From struggling for meals to UK military, Arsenal: How Salaam Musumba helped Mwase chase his dream

• Salaam Musumba helped Isifu Mwase secure a district bursary after his elder brother introduced them.

• Friends, university staff and an African Development Bank scholarship supported his computer engineering studies at MUST.

• Mwase now serves as a Cyberspace Communications Specialist in Britain’s Royal Air Force.

• The MUST alumnus also works as a steward at Arsenal Football Club on Premier League match days.

At Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), Isifu Mwase sometimes attended care-group meetings because they offered his only assured meal of the day. Today, he serves in Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) and spends some Premier League match days working as a steward at Arsenal Football Club.

Between those two chapters lies a story of financial hardship, persistence and people who refused to let him abandon his education. Among them was Proscovia Salaam Musumba, who helped him secure a district bursary.

According to an account shared by MUST, Mwase met Musumba through his elder brother, Paul Amanyogovu Wanso. Musumba, then the district chairperson, worked with the late chief administrative officer, Felix Esoku, to approve Shs1.5 million a year towards his computer engineering degree.

The account describes Musumba as a supporter of his education. It does not identify her as his mother or another relative.

For Mwase, who grew up with a single mother, the bursary opened a door. Finding enough money to remain at university presented another challenge.

He had used earnings from work on the National ID project during his A-level vacation to start a salon and a chapati business back home. But managing the ventures from Mbarara proved difficult. Money shortages threatened his studies.

Friends shared food, offered encouragement and helped him meet expenses. A university custodian identified as Ms Tusiime approved a meal card during his first year, allowing him to eat at the university mess.

Outside campus, a woman washed his clothes without charging him. A shopkeeper extended credit for basic necessities. Each act helped him keep going.

That support continued a pattern that began long before university.

As a Primary Seven pupil at Kasolwe Primary School, Mwase moved into his class teacher’s home to prepare for his examinations because the school had no boarding facilities. He scored aggregate eight and secured secondary school sponsorship from Gerard Menya, then the Bugabula North MP.

When that support ended during his second year, Kamuli College director Tabulwane Kitimbo offered him a full bursary. Mwase became the school’s top UCE performer. Kitimbo extended the bursary through A-level.

Despite strong results, Mwase narrowly missed government university sponsorship. His brother’s introduction to Musumba then helped him pursue a degree at MUST.

Another breakthrough came when Dr Evarist Nabasa mentored him and helped him secure an African Development Bank scholarship. It covered his full tuition and eased the financial pressure.

Mwase went on to contest the MUST guild presidency in 2017. He lost, but credited the experience with strengthening his leadership and communication skills. In his final year, he and classmate Leslie Turyeikayo produced an award-winning research project.

After graduating, he pursued technology roles and earned a master’s degree in Computer Networking and Cyber Security with Work Experience from London Metropolitan University in 2024.

His professional experience included work with cybersecurity and digital forensics organisations, the university and Britain’s National Health Service.

He later enlisted in the RAF, where he now serves as a Cyberspace Communications Specialist. After military training, his peers selected him for the RAF Benevolent Fund Award for his willingness to help others.

Away from military duties, he works as an Arsenal match-day steward, adding another unexpected chapter to his journey from Uganda.

MUST’s vice-chancellor congratulated Mwase and praised both his achievements and the community that sustained him.

Mwase credits his progress to that same network of family, teachers, friends, university staff and mentors. His message to students facing hardship is to seek support, remain disciplined and rise after setbacks.