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Namilyango College

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Coordinates: 0°20′19″N 32°43′02″E / 0.33861°N 32.71722°E / 0.33861; 32.71722
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Namilyango College
Location
Map
Namilyango
,
Mukono District

Uganda
Coordinates0°20′19″N 32°43′02″E / 0.33861°N 32.71722°E / 0.33861; 32.71722
Information
TypePublic middle school and high school (13-19)
Motto"Nisi Dominus" (If not the Lord, [it is] in vain)
Religious affiliation(s)Catholic Church
EstablishedMarch 23, 1902; 122 years ago (1902-03-23)[1]
FounderBishop Henry Hanlon[2]
HeadteacherConstantine Mpuuga
Number of students1,010 (2014)
Houses13
Colour(s)Green and Yellow
AthleticsRugby, football, track, tennis, volleyball, basketball
Nickname"NGO"
"The College"
"Anchors"
RivalsSt. Mary's College Kisubi
PublicationThe Anchor
AlumniNgonians
WebsiteHomepage

Namilyango College is a boys-only boarding secondary school located in Mukono District in the Central Region of Uganda, whose history and excellence in sports and academics have made it one of the most prestigious schools in Uganda.[3] It is Uganda's oldest secondary school, founded in 1902 by the Catholic Mill Hill Fathers.[4]

Location

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The school campus is situated on Namilyango Hill, approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), by road, southwest of Mukono Town, the district headquarters,[5] and about 4 kilometres (2 mi), by road, south of the township of Seeta, the nearest trading center.[6] The college lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi), by road, east of Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city.[7] The coordinates of Namilyango College are:0°20'19.0"N, 32°43'02.0"E (Latitude:0.338611; Longitude:32.717222).[8]

History

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The school was founded in March 1902 by the Mill Hill Fathers, a London-based Catholic missionary society, to educate the sons of Catholic chiefs.[4][9] At the time, the Mill Hill Missionaries' approach to education for locals was guided by their objective of training local catechists and, eventually, local priests.[10] The first students at Namilyango were being trained to become, first and foremost, catechists; those who were considered unfit for that vocation would be sent away or, if they were of good character, educated further so they could be taken on as clerks in the colonial government.[9]

Reputation

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Namilyango College is one of the most prestigious schools in Uganda, owing to its history, influence, excellent academic performance and dominance in sports. It is the oldest secondary school and the first college in Uganda, and for long was the best school in boxing until the sport was stopped in the school in the early 1990s.

Rugby is the biggest sport in the College. Namilyango has won the national schools' rugby title more than any other school, and has sent numerous players to the national team. Namilyango College was a pioneer in Information Technology in Ugandan schools, building one of the first computer labs.[11]

Relations with other Schools

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Over the years a tradition of Namilyango College has been the rivalries with fellow prestigious schools, in academics, sports and socialising. The rivals have included, in decreasing order of rivalry: St. Mary's College Kisubi, King's College Budo and Busoga College Mwiri.

In recent times the fiercest rivalries have been with Budo and SMACK (Kisubi), as all three institutions field strong teams in the Rugby and field hockey disciplines. In the post-covid era, Namilyango has won two Central Schools' Rugby championships (2022 and 2024) and the rugby title at the 2022 Federation of East African Schools' Sports Association (FEASSA). Budo has won the rugby title at the Uganda Secondary Schools' Sports Association (USSSA) twice (2023 and 2024), and Kisubi won the rugby title at the 2023 FEASSA Games.

Over the years, the school has maintained cordial relations with schools like: Mount Saint Mary's College Namagunga, Trinity College Nabbingo, Nabisunsa Girls Secondary School and Gayaza High School.[12] The school organises social evenings (in modern times referred to as sosh), the equivalent to the American high school prom, with one of the aforementioned girls' schools. Sosh is preserved for the Form Six students, with the College hosting in the first term while the corresponding girls' school hosted in second term. In years gone by, a Form Six class had the liberty to host two social gatherings for two different schools.

Houses of residence

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The college has twelve residential houses and a hostel. The "O" Level students reside in the residential houses while the "A" Level students reside in Minderop Hostel, named after Father James Minderop, the first headmaster of the college. The twelve O'Level residential houses are:[13]

House name and Colours[14]
Minderop – N/A
Biermans – Yellow  
Billington – Green  
Campling – Red  
Doyle – Purple  
Hanlon – Navy Blue  
Kiwanuka – Maroon  
Kuipers – White  
McKee – Orange  
Mukasa – Black  
Reesinck – Blue  
Heweston – N/A   
Charles Lwanga – N/A   


