One a rather boring morning, I was seated in the computer lab of St. Peter’s SSS Nsambya when I got a call from my Head of Department that he was unable to make it to school in time. He requested that I stand in for him in the next lesson. I hesitantly accepted.
While its true I qualified as a teacher, I was employed here as a Computer Lab Technician. It had never even crossed my mind that I would at one moment be requested to handle a class – worse still a candidate class.
Our lab was privileged to have Internet access. I therefore thought it wise to search for a few resources to use during this impromptu lesson.
Most of the content I happened to come across was equally complex for me. I then chose to look for past UNEB question papers so that I would simply give the students a practical test as I killed the time.
That is when I landed on a website which used to be at the address, rmukalele.hpage.com, where I found resources that were tailored to the Ugandan experience. I downloaded all that I could on that day and whenever I thought of getting more content, rmukalele.hpage.com was the answer. Below is an old screenshot from the website with a comment entitled, “A ROUND OF THANKS” which I posted on the website in 2013.
However, something kept tickling my mind – who was behind these free resources? I delved deeper only to find that it was a gentleman by the names of Rogers Mukalele. I found out that he was a teacher at Jinja College.
His content was too well organized that I needed little effort to prepare my sudden lessons. This helped resurrect the teacher in me which further helped me secure a few teaching slots at the same school.
Despite all this assistance, I never got the chance to meet Rogers. I remember in 2014 when we were in a departmental meeting where we were asked to recommend some books. I had no better answer than Mukalele’s books. I was happy that the school bought them.
I went on to leave the school but I found his resources very useful as I embarked on developing my own school – E-zone School of Computing. In fact, many of the exercises in my school’s workbook are exact copies of Mukalele’s work.
Rogers Mukalele, ITAU Whatsapp Group and the ICT Teachers Association
In 2018, I again came in touch with Rogers Mukalele – though virtually. He added me to a Whatsapp group for ICT teachers where I got to meet great minds in the fraternity. I hope you know what it means living in seclusion versus the benefits of a community of like minded people.
I was surprised that even when he had never met, Rogers still had my number and was even willing to open for me a world of new opportunities. One thing led to another and before I could notice, the ICT Teachers Association was born.
As I was still figuring out, what happens in an association of ICT teachers, a website www.ictteachersug.net was launched and this gave me another opportunity to reach even a broader audience. It’s on this website that I launched my consulting career with articles covering my experience as a teacher-cum-technician.
Rogers Mukalele and the WordCampKampala, 2018
If it’s true that there is more love in giving than there is in receiving, Rogers must be a man happier than most. 
Rogers Mukalele again surprised me when he invited us for the WordCamp K’la 2018 that took place at HiveColab in Kamwokya from 23rd to 25th November 2018.
I managed to attend this heavily subsidized event in the company of two of my colleagues in the profession – Josephine Nabulya of Trinity College Nabbingo and Winnie Nansubuga of St. Peter’s SSS Nsambya. Both schools have embraced Mukalele’s books over the years and have no reservations so far.
I used this opportunity to meet my silent hero after many years of only hearing about him. And because of him, I met even more people and also got the opportunity to dive into the world of WordPress.
This year (2018), Rogers was elected together with Omukiguy to take on the mantle of the WordPress Community in Kampala. Merit has got him there and he will always have my trust and that of others who have come into contact with him.
Mukalele’s books
Rogers is author of a variety of books namely;
- Computer Studies for Uganda – Based on the O Level NCDC Computer Studies Syllabus topic by topic.
- Subsidiary ICT for Uganda – Based on the A Level NCDC Subsidiary ICT Syllabus topic by topic.
- ICT Revision Questions and Answers for Uganda – Which contains over 500 UACE Past Paper Examination Questions and Answers.
- Computer Studies Revision Questions and Answers for Uganda – Containing over 1000 UCE Past Paper Examination Questions and Answers.
- Computer Applications Practical Lab Activities for Uganda – with over 200 practical examination-type activities for every practical topic on the O level and A level syllabi. The later even has a special chapter on usage of support files at A level.
More details of these resourceful books are available at books.mukalele.net.
Thank you Mukalele!
What Mukalele hasn’t done for me, I can’t tell. What he has done for the ICT Fraternity is immense. What he is yet to do, I just can’t wait. If there is anyone that has silently fought for the coming together of ICT teachers – Mukalele Rogers is one of them. If I were to wish him something practical – I only wish that some day he is announced Uganda’s Minister of ICT.
Long Live Rogers Mukalele!
Stephen Dumba
E-zone School of Computing
0752 111 223 / 0772 111 223
