OBs revival sets tone for 100-year do
A newly refurbished Lumumba House. This and other dormitories were in a sorry state before the school OBs moved in to rescue the school. Photo by Andrew Mwanguhya
The journey of St Leo’s College can be traced back to the glory days of the 1980s, through early 2000s. The college has endured tough times in academics, sports and discipline in the last two decades, seeing infrastructure run down over the years, students strikes intensify and exams withheld by Uneb over malpractice in 2014.
These saw student enrollment suffer over the years as it gradually fell from 800 students to more than half the number.
But the Fort Portal-based college, through its old boys association, has for the last three years embarked on activities to revamp infrastructure and establish academic incentives.
This has been achieved through annual fundraising dinners and old boys’ contributions as the college continues the journey towards 100 years celebrations in 2021.
This year the OBs have a reunion in Kasese and Fort Portal on October 27. The first happened in Kampala in 2016 while last year’s was in Fort Portal.
The drive
The old boys drive has seen about Shs200m injected in the cause since 2015 when they decided they could no longer see the college go down the drain.
“We have renovated dormitories to a tune of Shs80m, bought a school band and uniform at Shs30m, and established a scholarship scheme for 20 bright but needy students going for Shs15m per term,” explained Emmex Turyatunga, the St Leo’s College, Kyegobe Old Boys Association (Sleckoba) chairman.
These renovated dormitories were also fitted with solar to save on power costs.
The old boys also revamped handball and basketball courts for “Shs20m” according to Turyatunga, with some individuals such as London-based OB Patel Kanji donating books worth Shs45m towards the library expansion.
Crossing borders
According to Turyatunga, next year’s reunion dinner is expected to be in Kigali, Rwanda as the drive looks to expand revenues.
“The objective is to have fully revived the college to its past glory by 2021 when we celebrate 100 years of existence,” he said.
Dr Edmond Kabagambe is at the helm of the board that is, in conjunction with St Leo’s head teacher Aloysius Rujumba and the old boys, overseeing the revival efforts.
“From renovations of dormitories, student scholarships and expending reading materials for students in the library, the old boys have done tremendously and they are a very valuable stakeholder for us,” said.
Kabagambe. “I also want to note the contribution of government for putting up a new library and three laboratories (physics, chemistry and biology).”
The above was put up thanks to the African Development Bank and Government’s $1.7m (Shs6.4b) grant some years back.
“All these efforts will steadily boost enrollment. Of course we cannot get back our glory days overnight,” added the former long-serving deputy head teacher at the school.
Reduced debt
When head teacher Rujumba arrived at the school three years ago, he found the college in a Shs300m-plus debt from a bank loan meant to service a school bus procurement, and suppliers among a litany of other felonies left behind by poor administration.
“The good thing is that I have everyone’s support. The teachers and students are positive. Those debts are small. Once we get students back, money will come,” said Rujumba.
Student enrolment is, however, still struggling but the college has since managed to reduce the debts to under Shs30m, according to Kabagambe.
Among other things the college is doing to tap from as many resources as possible to support its cause is a restocked cattle farm and banana plantation, which help raise income and feed students.
Old boys, college staff, students and well-wishers also cleaned Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital at Buhinga and planted trees at the medical facility early last year as a way of conserving the environment, as well as demonstrating their duty to society.
And Kabagambe asserts the school hopes in the next few years, to be back on the map (in Ugandan’s speak): “It takes a blink of an eye to destroy glory, but a lot of time to restore it. But I believe by 2021, we shall be there.”
Some of the influential OBs
The school prides itself in grooming top notch OBs including senior journalist Charles Onyango Obbo, Col Tom Butime, former presidential contestant Prof Venansius Baryamureeba, National Water and Sewerage Corporation managing director Dr Silver Mugisha and managing director Umeme Selestino Babungi.
