Immaculate Babirye graduated with a Second Class Upper Bachelor’s degree from Mutesa I Royal University. PHOTO/COURTESY
Immaculate Babirye, 22, recently graduated with a Second-Class Upper Bachelor of Education in Information and Communication Technology Degree from Mutesa I Royal University. Her education journey is one littered with bumps and stretches of perseverance.
A third born of five, Babirye says in Senior Four, she realised that financial constraints were setting in. Her parents could not sustain her higher education alongside her siblings’ demands. “In Senior Four vacation, I got a job as a waitress at a restaurant in the city, where I earned Shs4,000 per day. I saved that money for my A-Level requirements and shared some to support my family,” Babirye recounts.
She returned to Kitende SS for A-Level where she actively served as the vice president of Debaters’ club, mobiliser of Nkobazambogo, secretary of the Patriotism club, and class monitor. After Senior Six, she got another job in a stationery shop which paid Shs150,000 per month.
“I had given up on university education because I knew we could not afford millions of shillings for tuition. My dream course was nursing, but I could not pursue it because of financial constraints. Then, I opted for agriculture but it was equally expensive,” she says.
First chance
As Babirye’s hope for school waned in the long Senior Six holiday, her friend who was the national chairman of Hannington Kakeeto Nkobazambogo rang her. She narrated her ordeal. Kakeeto promised to help her secure a partial scholarship for the Shs 1.3m tuition. Babirye broke the news to her parents, and they were delighted.
"I paid part of the top-up fees and went to Mutesa I Royal University for Bachelor of Education in ICT. I discovered that sholarship was only half of the tuition exclusive of functional fees. The university administration explained to me that the scholarship was worth Shs360,000,” Babirye says.
Confused, she sought plan B. She chose not to inform her parents about the new twist because she never wanted them to lose hope. However, her parents had a plan to support their daughter too. They secured a loan for the first semester; which gave her confidence, as she used part of her holiday savings to shop for necessities.
University first experience On Babirye’s first day at the university, her mother escorted her to a rental, and left Shs20,000. “I opted for rentals because hostels were expensive. My rent was Shs180,000 per month, but it still was high. So, I got a roommate to share the costs,” Babirye says: Adding: “In my first semester, I sold popcorn and earned Shs2,000 per day for two months. I did this after my lectures in the evening. I used my earnings to cater for my personal needs,” she narrates.
Her parents, she says, were accountants at Madhivan and Gogonya Sisters Bakery [Cabana], respectively. Her father was among those the company laid off due to financial hardships. That left the family on her mother’s shoulders. It was not long before her mother too lost employment. “My parents were unemployed, but we had to survive," she says.
Babirye missed lectures for about three months because of the tuition policy which demanded that those with arrears do not go past the gate. Out of four months in a semester, she had studied for only one month. "I suffered home and school stress. So, one morning I applied for a dead semester, a decision I made without my parents’ knowledge. But, I was courteous to call my mother and inform her of the new development. She was very disappointed," she recounts. The young woman embarked on a job search to secure her education goal. She went to Kikuubo, downtown Kampala moving from shop to shop but all was in vain.
"Some people screamed at me and chased me, but I did not give up. I returned home, fell to my knees and cried to God for a job," she states. That evening, one of her friends called to check on her and she explained what was going on. The friend then directed Babirye to a Chinese shop in Kikuubo. There, she landed a job paying Shs200,000 per month with a daily allowance of Shs3,000 and lunch. She had to market some products. Babirye lived in Mengo whose transport to town was Shs2,000, meaning she could save Shs1,000. She resolved to walk back home every day Her mother found another job and processed another study loan for Babirye. “I was so happy. I was going back to study, but I still had to work because I had to afford my necessities such as healthcare and food,” she say.
Back After the dead semester, she bought a popcorn machine using part of her savings. I sold popcorn to the busy population from pm to midnight. She saved Shs 20,000 per day, paid her tuition, and spared some to send home. “After two months, my landlord realised I was minting a lot of money, and increased rent from Shs30,000 to Shs100,000. I could not afford it since I had other rent obligations. I quit that place,” she recounts.
Adding, “Painfully, I kept the machine at home as I searched for other places, but their rent was between Shs 300,000 and Shs500,000.”
Babirye’s friends invited her to join them as a waitress and then usher at weekend event. For the latter, she would make Shs35,000 inclusive of transport. The farther the function location, the smaller her wage.
“You would profit from the job depending on the location. I did not mind the costs as long as the balance could afford me bathing soap,” she narrates. Sometimes events would not happen, which prompted Babirye to seek alternatives. She found a stint to mop a pharmacy in Mengo at Shs2,000 per day. This, she did for six months. During December 2023 holiday, she took on another job as a waitress at a restaurant in the Old Taxi Park, Kampala to supplement her income. She received a daily allowance of Shs5,000 and a salary of Shs100,000.
“We worked from 6 am to 5 pm. We used to stand with trays in one place for long hours. In a day you would sit for approximately 15 minutes,” she points out. At first, she wanted to give up because her feet would become so numb, then she feared for her life give her journey from the Old Taxi Park to Namirembe Road and then she had to take a boda boda to Mengo. When the semester commenced in 2024, she left the restaurant job, because it interfered with her class schedule. Towards the end of the semester, the pharmacy owner discontinued her from work. I was hurt but I had made some money. I then joined the university marketing team which made my academic journey smoother. The Muteesa I Royal University marketing desk, says much as Babirye is not a professional marketer, she executes the work effectively; they have plans to enroll her on a marketing course.
Life lessons
“I learnt to make good friends because if it were not for social capital, I would not have made it. Be persistent, hard-working, and determined even when the situations are tough. I am a better person because of my life experience. I am soon upgrading to a master's. The university marketing team and kept her weekend ushering stint."
