Odoch rises from a village technical school to become a global engineer

While many associate technical and vocational education in Uganda with last-resort options and a pathway following poor performance, Dr Morris Odoch is living proof that this stigma is unfounded.

Despite his good grades at the primary level, he joined a technical school and never sat in a secondary school classroom. Today, he is a celebrated civil and structural engineer with a PhD, three master’s degrees, one bachelor’s, two diplomas, several certificates, and a legacy of national infrastructure projects to his name, writes YUDAYA NANGONZI.

When Dr Morris Odoch Odrua stepped onto the podium at the Kololo Ceremonial grounds a few weeks ago, only a handful in the crowd were prepared for the story he was about to share.

He spoke last after three people had shared their experiences in the Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sub-sector at the celebrations which marked the International Day of Education. On his turn, the soft-spoken engineer from West Nile introduced himself with a sentence that stunned many.

“Whoever has spoken has shown that they started technical education after secondary school. In my case, I started my technical journey immediately after primary seven. I have no regrets to this day.”

The crowd, which mostly comprised students and instructors from various technical institutions, President Museveni, and Education Minister Janet Museveni, among other dignitaries, listened attentively to his moving speech. Odoch has worked as an engineer (bridges and structures) with the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) until the recent merger of the entity with the ministry of Works and Transport.

EARLY TECHNICAL JOURNEY

As a child, Odoch was very inquisitive and always ensured that he knew in detail how and why something was or wasn’t working. He would take an interest in repairing several things at home.

“Though I was very much interested in becoming a Catholic priest, my interest was always in solving technical problems. As a result, pursuing engineering eventually became my dream,” he told The Observer on the sidelines of the event.

Growing up in West Nile, Odoch completed his education at Pawor primary school where he emerged among the top three pupils in Primary Leaving Examination (PLE). But looking at the jobless university and secondary school dropouts in his area, he got mixed thoughts on taking a similar path to higher education.

He made the “tough decision” to join Inde Technical School in Arua then now Madi-Okollo, for a Uganda Junior Technical Certificate. This is after evaluating how long it takes to qualify for an employable job in Uganda and the quality of experience required for the jobs.

He reasoned that from nursery through primary, secondary, and university, it takes about 25 years for one to get a decent job.

And should anything interrupt one’s education in between, you cannot be employed, and your trade is not defined. In technical education, he said that one can be employable after 16 years, and in case of any challenges, one can sponsor themselves or take on the enormous government scholarships offered in technical schools rather than in secondary schools.

“It’s also true that most university graduates who went through secondary education tend to have less time to learn industrial employable skills because at 25 years old, there are several social and financial demands. The concentration is more focused on money than on getting a skill. That is also one of the reasons many Ugandans are corrupt and doing pseudo work because many do not understand the quality standards and the consequences of what they do,” Odoch said.

With limited financial support at home, he funded his first course, which laid the groundwork for a professional path he cherishes today.

ONE SKILL AT A TIME

From Inde Technical Institute, Odoch advanced to Moyo Technical Institute, where he pursued Craft Part I, and then to St Joseph Technical Institute, Kisubi for Craft Part II certificate.

He said these courses equipped him with comprehensive hands-on skills in building and civil works that would later become the foundation of his engineering career. As he progressed, Odoch rose through all the ranks of engineering projects.

He began as an unskilled laborer, then to a mason, site gang leader, site trade foreman (carpentry and masonry works), general foreman, clerk of works, project engineer, and project/ contract manager. He said each role gave him a new vantage point – and each was earned through merit, not privilege.

With more job offers, Odoch continued to pursue higher education, this time with support from scholarships and friends. He earned a Bachelor of Civil and Building Engineering and a diploma in the same field from Kyambogo University.

GOES GLOBAL WITH TECHNICAL ROOTS

After completing a postgraduate diploma in Project Planning and Management from Uganda Management Institute, he traveled to Japan to undertake a master’s degree in Infrastructure Planning and Management at Yokohama National University.

While in Japan, a leading contractor in the country noticed his potential and encouraged him to proceed to the UK on another scholarship where he completed a Master of Business Administration at the University of Wales. He earned yet another master’s degree, this time in International Construction Law, from Liverpool John Moores University.

With three master’s degrees, he didn’t stop there. Odoch later funded himself, with support from a few friends, to obtain a doctorate in International Construction Management from the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM).

Along the way, he also received specialized training in Comprehensive Bridge Engineering in Japan, which made him one of Uganda’s sought-after bridge experts. Odoch was the resident project engineer for the new Nile bridge in Jinja.

When a consultant couldn’t be found for the Isimba Public bridge on the Kamuli- Kayunga road, the ministry of Energy called on him from UNRA to lead the project. More recently, he served as the resident engineer for the newly-launched Kampala Flyover project.

He revealed that across Uganda, from city centers to remote districts, his fingerprints are on countless smaller bridges and roads. His works have also not gone unnoticed. In 2018, he was named the Overall Best Employee at UNRA.

While in Japan, he earned the Best Research Student of the Year award and continues to be recognized both locally and abroad for his engineering works.

TVET ADVOCATE

Despite his immense success, Odoch remains deeply rooted in the TVET subsector that shaped him. He spends much of his free time and resources offering career guidance in technical institutions, primary and secondary schools, and universities that TVET is a first-class path to success.

He was, however, dismayed with the situation at his first institution, once the pride of West Nile, Inde Technical Institute, during his visit last month. He noted that the institute has five departments which share just five classrooms and many students study under trees.

According to Odoch, some classrooms were demolished by officials from the Education ministry under the promise of a World Bank-funded rebuilding project that hasn’t materialized.

While UNHCR donated temporary tents, he stressed that the situation remains dire. Odoch also took a swipe at parents for failing to offer career guidance to children at an early stage. He pointed to the day-to-day activities of children at home during holidays which are vital towards assessing their future career paths.

“It is worth taking the blame that parents have allowed children to sleep up to 9am, watch TV the whole day, loiter around, and exclude them from the kitchen and housekeeping activities. Worst still, in the end, imposing the university courses of their interest on these children to pursue,” he said.

This routine, he argued, has partially contributed to the high unemployment rate among graduates in Uganda because they have not pursued courses of their choice and have no interest in practicing regardless of their worth.

He encouraged parents to understand that apprenticeships under a mentor expose children to different careers, helping them identify their interests and talents to guide their future career choices.

“Apprenticeships do not necessarily involve getting these children into formal offices. It takes identifying what excites them, whether art, technology, or nature, and seeking opportunities in those fields. Ensure the program is not overly demanding and allows time for relaxation and other holiday activities,” Odoch said.

To develop the country, he called for more investment in technical and vocational education, which is still wrongly labelled as a pathway for the poor and academically weak students.