natal, his childhood was marked by poverty. Orphaned at a young age, he had to work to support his mother, who was a domestic worker.
He left school early to help his family.
His work was not in an office or factory but in South Africa’s vast countryside, where he worked as a shepherd, watching cattle with a stick in hand.
According to relatives, he used to mimic imaginary battles while keeping an eye on the herd.
This life forged his endurance and fighting spirit, qualities he later demonstrated as an anti-apartheid activist and as president.
5- Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar: The DJ Who Knew How to Move Crowds
Born on May 30, 1974, in Antsirabe, Andry Rajoelina began his professional career at age 20 in the entertainment industry as a DJ.
He organized highly popular events in Madagascar’s capital and introduced the concept of “Live” parties in Antananarivo.
He came to power in 2009 amid strong protests against his predecessor, Marc Ravalomanana.
Ironically, he himself was later driven from power by popular protests that claimed around twenty lives.
6- Ali Bongo Gabon: “The Artist”
Before succeeding his father, Omar Bongo, and becoming Gabon’s leader, Ali Bongo was a professional musician.
He dreamed not of politics but of funk, soul, and rhythm and blues, and imagined himself as another James Brown.
In the 1970s, he worked on his singing career and immersed himself in show business circles in Libreville and Paris.
In 1977, he released an album entitled “A Brand New Man,” inspired by James Brown’s style.
The album, produced by French producer Eddie Barclay, was not a major success.
Ultimately, politics brought him fame and power.
7- Yoweli Museveni, Uganda : The Cattle Herder
Yoweri Museveni has been in power in Uganda for nearly four decades.
Before becoming a military strategist and president, he was a cattle herder.
Born in 1944 in southwestern Uganda, he grew up in a community where livestock represented wealth and cultural identity.
As a young boy, he was entrusted with leading cattle across the savannah and protecting them from thieves and predators.
Museveni says he learned patience, vigilance, and discipline while tending cattle.
As president, he often recalled these humble origins to show that he remained connected to ordinary people.
He still owns a large farm with thousands of cattle and once stated:
“A good leader must know how to look after cows before looking after people.”
8- Georges Weah, Liberia: The Ballon d’Or Winner
History remembers George Oppong Weah as the first African footballer to win the Ballon d’Or in 1995.
It also remembers him as the first professional football player to become President of a sovereign state.
Raised in a poor neighborhood, Weah was discovered by Arsène Wenger, then coach of AS Monaco, at age 22.
He enjoyed a brilliant football career, playing for major European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Olympique de Marseille.
Upon returning to Liberia, he exchanged his football jersey for a presidential suit.
After several political setbacks, he finally became President of Liberia in 2018.
In 2023, he accepted his electoral defeat gracefully and peacefully handed over power to his opponent.
9- Volodymyr Zelensky-Ukraine : From Comedy to the Reality of Power
Volodymyr Zelensky went from the theater stage to the presidency, winning nearly 73% of the vote in 2019.
A comedian and successful producer, he became famous through the television series “Servant of the People,” in which he played an honest and naïve history teacher who unexpectedly becomes president.
Born in 1978 into a Jewish family, Zelensky became the leading actor of this successful series launched in 2015.
In 2018, he surprised everyone by announcing his candidacy for the presidency.
Campaigning on anti-corruption and peace in eastern Ukraine, he was elected president of a country that later found itself at war with Russia.
10- Lula Ignacio Dá silva, Brazil: The Metalworker and Trade Unionist
In December 1952, Lula’s mother emigrated with her eight children to São Paulo, fleeing drought and famine.
You may read:Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo President of the Democratic Republic of Congo: Biography and Education
At age 12, young Lula obtained his first job in a dry-cleaning shop. He also worked as a shoeshine boy and office assistant.
At 14, he secured his first labor contract in a factory.
He climbed the ranks, becoming a metalworker and later a trade union leader.
In 1980, he founded the Workers’ Party (PT).
In 2003, the factory worker and union activist became Brazil’s first president without a university degree.
He served until 2011 and returned to the presidency in 2023, despite having previously spent time in prison over corruption allegations from which he was later cleared by Brazilian courts.
African Heads of State pose for a group photo before the opening ceremony of the 37th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Conference
READ ALSO:Know the Presidents Who Refuse to Relinquish Power in Africa
These extraordinary stories remind us that the path to the highest office in a nation can begin in the most unexpected places: refugee camps, village markets, cattle fields, football stadiums, factories, music studios, or comedy stages. Destiny sometimes elevates ordinary people to extraordinary positions.
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