By Eriah Lule
“Academic Excellence Award presented to Bwamiki Johnson who attained First Class Honours Bachelor of Public Health.”
These were the words inscribed on the plaque that Bwamiki walked home with on October 22, 2021, after his graduation at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
Bwamiki was part of an elite class of 95 students from among more than 3,000 who got First Class Degrees at UCU’s 22nd graduation. The 24-year-old garnered a 4.4 Cumulative Grade Point Average out of 5.0.
For Bwamiki, this achievement was the icing on the cake. He believes that the good performance is an added attraction for employers, decreasing the burden of his search for a job – if he needs one. Right now, he doesn’t.
Bwamiki is elated because a business he began slightly more than one-and-a-half years ago is showing signs of booming. As the country prepared to enter its first lockdown in March 2020, due to the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bwamiki bought a second-hand motorcycle. He spent sh1.5m (about $420) to buy the motorcycle, commonly referred to in Uganda as bodaboda, so he could use it to generate extra income to support his living expenses at the university.
That motorcycle turned into a cash cow for Bwamiki as the country entered a lockdown on studies, as well as movements. Those who operated motorcycles for commercial transport were allowed to transport luggage and foodstuffs for people. That is what he did.
From this, he was able to save some money, which enabled him to acquire a second motorcycle months later.
But how did Bwamiki manage to run the motorcycle business as well as concentrate on his studies, with so much precision to enable him walk home with a First Class Degree? He says since he had books to concentrate on, he hired a driver for each of the motorcycles. At the end of the day, each was supposed to deposit sh10,000 (about $2.8) from the earnings they made. The rest of the money was payment for the drivers. With that arrangement, all he did was to wait for his daily deposit.
Allan Kampame, a peer, credits Bwamiki’s thirst for learning and his proactive personality for the entrepreneurial ability.
“I wasn’t shocked when he started that business; he is always full of business ideas and he likes to put into practice what he has learnt,” Kampame, who is a UCU alumnus, said of Bwamiki.
His parents, Bwamiki Michael and Namutamba Betty, serve as a clinical officer and a pharmacist, respectively, in Bugiri, eastern Uganda.
“I was inspired by how my parents conducted their work as health workers,” Bwamiki said.
That inspiration is what drew him, in 2018, to apply to study public health at UCU. He said he opted to study at UCU because the institution’s “Christian identity instilled in learners gives them a competitive edge in the job market.”
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