A 24-year-old medical student at Kampala International University (KIU) Western Campus is appealing for financial support to raise Shs7 million in outstanding tuition fees and complete her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree.
Mercy Fambe, a final-year medical student, was expected to graduate in June 2026 but missed her final examinations after she failed to clear her tuition balance.
“I was supposed to finish in June this year, but failed because of tuition. I was pushed to the next class, but I’m not sure weeks later. Each day delayed means additional penalties. It will be painful to come this far and drop out,” Fambe said.
Fambe has now been given another opportunity to sit her examinations after raising part of the required fees, but she says her family is struggling to raise the remaining Shs7 million.
Fambe’s financial difficulties worsened after her mother, Harriet Ilweru, lost the family’s main source of income.
Ilweru, a 50-year-old single mother, had reportedly been paying her children’s school fees until her business selling fruits, vegetables and other food items collapsed following enforcement operations against street vendors by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA).
According to Fambe, KCCA officials confiscated her mother’s merchandise during an enforcement operation.
“They took everything. All my foodstuffs were taken. That was my capital. I have not been able to pay school fees again,” she said.
The family had been surviving on the small business, with Ilweru selling fruits and avocados, alongside roasted sweet potatoes and roadside food.
However, repeated confiscation of her merchandise left the family without a stable source of income.
The family’s financial struggles have also been compounded by medical expenses.
Fambe says her mother has developed a toxic multinodular goitre, which affects her breathing and voice, particularly whenever she becomes stressed.
Her brother has also suffered a serious hand injury at work, further increasing the family’s financial burden.
With limited income, the family has resorted to borrowing money from friends and well-wishers to meet basic needs and keep Fambe in school.
“Sometimes we borrow Shs50,000 and Shs200,000 to provide food and meet other basic needs,” Fambe explained.
Despite the challenges, Fambe has continued with her medical training and completed her research requirements. She was also deployed to Kayanja Regional Referral Hospital for her final clinical rotations.
Her principal has advised her to continue with her research even though she could not sit her examinations, according to Fambe.
A plea to complete her journey
After returning home, Fambe joined her mother in trying to raise money through informal trade. She says the family is doing whatever it can to ensure she completes the degree after years of study.
“They give you money today, and tomorrow they start collecting. You end up working only to pay the moneylenders. That’s how we’ve been surviving,” she said.
Fambe is now appealing to individuals, organisations and well-wishers to help her clear the Shs7 million balance and sit her final examinations.
Those willing to support Fambe and her family can reach her on 0770747464.
For Fambe, the appeal is not simply about clearing a university bill—it is about getting one final opportunity to complete the medical training she has spent years pursuing and begin her career as a doctor.
