By Irene Best Nyapendi
As a pupil at Kibimbiri Primary School in the western Uganda district of Kanungu, a typical life for Ruth Kyobutungyi would go like this: Wake up early to till the land, after which she rushed home to prepare for school and ensure she arrived before lessons began.

Over the weekend and during holidays, she crossed Uganda’s border into the Democratic Republic of Congo to sell foodstuffs to the Congolese. 

The fuel for this resolve in Kyobutungyi was in the fact that after completing her O’level studies at Trinity College Kabale in southwestern Uganda, she sat home for one year because her parents had run short of money for her school fees.O Level stands for ordinary level.  It is the first half part of the General Certificate of Education (GCE), the second part being Advanced Level (A Level).

“I would call my friends, and they would update me on how far they had gone with studies at school,” Kyobutungyi says of her time during the one year at home.

She eventually joined Kinyasano Girls High School in Rukungiri district for A’level, but again sat home, this time for two years as she pooled resources for university education.  

Yet, even after completing Senior Six, she again spent two years at home, as she pooled resources enough for her to start university education. During the two-year break, she worked as a babysitter in people’s homes.

In 2006, she eventually joined a university, pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Today, Kyobutungyi is a police officer in Uganda’s Police Force.

While at UCU, Kyobutungyi continued to do menial jobs to be able to pool enough resources for her tuition needs. For instance, there are times she worked for half a day before travelling to the university to attend lectures.

Even with the menial jobs, there were days the financial situation got too tough for Kyobutungyi to bear. In situations like those, she often resorted to advances at her workplace. There were times she also turned to the institutional channels at UCU for people with challenges like hers. For instance, one time, the UCU Guild Fund gave her sh200,000 ($55) as tuition top-up so she could be able to write her examinations. 

In addition to academics, Kyobutungyi says at UCU, she learned virtues such as humility, equity and integrity. In 2009, Kyobutungyi, a fresh graduate at the time, came across a newspaper advertisement calling for people to join the finance department of the Uganda Police. She applied and was eventually hired as an accountant. However, along the way, she switched roles from finance to the traffic department. She is currently a Regional Traffic Officer at the rank of Superintendent of Police.

Kyobutungyi’s days are quite demanding. Her work can start as early as 3 a.m. though her typical day starts at 5 a.m, when she gets to the road, to ensure proper guidance of traffic, especially during the peak hours. 

She says in all her work what pleases her the most is seeing drivers follow traffic rules.

“Being from UCU, I am trusted, and I do not want to disappoint those who trust me or view the university in high regard,” she says.

Kyobutungyi’s lessons from her life struggles have made her put UCU’s Just for 10K initiative close to her heart. And she says it gives her joy to contribute to such a cause. In June 2022, UCU launched a fundraising campaign intended to support the education of needy students at the institution. Named “For Just 10k,” the campaign was intended to raise money to support students who struggle with their tuition and other needs.

Kyobutungyi, a wife and a mother of twins, has defied skeptics who thought her demanding career would prevent her from building a family.

“When I started as a traffic officer in 2012, people said I would never marry or manage night shifts,” she says. Thirteen years later, she has proven them wrong, balancing her roles as a wife, mother and officer.

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