В Вьенне колледже вручили первую премию имени Криса Кассами за достижения в экономике

Vienna College Namugongo has turned the late Chris Kassami’s passion for Economics into a lasting legacy, after naming Heath Mulondo Walugembe as the first recipient of the Chris Kassami Memorial Economics Award. Walugembe, who scored 91 per cent in Economics in the 2026 Cambridge examinations, received the honour on Tuesday during the school’s Cambridge results ceremony, where the institution recognised its top-performing students. The award, which comes with a Shs1 million cash prize, was created to fulfil Kassami’s wish to encourage young people to take Economics seriously and to reward the best student in the subject each year. Walugembe emerged top of a competitive field of five nominees, ahead of Kigundu Abdulrahman, Twesige Melody Kukundakwe and Amia Rihanna Adubangu, who each scored 90 per cent. Kassami, who died in 2016, had long spoken about his love for Economics and his desire to inspire students at Vienna College to excel in the subject. During the ceremony, the school played a recording of him explaining his vision for an annual award that would recognise the best Economics student and come with a Shs1 million prize. “We thank the administration of Vienna College with the leadership of the Principal Mr Muhammed Kakiika for the thought,” Jassi Kassami, Chris Kassami’s son and a director at the school, said. He said the family was pleased to see his father’s idea transformed into a tradition that could outlive him. Jassi also expressed hope that Vienna College would one day expand the model to other subjects, so that more outstanding students could be recognised in the same way. “We thank the administration of Vienna College with the leadership of the Principal Mr Muhammed Kakiika for the thought,” he reiterated, underscoring the family’s appreciation for the school’s role in preserving Kassami’s memory. Principal Muhammed Kakiika confirmed that the Economics award will now be presented annually to the best-performing student, alongside the Shs1 million prize. He said the recognition was part of a wider celebration of the school’s Cambridge results, which he described as strong overall, especially in the sciences. For Walugembe, the award is more than a trophy: it places his name in the school’s academic record and links his achievement to the legacy of a man whose ambition was to shape the next generation through Economics.