By aggrieved old girls ——
Bweranyangi Old Girls Association (BWOGA), come together to fundraise for a good cause. For the last many many years BWOGA has been fundraising under the banner of “light my candle”, an initiative that seeks to pay part of tuition for academically gifted, but needy students at the school. The latest dinner was held on 6th September 2025 at Protea Hotel ,old girls who never authored the document revealed that seven days after the event, accountability has been shrouded in mystery despite demands for a comprehensive report from a section of old girls
. The fundraiser was boosted by a generous donation from the First Lady, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni (an old girl herself), of UGX 50,000,000 (Fifty million shillings only). This donation was delivered and announced by Hon. Molly Asiimwe, who represented the First Lady as Chief Guest.
Apart from the first lady’s donation, the Executive Committee of BWOGA, under the leadership of Dr. Apophia Atukunda, has provided vague figures that don’t seem to add up. For example, whereas there is an indication of how much was collected, there is no breakdown of expenditure. Tickets were priced at 150,000-160,000 UGX, but there is no record of how many people bought tickets and out of the ticket sales, how much was spent to pay the hotel and how much remained. In addition, there is no clear record of how much money was collected from the auction. Someone who attended the dinner claims that on some cohort tables, up to UGX 4m was collected, but there is no clear record of this.
Perhaps the most glaring thing is that once the fundraiser ended, the Chairperson sidelined the Treasurer, Sheba Nyabambu and decided to do the accountability herself. This has raised eyebrows. In fact, once the fundraiser ended, she informed members that those who made contributions to the cause asked for anonymity and she provided a list of names without the amounts that each person contributed, to the anger and unease of members. What is even more discouraging is that all attempts to get detailed accountability have been met with a deafening silence from Apophia, who it is said is only sharing information with the Secretary of the association, one Praise Atwiine. It is these two who seem to know what is going on. It should be noted that Apophia’s leadership style has been described as egoistic, contemptuous and insolent by those who have served with her on the committee- several of whom she has alienated.
One BWOGA member noted in this letter to www.mknewslink.com on condition of anonymity noted that this lack of clarity raises three critical issues: namely, erosion of trust, threat to sustainability, and reputational damage to the school and old girls at large. It undermines efforts of the First Lady who gave a generous amount.
Until a full financial report is released, doubts will continue linger. The following questions remain unanswered and go to the heart of transparency:
How much money was collected in total, and was it deposited into a designated account? Can official bank records be provided?
How much has been disbursed, who benefited, and what portion went to administrative costs? What remained?
Why has no comprehensive accountability report been shared, and when will it be released?
Was there an independent committee or audit process reviewing the fundraiser’s finances? Why were some of the members of the organizing committee sidelined?
How do the organisers plan to rebuild confidence and safeguard future drives?
mknewslink managing Director (MD) tried many times to reach out Dr Apophia on her MTN mobile number but would promise to call back but in vain.This news website also tried to reach out Dr Apophia on whatsapp but never replied since Saturday last week