Mzee joined S1 at 45, is graduating from Makerere

By Charles Musisi

To join S1 at the age of 45 is undoubtedly odd. But to excel is a spectacular twist in the story. Little wonder that Mwalimu Musa Nkata is a legend in Nkokonjeru.

There are many intriguing tales about him. Some people contend that he is a genius. Others claim he is extremely knowledgeable.
“He knows almost everything,” says one Fred Kaggwa. “A decade ago, we asked him to tell us how a pope was elected. We had read about it so we wanted to find out how much he knew about the subject. For a minute, he stroked his beard and then told us exactly what we had read.”

Ten years ago, Nkata surprised the natives of Nkokonjeru. He enrolled at Nkokonjeru Parents secondary school, where his son was a student. Father and son sat in the same class — S1.

“I admired his immense courage. He was hard working and showed a high level of commitment. Nkata adjusted to school life. Although he was an old man, he did not ask for preferential treatment. He participated in all school activities such as cleaning the compound,” remarks Sister Antonia Namuli, the head mistress. “Nkata read a lot and often consulted his teachers. He even used to challenge them.
He seemed determined so we gave him an opportunity.”

And that was what Nkata needed to realise his dream. He threw all his energies into his studies. Because of his willingness to learn, passion for reading and determination, he was the best student from S1 to S6.

Surprisingly, he performed better than his son. Whereas his father was always the first, the son was often in sixth position.

In S5, his son was suspended indefinitely for misbehaviour. Nkata was angry and for two years, the boy stayed home. In 2003, he did his A’level exams in sciences and got 13 points. The son will join university this year, but he has to pay tuition fees. Now he teaches at Trust College. The boy also farms to raise tuition fees for university.

“I told him to show me sh400,000 before I could contribute towards his university education,” says Nkata.

In his office, a small room containing only the barest of furniture, a heap of papers lies on a bench next to a wooden chair.
“I was born in Namaliiri village in Nkokonjeru. My father Imam Ali Musoke headed the Nkokonjeru Mosque. I spent my entire childhood in Nkokonjeru and, like other peasant families, we lived on subsistence farming,” Nkata says.

Musoke was a devourer of newsprint and was deeply interested in politics. He bought various Luganda publications including Mukulembeze, Musizi, Uganda Ayogera and Taifa Empya.

At an early age, Nkata began to crave for books of all kinds. That thirst for knowledge, a quest to know everything, made him develop an almost obsessive attraction to books.
“I read every book I could get. I often read newspapers to visitors who frequented our home to hear about the latest news. Not many people had access to newspapers,” Nkata says.

In the small village of Namaliiri, where most peasants were illiterate, Nkata was revered. This acted as a spur to his quest for knowledge.

In 1945, his father was arrested for agitating for direct elections for the Lukiiko (Buganda parliament), leaving his family with a lot to sort out.
“In 1966, I sat PLE at Kisoga Primary School. Due to lack of school fees, I could not proceed. Janat Mukwaya, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, was my schoolmate. She was in primary seven while I was in primary five.”

Unable to pursue his studies, Nkata began digging for a living.
“In 1986, my sister gave me money for a one year secretarial course at the East Africa Commercial School. I obtained an intermediate certificate in book keeping and typing.”

A year later, he was sent to some sheikhs in Buikwe to be schooled in Islamic instruction. When coffee smuggling began in the 1970s, Nkata became a smuggler. His luck ran out in 1976 when he was nabbed on Lake Victoria near Nansagazi landing site in Mukono.
“I was arrested with 23 other smugglers and sent to Luzira Prison. I wasn’t harassed and the food wasn’t bad,” Nkata narrates.
At Luzira, his life changed profoundly. He was always asked to accompany Sheikh Ali Mbazira, the prison Imam, to pray for criminals facing execution.

“It was a traumatic experience. Other prisoners in the carpentry workshop made coffins for the death row convicts as they were hearing,” he recalls.

