I am called Hannington Nikwakunda and I come from Burunga subcounty. I am come from a family of 7 and I am the last born, fortunately my mother is still alive. I thank God for that. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management. It was by the grace of God. It was not easy but I thank God that I made it. To take you back a bit, my father died when I was only six months old, so my name “Nikwakunda” or “this has been permitted by God” was given to me as a result of a tragedy when my father who was in the market at the time was struck blind on the very first day, he was meant to see me as a newly born baby. He left home with his sight but the moment my mother handed me over to him, he instantly became blind. So he said that may be that is how the Lord wanted it to be, hence the name “Nikwakunda.” So, I grew up with my mother. I completed my primary education at Magondo primary school but of course it wasn’t easy for my mother to raise money for school fees being a single parent.
In my family, there are 5 boys and 2 girls, those who wanted to study, were able to and those who did not want to, were not able to. Luckily enough, all my siblings are married except me. After completing primary 7 at Magondo, I joined Ibanda secondary school for my O-Level then completed A-Level at Kako. I went to MUBS for my university education and I thank God for that. Praise God. If we back track a bit, your father became blind on the very first day they handed you over to him as baby. He died in 1991. I was only six months old. My mother used to be up and down taking my sick father to different hospitals and that pressure took a toll on her and she became too weak so she breastfed me for only 6months. So she decided to hand me over to her sister who did not have any children of her own to raise me. I stayed with my aunt until when I was in primary 7, I actually believed that my aunt who raised me was my biological mother. Even after finding out, I still treated her as my mother because she is the one who raised me. Thanks to her for the job well done. She was in a childless marriage and I stayed with her until when I was in primary 7. Then I went back to my home from where I completed my education. It wasn’t an easy life but the fact that my mother’s sister did not have any children, she showered me with so much love. Basically, I was raised by 2 mothers.
When I went back home to my biological mother, life changed and I felt the effect of not having a father. My mother was not at home at the time and my 2 sisters were both married so I was there alone with my big brothers who did not know how to take care of me yet I was about to sit for my PLE exams. There were a lot of struggles. No they never used to beat me but since I loved studying so much, I was worried about who would wake me up in the night to read books since my mother was not home. We used to have lanterns that use paraffin in the home and I would wake up at 3:00am in the night to read so that I could compete academically with other pupils at school. I had to make it a point to wake myself up and read since my mother was not around at the time. I wanted to perform well like other children. When I completed primary level, my mother could not find money for school fees for me to join secondary so my big brother took over and paid my school fees from S.1 to S.4 at Ibanda secondary school. Fortunately, he knew the value of education so he advised me to continue with my studies and never to be like one of my other brothers who dropped out of school by choice. He wanted me to make our family proud as this would be the case if I graduated with a bachelor’s degree.
I took his advice and that is why I concentrated so much at school. He then decided to take me to Kako secondary school in a place where I knew no one. While there, he paid for my school fees for S.5 and he would also come to visit me at school from Masaka barracks since he was an army officer. I took my brother’s advice seriously and really focused on my educational journey. After S.6 I joined university. While at the university, life became really hard since we hardly had any money and my elder brother could not continue paying for my education because he also had personal challenges. Did you only face financial challenges at the university or is it that life changed generally? I never followed crowds nor did I succumb to peer pressure; I am generally a humble person since I was raised by my aunt. I never desired worldly things. I went to schools that taught good morals so by the time I completed S.4 and S.6, I had never slept with any girl, never took alcohol or indulged in any inappropriate acts. My brother who was paying for my school fees could not continue doing so because he also had personal financial issues to deal with and I understood him. It was very challenging because personally I only had 2 cows and my mother had nothing while each of my other brothers also had personal financial obligations to handle yet the only brother in whom I had put all my hope failed to keep up with the financial demands on him.
I can not say that he did not have the money to pay my school fees, but he had his own financial obligations to meet. So I sold one of my cows and my mother also sold a calf, that way I was able to raise tuition in order to join campus. Then I sold the remaining cow and I used the proceeds to pay tuition for my first year’s second semester. I then did my first year’s internship at Kiruhura district headquarters. I had no other options left and I had no one to advise or care for me so I was making every decision on my own. The Lord directed me to one lecturer whom I told about the challenge I was facing. He advised me to apply for a dead year and then I would resume with my studies when I got the money. So I applied for a dead year and missed studies for one full year. I was not born again at the time and I did not know what to do next but I sought the Lord’s intervention. I loved studying so much and I knew that if I completed my studies, I would be able to achieve everything I desired in life. 1Amidst that confusion, a man of God came to my rescue. As my dead year was about to end in August, in June the same year while at a function, someone walked to me and asked me how I was doing with my studies. I lied to him that I was in my second year, I told him the university where I was studying and the course I was pursuing. I was seated next to some people who enjoy alcohol although I never used to drink.
After a while, I went to the washrooms and by coincidence, I met the same gentleman who had asked about my studies. I then told him the truth that I was not able to raise money for tuition after my first year. So he asked when my dead year was ending and still, I could not bring myself to telling him the truth. So, I lied to him that it would be ending in July; the function we were at had taken place on the 10th of June. He then said that I should let him know when I was about to go back so that he could pay tuition for the whole of my second year. My hopes were a bit low because I somehow did not believe that it would happen. So when the time came, I called him and he asked me to meet him in Mbarara which I did; he gave me money worth 50% of my tuition for that semester. I went and banked the money, then I resumed my studies. Like I said earlier, my hopes were low because I thought he may not fulfill his promise. He rarely answered calls so I used to communicate with him via WhatsApp. After some time, I sent him a WhatsApp message reminding him of the balance for that semester and I left the rest to God because I did not know what his response would be. But thank God, he fulfilled his promise and I completed my third year. I recalled what my elder brother once said that one day, our home would also have someone make it proud with a bachelors’ degree. I became born again on the 23rd of September 2018 when I had already completed my bachelor’s degree.
