Derrick Kyatuka interviews a woman during his field activities. Courtesy Photos.
By Irene Best Nyapendi Derrick Kyatuka’s work gives him the opportunity to listen firsthand to stories of people in rural Uganda. It is these stories, many about refugees, that he crafts in a way to trigger help from donors. While oftentimes the stories are painful to hear, recording and sharing them has brought about change in their lives.
Kyatuka was voted the best employer of the year by World Vision Uganda.
Kyatuka is a humanitarian communicator with the World Vision’s Uganda Refugee Response program, where he has worked for the past four years, shooting videos, writing stories and taking photos. And for the sweat that he broke in 2021, World Vision named him employee of the year.
To the 30-year-old who received his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2016, the award is an opportunity for testimony.
“This award is a true testimony of how faithful God is and how he rewards his humble servants,” said Kyatuka, a son of Fred and Annet Kagyenzi of Rukungiri district in western Uganda.
But he is also aware that, many times, to earn recognition, in addition to hard work, luck must also be on one’s side. Kyatuka says that he does not see himself as the best humanitarian communicator that World Vision has ever had, but that he has been incredibly lucky and fortunate in the work that he has been able to produce.
And he has evidence for how luck has been on his side. In December 2021, one of his photos was chosen as the third-most powerful of the 47 favorite photos from around the world that were selected by World Vision.
“Such global moments of recognition have inspired me to work harder and devote more time to producing quality work,” he says, adding that when “good work is rewarded, it means more work.”
Kyatuka and some of the refugee children in the community he serves.
“As I go about my work, I keep reflecting on Colossians 3:23, which says ‘work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord, rather than for people’.”
His writings, photos, and videos have been used all over the world by World Vision Partnership, and they have helped World Vision Uganda get funding for some of their programmes. But he is quick to add that getting his works to a publishable level is no cup of tea. Kyatuka explains that for many of them, he has to burn the midnight oil to deliver quality work.
He has trained some communication champions in the areas where he works, to help him get timely content for the different projects he supports. “I believe everyone can become a great communicator if given the right mentorship and skills,” Kyatuka, who hopes to set up a mobile journalism training school one day, said.
He also has extended the training in mobile journalism to some of his fellow staff members to enhance their skills. He makes most of his videos using his smartphone, a growing trend that further reinforces the expansiveness of skills and knowledge that can be guided to create content.
“In this digital era, people should have communication skills to be able to produce compelling, rather than sensational content,” he said.
Kyatuka joined World Vision in 2017, as a temporary communication officer, and worked for seven months. He then joined New Vision as a freelance writer. However, not long after, there was an opening for a humanitarian communicator at World Vision, which he successfully applied for.
He is grateful to John Semakula and Stephen Ssenkaaba, who were his lecturers at undergraduate level. Both Ssenkaaba and Semakula encouraged him to join New Vision upon graduation.
“Ssenkaaba assigned me my first story in 2016, and Semakula introduced me to the weekend desk at New Vision,” he said.
Kyatuka, who is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication at UCU, studied at Mbarara High School in western Uganda for his O’level and St. Peter’s Secondary School, Nsambya, central Uganda, for his A’ level.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities, and services, go towww.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Mark Bartels handing over the equipment to Justine Mukalere
By Vanessa Kyalimpa Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Department of Computing and Technology is the latest beneficiary of the generosity of the benefactors of the USA-based, UCU Partners nonprofit. In October 2022, the department received electronics equipment worth $6,304 (about sh23,570,000) from the Uganda Partners executive director, Mark Bartels.
The donation of a flash forge 3D printer, an advanced virtual reality headset, a smart robot vehicle kit, a computer kit, a digital oscilloscope with a four-channel standard decoder and a triple output power supply, among others, comes at a time when the department has just introduced courses in robotics, mechatronics, electronics engineering and data science. It is hoped that the items will further enhance the learning and teaching of the courses.
Members of the Department of Computing and Technology after receiving the donation
Justin Mukalere, a lecturer in the department, said the equipment will go a long way in seeing that their projects achieve the intended results.
Bartels said the donors expect the equipment to facilitate the expansion of the department, as well as improve its output.
“People who are interested in information technology and computer science in the USA have funded these goods in order to support and promote the expansion of the departments at UCU,” Bartels said during the handover ceremony at the UCU main campus in Mukono on October 31.
He noted that UCU Partners seeks to provide opportunities for the teaching staff and the leadership of the departments to go to the US, if only they can develop partnerships with universities there, to exchange experiences and ideas, as well as continue to grow and encourage one another.
Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels talks about donation for new IT equipment
Terhemba Michael-Ahile, the coordinator of the Bachelor of Data Science at UCU, said that the program had been embedded in other course units in the institution, but noted that soon, it will be a fully fledged course of its own among the bachelor’s and master’s students.
“From the onset of our program, we want the students to appreciate its application and that can only happen if they have the hands-on experience, so this equipment will enable us achieve that,” Terhemba said, noting that there is deliberate effort to make the programme as practical as possible.
