IT specialist story: A rock, a hill, God and more

By Patty Huston-Holm

Kachumbala Rock, rising above the Mbale-Soroti highway within Eastern Uganda’s Bukedea District, goes largely unnoticed by passersby headed to the scenic views at Sipi Falls and Mt. Elgon National Park that are often associated with nearby Mbale.  

But Kachumbala Rock, roughly 29 kilometers (18 miles) from Mbale, has meaning and memories for residents and natives of the village by the same name.  Sometimes, the geological structure is a place for group ceremonies and storytelling. More often, it serves a less formal, individualized  purpose.

“I walked up there on my way to and from school,” Daniel Ogwang, now 39, recalled of the elevated centerpiece of his birthplace and rural upbringing.

Years ago, he trekked up the Rock “for the beautiful views” overlooking mud-and-wattle huts and the activity around them, “to see African grey monkeys” and to talk with friends. Often, youth would ski down its slopes on banana stems.

These days, Ogwang traverses Mukono Hill within the main campus of Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he has worked for 17 years. While running an errand for one of two vice chancellors he reported to or for mass communications or information systems departments, he might see mischievous red-tailed monkeys above the tree line and student activity below, but with less awareness than when he was younger. 

In 2026, Ogwang is a Christ-believer, an Information Technology-educated employee, a husband and a father. At the end of his work day, he makes his way down UCU’s often dusty, hilly terrain to the home he shares with his wife, Carolyn, who, with a one-year-old in tow, can be found selling fruits and vegetables in Kahungye Trading Center most days. The family of six includes three more children ages six, nine and 12. 

Like the rock of his youth and the hill of his adulthood, Ogwang’s personal journey is one of ascension and descendence not unlike many in Uganda. A long-absentee father died in 2009, putting full survival of seven children on the shoulders of a hard-working mom, known as Margaret Adite. The mother’s sale of g-nuts, cassava, potatoes and maize and smaller earnings by her three girls and four boys were not nearly enough to pay school fees and put food on their table.

With an A-Level Certificate from Mbale Progressive School at age 19, Ogwang, the fifth born,  “felt stuck” with no job and no funds for further education. The boy who once dreamed of being a doctor or veterinarian was “in a season of uncertainty” with doors to a third resort – agricultural education on the Arapai Campus of Busitema University – also shut. 

In what he called a “desperate but hopeful move,” Ogwang went to live and work with an aunt at an all-girls’ school. For room and board only, he spent four months cleaning rooms and maintaining labs. Most memorable was a school assembly by the Anglican church. It was there 19 years ago that he gave his life to Christ.  

The short-term task experience demonstrating work ethic and organizational capabilities, along with deeper religious commitment caught the attention of a distant relative, Ben Bella Ilakut,  a Ugandan journalist and pioneering staff member of what was then UCU’s mass communications department. He brought Ogwang onto the UCU campus as an office attendant for what is now the School of Journalism, Media and Communication. In that role, Ogwang did what many might call menial work while offering to do more problem-solving tasks.

“A job that most despise – like cleaning toilets – can be a springboard for other work,” Ogwang said. “It was during this time that I discovered my passion for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) because part of my assigned duties involved managing the computer lab.”

With that management and helping students came curiosity and work-based learning. Ogwang taught himself and students about computers and handling media equipment like cameras, audio recorders and studio gear. 

“What started as a routine responsibility slowly turned into a calling,” he said. 

With Ogwang’s sights on a career focused in technology, he moved on to be an office attendant for two of UCU’s vice chancellors – first for the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi and then for Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi. Looking back, Ogwang considers the opportunity a form of divine favor, comparable to the biblical Daniel who faithfully served under different kings and continued to distinguish himself through integrity, wisdom and diligence. 

“It was both an honor and an uncommon favor,” he said. “I’d look at myself and think God must be up to something in my life.” 

For both vice chancellors, he cleaned offices, reserved meeting rooms, set up equipment and handled phone calls. He learned discretion when charged with managing confidential, sensitive communications and patience, humility and  compassion when dealing with irritated individuals. Working in the vice chancellor’s office meant direct access to confidential information, interfacing competently with distinguished guests, university leaders and clients from all walks of life. 

“Sometimes people would come to the office deeply distressed and overwhelmed, but I learned to show empathy,” Ogwang said. “I, therefore, look back at my tenure with pride and satisfaction.”

At the same time, Ogwang was accumulating academic credentials. In 2015, he attained a Diploma in Computing and Information Systems from the Management Training and Advisory Centre in the Nakawa area of Kampala. In 2025, he received a Bachelor of Information Systems from Kyambogo University in Kampala. These, along with his positive UCU work record, enabled him to be elevated to his current post as an IT lab attendant. 

“UCU continues to provide me with an income for my education and to support my family, including a younger brother,” he said during a May 2026 reflection. “For that, I am grateful.”

On this early evening, Ogwang spoke over the noise of heavy traffic and a rooster’s rhythmic crow in Mukono Town,  where he and all his siblings now call home.  

“I am still believing in God for greater things,” he said. “God is still writing what I consider to be a fairytale story.”

In due time, he plans to get a master’s degree with expertise in network administration. Like most in his field of work, he has an eye on Artificial Intelligence and understanding of its value and need for regulation. 

The veteran UCU employee said it has been almost a year since his visit to his mother and the Kachumbala Rock of his youth. 

“I have always wished to see her more often, but the distance and the demands of work have not allowed it,” Ogwang said. “I certainly miss the rock and the monkeys, though there aren’t as many left now.  But I believe the rock still has a purpose.”

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