LDC’s Mukembo wins records award
Jun 23, 2009
SEPTEMBER is just a month, but mention it to David Mukembo and it will toll a different bell in his mind. He will soon be going to Las Vegas in the US to be awarded his certificate for a paper he wrote on challenges of records management in Uganda and a
By Thomas Pere
SEPTEMBER is just a month, but mention it to David Mukembo and it will toll a different bell in his mind. He will soon be going to Las Vegas in the US to be awarded his certificate for a paper he wrote on challenges of records management in Uganda and a cheque for millions of shillings in scholarship.
He applied for the ARMA International Education Foundation scholarship and becomes the first African to win it since its inception 10 years ago.
It has not been an easy road for this 38-year-old deputy head librarian at the Law Development Centre (LDC), whose childhood was full of challenges.
The bleak life
Growing up in a polygamous family of three wives and 10 children, his mother left him at the mercy of his step mothers.
“I could spend three to four days without food,†he recounts.
Mukembo was a pathetic child, loitering about in tattered pants, baring his buttocks and ribs.
“It was when I was in Primary Five and my brother took me to Kamuli to stay with my grandmother that my life changed,†he says. Mukembo’s grandmother raised school fees by selling bananas.
While at Pilkington College in Mugulaka for his secondary, school fees became difficult, forcing him to work hard to raise money, besides walking a distance of 20km to and from school.
“I am indebted to friends who gave me their pocket money so that I could pay school fees,†he says.
Amidst this drudgery, Mukembo scored Aggregate 31. He joined St. John Bosco for his A’ level and studied history, economics and geography. Unfortunately, he performed poorly.
“In 1989, I heeded my brother’s advice and joined the public service as a records clerk with the Ministry of Labour, in Kampala,†he says. He was later transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Police headquarters.
The journey begins
In 1992, Mukembo was among the people who were retrenched from the civil service. “It was a tragedy. The world had collapsed on me again, but the struggle was just gaining momentum,†Mukembo says.
He did many short courses in records management; a venture that proved positive as the training, combined with his experience in the civil service, garnered him jobs with NGOs like the Family Planning Association of Uganda in 1993 and as records assistant with Action for Development (Acfode) in 1994.
In 1997, while still at Acfode, Mukembo joined Makerere University for a certificate in librarianship and information studies, followed by a diploma from 1998-2000. In January 2000, he was appointed library assistant at LDC.
By 2005, Mukembo had finished his Bachelor’s degree in library and information science at Makerere University.
“With my CV growing bigger and better, I linked up with the International Association of Information Management Professionals (ARMA) in 2002. I specialised in the area of promoting advanced skills in information management and have been active to this day.†He was later identified by the organisation as a fellow in Uganda.
“In 2004, I was invited to Los Angeles for a seminar where I was to present a paper on Records Management Challenges in Uganda, but I couldn’t go because I was denied a visa. Instead, I sent the paper which was presented at the conference by a friend,†he says, sounding disappointed.
When he decided the time was ripe to do his degree, Mukembo knew he was ready for a scholarship.He will be pursuing a masters in information science from Makerere University, courtesy of the foundation.
Mukembo is married with five children. He attributes his achievement to hard work and unwavering determination in his early school days.
Facts about the ARMA award
THE ARMA International Education Foundation is a funding resource for research and scholarship in the field of records and information management. The types of course(s) that qualify for funding include, records management and records technologies, archival administration, document imaging, human resources information management, information resource; knowledge management, library science, medical records, micrographics, office management and organisation of information.
Priority is given to people in the early stages of their careers who can demonstrate that a particular educational offering will significantly increase their ability to deal with a specific job assignment, address a problem, or advance in the field.
People who can demonstrate that the offer will enable them supervise, train or develop others in a significant way or contribute to the profession’s efforts to deal with a significant issue stand a chance of winning the scholarship.
Other gauges are cost- effectiveness — that the quality and expected outcomes are worth the investment of funds.
Source: www.armaedfoundation.org
SEPTEMBER is just a month, but mention it to David Mukembo and it will toll a different bell in his mind. He will soon be going to Las Vegas in the US to be awarded his certificate for a paper he wrote on challenges of records management in Uganda and a cheque for millions of shillings in scholarship.
He applied for the ARMA International Education Foundation scholarship and becomes the first African to win it since its inception 10 years ago.
It has not been an easy road for this 38-year-old deputy head librarian at the Law Development Centre (LDC), whose childhood was full of challenges.
The bleak life
Growing up in a polygamous family of three wives and 10 children, his mother left him at the mercy of his step mothers.
“I could spend three to four days without food,†he recounts.
Mukembo was a pathetic child, loitering about in tattered pants, baring his buttocks and ribs.
“It was when I was in Primary Five and my brother took me to Kamuli to stay with my grandmother that my life changed,†he says. Mukembo’s grandmother raised school fees by selling bananas.
While at Pilkington College in Mugulaka for his secondary, school fees became difficult, forcing him to work hard to raise money, besides walking a distance of 20km to and from school.
“I am indebted to friends who gave me their pocket money so that I could pay school fees,†he says.
Amidst this drudgery, Mukembo scored Aggregate 31. He joined St. John Bosco for his A’ level and studied history, economics and geography. Unfortunately, he performed poorly.
“In 1989, I heeded my brother’s advice and joined the public service as a records clerk with the Ministry of Labour, in Kampala,†he says. He was later transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the Police headquarters.
The journey begins
In 1992, Mukembo was among the people who were retrenched from the civil service. “It was a tragedy. The world had collapsed on me again, but the struggle was just gaining momentum,†Mukembo says.
He did many short courses in records management; a venture that proved positive as the training, combined with his experience in the civil service, garnered him jobs with NGOs like the Family Planning Association of Uganda in 1993 and as records assistant with Action for Development (Acfode) in 1994.
In 1997, while still at Acfode, Mukembo joined Makerere University for a certificate in librarianship and information studies, followed by a diploma from 1998-2000. In January 2000, he was appointed library assistant at LDC.
By 2005, Mukembo had finished his Bachelor’s degree in library and information science at Makerere University.
“With my CV growing bigger and better, I linked up with the International Association of Information Management Professionals (ARMA) in 2002. I specialised in the area of promoting advanced skills in information management and have been active to this day.†He was later identified by the organisation as a fellow in Uganda.
“In 2004, I was invited to Los Angeles for a seminar where I was to present a paper on Records Management Challenges in Uganda, but I couldn’t go because I was denied a visa. Instead, I sent the paper which was presented at the conference by a friend,†he says, sounding disappointed.
When he decided the time was ripe to do his degree, Mukembo knew he was ready for a scholarship.He will be pursuing a masters in information science from Makerere University, courtesy of the foundation.
Mukembo is married with five children. He attributes his achievement to hard work and unwavering determination in his early school days.
Facts about the ARMA award
THE ARMA International Education Foundation is a funding resource for research and scholarship in the field of records and information management. The types of course(s) that qualify for funding include, records management and records technologies, archival administration, document imaging, human resources information management, information resource; knowledge management, library science, medical records, micrographics, office management and organisation of information.
Priority is given to people in the early stages of their careers who can demonstrate that a particular educational offering will significantly increase their ability to deal with a specific job assignment, address a problem, or advance in the field.
People who can demonstrate that the offer will enable them supervise, train or develop others in a significant way or contribute to the profession’s efforts to deal with a significant issue stand a chance of winning the scholarship.
Other gauges are cost- effectiveness — that the quality and expected outcomes are worth the investment of funds.
Source: www.armaedfoundation.org