Anei Agany, a year-three computer science student at UCU, expressed excitement about the additional equipment, saying they will provide him the much needed opportunity to get hands-on experience for the many robotics projects he has been working on.
The Department of Computing and Technology at UCU is quickly expanding and looking out for learning and training opportunities for its students. Among the partnerships that have been secured is with tech giant Google, from which students will acquire certification for their work.
The October donation of equipment is the latest among several that the university has received from UCU Partners. In November 2021, Partners donated $50,000 (about sh170million) to the university for upgrading its elearning platform following the increase in the need to beef up its virtual learning infrastructure. The emergence of the Covid pandemic made virtual learning one of the alternatives if learning was ever to continue, especially during the pandemic-induced lockdowns.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities, and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Andrew is fond of carrying tripods and cameras around campus
By Enock Wanderema When Andrew Bugembe put up his hand in class, there were indications he could not process his lecturer’s statement that for one to be a successful media professional, one has to be a good writer.
“Yes, Andrew,” the lecturer beckoned, as he called him out to speak. The class was silent. Andrew rarely engages in arguments — especially before lecturers.
“Sir, what would you say about me, who is good at camera work, and editing videos? Writing is not my passion. I have tried to master it, but I have not been successful,” Andrew stated.
“Well, it would serve you better if you practiced writing as well; it can save you somehow,” the lecturer responded.
After class, Andrew told me: “You can’t be good at everything, I know my passion, and I will succeed as a video producer.”
Such a rebellious and decisive thought can only come from someone who is confident of their skills, someone who is a leader. As a new student at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2019, Andrew contested for the position of class representative and won. In fact, the only vote his competitor got was his own.
“Can you imagine my dad wanted me to pursue a course in law?” Andrew asked rhetorically, as he recalled how he ended up pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication.
Asked why his dad wanted him to pursue a course in law, he said it was not really because he wanted his son to be a lawyer. Andrew said his dad assumed that the intense curriculum in a law school would distract his son from the passion he had for music. Andrew’s dad was concerned about future earnings with his belief that musicians are generally “not taken seriously” by society.
It is this passion that saw Andrew take up a leadership position, and also radiated his abilities to potential professional networks.
“I found Andrew to be a focused, determined, disciplined and no-nonsense student,” said Frank Obonyo, a lecturer in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at UCU. Obonyo previously supervised Andrew at UCU’s Department of Communication and Public Relations, where Obonyo was the head. He is currently the Senior Public Relations Officer at the Law Development Centre in Uganda.
“We took him up as an intern in our office because he is a good listener, creative, and has an insatiable thirst for improvement, especially in video production.”
Whenever Andrew finds it challenging to creatively manipulate a video project, he always seeks help.
“He consults the Internet, people, and other online sources whenever he is stuck,” Obonyo observed. “This is a strong spirit that any supervisor would like to have around.”
Another attribute about Andrew is that he never says never. He is a “yes man,” a trait which sometimes has him biting off more than he can chew.
He adapts easily to situations and gets along with people effortlessly. Possibly, it is this attribute that has enabled him to take some videos for Uganda Partners, a non-profit charitable organisation based in the USA, that has rewarded him with a partial scholarship to cover a tuition balance during a financially difficult semester. One such video that Andrew produced was of Mwikoyo Rachael, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science at UCU. Mwikoyo is one of the beneficiaries of the charity of the Uganda Partners NGO.
Additionally, Andrew was part of UCU’s inaugural podcast team where, at its inception, he was the producer, a role he was learning on the job.
Andrew, often seen carrying tripods and cameras around campus, is an example of finding strengths in a true passion outside of normal expectations.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Alumni who were recognized holding their certificates of appreciation. Sixth-right is Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, second-left is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) John Kitayimbwa and third-left is David Mugawe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration
By Irene Best Nyapendi When Uganda Christian University (UCU) recently announced a homecoming event, the institution promised its alumni an opportunity to interact among themselves, as well as with their vice chancellors. And, true to their word, all three vice chancellors – the current, Aaron Mushengyezi, and the past, the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll and his successor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi – were present to interact with the people they helped to nurture while administrators.
UCU’s first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll (left), shares a light moment with his immediate successor, Dr John Senyonyi.
Noll, the first vice chancellor of UCU who led from 2000 to 2010, flew into Uganda with his wife, Peggy, from Pennsylvania where they live, to attend activities in the week of October 23-28, to celebrate 25 years of the institution.
At the alumni homecoming event on October 25, former students and the vice chancellors shared testimonies of how God had enabled the former to successfully complete education at UCU and for the latter, how God helped them make decisions for the betterment of UCU. The event began with a community worship in Nkoyoyo Hall and led by Mukono Bishop James William Ssebaggala, himself an alumnus. Ssebaggala thanked the university for educating children of the clergy.
Gilbert Olanya, a legislator who is serving his third term in the Ugandan Parliament, narrated how Uganda Partners came to his rescue when he had lost hope of continuing with education.
