Two Students. Two Stories. One Generation Refusing the Colonial Mindset.

What does leadership look like when it grows out of adversity rather than privilege? And what happens when young people begin to question not only their personal circumstances, but the systems that shaped them?

In this episode of the Debunking Notions podcast, we meet two remarkable students from Muni University in northwestern Uganda: Anitah Samalie Namudumba (22) and Daniel Etumu (28). Different backgrounds, different studies, but a shared determination to think independently and to challenge the narratives they were taught.

Anitah is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. Born with kyphosis, a spinal condition caused by complications in the womb, she grew up confronting both physical barriers and deep-rooted prejudice. One of her teachers believed that a physical disability automatically meant intellectual limitation. That moment became fuel. Her turning point came when she fully accepted who she is and realized she has something to offer the world. Today, she feels recognized and valued at Muni University, and she speaks with confidence about her future in the ICT sector. Her message is simple and powerful: “Just wait for me.”

Daniel studies Biology and Sports Science and was raised by his grandmother after his parents separated before he was born. Growing up without knowing his father, he faced stigma and exclusion, both at school and in his community. His grandmother became his anchor and his motivation. “I owe her my life,” he says. Daniel’s ambition carried him far beyond expectations: he won the UBORA Biomedical Engineering Innovation Competition as the best student in East Africa, earning a scholarship to study medical innovation in Italy, where he worked on technologies such as medical robots, a digital otoscope, and a smart bra for early breast cancer detection.

Together, Anitah and Daniel deliver a sharp critique of Uganda’s education system. They question an approach that still echoes colonial thinking. One that rewards obedience over curiosity, memorization over critical thought, and foreign knowledge over local realities. Why learn about the Mississippi River, they ask, while knowing so little about Uganda’s own cultures and histories? Why is questioning authority discouraged, and why are students not taught to see themselves as problem-solvers?

Their critique goes beyond education. It touches on one of the most persistent stereotypes addressed by Debunking Notions: the idea that Uganda, and Africa more broadly, is primarily a recipient of solutions, aid, and ideas from elsewhere. “What kills Africa,” Daniel says, “is that we don’t think.” Comfort with the status quo, he argues, is more dangerous than poverty.

This conversation is about urgency, agency, and mindset change. About a generation that refuses to wait for permission to lead and that insists development must start from within.

Listen to the full conversation with Anitah and Daniel here: