By Steven F Mandu
The year was 2003 when I joined Kiira College Butiki, an all-boys school in Jinja, for my Senior Five.
As a student in a new environment, having come from Nabumali High School which is a mixed a school, I had few challenges fitting in the Butiki society more so one that had people like Moses Nakintije Sekibogo aka Mowzey Radio, a soul that could not even think of harming a fly.
This meant that I instantly started making friends to induct and help me catch up with the school’s syllabus, mostly because there was a difference in the literature syllabi that the school offered as compared to Nabumali.
In the literature lessons I sat next to the youthful and lively Sekibogo, who was later to become Mowzey Radio, the singer and song writer who died this morning after sustaining injuries to the brain during a brawl at the De Bar in Entebbe about two weeks ago.
And although I stayed in Aggrey House and Ssekibogo resided in Henry Muloki House, two dormitories that were far apart, we became very close acquaintances.
Sekibogo was a friend, both socially and academically, giving me his notes to copy what I had missed covering because I had joined Kiira College midway in Senior Six. Of import for me to remember were the Literature notes Sekibogo gave me because they were drawn from different books (options) from those we offered at Nabumali.
Needless to say we both scored good grades in Literature, and joined Makerere University on government sponsorship, with me being offered Bachelors of Mass Communication, while Sekibogo was taken in for a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Psychology.
On the other hand, I found Sekibogo very helpful because he had a passion for reading and writing. He was also a member of several groups, participating in academic discussions and issues of spirituality, the latter which ensured he rose to the chairmanship of the Scripture Union.
And in that role, Sekibogo was a humble boy who feared God and always inspired many to attend church services which were held in our school mess.
He was also a leader, the Deputy Head of House of Henry Muloki House, and a hardworking student whose grades were always high.
As such it was not surprising that he was among the first five students in the school, scoring over 20 points in the Advanced Level national examinations (UACE), and joining Makerere University for a Bachelor’s Degree in Community Psychology in 2004, on government sponsorship. Few however, know that he had applied for Law and that his grades were good enough for him to join the Faculty of Law.
Meanwhile, as earlier noted, the soft-voiced fallen musician also had a lot of passion for drama and debate, and was the one who wrote the drama pieces for Henry Muloki House during the inter- house competitions.
I first recognised his singing skills during our end of year party when he mimed a song by R Kelly, which did to his best. It was not surprising therefore that when we joined Makerere University a year later he had a full album of songs to his name!
Even when he had started hanging around with celebrities like Chameleone, Sekibogo was a down to earth chap who invited us to attend some of the events where he performed. And it was always a nice time hanging around him!
Also, during our first year at Makerere he always visited OBs like Kenneth Karuhanga, William Karangwa and Fred Daaki and I, all in Lumumba Hall, to which he was attached, for he was non-resident student.
Indeed, we sometimes had meals together in the Lumumba mess and when the ‘pocket were good’ we went to other places like the Guild Canteen.
There are so many other thing we shared with Moses Sekibogo both at Kiira College Butiki and at Makerere University over the four we were together, and in Mowzey Radio the nation has lost a talented, hardworking, intelligent and enterprising young man who had a lot more to offer and accomplish!
May his soul rest in peace.
Steven Mandu is a senior political reporter at Eagle Online
