Until 2023, Robert Kasaija, a resident of the neighbouring country Uganda, had been experiencing headaches for nearly two decades. However, the middle-aged Kasaija, a hotelier in Busia, Uganda, chose to ignore the pain as it was intermittent and did not severely affect his daily duties. He thought it was simply due to exhaustion from his work routine.

In 2022, however, the pain intensified in his forehead and made him feel unusually different from the way he was accustomed to. It was then that he decided to seek medical attention at a health facility in Busia, where he was prescribed some painkillers.

The problem persisted, and after visiting several health facilities in Kampala, he was treated for malaria, brucellosis, and even typhoid, but still did not feel better.