Feature

Mumbere’s journey began with strong family expectations for him to pursue civil engineering, a course chosen largely to fulfil his mother’s dream and belief in his academic potential. Although he accepted the decision with the hope of making her proud, he quickly discovered that the course did not align with his passion or identity.

According to Mbonye, the addiction began with alcohol which sent him into a depression, and then cigarettes got into the picture. The substances, he says, made him create illusions of bonding, friendship and happiness. But this new lifestyle did not come without costs.

In Acholi, a local dialect in Uganda, the name Lagen means “the trusted one.” And that is the name that a pastor in Uganda chose for his son 30 years ago. In three decades, there are examples to illustrate that, indeed, Joseph Lagen has earned people’s trust. 

During the most recent health awareness week, held from June 30 to July 4, at Uganda Christian University (UCU), the university collaborated with the Ministry of Health, the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), and USAID Local Partner Health Services tuberculosis (TB) Activity (LPHS) to increase TB awareness and prevention within the university community. 

When tragedy struck and he lost his father in 2021, his mother, Harriet Nabwire, assumed full responsibility for the family’s financial support. The second of five children, Lowkii, shares that the void left by his father’s passing made life difficult.