Odhiambo, UCU's finest student

Oct 26, 2011

Kenyan Odhiambo Norris Odongo, 29, is leading students at UCU with a GPA of 4.76 in Bachelor of Project Planning and Entrepreneurship.

 By Timothy Murungi

Kenyan Odhiambo Norris Odongo, 29, is leading students at Uganda Christian University (UCU) with a GPA of 4.76 in Bachelor of Project Planning and Entrepreneurship. Odhiambo is a pioneer student of the course which was introduced at the university in 2008. 

Amazingly, he is topping the list of 33 First-Class students graduating this Friday at UCU. He scored First-Class grades five times out of the six semesters in at the university.
 

Inspiring backgrounds

Odhiambo hails from the village of Nyalenda, Kisumu in neighboring Kenya, born to Hannington Odongo and Doreen Aomo who are owners of an events management firm (Kingara Gardens Ltd) in Kenya. He is the first born of four children.

His father played a big role in influencing Odhiambo to study project planning and entrepreneurship. 
 
"He told me that more and more people are getting involved in starting business because it is beneficial,” he explained.
Odhiambo wanted to continue studying Information Technology (IT) which he had studied during pre-university at Kenyatta University. 
 
"Besides, my elder sister was studying information technology in Australia. She did not want us all to get stuck in case IT failed to yield something, hence the need to diversify,” he added.
 
Despite his passion for IT, Odhiambo followed his father’s advice – to pursue project planning and entrepreneurship.
He attributes his academic success to his inspiring and supportive family.
 

Academic accountability

His parents' strictness only helped him to perform better since they would always demand an accountability of how their money in form of school fees was being used.
 
Studying in Uganda was Odhiambo's first time in Uganda. He developed mixed feelings around the fear that he would no longer perform as well as he normally used to because of the new environment. 
 
However, his coursemates encouraged him to ‘shoot for the moon’ because they believed he could make it. 
 

A point of reference


Odhiambo was a point of reference for anyone who sought consultation, and he explains discussions helped him grasp the content he was taught through explaining for other students.
 
"When you discuss something for someone you understand it better than you had gotten it in the lecture,” he laughs, adding that with time, even students from other courses like Nursing and Public Administration and Management were advised to consult him.
 
His love for IT has steered him into the field of designing computer systems for secondary schools to use in examination analysis, accounting for fees collection and administration of students. He has designed software systems for top Kenyan schools, notably St. Joseph’s Rapogi High School, Moi Girls’ School and Kisii High School to mention but a few.
 

Future outlook

Odhiambo's future prospects are of opening up an IT firm dealing in computer software and hardware and starting an NGO for children and women. For now, he is working at his parents' events management firm as the managing director.
 

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