KIU, Western Campus – Before coming to the KIU Western Campus to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Medicine and Community Health, Mwesigye Kenneth, a third-year student, worked as a Medical Representative in pharmaceutical companies including Regal Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

He was tasked with marketing the company’s range of drugs for sale to private health centres, pharmacies and dispensaries. It is after realizing that he needed to go a notch higher in his career that Mwesigye decided to study Clinical medicine at KIU.

And now that he is quarantined at his parents’ home in Kabale district, Mwesigye has found himself in an advisory role as village folk, who unwittingly call him “doctor,” come to him seeking advice for their ailments.

“Sometimes, it is a simple headache, which you can easily advise someone to take paracetamol for relief and at other times, it is a range of ambiguous symptoms like backache, dizziness or nausea. In this case, I always advise them to visit a health centre for a medical examination by a doctor,” he says.

Mwesigye has also become a myth-buster of sorts and the go-to person for information regarding COVID-19.

“I always tell people to listen to the radios for the right information but they always come to me to ask various questions. They think that because I always search for something on my smartphone when they ask, I am now a more legitimate source than the local radio stations,” Mwesigye says.

Despite his newfound fame, Mwesigye always takes time off, especially early in the mornings to revise and read his notes and also to do the assignments sent to him via the KIU e-learning platform.

In the afternoons he helps his father with grazing, cleaning the goat-house, splitting firewood and running errands like doing shopping from the trading centre, which he does on a bicycle.

In the evenings, he watches news on television, as he is always interested in finding out the daily COVID-19 updates so that he can be well versed when he is approached by someone for information.

“By the time it clocks 9:00 PM, I am so tired all I need is to rest so that I can be refreshed enough by daybreak to resume my packed lockdown schedule,” Mwesigye says.

Mwesigye thanked the KIU administration and his lecturers for always providing course content on time on the e-learning platform, because it has allowed them to continue with their normal studying schedule despite the lockdown.