Mountains of the Moon enters Ultimate University Quiz with winning spirit

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ULTIMATE UNIVERSITY QUIZ SEASON 4 ORIENTATION

📍 Fort Portal City

As the clock ticks towards the start of this year's Season 4 of the Ultimate University Quiz, excitement is building across the universities preparing to battle for quiz supremacy.

At Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) in Uganda's western city of Fort Portal, the anticipation is already palpable, as the students get set to make their debut in the competition this October.

“It’s our turn to shine! We are coming for it and coming to grab the trophy and bring it to Mountains of the Moon, where the bright come from,” said an excited Recheal Kanyunyuzi, a third-year student of education.

The Ultimate University Quiz brings together universities from across the country to test students’ knowledge, teamwork, speed and intellectual agility.

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For the university named after the Rwenzori Mountains, this is more than just another inter-university contest. It is an opportunity to announce its arrival on one of the Uganda’s biggest university platforms.

Prospective contestants to represent the university will know their challengers will have experience to their advantage, with the competition now in its fourth consecutive year, but that has done little to discourage them. On the contrary, it has fuelled in them a sense of determination to make their mark on the first time of asking.

Quiz coach Gilbert Akky Matsiko (pictured below), who is also the Acting Principal Communications Officer of the university, believes his team can quickly make up for lost time.

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Matsiko said his focus is on equipping the students with the skills, confidence and teamwork needed to compete against universities with more experience in the quiz.

“Although it is our very first time in the Ultimate University Quiz, we are coming into it with confidence, determination and the spirit to compete for the best,” he said on Monday (August 31) shortly after competition organiser Vision Group and its partners oriented the MMU students ahead of the October contest due in Kampala.

‘We join to win’

Positively, the optimism extends beyond the students and coaching team. The university leadership declared that MMU is not joining the competition merely to make up the numbers.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pius Coxwell Achanga (pictured below) said the institution has a history of excelling in academic and international engagements, and the Ultimate University Quiz should be no different.

“We have appeared on the international stage in China and we won. We have won in other local academic contests, and so joining this one is not just a matter of registering, but a matter of joining to win,” he told the facilitators, who met him in his office.

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Achanga said the university had embraced the initiative because it aligns with its broader mission of developing well-rounded graduates who can use their knowledge and skills to address challenges in their communities.

“If you look at everything you do in changing students’ lives outside of campus, whether it is in sports or the ability to engage intellectually, we will support that. The quiz challenge is a welcome initiative by the university and, as vice-chancellor, we join to win,” he said.

Guild president Patrick Perepetwa Kato Mungi'Atiibwa (pictured below, 2ndL) acknowledged that although MMU will face universities that participated in previous editions, that experience will not intimidate the newcomers.

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'Make and impact'

The competition is being sponsored by Bank of Uganda (platinum sponsor), Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA), Turkish Airlines, Capital Markets Authority (CMA) of Uganda, and Parliament.

Their message to MMU students was clear: they should not enter the contest simply to add their names to the list of participating universities.

Bank of Uganda described the competition as a flagship programme because of its national character and the opportunity it gives university students to showcase their intellectual abilities.

“When I was told that you had joined the competition, I was pleased because I know your power, having worked with you on financial literacy, and we know how much power you have,” said Dr George Wilson Ssonko (pictured below), the bank's deputy director in the communications and public relations department.

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Ssonko guided the students to prepare thoroughly by also watching episodes of past seasons and ensure they are ready when the competition gets under way.

Patrick JP. Owachgiu (pictured below), the manager of UCC's Masindi regional office, said the commission partnered with Vision Group because the quiz has grown into a major platform that has attracted interest from players across different sectors.

“They are looking for the sharpest minds to recruit, and those minds are in this room,” Owachgiu told the students during the orientation, and urged them to approach the competition with ambition rather than simply seeking recognition for having participated.

“As you enter the competition, do not go with the mindset of adding numbers to show that you also participated. Go with the mindset of leaving an impact."

For URA, the partnership is an opportunity to introduce young people to tax education before they enter the workforce, with tax education officer Derrick Muhire (pictured below) saying early exposure to tax matters would help students understand their obligations and become compliant taxpayers once they graduate.

Muhire also highlighted changes in the taxation policy, noting that employees earning less than sh335,000 are not subjected to Pay As You Earn (PAYE).

'Serious university'

The enthusiasm displayed by the students and the organisation of the Fort Portal City-based university during the orientation also caught the attention of Vision Group.

Max Adii (pictured below), the project lead, said MMU had demonstrated that it was serious about its debut.

“The level of organisation they have exhibited shows you that they are a serious university to watch. I welcome them and wish them the best of luck,” he said.

For MMU, the countdown has begun. And if the confidence displayed during the orientation is anything to go by, the university’s debut could be one to watch when the battle for this season's crown begins.

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Six universities done, 14 to go!

Prizes and pride

The Season 4 quiz competition is scheduled to kick off on October 3, with the grand finale set for November 26.

Just as in previous seasons, the university that will reign supreme as champion this year will get a trophy and equipment worth sh25 million.

Each contestant and coach of the winning university will also receive a cash reward of sh1 million and a brand-new laptop.

The first runner-up (second place) university will receive equipment worth sh15 million and each contestant and coach will walk away with a sh500,000 cash reward and a laptop.

The second runner-up (third place) university will be rewarded with equipment worth sh10 million and each contestant and coach will get a sh400,000 cash reward and a tablet.

The third runner-up (fourth place) university will receive equipment worth sh5 million and each contestant and coach will receive a sh300,000 cash reward.

Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) was the champion of the inaugural season, Gulu University took the title in the second season while Uganda Christian University (UCU) is the reigning champion.

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