He nearly didn’t make it to university. Today, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) alumnus Mwase works as a Cyberspace Communications Specialist in the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force.
MUST shared his story this week, holding it up as an example to students from humble backgrounds of how far determination, and a little help, can take them.
Missing out on government sponsorship
Mwase was raised by a single mother. When he qualified for university, he did not get government sponsorship, the limited pool of state-funded places that decides whether many Ugandan students can afford to study at all.
His elder brother, Amanyogovu Wanso Paul, stepped in and introduced him to Salaam Musumba. Together with Felix Esoku, then Chief Administrative Officer of Kamuli District, who has since died, Musumba helped him secure a district bursary.
The bursary paid Shs1.5 million of the Shs2.5 million needed each year for his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. That still left a Shs1 million gap every year, which he closed with the help of mentors, friends and an African Development Bank scholarship.
From Mbarara to London
After MUST, Mwase went on to earn a Master of Science in Computer Networking and Cyber Security at London Metropolitan University. He then built a career in cybersecurity and digital forensics, fields where demand for skilled people keeps growing as cyber threats rise. That expertise now underpins his work with the Royal Air Force.
Off duty, he has another job football fans might envy. He works as a match-day steward at Arsenal, giving him a view of Premier League games from inside the stadium.
“Never allow your current circumstances…”
MUST closed its tribute with a message from Mwase to students still on campus:
“Never allow your current circumstances to determine the limits of your future.”
Know a graduate whose journey should inspire others? Tell us their story. @campusbee.ug
