I don’t want to be known for breaking hearts - Karamagi

What exactly do you do?
I’m many things including a Linguist, writer, aspiring historian and reader. Among other things, I work with the Human Rights and Peace Centre at the School of Law, Makerere University.

Everything else you see on television is the volunteer and activist side of me. I hold an Upper Second Honours Bachelor of Laws degree from Uganda Christian University, Mukono.

But the curious streak in me would once in a while take me to attend lectures in Development Economics, History, Political Science and Public Health.

Are you as humble as you look?
I get that quite often. I think it is an exterior representation of my naturally calm disposition.

So, what are you really like?
You would be correct to define me with anything ranging from affable, warm-hearted and carefree but also thoughtful, tolerant and to a hopefully healthy certain degree, guarded and reserved.

But what about the aggressive and violent Karamagi we see on tv?
Oh, that! Hahaha... Television footage can actually be deceptive because you see nothing more than a few seconds or minutes of an individual. It is woefully inadequate information with which to draw conclusions about one’s character.

Understandably, because of what has been depicted on television, people get surprised when they find me playing with my baby cousins, washing the cars at home, or helping an elder cross the road. I am not predisposed to violence.

And you’re always in and out of court, for what reasons?
I am either standing as a surety for someone who has applied for bail, or as an accused person standing prosecution for one or other case, all of which are invariably related to the sitting regime’s proclivity to clampdown on dissent. Sometimes, I attend because I have an academic or personal interest in a prevailing matter.

Do you get time to socialise?
My formal job and youth mobilisation engagements leave me with barely any time, much less energy to socialise.
When I get the time, I go dancing or for jazz concerts. I really enjoy those ones.

Also, I enjoy taking my baby cousins and nephews out for swimming and ice cream. I think catching up with friends and relatives is another great way of letting my hair down. When I’m alone, I’m more likely to be found star-gazing, listening to jazz or reading a novel.

What inspired you to join activism?
I think I have always been a defender of other people; one day in Primary Four, I found my little sister kneeling down because she had been singled out by the class monitor for making noise…I wondered how out of a class of about 20 pupils, my sister was singled out: I walked into the class and ordered her to resume her seat.

The class monitor did not protest my action. Another time, I confronted a boy who used to bully my friends and I—never mind the fact that he was about three times my size and height. There are several more examples of me leading student mass-action.

What scares you most about being in a relationship?
I have been very indifferent to romantic relationships and so I would most likely score a zero in that field.

Time is another constraint. Besides, some girls do not want to be on tenterhooks, fearing that at any time, their man is going to be in someplace engaging in potentially risky political activity.

So even when there is a prospect that I see, and whom I think would be agreeable to my advances, I worry that I may not have as much time for her and will, therefore, end up breaking her heart, something that I do not want to be known for. But hopefully, Cupid will one day shoot an arrow through mine and another girl’s heart someday.

Are you actually in a relationship?
I think I am still on probation. Hopefully I will have been confirmed in my position the next time we meet.

What does your partner think about your work?
It has not come up in our preliminary conversations.

Do you believe in marriage?
Yes and no. I believe in marriage to the extent that it is a lifelong testament and commitment between two people. I do not believe in it because the concept has completely been misunderstood and replaced by materialism, social status and is currently premised on physical appeal. This explains the skyrocketing levels of divorce, separation and infidelity. If you must, marry your friend.

Success recipe

Is law as tough as most people make it out to be?
Law school is certainly not a walk in the park. But it is also true that law school is more about having the passion, and being organised in terms of a personal timetable.

People should stop forcing their children to study courses because of the apparent prestige these courses confer.

How can Law be made easy?
I dare say that there is no easy course at the university.

Otherwise, how do you explain the fact that some students who pursue the so-called easy courses fail some papers or altogether fail to graduate while those pursuing purportedly difficult courses excel with flying colours?

It comes down to personal organisation and effort. Of course, I’m alive to the difficulties that students, especially in public institutions, face in terms of learning equipment, visual aids and the quality of instruction.

What is your career tip?
People should gravitate towards their natural predispositions and abilities.

Did you know that if Tiger Woods had been forced into studying nuclear physics, the world would never have enjoyed one of the most prolific golfers in recent human history? Imagine if Akon’s parents had refused him from pursuing a career in music. How much would we have missed out on as his fans? So, first comes passion, and proper career guidance, then personal organisation, discipline and clarity of purpose.