Olanya, who joined Parliament in 2011, said just after his first semester at UCU, he stared at a possibility of not continuing with education. His father, a farmer in Pader, northern Uganda, was forced into a settlement camp for internally displaced people due to the insecurity caused by the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) terrorist group. LRA caused insecurity in northern Uganda from 1987 to 2006, with violence peaking in some years during that period. One such period was in the early 2000s, when Olanya’s family joined the camps, from where the government forces would offer them security.
Ugandan legislator, Gilbert Olanya (foreground, right), with Prof. Noll at the alumni homecoming. Olanya was a beneficiary of a scholarship courtesy of Uganda Partners
The legislator said his father would use the proceeds from agriculture to pay tuition for him, but that when they were sent into camps, agriculture, too, stopped. However, a ray of hope came when the vice chancellor at the time, Stephen Noll, asked students who were not financially stable to fill out forms for scholarships. As Olanya headed for the holidays, he knew he had no other source of money for his tuition, and, therefore, he was seeing the last of his time in a university. However, just before the holidays ended, Olanya says he received a message from the university, announcing that he had been among the successful applicants for the scholarship, courtesy of the USA-based nonprofit called Uganda Partners.
“I must tell you, I was extremely happy. I studied for two-and-a-half years with the help of UCU Partners,” Olanya, who graduated in 2002, toldThe Standard website.
For the entire time he studied under the scholarship, Olanya says he kept receiving letters from his sponsor. “He (the sponsor) told me ‘Gilbert Olanya, we are supporting you, but we want nothing from you. What we need is for you to help others if you succeed in life’.”
Olanya told The Standard that he has so far sponsored 48 students who have completed university and is still supporting another 282 students in secondary schools, a perfect representation of the theme of the homecoming, Witnessing Through Kindness, picked off Luke 10:25-37.
Noll noted that being an alum of UCU is not just a one day event, urging former students to always concern themselves with matters of UCU. “For as long as we are alive, Peggy and I will hold you dear in our hearts,” Noll said, before explaining the relationship between a university and its former students.
““When you graduate, you become part of a larger family of the alumni. (During my time) As vice chancellor, I had to teach the students some of the Latin words, like alma mater, which means dear mother. UCU is the dear mother and the alum is the adopted son or daughter.”
Senyonyi, who was vice chancellor from 2010 to 2020, urged the former students to mobilize themselves and form UCU alumni chapters in their professions and careers, both in Uganda and beyond, to be able to help take the university to greater heights.
In response to the appeal made by Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, the President of the UCU Alumni Association, Emmanuel Wabwire, asked the alumni to think of something which they can offer in support of the university. Wabwire was UCU Guild President in 2012.
Ten alumni were recognized for their contribution in making the society a better place. Among them were the Rev. Rebecca Nyegenye, the Provost of All Saints Cathedral Kampala and the chairperson of the board of Directors of Church Missionary Society Africa, as well as Bernard Oundo, the President of Uganda Law Society. The others were Dr. Elizabeth Nakawombe, Frank Walusimbi, Steven Asiimwe, Jimmy Enabi Ndyabahika and Arnaud Gahimbare.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Irene Best Nyapendi The Uganda Christian University (UCU) top two graduates in October 2022 have a commonality in struggles and interest.
To make ends meet for her family, Candiru Zainab, studying at UCU’s Arua campus, taught at a nearby school, Najah Muslim Secondary School in the northern Uganda district of Arua. To have more chances of getting better-paying jobs, the mother of four children worked toward a Bachelor of Education degree, which she was awarded at the UCU main campus in Mukono on October 28. Candiru was among the 1,570 graduates that day.
Candiru Zainab and Robert Cadribo, the best students.
With a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.75 out of 5.0, Candiru was the Best Female Student at the graduation. To her, this feat is nothing short of a miracle, seeing how far the Lord has brought her and with obstacles. In 2009, Candiru lost her husband and father of her first two children to appendicitis, a tragedy with recovery she felt would never come. However, two years later, she thought she found love again. Sadly, that relationship, which yielded her other two children, did not last; it ended in 2016.
During her undergraduate studies, Candiru says she lacked the basic necessities, including 2lst century learning tools. She could neither afford a smartphone nor a laptop. She could neither easily type coursework nor benefit from online reading materials.
Obstacles are likewise part of the story of Robert Cadribo, UCU’s Overall Best Student, who also received a Bachelor of Education degree at the October 28 graduation. Cadribo, who graduated with a 4.86 GPA, says he was financially incapacitated to the extent that he could not afford to photocopy the handouts that lecturers gave out. However, he had plan B. He resorted to borrowing handouts and writing down whatever he considered valuable, before returning them to the owners.
Graduands dressed in newly branded gowns.
Just like Candiru, Cadribo has been earning a living through teaching. As a teacher of Biology and Agriculture at Koboko Town College located in the northern Uganda district of Koboko, Cadribo says he has been earning sh250,000 (about $66) per month.
“The biggest challenge I faced was my family and my studies struggled for the same resources,” he said. “Oftentimes, I gave priority to my studies.”
