UCU alumna Kintu narrates her love for teaching

By Christine Mirembe

Margaret Serwanja, one of the staff members at Uganda Christian University (UCU), often performed her daily duties in the lecture-room with dedication, while maintaining a professional outlook. She was principled, well-dressed and always punctual in class. 

That conduct influenced Serwanja’s students. Rose Kintu was one of them. “I was never late to any of her classes. I remember telling myself, ‘I need to be like her,’” Kintu said. 

Mrs. Rose Kintu Galabuzi says their parents raised them emphasizing humility, responsibility and service

If there was anything that Kintu needed to affirm her choice of course, it was the aura that her geography teacher exhibited. Kintu had ditched an admission for Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University, preferring to study Bachelor of Arts in Education at UCU. The year was 2002. 

In 2005, Kintu graduated from UCU as a teacher of Geography and Religious Studies, fulfilling her dream to be like her teacher, Serwanja. Today, Kintu serves as the headmistress of London College of St. Lawrence in central Uganda.

Many people close to Kintu would refer to her as someone who does not wait for opportunities to approach her but rather consistently moves toward them. She often steps into responsibility long before many consider her ready.

Take for instance her first leadership role, which came just a year after her graduation. Kintu was promoted to the position of headteacher at Cranes College Lugazi in central Uganda. “UCU had trained us so well that we were ready for leadership,” Kintu said during an interview she granted UCU Partners in April.

After four years at Cranes College, Kintu joined London College of St. Lawrence as a teacher of geography. After one term, she was promoted to the position of class teacher and head of the geography department. 

“I learned that in life, you should always do whatever you are doing to the best of your ability. I was promoted very quickly due to the good work I was doing,” said Kintu. 

In 2010, she was appointed assistant headmistress at the same school. Three years later, she was promoted to the position of headteacher and transferred to St. Lawrence Horizon campus. One of the tricks she has often applied in leadership is building systems and a strong team, ensuring that institutions function effectively even in her absence. 

In 2018, she joined another institution, St. Julian High School, Gayaza, as the headteacher. Here, she encountered greater opportunities for growth and describes the period as transformative, both for herself and the institution she served.

Together with her husband, they acquired land in Buddo and slowly established Pure Minds Junior School in 2025. Starting a school while still actively employed required careful balance. One of the decisions she made was to return to leadership at London College of St. Lawrence, which was nearer to her new school, to ease her supervision work. She says she often trains her employees, to give them the freedom to operate independently as she provides strategic oversight.

Kintu attributes many of the virtues she exhibits today to her parents – Teddy Nakalema and Simeo Kintu. “My mother raised us always emphasizing humility, responsibility and service,” Kintu says, adding: “she grew up actively engaged in church work, where she sang in the choir and participated in community service.” 

Kintu noted that her mother’s experiences nurtured in them a sense of responsibility and built the foundation for the leader she is today. She was often entrusted with the responsibility of caring for her brother, who had a disability after suffering from polio. She often carried him to class on her back. 

Kintu attended Malongwe Primary School, Luweero Secondary School for O’level and St. Balikuddembe Secondary School for A’level. All the three schools are in central Uganda. 

From UCU, in addition to her degree, Kintu also made friends with Hannington Galabuzi, who later became her husband. Galabuzi was also pursuing the same course. The Galabuzis currently have four children. She says her relationship with Galabuzi has always been rooted in mutual respect and shared values and evolved naturally over time, especially when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Kintu was just in her first year at UCU when her mother fell ill.

She cared for her mother through the illness, often balancing hospital visits with academic responsibilities. And during this time, Galabuzi made sure to check on Kintu, her sick mother and their family. Kintu’s mother passed away when she was in second year. Her father was also diagnosed with cancer and passed away a year later. To be able to complete school, Kintu’s elder siblings had to take over the role of paying tuition.

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