Sam Mafabi will be remembered for having transformed Sir Tito Winyi SS Hoima from a mediocre school to one of the giants of education of that time, Ali Babi, an old student of the school said.

Babi said at the time Mafabi was appointed to manage the school, it was grappling with poor performance and low student enrolment. However, with the help of other enthusiastic teachers, he helped the school to quickly regain its glory and became one of the best in the region.

“Actually, Mafabi helped many students from disadvantaged families from not just Bunyoro, but also Bugisu, to get an education. Mafabi would employ students who could not raise school fees to work on the farm during holidays and continue to pursue their dream,” Babi said.

Sam Mafabi on Wednesday succumbed to diabetes at a private health facility in Budadiri, Sironko district.

During his tenure, Mafabi rejuvenated the school’s co-curricular activities, such as sports. By the time he left, the school had built up a strong infrastructure with a fully equipped science laboratory. Many classroom blocks and dormitories had also been built or given a facelift. The school had a truck and tractor that were used both by the school and the surrounding community.

Yunus Mugabe, another old student, said Mafabi changed the image of Sir Tito Winyi SS from a local village school to a first class secondary school that would compete with schools at national level. He also instilled discipline in the students and hired those from poor families to work in the school farm in order to get fees.

“One of the students he hired is the school’s current headteacher, Gordon Kigongo. Mafabi raised the students’ enrollment from 300 students when he joined as headteacher to over 2,000 at the time he left. The students came from all parts of the country,” Mugabe said.

Mafabi was a gifted administrator, who the students both feared and loved.

“He could tease you as a new student to test your attitude. He knew all his 2,000 students by name and parents and even the village you would be coming from,” Mugabe said.

He said Mafabi introduced political education in the school after his training in Kyankwanzi.

“Actually, I was one of his close commanders at school and he appointed me a school political commissar. I’m saddened by his death. He will be remembered by the Sir Tito Winyi community for his unique style of leadership,” Mugabe said.

Mafabi at a glance

Sam Mafabi succumbed to diabetes at a private health facility in Budadiri, Sironko district.

John Wetaka, the councillor for the elderly in Sironko district, said his cousin, Mafabi, is survived by a wife, nine children and several grandchildren.

He said after graduating as a teacher in 1972, Mafabi served in various schools;

1972: Kabalega SS in Masindi

1981-1983: Served in Masaba SS as deputy headmaster

1983: Sir Tito Winyi Secondary School in Hoima

1998: Was posted to Nabumali High School

“He has been the general secretary of the older persons’ council at Buhugu sub-county in Sironko, head of the laity of Mbale North Diocese and a canon in the same church,” Wetaka said.