Karamoja orphan who petitioned Museveni for fees joins college after Monitor story

A 14-year-old boy from Karamoja sub-region whose story we published on January 27, 2024 seeking help from President Museveni to join secondary school after attempting his primary leaving (PLE) examination for the second time has joined Teso College Aloet after getting a scholarship from a sponsor from Busoga sub-region. 

Mark Longora who reported to Teso College Aloet on Monday for his O-Level couldn’t hide his joy, thanking publication for highlighting his plight that has earned him both a secondary and university scholarship from a Good Samaritan, Robison Freddie. 

Mark Longora poses for a photo with his former head teacher being cleared at Teso College Aloet

The orphaned Longora first sat Primary Leaving Examination (PLE) in 2022 scoring 13 aggregates at Lolet –Ekia community school but due to the economic hardships, he was forced to attempt the same examination in 2023 in the same school in the hope that he would get a government scholarship but ended up bagging 14 aggregates.

Longora lost his father, Luchona Muya in 2019 due to unknown illness while the mother, a one Natalina Opeko died in 2016 due to hunger-related complications, leaving him in the hands of the uncle, one Emmanuel Lonbiro.

Longora who was accompanied by his former head teacher, Mr Robert Okiror, said he was grateful to the Monitor for telling the world his plight and passion to carry on with his education.

“I never imagined that this would happen but the Daily Monitor has made it happen,” the now senior one student at Teso College, from Lolet village, Nandunget Sub County, Moroto District in the restive mineral-rich Karamoja sub-region said. 

Lolet-Ekia community school head teacher, Mr Robert Okiror who escorted Longora to his new school said he and other teachers were grateful for what had happened to their former pupil.

“His story is one among a thousand other children in similar need in Karamoja despite having passed,” he explained.

 

Staff at Lolet -Ekia community primary school, Nandunget Sub County, Moroto District at the sendoff of Longora on February 19, 2024.

Mr Okiror said he was convinced that his former pupil would not disappoint because he is passionate about education.

Mr Alex Namurani, cash coordinator at Strengthening Education Systems and Bridging Learning loss (SESBILL), at Save the children international, funded by Norwegian embassy, who led this publication to Longora in 2023, said the scholarship covers both secondary and university education. 

He told this publication that after the story run, the sponsor got in touch with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Kampala. Moroto OC CID, Mr Moses Odongo was sent to verify the information about the boy before the sponsor confirmed his willingness to support Longora