It is always not good to look down on people regardless of what they do because you never know what tomorrow might bring.
A case in point is Hellen Auma Wandera who used to vend fish while studying at Kyambogo University. Yesterday the young woman who is 24 years old was sworn in and is now officially the woman MP for Busia municipality.
She graduated from Kyambogo university with a Bachelors’ Degree in Arts and Social Sciences. Auma who took her oath at exactly 2pm as the new Busia Woman Member of Parliament (MP) for the 2021/2026 term is the youngest legislator in the 11th parliament.
A brief look into her education shows that she attended Busia Parents Primary School for her Primary Leaving Examination (PLE). She then joined Great Obrem Memorial in Tororo District for her O-Level. Auma completed her A-Level at St Peter’s Secondary School in Naalya where she pursued Literature, Economics, Divinity and sub math(LED/S).
Auma who is commonly referred to as Mama Busia used to vend fish in Banda before graduating in 2019.
As a girl child who did not come from a well to do family, Auma had to make ends meet and decided to vend fish. She opted for an evening program which would give her ample time to work in the mornings and attend classes in the evening.
She also says that her hostel fees which were at 350,000shs compared to the 200,000shs her parents provided prompted her to work. She tells of how this house became a family home where her relatives would reside in case they came to Kampala.
“I didn’t do any business in my first year till in second year when I started selling fish. This was, however, mum’s business because she would supply me with fish and I would sell. It was not really good at the business but it kept me busy because at campus, if you are not careful, you can easily slide into regrettable acts,” Auma noted.
Auma also added that her mum was pivotal in the running of this business saying, “Mum would supply me with fish of about Shs200,000. So I had to make ensure that I make a profit of at least Shs100,000. By then, the house I was renting cost Shs350,000 per month which also served as a family house, where my relatives would stay each time they came to Kampala because we had no house in Kampala.”
