11-year-old scrap collector gains fame, urges children to respect parents

22 April 2025, 11:04 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

In the Pearl of Africa, Uganda, the social media landscape has transformed the life of 11-year-old Saad Ssozi, who has risen to global fame thanks to his captivating content. Widely known by his social media name Tenge Tenge, Ssozi is enjoying the time of his life. So far, he has travelled to Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, and Saudi Arabia, and he remains hopeful of visiting even more countries.

In an interview, Ssozi shared how he became the person he is today. Born to Ahmed Edrisa Kikomeko and Namuli Aisha, he was raised in a humble family.

Before rising to fame, 11-year-old Saad Ssozi had dropped out of school due to poverty. To support himself and his struggling parents, he turned to collecting scrap metal for a living. His life began to change in 2018 when he met Kabonge Michael, who was training over 50 children in dance at the Wembley Mo Foundation—the same foundation that gave rise to the renowned Ghetto Kids dance group.

“Most of the children who came for dance lessons were unsettled and somewhat stubborn,” Kabonge recalls. “But Saadi stood out. I was impressed by his consistency and determination to learn. I was shocked, though, to learn that he wasn’t in school and was collecting scrap metal at such a young age.”

Despite his difficult circumstances, Ssozi regularly showed up and demonstrated his potential. He always believed he could become a star like the Ghetto Kids. Initially, before Kabonge posted any videos of him online, Ssozi dedicated time to training and perfecting his dance skills. Eventually, a video was uploaded of him dancing in a bush, with the phrase “Tenge tengelele” in the background—a moment that led to his now-famous social media name, Tenge Tenge.

“At first, I didn’t think the video my manager posted would get many views,” Ssozi said. “But I was shocked when it received over 162 million views. It made me feel happy and proud of my work.”

Encouraged by the response, Ssozi continued working hard and creating more videos. “My TikTok fame has allowed me to travel to countries I never imagined visiting. It feels amazing boarding a plane and going to places like Saudi Arabia, Kenya, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, and Nigeria. It’s been a great experience,” he said. “I’ve even had live video calls with international celebrities like Chris Brown, Tiwa Savage, and Davido, which was very exciting.”

Ssozi has since returned to school and is now in Primary Four. Speaking about his parents, he said: “At first, they didn’t mind me posting videos, but my dad had a problem because he didn’t really understand what I was doing on social media. Now, he finally understands and both my parents are supportive, which I’m very grateful for.”

Like many others, Ssozi has faced challenges along the way. His manager shared one such incident: “After Ssozi had a TikTok live session with Chris Brown, rumours began circulating that the singer was coming to Uganda and that I was making a lot of money from these interactions. These rumours reached his parents, who became concerned and pulled him from making videos for a while. Fortunately, once they realised it was just false gossip, they allowed him to continue his work.”

To other young people hoping to follow in his footsteps, Ssozi offers this advice: “Be patient and hardworking. Respect your parents and your managers, and make sure to stay in school.”

He sees himself continuing to grow as a content creator. He also confirmed that he underwent dental surgery to fix a challenge he was facing. Today, his YouTube channel has over 4.1 million subscribers, his Instagram account boasts 3.2 million followers, and his Facebook page has more than 1.7 million, according to his manager.

Ssozi dreams of one day building a beautiful house for his parents.