Hundreds of runners have participated in the Pharmaceutical Society of Ugandaโs Sickle Cell Run, aimed at raising Shs120 million to provide Hydroxyurea to vulnerable patients living with sickle cell disease.
The organisers are targeting 60,000 doses of the medicine, with all proceeds from the run going towards supporting children who cannot afford treatment.
#NTVNews
๐น Mike Sebalu
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More than 40 years ago, I arrived in Chicago in search of an idea. I was a young man looking for purpose, who believed deeply in America, was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, and wanted to be a part of something larger. The America I believed in was one where everyone has opportunity, everyone is seen, everyone belongsโbecause that was an America that had a place for me, too.
My Nine Year Ordeal at KIU
In 2013, I left Buhweju district with a heavy responsibility on my shoulders. I was the first person in my family to reach university level. Scoring 19 points in UACE felt like I had finally broken a cycle of poverty. When I was admitted to Kampala International University under the district bursary scheme, my family celebrated a miracle. We believed the "bursary" was a hand reaching down to pull us up. Instead, it became a weight that nearly drowned me.
The "scheme" covered tuition, but the functional fees carried a hidden, lethal sting. During orientation, no one warned us that a small delay in payment would trigger penalties so aggressive they felt predatory. By my second year, a small balance had mutated into an 800,000 UGX debt. I went from being a brilliant student dreaming of a First Class degree to a beggar, moving from office to office every semester, pleading for an exam card just to sit for papers I had worked so hard to prepare for. Despite paying every semester's functional fees after learning about late payment charges, by the time I finished in 2016, the debt was so huge that there was no way I could clear it in a single swoop.
The financial pressure did not just empty my pockets; it invaded my mind. It is hard to concentrate on Literature and English when you are calculating how many days of food you must skip to pay a "late fee" that grows while you sleep. By 2016, I had finished every course with no retakes, no missed papers but I was a ghost of the man who had entered. I left the gates broken, emaciated in spirit, and carrying a debt that had ballooned.
I spent the next six years in a self imposed exile in Eastern Uganda, teaching for a meager salary. I lived like a hermit, sending every spare coin back to KIU. I was not working for a future; I was working to buy back a past that the university was holding hostage.
In 2022, I finally cleared the last shilling. The relief, however, was short lived. After buying the graduation gown and seeing my name on the notice board, on Tuesday, I did the one thing I had waited nearly a decade to do: I invited my parents. My father is a primary five dropout from the 1960s. For years, he had looked at me with suspicion, wondering if I had truly been studying or if I had wasted the familyโs hopes. I wanted that graduation day to be his vindication.
We traveled from the village, slept in Kampala, and walked onto that campus with our heads high.
Then came the horror. When the official graduation book was opened, my name was nowhere to be found. In that moment, the world stopped. I stood there in a gown I had paid for, at a ceremony I had earned, looking at a father who now had "final proof" that his son was a failure. The humiliation was so absolute that the fact I am still alive today is a miracle of Godโs grace.
I spent months fighting, sending emails, and knocking on doors that remained closed until I mentioned legal pressure and opportunities abroad. Only then did a "transcript" magically appear. I chose not to attend the later ceremony when my name finally appeared on the list. The joy had been systematically bled out of the experience.
I share this because a "bursary" for the poor should not result in paying more than the rich. A university should be a fountain of knowledge, not a "school for scandal" that exploits the very students it claims to support.
Those nine years left scars that no certificate can cover. This is for every student still trapped in that cycle fighting for a degree they have already earned.
Last year alone I attended in total 15 weddings and I was over the moon about it because well, my friends had chosen commitment over lejaleja.
However that happiness didnโt last because as of today, only 4 of them are still married while the rest are back on the streets.
That statistic alone is heartbreaking. 15 weddings and only 4 still standing says a lot about the times weโre in. We celebrate the wedding day louder than we prepare for the marriage life.
Lately, People invest in Venues, Photos, Hashtags, Matching outfits and forget to invest in Emotional maturity, Conflict resolution, Financial discipline, Forgiveness and Patience which are marriages most important pillars.
Iโm not an expert in Relationship or Marriage but one thing I know is they arenโt sustained by vibes, chemistry, or even love alone. They survive on character. And sometimes what breaks homes isnโt cheating or abuse, itโs Ego, Constant disrespect, Social media comparisons, Unhealed childhood trauma and Refusing to grow
The scary part is Most couples donโt separate because they fell out of love. No.
They separate because they never built the tools to handle pressure.
Someone will ask, after seeing 11 marriages collapse, what did it teach you? Because sometimes God lets us witness patterns so we donโt repeat them.
Well, I decided to pay attention to the 4 standing ones and I realized that there was communication, parental guidance, prayerful and willingness towards making the marriage work.
End of tweet.
Oburu team limps, Sifuna roars
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As alumni, we celebrate with pride the achievement of St. Josephโs SSS Naggalama for being ranked in 2025 UCE results as a top performer in Uganda.
This is a manifestation of excellence, discipline and foundation. We celebrate with this achievement.
#LegacyOfDiscipline
The Student Innovation Award winner is Joel Felix Ochom!
Joel's project stood out for demonstrating clear alignment with principles of self-care and sustainability. He represents the next generation of African health entrepreneurs and problem-solvers.
Congratulations, Joel, on your innovative achievement! #AfricaHealthSummit #HIHA2025