Candiru and Cadribo were among the 36 students who graduated with First Class at the October 28 ceremony, which was also the apex activity for the silver jubilee anniversary of UCU. Before the graduation, other key activities were held at UCU as part of the celebrations. There was a thanksgiving service on October 23, an alumni homecoming on October 25 and a public lecture on the history of UCU, held on October 26. The public lecture was delivered by former vice-chancellors the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll and his successor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony that had 828 female graduates of the 1,570, Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi narrated the history and the success story of UCU in the last 25 years.
“We are forever indebted to the men and women who conceived the UCU vision and those who made it happen, we celebrate you,” he said. “I look at UCU and the institution that preceded it from St. Paul’s imagery of a seed in 1 Corinthians: 3:6-8.”
This year, the university acquired land and a teaching facility at Besania Hill, acquired an official home for the UCU Kampala Campus, constructed a parking lot at Kivengere Building on the main campus and improved walkways around Kivengere and Maari blocks. Mushengyezi also named Prof. Monica Chibita, Dr. Angella Napakol, Dr. Miriam Mutabazi and Dr. Emilly Maractho as some of the UCU academics who either wrote books, published papers or won grants.
The Chancellor, Archbishop Dr. Stephen Kaziimba, urged the graduates to be passionate about what they choose to do.
“If you have a great idea, work at it, don’t give up. The world is currently ablaze with start-ups, which have been initiated by young people,” Kaziimba said, before adding: “Your success shall be measured by the vibrancy and dynamism of your individual ideas.”
The University Council chairperson, the Rev. Prof. Alfred Olwa, reminded the graduates that a graduation ceremony is the “starting point for further achievements,” urging them not to rest on their laurels.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Miss UCU, Charity Achan Bongomin, attending a youth symposium in Kampala, Uganda.
By Asenath Were Miss Uganda Christian University (UCU) is representing Uganda at the World Miss University competitions scheduled for December in Seoul, South Korea.
Charity Achan Bongomin, a UCU School of Business student, was selected following the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions that were held June 9-11 at the International University of East Africa (IUEA) in Uganda.
“After the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions, the coordinator asked four of us to submit studio photos that were later sent to the people who had reached out to Uganda and asked for a delegate to represent the country in the world competitions,” Bongomin explained how she got on the list of the participants for the December 2022 pageant.
Charity Achan Bongomin talking about the Miss University competitions.
At the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions held in June, Makerere University’s Elizabeth Atwesigye, a second-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Music, was the eventual winner.
Miss UCU, Charity Achan Bongomin, posing for a picture.
Bongomin, who won the inaugural Miss UCU pageant on April 9, 2022, says the chance to participate in the World Miss University competitions means a lot to her. “It will give me a platform to meet important people at the world stage to whom I can bring forth ideas about the different issues that affect youth globally.”
The World Miss University is a global beauty contest that started in 1986. Every year, about 70 contestants participate in the pageant.
Bongomin, who is currently in year three at UCU, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, says she grew up being called a model in her family, especially by her aunts who said they admired her tall height. The nickname “Model,” she says, stuck in her mind. She now contemplates venturing into modeling on a commercial basis after completing school.
Bongomin commended the UCU community for all the support she has been given ever since the university’s beauty pageant in April.
“I will do everything within my powers to market UCU so that people see the kind of products that the university produces,” she said in April after being crowned Miss UCU.
She also lauded her parents – Benjamin Lanekeny Bongomin and Gloria Awor – for “supporting and encouraging” her.
Bongomin attended St. John’s Day and Boarding Primary School in Entebbe, Bishop Cipriano Kihangire Senior Secondary School Luzira and St. Mary’s College Lugazi for O’level. Mount of Olives College Kakiri in Wakiso district is where she studied her A’level. All the four schools are found in central Uganda.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Paddy Nsobya has practiced journalism for 15 years
By Kefa Senoga In May 2012, Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum Paddy Nsobya was among four journalists who were beaten at a Pentecostal church in Mukono, central Uganda. Nsobya and his three colleagues had gone to the church to interview the controversial lead pastor, Samuel Landasa. Since they arrived during the service, they waited at a nearby shop, opposite the church. Aware of the contention of the pastor, some members of the church attacked the journalists.
Four church members “pounced on me; one of them started strangling me as the others pulled my video camera, until I surrendered it to them, along with its electronic charger and other recorded materials,” Ronald Kalumba, a television journalist who was part of the group, toldIFEX, an agency that promotes and defends freedom of expression.
Nsobya, a New Vision journalist, said that in the attack, he was slapped several times, and got bruised. Pastor Landasa had expelled some critical members of his church, who had accused him of conducting marriages illegally, as well as changing the land title of the church into his names.
And this incident is not a one-off. In 2011, Nsobya was assaulted as he covered a story. Court later fined the woman for the assault. Events like these have been part of the life of the 41-year-old who has practiced journalism for 15 years, mainly writing for New Vision’s Bukedde newspaper that publishes in Luganda, a vernacular language.