The devil is a liar because I started engaging in acts of immorality while at the university. Imagine at the time when I should have received salvation, I instead let the saviour down. I was blessed though I did not know that I was because I completed my exams in June and in July, I got a job. I got a job as a sales person with a company called “Solar Now” that dealt in selling solar panels and their accessories. I was one of the people who loved God so much so I used to attend fellowships and conferences. I remember we also started an Interuniversity fellowship group. I was heading the MUBS Interuniversity fellowship group of Mbarara campus. I was not born again at the time. After getting a job, the bishop asked me to attend a conference organized at Bishop Stuart university because he thought I was already born again. The students then suggested that while on the journey travelling to the conference, we should all introduce ourselves to each other and give testimonies. I was seated at the back of the vehicle in which we were travelling so all the students introduced themselves and apparently, they were all born again. When my turn came, I introduced myself as Hannington Nikwakunda but I was not yet born again.
While on the journey, we sang songs of praise and then I heard a voice ask me why with all that I had been blessed with I was not yet born again? The voice added “now is the time for you to accept me as your saviour.” I reasoned within me that that I did not need to get saved because I had not committed so many sins. When we reached Bishop Stuart university, after the sermon, I stood up and confessed openly that I had accepted the Lord as my saviour. I actually received Christ immediately after listening to that voice. I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal saviour and repented of engaging in acts of sex, always waking up in the middle of the night and going out to look for any girl I could sleep with for that particular night, drinking alcohol and joining bad groups at campus. By the way I never did any of those things while in my first year at campus when I was struggling financially, I started doing them in my second year after I had got someone to pay for my tuition. Instead of thanking God that I had got money for tuition, I instead sinned against Him by drinking alcohol, sleeping around with girls and going to night clubs. I would follow anyone to anywhere aimlessly. But on the 23rd, I met the Lord. Praise God.
Paul the same way was busy trying to turn people to walk in the path of God not knowing that he actually needed it more than they did. Thanks be to God who saved you while on your way to attend a conference. So since that day, tell us how you have found walking with Jesus. Ever since I became born again, Christ has blessed me more with wonderful things. I became born again because of the voice I heard while I was on the way with my colleagues to attend a conference for Christians and I would also like to thank my born-again mother for the good things she did to bring us up in spite of the very many challenges. The other thing is that my performance at work is excellent and my bosses trust me because I am born again. I am also respected by my siblings at home because of being born again. So, I thank the Lord that being born again is a good thing. and at my work place I was the 5th best performer in sales in the whole country. Yes, I brought in a lot of sales in the Western region. 2 When I joined Solar Now as a trainee in sales, most people thought I would not make it. We were given a target of collecting 24million shillings in 2months and I surpassed the targets by collecting 25million shillings. Everybody was surprised that I was able to hit the target and even surpassed it. Many thought I would not make it because generally I am softspoken and fairly modest. You have reminded me of a verse in the book of Job Chapter 8 verse 7 which says “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”
I joined platinum SACCO in February 2022. I worked with Solar Now for 4years and it closed down in September 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was then jobless for 4months. Then came an opportunity at Platinum SACCO where I applied, did an interview and I got the job. I am grateful to the Shield of Faith fellowship group because through it I became born again after listening to their testimonies and through it, I got the job with Platinum SACCO. Joining Shield of Faith fellowship group was the beginning of my journey of salvation. I was able to complete my studies despite being faced with financial challenges and I never was on the streets in search of a job. When I became born again and started reading the bible, I loved that particular verse so much. It continues to read as, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord.” My faith grew stronger and stronger because of that. I kept remembering all the good things Christ had done for me and that helps me not to lose focus as far as my salvation is concerned. We thank the Lord on your behalf because there are certain small things that people do not appreciate. We thank God because becoming born again was your decision and also remind you of that verse in Job 8:7 which says “And though your beginning was small yet your latter end will greatly increase.”
He will raise us from the dust and continue lifting us up. You had no hope of completing your studies and now you are working for the diocese. It is by the grace. Praise be to God. As we are about to wind up the first part, kindly look into the camera and give the youth advice on what they need to do in order to maneuver in this very challenging world where some come from poor families while others are orphans. I forgot to mention that somewhere along the way on my journey of salvation, I backslid. So, I would advise the youth that the only solution for all problems faced in life is to accept Jesus a saviour and to forego certain things. I was once transferred to Ntungamo hence being away from the brethren. While there I met a colleague who had a sister whom I ended up having a sexual relationship with. But when I came back, I acknowledged my sin and repented of it. The youth should acknowledge their sins. I opened up unto the brethren about how I had backslidden by falling into sins of fornication. I repented of it because I acknowledged my sin. Without the knowledge my fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, I used to feel so guilty and unworthy. I was just guilty. I came out in the open and confessed to them then I felt relieved of the burden of guilt. Therefore the youth should acknowledge their wrong doings, always speak the truth and walk in the light.
