He stood for headprefect at St Peters Nsambya, a Catholic-founded school between 2005 and 2006. However, despite the impressive display, Chrysostom Akwech says he was halted by the school administration because of his religious affiliation.

This did not stop his ambition to be student leader at the university. Akwech beat two other contenders to the seat of guild president at UCU.
Chrysostom Akwech, 24, was born to the late James Hannington Akwech and Veronica Akite Akwech on 17th December 1986.
The newly elected Akwech walked into The Standard newspaper office, clad in a black suit, pink shirt and pink tie smiling widely after he had won the guild presidency for 2011-2012. He was born in Omoro village, Alebtong district (formerly part of Lira district) in northern Uganda.
A second-year Bachelor of Divinity student, Akwech attended Kibuli Nursery School, Kibuli Demonstration School for primary before he went to City Star High School for O-level. 
He credits the family for the character and leadership skills that have seen him through life.
 “We were guided right from childhood: Whenever I did something wrong, my parents made sure I got punished and repented,” Akwech said.
 “I remember this one day,” he says, “I had done something wrong in the morning and when I got back home in the evening, I hid under the bed. My mother came into the room and pinched me until I came out of hiding.”
Akwech says he has been actively involved in the church ministry, working with young people since 2003. He said it is for this reason that he felt a call to serve people in the community.
During his Senior Six vacation, he got a job at the Kampala Serena Hotel as a laundry attendant. He was then offered a place at Kyambogo University to do a Bachelor of Business Studies with Education.
Akwech says abandoning his education at Kyambogo University and work at Kampala Serena was a tough decision. He says that he went through a series of four interviews before joining UCU.  After the last interview at UCU, he received the good news that he had been given a partial scholarship. He was sure he made the right decision to accept it.
Akwech’s face brightens with a smile when he remembers the day he was informed of his admission to UCU, moreover on a partial scholarship.
“By that time I had applied for a scholarship at UCU, which I was not sure of getting. I was already a student at Kyambogo University paying my tuition from the money I got from my job,” muses the new guild president.
He abandoned the course at Kyambogo University and went through the interview process until he was finally awarded the partial scholarship. He says he chose UCU over Kyambogo after consulting and seeking God’s direction through prayer and fasting.
At UCU, Akwech has been involved in the politics of the university since he came in May 2009. He was elected MP Residents.  He served from 2010 to 2011. He was also elected vice-chairperson of the Guild Parliamentary Finance Committee. 
Over the years, the UCU guild presidents have hardly finished their terms in office as they have been embroiled in corruption scandals. Akwech is taking a tough position and will have to resist the temptation that most of his predecessors did not resist.
“I have been on the finance committee and I have noticed the way things have been run. The committee in most cases has not been empowered enough to check the guild president. I will empower such committees,” he says.
He also adds that he will not
hesitate to act and have some of his ministers sacked if they get involved in any corruption cases. Akwech believes he will not be lured into the temptation of swindling funds meant for university activities.
“I want to lead a clean government and leave peacefully so that I can be remembered to have served the student community with absolute transparency,” he says with confidence. Student leaders tend to harbour political ambitions at national level and Akwech is no exception. He says that he wouldn’t hesitate to go back and serve the people in his area but his priority will be to serve God.
“The people from my home area now know I am a leader and some of them have been telling me I should represent them in the future. If my people ask I will go and do just that, both at the local level and the national level,” he says.
Ngundu Ariho, one of his closest friends, says Akwech is very passionate and committed to whatever he does.
“He loves to work hard and I believe he will do a good job together with the ministers and the members of parliament who will be part of his government,” Ngundu said.
Akwech will have to work extra-hard to make sure his presidency goes smoothly without being rocked by controversy and scandals.
The previous guild regimes have been marred by repeated claims of scandals, which has eroded students trust in the institution.
Akwech, however, says that he is aware of the students’ concerns and asks the community to remain optimistic and supportive of his endevours.
Whether his government is destined to succeed or not, the guild needs everyone’s prayers because its success or lack of it affects us all.