Alumnus takes the helm at UCU School of Business

By Michael Ainomugisha

On a quiet afternoon at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Dr. Henry Mugisha reflects on a journey that began as a commitment to teaching and has now grown into a leadership role. 

Mugisha, who was recently appointed Dean of the School of Business at UCU, has taken over from Vincent Kisenyi, who now serves as the Principal of UCU Mbale University College. While some may see the transition as a change of guard, others view it as continuity, given that Mugisha has long been part of the faculty.

“I grew up in Kabale, southwestern Uganda, and by the grace of God, I’m now the Dean of the School of Business at Uganda Christian University,” he says. 

Mugisha’s path into teaching was not a surprise. From primary school to secondary and, later, through teacher training, he built his life around education. Even when he became the Operations Manager for a savings and credit society supported by the World Council of Credit Unions, the focus stayed the same: teaching, guiding and shaping others.

“I’ve been a teacher my whole life,” he explains.

Mugisha joined UCU as a student in 1998, graduating in 2001. He later returned as a teaching assistant in April 2002. His rise in leadership positions has been through responsibility earned over time. After completing his master’s degree, he became a head of department. Years later, he was assigned the responsibility to oversee postgraduate studies in the School of Business at UCU. 

While a student at UCU, Mugisha served as the Guild Speaker. After graduation, he helped form the university’s alumni association and was elected the association’s first chairperson. 

Now, as the dean, part of Mugisha’s responsibilities will be to manage the school, oversee teaching, research and student welfare, and maintain discipline.

“I like making decisions that people own. I don’t want to be at the top and simply issue rules and orders. I want us to agree and move together,” he says.

Mugisha has assumed office at a time when the school is pushing for practical learning for its students. First-year students go into informal markets to observe how businesspeople navigate the everyday challenges to earn a living. In later years, they learn the same from more structured business environments so that by the time they graduate, they have the necessary exposure across different levels of the economy.

“We want them to get their hands dirty as they seek to learn how people make money from the lowest level up to the highest,” says Mugisha, a husband and father of three. “We don’t want to produce graduates who only know theory. We want to produce graduates who can solve real business problems and act ethically.” 

He is also focused on research and technology, highlighting that artificial intelligence is now part of their curriculum. The aim is to train graduates who think, solve problems, and act with integrity. Faith remains central to this vision. Mugisha sees UCU’s identity as a strength because it blends academic training with values. 

Throughout the demands of teaching and leadership, Mugisha says his family has remained his support system. He speaks of moments when progress felt slow and pressure built up. In those times, his family gave him the stability and the motivation to keep going. 

He also singles out Dr. Alex Kagume, the Deputy Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education whom he says mentored him at UCU. Kagume was the first Academic Registrar at UCU in 1997. He later served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. 

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