Nsobya, a graduate of journalism and mass communication at UCU, has now written a book, State of the Media, on the subject of press freedom, hoping that it will be a campaign tool against the injustices committed against journalists. He says that when journalists are mistreated in the line of duty, it scares off the younger generation who may want to pursue a career in the profession.
“Any profession which is cut off from the younger generation has no future, because when people grow old, the young are expected to take over from them,” Nsobya explains.
One of Nsobya’s books titled Sowing
And mistreatment is not the only challenge that journalists in Uganda face. Nsobya says many media houses in the country pay their journalists peanuts in salary and, in many cases, even the little pay does not come on time. Circumstances like these force journalists, especially those who are not well grounded in integrity and moral ethics – virtues Nsobya said he attained at UCU – to depend on news sources for their daily survival. These and many more are some of the issues that Nsobya has detailed in his book, expected to be launched on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2023.
State of the Media will be Nsobya’s seventh book in nine years. He made his entry into the book writing world in 2014, with Akaabate, a book written in Luganda, a local dialect in Uganda. Nsobya later translated that book into English, calling it Agony. The book talks about the challenges that young men and women face in the contemporary world.
In April 2021, Nsobya launched another book, this time on agriculture, also written in Luganda, under the title Essanyu Lyomulimi. He later translated it into English, calling it News on the Farm. In April 2022, he launched yet another book, titled Kyosiga, which he has also translated into English, calling it Sowing.
Seeing the book titles that Nsobya has produced would blind one into thinking that all has been rosy for him. No. Before his first book in 2014, Nsobya, a father and husband who graduated from UCU in 2006, says he attempted to write a book seven times, each time giving up along the way, most especially because he encountered a writer’s block.
The resident of Mukono town studied at Masanafu Church of Uganda Primary School, where he wrote his final exams in 1995. From Masanafu, Nsobya, a son of Dan Kyaligamba and Eva Namubiru, joined Victory Secondary School, where he sat Senior Four exams in 1999. For the two years in A’level, Nsobya studied at Kaggulwe Secondary School. All the three schools are located in central Uganda.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Prof. Stephen Noll makes remarks during the thanksgiving service. At right is Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi.
By Kefa Senoga In the South African Zulu gospel song, Siyabonga Jesu (Wahamba Nathi), singer Solly Mahlangu sings praises for Jesus, whom he refers to as the Lion of Heaven. Mahlangu’s praises for the son of God are on the basis that Jesus has never abandoned him, even during the time when he “walked through the valley of death.”
That is the song that the members of senior management of Uganda Christian University (UCU) sang as they took to the stage on October 23, 2022, in the Nkoyoyo Hall at the main campus in Mukono, to give thanks to God in praise and worship. The managers, led by Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, were thanking God for keeping UCU alive and blossoming for 25 years, in line with the celebration slogan of Ebenezer, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12).
UCU, which transitioned from a theological college, started in 1997. Today, with five campuses and nearly 13,000 students, it has become an education brand and a household name in higher education in the region.
Stephen Noll and his wife, Peggy, during the thanksgiving service
Members of UCU’s senior management chose to pray from the same place with an identical start time of 9:30 a.m. on October 23, 2022. The members, and, indeed, most of the congregants, chose this service because it was intended for a special thanksgiving as the community drew closer to the apex celebrations of UCU’s silver jubilee. The anniversary week, which kicked off on October 23 with the thanksgiving service, climaxed with a ceremony on October 28, where 1,570 students graduated.
Among those in the congregation during the service was a guest couple, whose names many students could recognise, but not their faces. The Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, the university’s first vice chancellor, and his wife, Peggy, had flown into Uganda from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, where they currently reside, for the silver jubilee activities.
At the start of the service, the MC, Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa, who is the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), introduced the Nolls whose presence took many congregants by surprise. When Stephen Noll, who was sitting next to Peggy in the second row in the hall, was invited to “greet the people” at the end of the service, the opportunity gave the congregants a better view of his immaculate dressing – a black trouser, a black clerical shirt and a blue jacket, complete with a UCU lapel pin.
He held the microphone with his left hand and freed the right to gesture, as he spoke with the confidence of a father speaking to his children. In the under five minutes that Noll spoke, he asked the congregants and, indeed, the UCU alumni, to turn up for the alumni homecoming on October 25 and a public lecture on October 26.
Members of UCU senior management at the service on October 23, 2022
Peggy Noll was asked to pray for the children who were present, whom Kitayimbwa referred to as the future staff of UCU. Peggy is remembered for having a special attachment with children as she established a children’s library at the main campus, which was equipped with children and Christian literature.
The preacher at the thanksgiving service, retired bishop of Madi and West Nile Diocese Dr Joel Obetia, commended UCU for keeping a Christian outlook both in name and character. The Christian character of UCU is not by accident as this was one of the conditions Noll gave former archbishop of Church of Uganda Livingstone Nkoyoyo as the former pursued the latter to relocate to Uganda to head the newly founded UCU as its first vice chancellor.
UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi noted that the institution has continued to maintain a positive image and a good representation of its graduates on the job market. He said the university continues to reap from the sports complex that Noll built at the main campus in 2007. The UCU sports complex has a running track, and basketball, volleyball and tennis courts.