  1. Biermans House - Named after Bishop John Biermans (MHM), Vicariate Apostolic of Upper Nile 1912 - 1924
  2. Billington House - Named after Bishop Vincent Billington (MHM) (1904 - 1976), Bishop of Kampala 1953 - 1965
  3. Campling House - Named after Bishop John William Campling (MHM), Vicariate Apostolic of Upper Nile 1925 - 1937
  4. Doyle House - Named after Rev. Fr. Captain Bernard Doyle (MHM), the longest serving Headmaster (19 years) of the College
  5. Hanlon House - "House of Lords", named after Bishop Henry Hanlon (MHM) 1862 - 1937, Vicar Apostolic of Upper Nile 1894 - 1911
  6. Kiwanuka House - Named after Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka, the first native African to be appointed Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in East Africa
  7. Kuipers House - Named after Father Bernard Kuipers (MHM), served the College for 30 years as teacher, Headmaster, and Chaplain
  8. McKee House - Named after Father Kevin McKee (MHM), a teacher at the College
  9. Mukasa House - Named after Mr. Noah Mukasa, a former Biology teacher at the College
  10. Reesinck House - Named after Bishop John Reesinck (MHM), Vicariate Apostolic of Upper Nile 1938 - 1950
  11. Heweston House - Named after Fr. Henry Heweston, former headmasters of the school.[1]
  12. Charles Lwanga House - Named after one of the Uganda Martyrs[15]

Prominent alumni

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The Namilyango College Old Boys Association (NACOBA) was formed in 1939, with a helping hand from the then Head Master, Fr. Bernard Doyle. Former students of Namilyango College are called "Old Ngonians", and include a prime minister, a Chief Justice, cabinet ministers, clergymen, members of the royal family of Buganda, judges, lawyers, academics, and sportsmen. Some of the prominent alumni of the school include:

Royals

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  • Prince Yozefu Musanje Walugembe MBE (1902-1904), of Buganda Kingdom and a WWII veteran of the African Native Medical Corps (Class of 1902-1906)
  • Prince Augustino Tebandeke (1902-1904), of Buganda Kingdom
  • Prince David Wasajja (McKee, 1980-1983), of Buganda Kingdom [16]
  • Umugabe Daudi Rumanyika II, King of Karagwe 1916-1937

Politics

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  • George Cosmas Adyebo, Prime Minister 1991–1994 [17]
  • Gerald Ssendaula, minister of finance 1998–2005 and MP for Bukoto 1980–2005
  • Lawrence Sebalu, Minister of Finance and Economic Development 1961-1962
  • Mathias Mbalule Ngobi (Campling, 1943-1945), Minister for Cooperatives 1962-1965
  • Fred Mukisa (McKee, 1964-1969), minister for fisheries 2006–2011 and MP for Bukooli Central 2006–2011
  • Vincent Nyanzi, minister of state for vice president's Office and MP for Busujju County
  • Norbert Mao (Campling), Democratic Party 2011 presidential candidate and President of DP 2010 - date
  • Jeremiah Twatwa (Minderop, 1971-1972), MP for Iki-Iki County
  • Martin Drito (Reensich), MP for Madi-Okollo County, Arua District, 2011 to present. One of Uganda's wealthiest individuals.
  • Gabriel Ajedra Aridru, former State Minister of Finance for General Duties in the Cabinet of Uganda.[18]
  • Moses Hasim Magogo (Kiwanuka, 1991-1993), FUFA president, MP Budiope East.
  • Richard Sebamala (Hanlon, 1993-1998), MP Bukoto Central 2021 - date
  • Norbert Mao (Campling, 1984-1988), Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and former Presidential Candidate (2016 and 2021)

Law

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  • Bart Magunda Katureebe, Former Chief Justice of Uganda and former member of the Supreme Court of Uganda,[19]
  • Justice John Bosco Katutsi (Minderop, 1967-1969), former Justice of the High Court of Uganda
  • Justice Thomas Ocaya (Biermans, 1985-1991), Justice of the High Court of Uganda, 2022 - date
  • Pius P. Biribonwoha (Campling, 1989-1995), Solicitor General
  • Judge M.N. Semugenze, former Senior Judge at Mengo Principal Court
  • Judge J.B. Kafeero, former Senior Judge at Mengo Principal Court
  • Bernard Oundo Malinga (Billington, 1995-1998), former President Uganda Law Society

Civil service

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  • Onegi Obel, Governor, Bank of Uganda 1973–1978 and presidential advisor
  • Leonard Kibirango (Hanlon, 1956-1962), former Governor of Bank of Uganda
  • Joseph Etima (Minderop, 1963-1964), former Commissioner of Uganda Human Rights Commission and former Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons.[20][21]

