Former Rwandan old students of St. Henry’s College Kitovu formerly launched an association and paid tribute to their Ugandan-based former secondary school that intellectually and academically raised them.
The association, whose members include senior serving and retired civil servants, senior military and police officers who participated in the liberation struggle and well-established businessmen, was launched on January 17 in Kigali in an event officiated by the current head-master of the school, Brother Augustine Mugabo.
Brother Mugabo commended the Rwandan chapter for “looking back and recognizing the impact of your former school.”
“I am happy that you have appreciated and remembered the good things and the molding St. Henry’s Kitovu gave you, and personally I am very happy that many old boys, who are in Rwanda are doing very well… You are serving and transforming your country,” Brother Mugabo said at the launch.
“We are soon approaching a centenary since the school was established in 1922 and we are grateful that all former students are coming in board. This year, we shall be honoring our old boys who have excelled in all spheres, and I hope Rwandans will be among those who will be recognized.”
Reacting on the idea of opening up a replica in Rwanda, Brother Mugabo said: “The idea has been floated and I will send the message to the owners of the school because through this partnership, it is possible. I will market the idea so that the branch can be opened in Rwanda.”
The coordinator of association, Narcisse Bucyana, said that the idea came out last year when a group of Rwandan OBs visited the school in last December and interacted with the current school administration.
“It is something to always remember that despite the tough times Rwandans were going through at the time in a foreign land, some of the schools like St. Henry’s College Kitovu were always very willing to admit Rwandan students,” Bucyana said.
Protais Rumanzi, a retired civil servant and former student, who is among the pioneers of the A’ Level section at the school in 1969, reiterated the need to “recognize history.”
“This is a kind of reminder in our history to look back in our past and appreciate what we gained from there and how that helped us to build us all along up to this time,” Rumanzi, the former prefect of former Kibungo prefecture, said.
“There’s that historical connection between where we were brought up intellectually and academically, and who we are now. This reunion is a whip that makes us remember where the journey started, share ideas on how to give back, where necessary and possible,” Rumanzi added.
“We are grateful for what the school and the country (Uganda) offered to us, which is the basis of where we are today to contribute to our country (Rwanda). Being in Uganda, we got that protection, progress we earned and intellectual capacity we got from there has helped us a lot into transforming our country”
UM– USEKE.RW
