Twesigye Oscar, 26, is among the few lucky graduates who have been able to find something to do, immediately after graduation. Hunting for jobs after graduation is something that some graduates must endure for a longer period, since job opportunities in Uganda are still scarce.

When Twesigye graduated in 2021 from Makerere University, he was employed at Kyagalanyi Coffee as a Finance Assistant. Although the Company is in Mbarara in Western Uganda, Twesigye handled Kampala Operations. His daily pay was Shs 30,000. It was a temporary position, but it gave him a fresh start. His contract was initially supposed to elapse after five months, but it was extended to a year since he still had tasks to accomplish. When he heard about the Work Readiness Programme, he resigned from his job and concentrated on the training.

Twesigye was among the graduates who were attached to Chemiphar Uganda Limited. After the training, he was retained by the company. Today, he works as the company’s Accounts Assistant. According to him, the knowledge he acquired during the training has helped him excel in what he does. He currently handles debtors and creditors as well as bank reconciliations.

“When we give a service to clients, they must pay. I make sure that they pay. It is a whole process.

When they request for a service, I quote for them the price, send an invoice highlighting the amount they are supposed to pay.  After service is given, they must pay,” he says.

He also processes payment for the company’s suppliers. He does this in partnership with the Procurement Officer. Twesigye considers himself lucky because the debtors he deals with are not so complicated. Whenever he contacts them, their response is positive. When it comes to handling cash, Twesigye says he always follows guidelines to avoid misappropriation of resources. He admits that handling cash is so tempting, but he sticks to ethics to avoid causing losses or being caught on the wrong side of the law. Twesigye says the salary he earns has been able to turn his life around for the better.

“The salary has helped me to cater for my expenses and I have also enrolled for CPA course,” Twesigye says. He encourages his jobless peers never to lose hope but keep searching for jobs.