He also mentioned the prominence of UCU in the national sports, which has been maintained since the time of Noll as vice chancellor.
“We continue to win sports accolades and, as a matter of fact, our women’s basketball team, the Lady Canons, recently won the national women’s basketball competitions,” Mushengyezi noted.
Because of its modern sports facilities, the institution has hosted the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation in 2017, the Inter–University Games Uganda in 2013, and in 2007, as well as the East African University Games in 2014.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Prof. Mushengyezi cuts a ribbon to officially launch the UCU Writing Centre. (Photos by Joel Muhuza)
By Nyapendi Best Irene Uganda Christian University (UCU) has officially launched its writing center, the first of its kind in any Ugandan higher institution of learning. Intended to improve the writing skills of both students and staff, as well as improve the collaboration between writers and tutors, the center, launched on October 10, 2022, is housed at the UCU Hamu Mukasa Library, Mukono.
UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said the center is expected to support all genres of writing. He summed up the latest addition to the 25-year-old UCU as “as a place where you should go to workshop your ideas; to be assisted to improve your draft; and not to edit your work, but rather guide you through the process of revision until you get your work perfected.”
According to Mushengyezi, a student who cannot write well cannot thrive. Writing centers may offer one-on-one scheduled tutorial appointments, group tutoring, or writing workshops. They are maintained by universities or created as part of the writing program to help students find their writing voice and tackle any writing challenge.
Participants at the launch.
The launch of the center, a brain child of Prof. Thomas Deans from the University of Connecticut in the USA, is a dream come true for many creative arts enthusiasts, including Mushengyezi, who hopes to build it further to the level of other writing centers in renowned universities. The center, whose proposal was the centerpiece of Dean’s Fulbright application, has been open and operational since April 2022. A “soft launch” happened on two separate days in August and September 2022 with presentations by American journalists and authors, Alan Johnson and Patty Huston-Holm.
Deans, who was an American Fulbright Scholar in Uganda from August 2021 to February 2022, and Mushengyezi share an affiliation with the University of Connecticut, where Deans is a professor and the director of the writing centre, and Mushengyezi earned his PhD in English. When Mushengyezi first met Deans, the former was an academic at Makerere University.
In Deans, UCU could not have asked for a better person to help them set up the centre. Before joining the University of Connecticut, Deans played a pivotal role in steering a college writing program. He was the Director of College Writing at the Haverford College in Pennsylvania. No doubt he is fully aware of the benefits an institution can reap from a center designed to enhance writing skills. In a November 2021 article, Deans said “students won’t grow as researchers unless they are writing papers that involve sustained research.”
Mushengyezi speaks during the official launch of the writing center in October 2022
He believes that writing is a craft that needs to be exercised. Drawing lessons from his experience at the University of Connecticut, Deans said: “Writing is not something you graduate from; it’s a skill you constantly practice and build.” In a February 2022 podcast, Deans explained the significance of writing centers in higher institutions of learning.
During the launch of the centre in October, Mushengyezi extended an invitation to all interested undergraduate students to participate in an essay writing competition due February 29.
The guest speaker at the event, Hilda Twongeirwe, the Executive Director of Femrite Publications, commended UCU for establishing the center and urged both students and staff to make use of it.
“You cannot be a prolific writer if you are not a prolific reader,” she said. Femrite donated over 100 books to the UCU Writing Center.
Dr. James Busimba, the Head of UCU’s Department of Languages and Literature, where the center falls, said for now, the center is a learning facility and that any ventures to generate revenue for the establishment will be thought about in future.
During the launch, students performed two poems, including How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam. The university has committed $10,000 for one financial year to support the writing center, according to Mushengyezi. The Muriel Lile Trust of Fenton, Michigan, USA donated $10,000 to the establishment of the center through the Uganda Partners non-governmental organisation.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Vanessa Kyalimpa When one listens to the story of Jonan Tabura, a student of Uganda Chrsitian University (UCU), the most likely conclusion is that he is a living testimony of someone who has been pushed by fate to achieve success.
Tabura, a UCU graduate with a Bachelor of Human Resource Management working on a UCU Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation, has a taxi business more about destiny than desire. It started small – with one cab – and has grown to two 14-seater passenger vans, or taxis.
When many people his age and education level would shun the job of being a cab driver, Tabura readily welcomed the offer. He had no source of income to continue with his undergraduate studies. So, when his sister presented to him the opportunity to drive her car as a cab, Tabura welcomed it with open arms.
The taxis
From the cab business, he was able to save money which he topped up with a loan to purchase a commuter passenger service van. At the time, Tabura says he would make anywhere between sh60,000 and sh70,000 (about $15.6-$18.3) per day as a cab driver.
“While growing up, I was always told that it’s better to start small,” Tabura said. “Because that mantra had been ingrained in me, I opted to save some money that my sister was paying me as a cab driver and, with the additional money from the loan, I bought a van for public transport.”
