When Francis Kamulegeya lost his sister Sophia Kafeero in 2005, he turned grief into defiance—converting a small family property into a single-classroom school for deaf children.
Many called it futile. Today, that school has humiliated the doubters.
Last year, every one of its Primary Leaving Exam candidates passed—some with aggregates as low as 19, outperforming hearing students in elite Kampala schools.
Three of its pupils are now national athletics champions, beating “normal” competitors. One alumnus runs a thriving tailoring business in Masaka town, employing four others.
Yet during its 20th-anniversary celebrations this week, the mood wasn’t just celebratory—it was accusatory.
Nnaabegereka’s Uncomfortable Truth
Sylvia Nagginda, Buganda’s queen, stood before government officials and corporate donors and asked a loaded question:
“Why must heroes like Kamulegeya still beg for basics?”
Her challenge cut deep. While the school has scraped together enough to teach welding, baking, and computer skills, it lacks assistive technology standard in neighboring Kenya—like visual fire alarms or captioning systems.
Teachers still improvise with handwritten flashcards. Parents, once ashamed of their deaf children, now demand enrollment after seeing graduates out-earn local shopkeepers—yet the school may soon turn applicants away.
“We’ve proved what’s possible,” said headteacher Sarah Nakabuye. “Now Uganda must choose: invest in these children or admit we don’t care.”
Related: Nnabagereka Calls for Increased Funding to Tackle Uganda’s Mental Health Crisis
The Silent Crisis No One Funds
The school’s wishlist is revealing:
- A dormitory (current students walk unsafe distances daily)
- Government-trained sign language interpreters (most staff learn on the job)
- Corporate sponsorships that go beyond PR photo ops
MTN Uganda’s CEO Sylvia Mulinge and I&M Bank’s Robin Bairstow attended the anniversary. Neither announced new funding.
Why This Story Burns
This isn’t just a “feel-good” piece. It’s an indictment. While Uganda debates luxury car taxes, a shoestring-budget school in Masaka is out-educating, out-innovating, and out-performing the system—with crumbs.
