Former death row inmate excels in UCE

By Petride Mudoola 09

Wilson Sekidde a  former death row inmate emerged the best  student at  Luzira Inmates Secondary sShool  in the released concluded Uganda Certificate of Education Examinations.
 
He scored  aggregrates 26, C3 in English, C4 in CRE, C3 in History, C3 in  Geography, C3 in political science,C4 in Luganda, C6 in Mathematics, a C3 in Commerce,a C4 in General Science and C1 
in Enterpreneurship.
 
 The Head of Luzira Inmates schools, Anatoli Biryomumaisho, said the school registered 30 candidates for UCE. 27 however, sat for the exam. Of these, none passed in division I, 6 passed in division2, 2 in division3, 17 in division 4 while 2 were un graded.
 
"This year's performance was the worst  in the history of this school, due to te changes  that took   place in the prison's educational sector when  the school was in transition from  private  to government  system.

As a result the students did not have adequate concetration to enable them pass as expected," Biryomumaisho observed.
 
New Vision could however, not get a comment  from  Sekidde  because he was released from custody two days to the briefing but he managed to come back to the prison to sit  for his exams.

"Sekidde  the former death row  convict   on charges of murder, was released  after making an appeal against his sentence of which the court  dismissed the case," the prison's publicist Frank Baine noted.
 
According to Prison rules and regulations,  a convict who registers for examinations  and   happens to be acquitted before sitting for his papers  is allowed to come back to the detention facility and  complete his education.
 
Paluku Kamuhere a 30-year-old  inmate serving a 9 year sentence over defilement charges who scored aggregates 32 said, "Despite the constraints in custody, he wanted to use the  free education offered within  the reformatory  as an opportunity to achieve his goals."
 
The remorseful inmate noted that his past mistakes were as aresult of illiteracy.

“Now that lam in school  I want to take good use of the knowledge  and rehabilitation services attained  within the correctional centre to become a responsible citizen upon discharge," Kamuhere said.
 
Meanwhile, Hamuza Tumuhamye a 40-year inmate serving a 20 year sentence on charges of robbery who scored aggregates 39 said he gave up sleep as his collegues  slept  to read his books in order to achieve his dreams." Lam determined to become a lawyer so that I can advocate for the rights of the underpriviledged because many innocent people end up in jail because  they have no one to fight for their rights," Tumuhamye said.