Priest who prides in being a teacher

It is 4 pm and I meet the Rev Hudson Chrisostom Ssempabuka the church priest of Kisoga Parish who doubles as the head teacher Elasto and Dorah Primary School Kyetume in Mukono.

It could be a holiday but the Rev Ssempabuka is working like he would on a normal school day.
“I’m passionate about teaching, I derive satisfaction from teaching school children,” he says.

A proud teacher, Ssempabuka talks about his profession with passion and joy; he says his greatest achievement was his bachelors in Education because then, he had qualified in a field was zealous about.

Education and priesthood are two demanding callings that call for a certain level of dedication as well as discipline. Ssempabuka says he has managed them through commitment and love for what he is doing.

Education background
Born to Lawrence Kasigwa and Mary Namusisi in Bbibo, Kawolo, the 44 -year-old sat for his Primary Leaving Examinations at Bbibo Primary School in Buikwe District.

He later joined 3R’S Secondary School also in Buikwe for his high school. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue with studies due to lack of school fees.

This did not stop him from carrying out church ministries as a lay person. In 2003, he enrolled as a licensed teacher for Lukonge Primary School. Despite not being a professional teacher, he worked hard to distinguish himself as one of the outstanding teachers in the area.

In 2005, Ministry of Education phased out licensed teachers. He was called to St Mary’s Kirwanyi, a private school in Seeta, Nazigo where he was appointed deputy head teacher after a term.

A year later, he was posted to Mt Elijah Primary School, Seeta as a deputy head teacher in charge of general administration and finance.

While at Mt Elijah , he saw a need to continue his education and enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Kyambogo University on the mature entry scheme.

From 2008 to 2011, Ssempabuka had to balance his studies with work.

When he finally graduated, he still preferred teaching in primary school even when he had the capacity to teach secondary school.
“I had found much pleasure in teaching young people,” he says.

He got a job at Cornerstone Junior School in Mukono where he was working as a director of studies.
He was later transferred to Jessy Jonny Day and Boarding Primary School and while here, he was also the chaplain for St. John’s Senior Secondary School Mukono.

Ordination and work
In 2015, he used the opportunity of working in Mukono, this time to enroll for masters in divinity at Uganda Christian University where he was ordained in October 2017.

In January 2018, the diocese of Mukono posted him to Kisoga Church of Uganda as a parish Priest. It is from here that he joined Elasto and Dorah Primary School which happened to be in the vicinity of the church.