Traditional Civil Service

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  • Dr. Joseph Muvawala, Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom
  • William Mwangu, former Prime Minister of Busoga Kingdom
  • Antonio Gitta, Mulamuzi (Chief Justice) of Buganda Kingdom, 1955-1959
  • Andrew Frederick Kimeze Mpanga, Attorney General of Buganda Kingdom, 1965-1966
  • Apollo N. Makubuya (Doyle, 1981-1983), former Attorney General of Buganda Kingdom
  • Owek. Vincent Matovu (Doyle, 1983-1986), Sekiboobo (County Chief) of Kyaggwe

Academia

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Writers

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  • Austin Bukenya (Biermans, 1961-1964), author, playwright, and literary scholar

Other

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  • Emmanuel Katongole (Campling), Managing Director Quality Chemicals & CEO Vero Foods Limited. Current chairman of Uganda National Oil Company.
  • Geoffrey Scott Sempiiga (d. 21 July 2013), (Campling), Cargo Manager KLM Uganda & CEO GSS Enterprise Limited, Katwine Shipping Company and GSS Music Industriè.
  • Alan Kasujja (Doyle, 1989-1992), journalist and broadcaster, host of BBC Newsday and Africa Daily
  • Ronnie "Mitch" Egwang (Hanlon, 1990-1996), MC and Marketing guru, host of Tusker Project Fame and Deal or No Deal Africa
  • Omulangira Ndausi (Billington, 1989-1991), radio personality and host of Binsanga Wano on Radio Simba[26]
  • Joseph Opio (Campling, 1997-2000), comedian and former writer on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Namilyango College To Mark 113th Anniversary". New Vision (Kampala). 19 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  2. ^ Kavuma-Kaggwa (9 June 2017). "Namilyango College celebrates 115 years of great service". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  3. ^ Tegulle, Gawaya (23 March 2012). "Namilyango College: 110 Years of Excellence". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  4. ^ a b Paige, John Rhodes (2000-11-01). Preserving Order Amid Chaos: The Survival of Schools in Uganda, 1971-1986. Berghahn Books. p. 34. ISBN 9781782388814.
  5. ^ "Distance Between Namilyango College School, Uganda And Mukono Town, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Road Distance Between Seeta, Uganda And Namilyango College School, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Road Distance Between Post Office Building, Kampala Road, Kampala, Uganda and Namilyango College School, Uganda" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Location of Namilyango College At Google Maps" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Namilyango College Logbook of 1902 - NACOBA". www.nacoba.ug. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  10. ^ "Part 7: The African Mission – Mill Hill Missionaries". Retrieved 2019-03-20.
  11. ^ Nsubuga, Henry; Semakula, John (17 July 2013). "Muguluma: Namilyango's Pillar". New Vision. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  12. ^ "Trinitus Anchor: Namilyango College Hosts Trinity College Nabbingo For A Social Afternoon". Namilyango College. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  13. ^ Gale, H.P. "Uganda and the Mill Hill Fathers" London: Macmillan, 1959
  14. ^ https://nacoba.ug/history-of-the-student-houses-dormitories-at-namilyango-college/
  15. ^ Tegulle, Gawaya (23 March 2012). "Namilyango College: 110 years of excellence". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
  16. ^ Mugagga, Robert (25 April 2013). "Just Writing: Enigmatic prince Wasajja finds his princess at last". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  17. ^ Tegulle, Gawaya (23 March 2012). "Namilyango College: 110 years of excellence". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  18. ^ Mwesigye, Shifa (19 May 2010). "BODY 2 SOUL: Village boy who taught self to be East Africa's best". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  19. ^ Sulaiman Kakaire (6 March 2015). "Who is Justice Bart Katureebe?". The Observer (Uganda). Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  20. ^ Kajoba, Nicholas (29 April 2007). "Namilyango is 105 years". New Vision. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  21. ^ Butagira, Tabu (23 June 2018). "Former Commissioner General of Uganda Prisons, Joseph Etima is dead". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  22. ^ "Chronological Order of Makerere University Principals And Vice Chancellors 1970 - 2012". Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  23. ^ Mugagga, Robert (1 September 2012). "Professor Nambooze: Academic success that changed the region's history". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
  24. ^ Batte, Edgar (9 May 2014). "'I was predictably unpredictable' -Dr Peregrine Kibuuka". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  25. ^ Monitor Reporter (23 November 2015). "Ex-Namilyango headmaster Kibuuka in need of operation". Daily Monitor. Kampala. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  26. ^ https://x.com/ngonians/status/1629027546661543936

Further reading

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  • Gale, Hubert P, Uganda And The Mill Hill Fathers (London, Macmillan, 1959, OCLC 1608574)
  • O'Neil, Robert J, Mission To The Upper Nile: Story of St.Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill in Uganda (London, Mission Book Services, 1999, ISBN 0952023814)
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