At A Glance

Kibuli SS did provide a demanding, character-shaping and friendship building experience, mostly. I developed an independence that I probably wouldn’t have gotten if I stayed home with my parents and aided my self-knowledge as well. I believe that’s; what contributed to the career decision I made. I couldn’t let my parents tell me what to study in college, it was my own choice. I took subjects of interest in my A-levels focusing on my career aspirations.

Janat Nambi Kiwanuka

A Dream Came True

When Prince Badru Kakungulu founded the Young Men’s Muslim Association, it was his dream that one day, the Muslim community will have highly-educated people to serve this nation in different capacities. Indeed, schools like Kibuli Secondary School were founded to facilitate this dream. 75 years down the road, the school stands tall among the best in the country.

It has also produced leading citizens that have contributed to Ugandan society in different ways. In this interview, Janat Nambi Kiwanuka, an old student of Kibuli SS and now the Director of Human Resource Process Outsourcing at NFT Consults in Kampala shares her time as a student in Kibuli and how it shaped her future.

When did you join Kibuli SS?

I joined Kibuli SS for my o-levels in 1987 until 1990.

What was your most lasting memory of the school?

My most lasting memory was the truck rides to the soccer games out of school. It was quite the program! Since not every student was allowed to go, we had to be very well connected to the decision makers who were responsible for shortlisting those selected to go attend the games.

I can almost still feel the anxiety as we waited for the roll-call behind the truck. If you showed interest, you had to show-up as the truck was boarding so as to hear your name be called amongst the lucky ones. And if so, you then board.

The roads leading out of Kibuli hill into the city were rather terrible back then. As the truck driver manoeuvred the potholes-turned-trenches, we stood clinging onto the rails of the truck, while some students sat right at the top of the rails.

I was always saying a little prayer during those moments because the truck tilted close to 30 degrees onto one side, while the tyres negotiated the humongous trenches in the middle of the road. But the drivers were skilled and careful I guess, because they did get us home safe.

Who had the most profound impact on you while there?

As I look back now, I believe it was the headmaster himself, Abbas Kawaase Mukasa. He was a true head master in all sense of the word. He did his job with a passion. He cared a lot about the well-being of his students. He never did compromise anything for self-gratification. He did not run the school with his ego. He was ever so conscious about the students development first, before anything else. He never got involved in any pettiness. Whenever I run into him in the hallways he’d greet me genuinely and had a more positive way of communicating any negative observation.

In fact I was never afraid of running into Hajj Kawaase. As a student that’s how I felt about him and to this day when I reflect, I Kibuli SS Old Girl relives her times at the school. When Prince Badru Kakungulu founded the Young Men’s Muslim Association, it was his dream that one day, the Muslim community will have highly-educated people to serve this nation in different capacities. Indeed, schools like Kibuli Secondary School were founded to facilitate this dream. 75 years down the road, the school stands tall among the best in the country.

It has also produced leading citizens that have contributed to Ugandan society in different ways. In this interview, Janat Nambi Kiwanuka, an old student of Kibuli SS and now the Director of Human Resource Process Outsourcing at NFT Consults in Kampala shares her time as a student in Kibuli and how it shaped her future. appreciate him for all that he did for the students of Kibuli SS. Abbas Kawaase Mukasa is much appreciated.

Where did you go when you left Kibuli?

I left for the UK to complete my A-levels. My father sent me to a school out in the Mid west called Lawnside High School.

What impact did the school have on your future; career, character and who you are today?

Oh it definitely had a much profound impact on me as a person. Being a boarding school the greatest impact it had on me was the lasting relationships I formed with my fellow students. It was a true bonding experience. We do get together once in a while and reminisce over the good old times. In fact it doesn’t matter how far the road we’ve taken have led us, and how many new friends we make, my old friends from Kibuli SS are the majority friends I have. I was able to learn how to relate with all kinds of personalities but most importantly to survive in a somewhat competitive environment. Secondly, Kibuli had a serious impact on my spirituality.

Being in an environment where the majority practiced the same religious beliefs, Kibuli kept me grounded. I became more conscious of my faith. I think that foundation gave me an everlasting attachment to my religious beliefs which have come in handy all through my life after Kibuli. Although my parents gave me the initial foundation, Kibuli added to the grounding and conviction that Islam was my religion and nothing else.