While in Luzira, he met a group of university students from Somalia. They were opposed to the introduction of leftist policy in Somalia, so they sought refuge in Uganda. Unfortunately, they were arrested and imprisoned.
“I developed an excellent rapport with them and they schooled me in Koranic studies.”

When Nkata was released in 1979, he was armed to the teeth with weapons of spiritual force. People in his village were surprised by his extensive knowledge of Islam. He was appointed the deputy Imam of Nkokonjeru mosque.

However, misfortune continued dogging his life. In 1987, he was offered a scholarship by the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council to study in Pakistan, but he had to foot the cost of transport.
“I tried to raise money but as soon as I got about sh2.5m, there was a national currency reform. I used the little money I was left with to buy three cows,” he narrates.
“One day, he told us he was going back to school,” laughs Juma Mutyaba, 23, his son. “We thought he was joking, but the following day he followed me to school. He was admitted and we sat in the same class.”

At first, students did not believe their eyes.
“They shot me a curious look, but I wasn’t bothered. I was determined,” Nkata recalls.
Gradually, they got used to having him in class. Being a friendly person with a great sense of humour, he got along with his classmates.

But the villagers remained sceptical about his intentions. Whenever he passed through the town on his way home, people laughed and ridiculed him.
“I was not bothered. Laughing at me spurred me into action. I worked harder. I wanted to prove them wrong. My wife was extremely supportive. She worked hard to feed our family when I was at school,” Nkata says.

With many hungry mouths to support, Nkata could hardly save for school fees.

Every morning for six years, Nkata woke at the crack of dawn, milked his three cows before proceeding to school at 8:00am. Six hours later, he rushed back to his home to feed his cows.
“At 2:00pm, I would report to school and leave at 4:00pm. From 8:00pm to midnight, I read. I enjoyed studying. My major problem was mathematics. Many things had changed since 1966 when I dropped out of school. The unit of measuring weight was a pound, now it was the metric system. I asked my son to help.”
When Nkata sat his O’level exams, he was top with 18 aggregate. He joined S5.

“He studied Economics, Literature, Divinity and Luganda. He was very active in class and in most cases, his answers were right,” Fred Itogoot, his former teacher, says. “Nkata was a model for young students and they emulated him,” he adds.

In A’level, Nkata was the best student at St. Peters and got A in Luganda and B in Economics. He was admitted to Makerere University on Government sponsorship to study Education. At Makerere, he was the oldest student in the class.
“Since I like reading, I didn’t find the course difficult, but it was really hectic. There was a lot of work,” Nkata says.

During his second year at the university in 2003, Nkata got an opportunity to demonstrate his knowledge. He participated in Engule, a popular Luganda and current affairs competition on Radio Simba.
“There were 74 participants and I was the best,” Nkata says. “I got a reward of sh10m, which I used to establish Nkokonjeru Trust College.”
“I would have been surprised if I had not won,” he says. “I have been reading newspapers since the age of 12. I used to read Uganda Argus, Voice of Uganda and New Times. When The New Vision begun, I bought the first copy and I have been reading the paper since then. I used to send taxi drivers to buy the paper from Kampala,” he says.

“The paper covers many areas including agriculture, health and environment. This has enabled me learn a lot,” he says of The New Vision.

Nkata will graduate in March this year. He is highly respected in Nkokonjeru. He has been appointed the chairman of the Procurement Committee, Nkokonjeru Farmers’ Forum under the National Agricultural Advisory Services.

Some people are trying to follow in his footsteps. His brother Abdul Nkata, 45, the chief of Nkokonjeru town council, completed senior four last year and is now under Nkata’s tutelage.

Nkata is married to the 43-year-old Hasifa. They have five children, but cater for seven others. Ten are in secondary school.

He loves soccer. Nkata was a FUFA referee for about 25-years. He is a fan of Kampala City Council Football Club.

“Those who laughed at me now revere me,” laughs Nkata. “Success is about a strong will, willingness to learn and hard work. I intend to make my school a model one to impart those values and also concentrate on writing books in Luganda.”