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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | St Peter’s College Tororo has elected a new team to lead their Old Boys (OBs) association.
Samuel Wasike was on Thursday March 7 elected unopposed as chairman at the Annual General Meeting of the St Peter’s College Tororo Old Boys Association (SPECTOBA) at Hotel Africana.
Wasike, a grants management specialist at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), takes over from the long-serving Wilbrod Owor. Owor, who is the executive director of Uganda Bankers Association, has been chairman of SPECTOBA since 2003.
At the AGM, also attended by school staff led by Headmaster Joseph Olokojo, Owor outlined the Old Boys association activities over the 16 years. He said SPECTOBA activities mainly aimed at championing change of attitudes on part of students plus teacher motivation; Contribute to rebuilding the schools image and student discipline; Contribute to renovation of a science lab; Recognize best performing students and also identify alternative sources of revenue for SPECTOBA initiatives.
“We feel the pride making a contribution to the school that made us what we are today. Achievements have been scored but challenges remain which will be a preoccupation of the different stakeholders to improve the infrastructure and learning achievement outcomes of the current lot of students and those to come,” Owor told the AGM.
Owor said that in their efforts to recognize best performing students, SPECTOBA partnered with the family of the late Bernard Onyango, to introduce annual Bernard Onyango Academic Excellence (BOACE) Awards and Scholarship.
This scholarship scheme to reward students who performed best in O and A-Level Examinations was established in 2014 and named after one of the shining examples of the school’s glory days, Onyango. It was launched with a public lecture at Makerere University that had former Prime Minister Apollo Nsibambi as keynote speaker, and an awards dinner.
“We salute The Bernard Onyango family for accepting the old boys to use his name to champion academic excellence at the School. We also thank Makerere University and Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi for walking with us this journey,” he said.
Onyango was the first student at the school to score aggregate 8 in 8 in the East African Certificate of Education (EACE), the precursor to today’s Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), before going on to become the first African Academic Registrar at the University of East Africa; and the pioneer and most renown Academic Registrar at both Makerere University and Uganda Martyrs University Nkozi.
His 1948 O’ Level academic record stood unmatched until 2013 when Isaac Munno scored aggregates 8 in 8 in the 2013 UCE. Munno was thus the first BOACE award winner, getting a scholarship of sh5million for his A level education.
After his election, Wasike promised to mobilize all Tororo College OBs of various generations to come together and help revive the fortunes of St Peter’s College, which was one of the top schools in the countries until the 90s and early 2000s.
His recent involvement in mobilising for the school has seen over sh30million raised for new tables in the school’s dining hall. The effort was launched earlier this year.
NEW EXECUTIVE:
Chairman: Sam Wesike
Vice chairman: Felix Okuye
Gen Sec: Walter Akwat
Treasurer: James Apungure
Publicity Sec: Tolit Atiya
National Coordinator: Dr. John Kameri
Executive Members: Maj. Julius Kumanya Prof. Kamba Pakoyo; Achaku Moses Pingping, BOARD representative Peter Opata and TC Headmaster.
OLD executive
Wilbrod Owor – Chairman
Martin Odwedo – Vice Chairman;
Henry Emoi Gidudu – National Coordinator
Robert Odedo – Treasurer
Tollit Atia – Publicity Secretary
Vincent Wagona – General Secretary
Edward Luande – Committee Member
Edmond Owor – Committee Member
James Odumbi – Committee Member
Elisha Obella – Committee Member
