Smiles of Makerere’s first class celebrities

OVER 60 students were awarded First Class degrees in various disciplines at Makerere University's 47th graduation last Friday. A first class grade ranges from Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.40 up to 5.0. Denis Ocwich spoke to some of the stars, most of them girls.

AMELIA MBOTTO (B.A Drama)

Amelia Mbotto says it is Jesus Christ who helped her get a First Class degree.
“I wasn’t this kid who you would say is so bright. Studying without Christ would make me a dull person. The more I had Christ, the more I excelled,” she says.
Her role model is her dad, Dr. Gadi Gumisiriza, a Principal Research Officer at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO).
Amelia, 23, is an Old Girl (OG) of Namasagali College (O’Level) and Wairaka College (A'level). To those who wish to attain First Class, she advises:
“Stay focused and know that passing exams at campus is just like passing at nursery, primary and secondary. So always maximise and get the best out of everything.”

BENON TURINAWE (B. SWSA)

On campus, there is too much freedom to the extent that one can easily lose track. Benon Turinawe, 23, son of Rev the Canon David Rutahweire, recalls how his marks went down whenever he was involved in a love relationship.
He says he is grateful to his father for being a strict disciplinarian and giving him money to buy pamphlets, handouts and coaching.
Benon says university education needs money for buying a lot of literature. But for him, getting a First Class was not by accident. At Kigezi High School (A’Level) where he studied History, Economics, Divinity and Geography he scored 22 points. His O’Level was at Makobore High school where he scored Aggregate 16 for six subjects. So how did he manage to keep himself at the top on campus?
“Sometimes you have to cut social things,” he says adding that although they do not push people at Makerere, prep (evening reading) still applies here too.
“By 8:00pm I would be in the library and come out when they close it at 10:00pm,” he recalls.

PHILIP OKETCHO (BA Arts)
The dictum among the lazy lot at Makerere is that only students from poor families read hard because they have no future if they relax. “Whenever I was reading, they would say, I was a peasant,” Oketcho says. Having come from a family he describes as “complete peasants”, the 27-year-old born-again Christian remained focused to achieve what took him to the university.
He will be the first to hold a graduation party in his Kajarau village in Mukuju sub-county, Tororo district.
He went to Apokor Primary School, Atiri Secondary and Rock High School. At secondary school, he was among the best in the district. This earned him a bursary at Rock View School where he scored Aggregate 19 at A’Level.
“I have a policy that if you are not at the top, you will be at the bottom, which is crowded; and if you are lost in the crowd, no one notices you,” says Oketcho.

CLARA KANSIIME (B. SWSA)
Right from the outset, Clara Kansiime was sure of walking out of Makerere with a First Class degree.
“It took competition within myself. I never competed with others,” says the 25-year-old born-again Christian.
Kansiime’s late father Dennis Rusoke, would tell her that even if she was the last in class, he would not mind, as long as her marks were not below 70%.
In O’Level at Kyebambe Girls School, she was the best student. The story repeated itself in A’Level when she emerged the best student at Trinity College Nabbingo, with aggregate 24 .
“It is not about reading all the time. Some people may over read but they don't discuss. And when they go for exams, they misfire.”
She is grateful to All Saints Church, Nakasero for paying her school fees (in secondary) under Compassion International. This motivated her to work hard.

MILCA JOWERA (B.A Drama)
Throughout her education right from Nakasero Primary School to Kitante Hill School (O’Level) and Old Kampala SS (A’Level) and Makerere University, Milcah Joweria Lalam commuted from home.
Having lost her father when she was only four years old, she has had a personal attachment to her mother Agnes Okot, a designer. So she did not want to go to a boarding school and leave her at home.
In her own words, she was a 'mediocre' student at primary and secondary level.
"I did not believe in my ability to excel this much," says Lalam, 23, who emerged the best overall student and bagged a convocation cash prize of sh500,000.
“I always believe that God has helped me,” says the jovial born-again heroine. But she won't forget her mother who she says "has been my greatest support since I lost my dad...”
Besides her lecturers and team spirit with he coursemates, she attributes her success to her ability to listen to the views of other people.says Lalam who is hoping to pursue a Masters degree in Drama Therapy for psycho-social healing.

WINNIE MWAMI (Psychology)
Winnie Mwami, 23, went through the top schools — Namagunga Boarding Primary School, St. Mary’s Namagunga (O’Level) and Trinity College Nabbingo (A’Level) where she took Biology, Chemistry, Food Science and Fine Art.
She cheerfully owes her success to three factors - determination, setting goals and time management.
At one time in senior four, she got 15% in a mathematics examination. Her dad, “I do not know you as a failure.” Those words inspired her to pull up the socks.
"I think I was not performing well because I had a low self-esteem," she recalls.
Although she did not score enough points for a government scholarship, she joined Makerere on a private sponsorship. In one of her Statistics papers, she scored 98%.
Her last word: “Even if you have been dense at secondary school, you can still excel at university and have a bright future.” She is now pursuing an MA in Clinical Psychology at Makerere, and at the same time working as a volunteer at the Ministry of Health.

AGGREYATURWANIRIIRE (B.A Social Sciences)
Aggrey Aturwaniriire never gave up when he failed to make it straight to university from A’Level. He took a longer route until his patience, hard work and determination paid off.
When he joined Ntare School (A’Level) from Mbarara High School (O’Level), Aggrey had the hopes of making it to Makerere on government sponsorship. But while at S.5, he lost his sister, followed by the death of his brother who was his guardian. Subsequently, he could not excel at A’Level. So in 1997, he joined the National Teachers College Kabale where he obtained a Second Class Upper Diploma in Secondary Education.
“ I was admitted on government sponsorship at Makerere through the diploma scheme,” he explains. Now a teacher at Lakeside College, Luzira, Aggry advises: “Good performance requires attending lectures regularly and utilizing at least two hours everyday to read your books.”

RUTH NAGAWA (BSC)

Ruth is charming, humble, friendly and God-fearing. Given with her intelligence and focused-mind, she has managed to smash the myth that sciences are too hard for ladies.
With a glorious smile, she attributes her First Class to hard work, family support and God.
“I prayed. I trusted God. I was determined to excel,” narrates the 24-year-old Born-Again Christian.
To the young girls who want to follow in her footsteps, Ruth says they must have ‘a positive attitude’ that science subjects are the same as arts.
Nagawa is the last born of seven children of Mrs Deborah and Tefiro Kisosonkole. She studied in Nabisunsa Girls School from S.1 to S.6 taking Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Food and Nutrition (PCB/F). She is already back at Makerere University pursuing a Masters programme in Organizational Psychology.