North’s UCE star repays KK Travellers faith in her

The almost fairy tale story of a very gifted young girl continues years after KK Travellers, a transport company, stepped in to save her from the grim prospect of dropping out of school.

Very bright but from a humble background, Deogloria Virtue Ejang had taken maximum points in the 2018 Primary Leaving Examinations. But unlike her peers in the elite Aggregate 4 grade, she was going nowhere.

Then an offer for a full scholarship came, enabling her to join the prestigious Mt St Mary’s College Namagunga for her O-Level in 2019.

Ejang had sat her PLE in the northern Uganda city of Lira at St Kizito Kindergarten and Primary School. Monitor reported her brilliant and yet sad story. Mr Idro Taban Junior and the KK management read the story and were touched enough to do something about her plight.

KK Travellers plies routes to the north’s West Nile districts of Pakwach, Nebbi, Paidha, Arua, Koboko and parts of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The company committed Shs23 million towards the child’s education and have been constant as the North Star in their enduring support.
Ejang scored Aggregate 12 in the recently released 2023 UCE results.  

Thrilled for her, Mr Idro Taban told Daily Monitor: “We shall most definitely continue the journey we started. We can’t drop her after all these years. She’s our story!”

Last Sunday evening, Monitor visited Ejang at home in Kirombe Ward, Lira City West Division. We found her washing utensils.

She spoke about the hard work, determination and remarkable support from both teachers and her parents.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank God because I believe that with God everything is possible. Another thing I would like to say is that I think this performance started way back in Senior One, with me going to a great school,” she said.

Monitor hailed
Ejang acknowledges the beautiful things in her life since the uncertainty of 2019. 

“Monitor did a great job for me to get to that school. Also, KK who funded my fees for all the four years of my Ordinary Level education. I was not disturbed, ‘that now you are not supposed to be in class because of school fees’ and that gave me peace of mind….” she said.

Ejang dreams of becoming a medical doctor. The motivation: so that she can pay her debt to society; treating the sick but poor who cannot afford to pay for health care.

Her father, Mr Bosco Ogwang, is a teacher at a community school; Okum Seed Secondary School in Orum Sub-county of Otuke District. Life has dealt him a difficult hand… 

By the time Ejang joined Senior One, the father of four was earning Shs200,000 per month.
“But when Covid-19 came, things worsened. Right now, I’m supposed to be paid Shs150,000 per month but I get only Shs300,000 in a term if I’m lucky. So, I don’t have that capacity and yet I have faith that she will pursue her dream and accomplish it.”

“I’m also grateful to KK Travellers for sponsoring her education for four years but also KK wouldn’t have known it had Daily Monitor not run a story about her,” he said. 

Reactions
Ms Nada Anderson, one of KK Travellers’ customers, posted on X: “Thank you KK Coaches for all the support you extended to, and are continuously extending to this brilliant young lady. Let the country know that we still have pillars in our society.”