My name is Kevin Mugabi, and I'm currently a fourth-year student studying Journalism and Communication at Makerere University. I hail from Iganga town, Iganga District, in the Eastern part of Uganda.
My education journey started at Iganga Boys Boarding Primary School where I studied for two years before joining Nawansagwa Primary School where I sat for the Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE). I later joined Kisiki College Namutumba for my Ordinary and Advanced levels between 2014 and 2019.
It was during my time at Kisiki College Namutumba that I realised my passion for communication. I served as the information prefect, uncontested, for four consecutive years, from senior three to senior six. When I sat for the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE), I emerged as the overall best student in Namutumba District with 17 points, and that earned me a government sponsorship to come and pursue a degree in Journalism and Communication through the district quota window.
When I joined Makerere University, I reignited my passion for Communication, and, first, I served as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Makerere University Journalism and Communication Association (MUJCA) before I became the president of the same association the subsequent year.
In my third year, I took on the challenge of running for the Guild Representative Council (GRC) seat for the School of Languages, Literature, and Communication (SLLC) which I won. Subsequently, I was appointed as the Information, Research, and Computer Technology Minister in the 89th Guild Cabinet.
This was another opportunity for me to pursue my passion, and during my term, with the assistance of the Guild President and other ministers, we had many successes and challenges.
Achievements
First, I spearheaded an initiative to enhance internet connectivity all over the campus, and in fact, we were able to improve Makerere University's Wi-Fi. I collaborated with the management and the Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) to expand the network to the College of Natural Sciences—CONAS—which now has a 100% connection. We also extended the network to various resident halls, such as Africa Hall, Complex, and Mitchel Hall, and ultimately, Freedom Square.
Secondly, I also took it upon myself to revitalise the guild's social media presence, significantly increasing followership and engagement across platforms starting with X (formerly Twitter) which I found with a following of 9.8k followers and I left with nearly 15k followers.
I managed to achieve this through verifying the account, increasing engagement, and streamlining the improved packaging of our communication. Furthermore, I did a lot of work on Facebook, making sure that it is also active and verified in a bid to make sure that the guild has a presence on the social media platforms it was on.
Still, in that specific field, I also started a project to film a documentary, which will be the first-ever documentary uploaded on the Guild YouTube channel, featuring the Guild President, the Vice President, the Guild Speaker and the Information Minister. In this documentary, we will highlight the successes and challenges of the 89th government and provide recommendations to the incoming government.
My third accomplishment was advocating for the resumption of Makerere University Radio and the establishment of a television station. Throughout my tenure, I conducted multiple meetings to ensure that we had the Makerere radio back. The first meeting we held included the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe; the head of the Journalism and Communication Department, Dr. Aisha Nakiwala; Makerere's Public Relations Officer, Ms. Rita Namisango; the Guild President, Maseruka Robert; and myself. We agreed that we needed television and radio back. We hope that the radio will be returned next semester, and we are engaging all of the necessary stakeholders.
In the same development, I have worked relentlessly to restore the monthly Makererean newspaper. It was last issued in 2019. Although it is not in my docket, because it is meant to be managed by the editorial board, the constitution gives me powers to work with the editorial board to have the paper back. In my capacity, I collected articles from students and had them ready to be published and included in the first issue. I also established a stable team of experienced writers inclusive of students and former journalism students now working with established media houses to help us in the writing only for the project to lack enough money for publishing. I've been trying to engage the management through the University advancement office to find a sponsor for the paper so that it can stand on its own, and I should say there’s hope as we’ve confidently reached out to many sponsors that have picked interest in our project.
Furthermore, I, together with DICTS, identified some of the weak spots in our report highlighting inadequacies at the institution starting with the laboratory and other entities and we are only waiting for the feedback.
We are also collaborating with DICTs to improve and modernise our University Guild website to accommodate all governments, current, past, and future. The current website is in view mode, which only accommodates the incumbent government, and when your term expires, all materials about that particular government are withdrawn and replaced by the new government. So I contested that, and we're working with DICTS to make sure our website is back up and running, and able to accommodate all of the critical information.
Challenges
The guild leadership is a little underfunded; some of the innovation and projects go unfunded and therefore face a stillbirth. For example, I created a project called Know Your Hall of Residence, but it did not receive any financing to ensure that it was operational and moving ahead.
Lessons
One thing I learnt whilst I was in service is, in leadership you must get your priorities right, and respect them. You can't do everything all at once, it's one thing after the other. This kind of arrangement helps serve with a guided approach to responsibilities.
Getting committed to your responsibilities and roles as assigned is one other outstanding lesson I learnt over time and helped me succeed. Nothing beats commitment and consistency in service. I saw it with our Guild pages, we started with 20 likes, no replies, and miserable engagements but over time due to consistency we got big.
Going for the big things is key. Achieving 50% of a big goal is a success to many but not to the setter. In doing this however you must be professional. Good work will always stand out.
Then lastly I think what sets a leader apart is doing the same things other people have been doing, but differently. We do the same things for reference and differently for a change and an impact. This is the only way legacy gets cemented. In leadership you can't just come with totally new things all through, we instead respect precedent and just see what to change, include and possibly maintain.
Recommendations
I therefore would advise the new minister of information to leverage technology by utilising all digital platforms to disseminate information, engage with students and enhance communication. This will help foster a culture of feedback as students can engage on posts and all communications from the guild thus getting to know their concerns and suggestions.
Celebrating students’ achievements often is one thing I would love to see. Highlighting students’ accomplishments, innovations and successes to inspire and motivate the student body would be a good thing.
Lastly one must lead with integrity by demonstrating accountability, transparency and ethical leadership to inspire trust and confidence among the students as well help the minister cement a lasting legacy.
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