How St Leo’s is weathering financial challenges

One of the highlights when the old boys (OBs) of St Leo’s College, Kyegobe in Kabarole District gather at Sheraton Kampala on November 2 for their fourth annual reunion dinner will be a keynote speech on financial independence.

For a school that has battled through financial struggles in the last decade-plus, thanks to maladministration, fallen academic and sports standards, organisers could not have chosen a more fitting hook.

“Of course we want to raise more funds to continue the revival efforts but that segment will be crucial for both the school administration and OBs,” St Leo’s College Kyegobe Old Boys Association chairman Eng. Emmex Turyatunga told Daily Monitor.

And as part of raising more funds, each OB will part with Ssh120,000 to grace the event. Daniel Joloba, an entrepreneurship trainer with 15 years of small and medium enterprise and consulting experience, will deliver the speech.

Notable achievements
First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, is expected to preside over the occasion. OBs will march from Uganda Golf Club via Yusufu Lule Road, Nile Avenue to Sheraton in the company of their new school band.

“Our objective remains to bring back our glorious days when we celebrate 100 years in 2021,” emphasised Turyatunga, also Principal Engineer in the Water and Environment Ministry.

Through fundraising dinners and OBs contributions, about Shs200m has been injected in the cause since 2015. Sports facilities have got a facelift, as well as dormitories, with Lumumba and Kabalega now fully furnished.

A scholarship scheme for 33 bright but needy students worth Shs63m per year, too, is fully functional.

A Shs6.4b grant from the African Development Bank and Government also helped put up a new library and three laboratories, which OBs have restocked. Fruits are starting to yield as St. Leo’s came second in the Rwenzori region in the 2018 UACE exams.

Background
St Leo’s has a rich history of developing global citizens. Senior journalist Charles Onyango Obbo, Local Government Minister Col. Tom Butime and former presidential contestant Prof Venansius Baryamureeba are a few of these.

Others are National Water and Sewerage Corporation managing director Dr Silver Mugisha and managing director Umeme Selestino Babungi.

The first black head teacher Moses Nyakazingwa, Austin Mulengwa, Henry Basaliza, William Asiimwe, Brothers John Flood, Joseph Byamukama, John Mary Etubire and Ivan Otigo have all headed the college established in 1921 by the White Fathers. Peak days came under Basaliza and Flood.
Aloysius Rujumba is the current headmaster since 2016 and has moved in tandem with the OBs in revival efforts.

“The OBs have been very supportive,” said Rujumba, “They have renovated dormitories – fully powered by solar, and fully funded scholarships to 33 needy students, which is a very big contribution.”

It is the college’s excellence in academics and sports that attracted students in 1980s and early 2000s.

But from 2007, the college endured tough times in academics, sports and discipline, which saw enrolment suffer from more than 800 students to more than half the number. The OBs are on a journey to bring the school back to what it was.