The proceeds from the passenger service van business were enough to enable him to pay back the loan and save more money from which he acquired a second van. From the two vans, Tabura said he would earn a daily income of sh240,000 (about $63), which he used to enroll for an undergraduate course in the UCU School of Business.
Tabura’s might sound like a story of a man without any challenges in the business until you listen to it in full. One obstacle that reinforces fate over plan is that with no deliberate mastery, he had to develop the skill of fixing minor mechanical vehicle problems while employing skilled mechanics for major issues.
Although his business is growing faster than he had anticipated, like any other enterprise, he continues to face obstacles, namely financial. One such obstacle for people in the transport business is high fuel prices, which have nearly doubled in the last year. Unfortunately, he says, they cannot increase the transport fare at the same rate.
He admitted that there have been times when he considered giving up, particularly when his cars were involved in accidents and he had to pay for the damage caused and, at times, the medical expenses of people injured in accidents.
He encourages students who want to start their own businesses to do so, but to keep in mind the balance of entrepreneur gratification and challenges.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Vanessa Kyalimpa The waning threat of Covid-19 in Uganda is returning many pre-pandemic activities to the calendar. One such event is the Uganda Christian University (UCU) cultural gala that returned to the UCU Nkoyoyo Hall after a two-year hiatus.
Held on October 22 under the theme Culture, Character and Patriotism, the students used
UCU Guild President Racheal Sserwadda (right) handing over a gift to Pontius Kayeru, a government official who attended the cultural gala.
the event to display a blend of different cultures in Uganda and beyond. Ugandan tribes, such as the Acholi,Lango, The Iteso, Karimojong, Banyankole, Batooro, Bagisu, Basoga andBaganda, as well as Nigerians, presented traditional crafts, dress code, cultural anthem, storytelling, dance and a history on their origin. However, it was the dances that attracted the loudest applause from the crowd.
The performances for the cultural gala that was organised by the UCU student leaders were graded based on presentation and time management. By the end of the day, the cultural food, wear, dance and crafts of theTesoteam hadwonthe hearts of the adjudicators and they were declared the Best Cultural Exhibitors of the event.
Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi joins students in one cultural dance
For the feat, the Teso team received sh1million (about $270) from the UCU Vice-Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, in addition to the sh1.5million (about $400) which was their reward from the organisers. The Lango cultural group that emerged the runners-up, walked home with sh500,000 (about $130). The rest of the participants were given certificates.
Bridget Mugume, the Director of Student Affairs at UCU, said an awards ceremony will be organised for the winning team.
Lango cultural team presenting their dance. They emerged second at the gala.
The leader of the Teso cultural team said unlike other teams that concentrated on a single task in particular, they worked as a team by balancing the effort put into all the tasks they were asked to perform.
Asiimwe Zipporah, a third year student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, said such exhibitions help students to understand and appreciate their culture, as well as of other people. She added that because of the influence of foreign culture, many people have forgotten about their roots.
Pontius Kayeru, a government official who attended the function, expressed his gratitude for what he called “the students’ displays of patriotism” throughout the event. Kayeru, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner of Mukono, said that what he saw on stage was a “reflection of identity, growth and learning how to get along with other people.” He encouraged the students to keep up with the tradition every year.
Racheal Sserwadda, the Guild President of UCU, congratulated the students upon a successful cultural gala and urged other tribes that did not take part to do so next year.
“It was an entertaining, educative and eye-catching event,” Sserwadda said, noting that the dances and the dressing were an attraction.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
The Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Mulindwa Kitayimbwa (right) hands over a dummy check to UCU Mbale College Principal, Mrs. Mary Manana. (Photo by Andrew Bugembe)
By Vanessa Kyalimpa Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale University College in eastern Uganda has launched a drive to raise funds for the expansion of the institution’s infrastructure. With the sh1.5billion (about $400,000) that the university college is seeking, the institution hopes to set up a sports complex, buy computers and servers for its information and communications technology laboratory, as well as to purchase a bus to help in transporting its athletes.
The college hopes to use sh300million (about $80,000) for setting up the sports complex, sh500million (about $133,000) for the purchase of computers and sh100million (about $26,000) for the computer servers. Also in the plan is a 67-seater bus that is estimated to cost sh600million (about $160,000).
If acquired, the computers are intended to support the university’s policy of enhancing virtual learning by making the delivery of most of the courses blended in nature – both physical and virtual.
The Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Mulindwa Kitayimbwa gives an address during the fundraising drive at UCU Mbale University College.
At the launch of the fundraising drive in September, an event that was preceded by a march with a brass band in Mbale town, more than sh240million (over $64,000) was collected in cash and pledges. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who was represented at the function by Mbale Resident District Commissioner, Ahamada Washaki, pledged sh200million (about $53,000).
According to Mrs. Innocent Manana, the Principal of the College, the sports facilities will enable the college to champion innovation, entrepreneurship, and the general well-being among the young people who will use the complex.
The Rt. Rev. John Wilson Nandaah, the Bishop of the Diocese of Mbale, who spoke on behalf of the Rt. Rev. Samuel Bogere Egesa, the chairperson of the college’s governing council, said there are many young people in the area who were eager to use the sports complex to nurture their talents.
