KIU, Western Campus – Ackline Twikirize, a third-year student of Bachelor of Education (History & Kiswahili) at KIU Western Campus says she decided to look on the bright side after the current lockdown was imposed by government instead of dwelling on sulking and thinking of what could have been.

She believes that just like a coin that has two sides, the lockdown also has its positive implications despite being painted as “the end of the world” by some people.

“I have gained a lot from this lockdown. I have got ample time to run my retail business because, before the lockdown, I was always busy with studies and did not have the time to concentrate on my shop,” Twikirize says.

“I have also learnt how to weave and plait hair as well as getting some quality time with my family,” she adds.

Although she paints a rosy picture of the lockdown on her behalf, Twikirize acknowledges that it has come with its distractions as well.
She says the lockdown, which includes the closure of all educational institutions in the country, has cut her off from the perks she enjoyed by physically attending class. 

A few auxiliary learning tools like the e-library and free internet for research at the university are no longer accessible to her since it was closed.

“Lockdown has really disturbed me because I am not getting all the privileges as far as learning is concerned,” Twikirize notes.

Her academic lifespan has also increased because of the current lockdown, not in the least the first one which was imposed in March last year.

When she enrolled at the university in 2018, she thought she would have completed her degree by now but because of the COVID-19 lockdowns, it is yet to be.

Twikirize advises students to be enterprising especially during this lockdown because, according to her, it is not good for both their mental health and spiritual wellbeing to remain idle.

She maintains hope that the lockdown will come to an end sooner rather than later so that she can complete her degree and move on with her life.

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