As if he had known about the impending cabinet appointment, the designate minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, last week graced Kampala International University’s (KIU) 14th graduation, as chief guest.
In his remarks, Dr Tumwesigye urged the graduands to consider postgraduate studies, following their current milestone.
“Don’t be comfortable with the degree you have got. Think loudly and expand your skills. If you are in medicine, I want to reassure you of employment,” said Dr Tumwesigye, the outgoing health minister.
He added that the government was in the process of attracting an investor to put up a major international hospital in Lubowa, along Entebbe road, and this would provide jobs, including those of engineers and doctors.
“No KIU students should be taking alcohol. These are the things that will kill you,” Tumwesigye urged.
The vice chancellor, Dr Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, who was presiding at his first ceremony as university head, was cautionary in his speech.
“Guard your lives and don’t be reckless in whatever you do. Guard against the vice of corruption and please do exercise fairness in the way you deal with others for the good of everyone including yourself,” Mpezamihigo said.
The graduation ceremony saw 900 graduands receive degrees, diplomas and certificates. Of these, 188 received the bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, the largest class of doctors graduating at any university in the land.
However, the loudest cheer was reserved for Cissy Kulabako, a graduate of the Bachelor of International Business Administration, who emerged with a cumulative grade point average of 4.7, to be labeled the overall best student.
Others of note were David Wafula (Public Administration), Benson S Opio (Public Administration), Gabriel Mungan (Economics and Applied Statistics), Ivan Mubiru (Social Work and Social Administration), Martin Luther Orban (Computer Science) and Shamina Kiriswa (Business Administration), who all received first-class undergraduate degrees.
Speaking on behalf of the directors, the chairman of board of trustees, Hajji Hassan Basajjabalaba said the university would make some eye-popping improvements over time.
He revealed that KIU would invest in improved training of health sciences students, with new laboratories at Ishaka as well as setting up state-of the-art e-learning platforms. He added that the construction of the Nairobi campus, Dar-es-Salaam teaching hospital, pharmacy laboratories and additional hostels in Ishaka would soon be completed.
For his part, the chancellor, Prof John Sebuwufu, tasked the graduands to challenge themselves to leave a positive mark in the world of work.
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