Rev. Basome: The Making of Uganda’s Most Sought-After Consultant

Rev. Dr. Samson Basome, a student who repeated primary seven three times for lack of school fees and a primary school teacher who started as a grade III certificate teacher is now a doctor of philosophy with a PhD degree and a lecturer at Kampala University.

The Scribe visited him at his home in Busei, Iganga District in Eastern Uganda to find out how he went through hard times to become one of Uganda’s finest education consultants. Elizabeth Koshaba now profiles him as a Personality of the week.

Born on January 31, 1979, to Justine Nakate and Salongo David (All late), his mother prophetically named him Basome literally translated as let them learn. The name was unknown among the Bakyesa clan and Basome has lived to praise his mother for being a visionary person able to foresee what this boy was to become.

“By then, in Bwite my ancestral village, all the locals were illiterates” Basome noted.

When his father, Salongo David, died in 1991 at the time when Basome was 11 years old and in primary four, Basome started experiencing a turning point in his life. His father was a teacher who turned into a fisherman. He resigned from the teaching practice due to poor pay. Is Basome being haunted by his father’s teaching spirit as we see in a book “Omuzimu gwa Kasooba”?

Escaping from the Jaws of death

In his early primary school days, Basome and some of his classmates discovered a landmine which was allegedly planted during Uganda’s bush war which brought the NRM government into power. According to Basome the boys planned to dig it and secretly keep it for their “security”.

The “little young commandos” of Kungu Primary School, then went out to dig their “pleasure” on a one Friday evening only to be blown out by this explosive. Four of the boys died on spot and one survived with major injuries.

Basome was saved by his father who had grounded him for stealing his money preventing him from joining his colleagues to dig the explosive. This perhaps could have contributed to his father’s resignation as a teacher and bought a piece of land in Tikalu village, Mpigi district where he erected a temporary grass thatched house to restart his life and prepare a better future for his children. Little did he know that his death was calling. He died a few years later.

His Aunt, Robina Mukaziwani took him in and trained him how to make local brews especially crude waragi. Basome narrates how the hard work he learned from his auntie prepared a foundation form him through which he was able to handle hard times ahead of him. She saw him through primary school at Buwanda primary school.

“My Auntie took me back to Buwanda to study primary seven, the class I repeated three times. This was because there was no money to take me back to school”.

Life as a professional?

Basome started his career in 2004 as a grade III certificate teacher at Busesa Mixed Primary School and started the journey and further confirm that the teaching spirit of his late father was deeply haunting him.

Ven. Rev. Canon Patrick Mutalwa who supported Rev. Basome through his career path

He later became the school Principal at Bishop Hannington Institute of Theology & Vocational Studies.

To accomplish what his father failed to fulfill, Basome kept upgrading his academic qualifications until he attained a degree from the Uganda Christian University in Mukono and then a Masters Degree. where he was later retained as a lecturer and grew through the ladder to become a Head of the Department of Religious Studies at Busoga University and Kampala University.

The story of Rev. Basome is not complete without the input of Ven. Rev. Canon Patrick Mutalwa who adopted him as a son when Basome’s life was at a crossroads.

Today Basome prides in his accomplishments which includes his work as an author, a community facilitator and an education consultants.

“I was one of the members who reviewed & designed some of other programmes of Religious Studies curriculum for Kampala University, Busoga University and the Theological Training Curriculum for Bishop Hannington Institute of Divinity and Development Studies. I am a well-known author of university study books for religious studies, curriculum, and research”

As a theologian Basome holds master’s degree in Divinity from Uganda Christian University – Mukono. He is an Anglican Church of Uganda priest and currently the chaplain St. Luke’s chapel Iganga Hospital, the Diocesan Inspector of Schools for the Central Busoga Diocese and Principal Bishop Hannington Institute of Theology and Vocational Studies.

Community give back

Basome recalls the pressing life he went through as a child and is using the same experience to help in preparing a better life to the vulnerable children in uganda.

He founded Faith Discipleship Ministries International (FAMI) a a not for profit organization in Iganga District through which he empowers children and youths in life skills and livelihood improving skills.