“Our university students engage in several sports disciplines and have won several trophies, which prompted us to think of constructing a complex (to facilitate) developing their talents,” Nandaah said.
The Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Mulindwa Kitayimbwa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at UCU, who represented Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, said the construction of the sports complex will not only enhance the physical needs of the students, but also equip those who are talented in sports. In support of the cause, the UCU main campus contributed sh5million (about $1,300).
The university college became a Constituent College of Uganda Christian University in 2016. Although largely undeveloped with a few lecture rooms, a nearly empty library and without hostel facility, the study centre took advantage of its location in the heart of Mbale town to grow in academic stature by introducing evening programs to cater for the working-class, as well as expanding the academic programs.
To enhance research excellence, the college now has over eight staff with PhD degrees and more have enrolled in different universities to pursue their doctorates.
To support the cause, one can send a contribution to Uganda Partners or deposit into the college’s bank account:
Bank name: Stanbic Bank, Mbale branch Account name: Uganda Christian University Mbale Account number: 9030005907666
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll receives gifts of art portraits from a fine art student at UCU after the public lecture.
By Kefa Senoga The Uganda Christian University (UCU) silver jubilee public lecture was delivered by two eminent men who surprised the audience by saying they initially did not want to work for the institution.
However, one of the men, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, said that the Lord is full of surprises. Quoting a Zambian proverb “when God cooks, you don’t see smoke,” Senyonyi, the discussant at the public lecture on October 26, 2022, in UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall, narrated how events turned to cause him make a U-turn to work at the university.
Senyonyi’s lecture preceded the keynote address by the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, with whom he shared the platform. On the sunny afternoon in Mukono, and as speaker at the event, Noll talked under the topic UCU: The beginnings of Private Higher Education in Uganda. Noll, UCU’s first vice chancellor, was installed in October 2000 and served two five-year terms, handing the post over to Senyonyi in October 2010.
The call for both Noll and Senyonyi to serve at UCU came from people who saw potential in them, but the two separately declined, since they had not envisioned the dream. For Noll, he received a phone call in March 1997 to meet the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Uganda, Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, at Pittsburgh, Pa., Airport in the USA. He did. And when he met Nkoyoyo, the prelate informed him that the Anglican church in Uganda had decided to start a university, which was scheduled to open in September of the same year.
“Stephen, would you come to be the first vice chancellor of UCU?” Noll quoted Nkoyoyo to have asked him. “No,” was Noll’s answer. “I had children in high school and university and an ailing mother-in-law,” Noll said at the public lecture, justifying his negative response.
After many considerations, he eventually gave in and shared his vision with Nkoyoyo: “I am convinced that I can only be of help if I am working to build a thoroughly Christian university…one that seeks to incorporate fully the Christian gospel in all its programs,” the father of five and grandfather of seven, quoted himself telling Nkoyoyo as he accepted the offer.
Noll’s acceptance came after he and Peggy, his wife for 55 years, had visited UCU in 1999. Peggy was present at the 2022 public lecture as Noll delivered his 60-minute keynote address.
Throughout his presentation, Noll showed no signs of the trappings that academics of his caliber usually find themselves in, oftentimes going technical in their deliberations. There were no terms to define, but stories to tell and memories to share. There was evidence Senyonyi and his predecessor had shared notes because he, too, did not veer off the style Noll had earlier taken.
Within two years of his leadership, Noll was able to pull off the construction of the magnificent Nkoyoyo Hall, a multipurpose facility, built at a cost of $180,000, and, within four years, UCU was in possession of their charter, making history as the first private university in Uganda to get one.
The funding for the construction of the Nkoyoyo Hall was mobilized by UCU Partners, a non-profit charitable organization committed to raising public awareness about Uganda Christian University by seeking material and spiritual support for students through sponsorships; and by procuring funds for buildings and other needed projects. The structure was officially opened by the late Mrs. Diane Stanton, who was then the Executive Director of UCU Partners.
When Noll informed Nkoyoyo that the structure was to be named after him, starting a tradition of naming buildings after Ugandan greats who had made a mark in the establishment and survival of the university, the archbishop quipped: “I thought buildings were named after dead people.” He, however, said he loved the idea. At the public lecture, Nkoyoyo’s family was represented by Ruth, the wife of the former archbishop. Nkoyoyo died on January 5, 2018.
During the lecture, Noll, a Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, Pennsylvania, showed evidence that he had made use of the 10 years he was in Uganda, with many Ugandan names easily rolling off his tongue, as he paid tribute to people who made his tenure at UCU as comfortable as it was. Some of the people he acknowledged were current National Council for Higher Education executive director Alex Kagume, Justice Lillian Tibatemwa Ekirikubinza, Nkoyoyo, Ssekiboobo Hamu Mukasa, Peter Nyombi, Henry Luke Orombi and Bishop Eliphaz Maari. He also paid special tribute to Jimmy Kolker, who was the American ambassador to Uganda at the time, Prof. Steven Riley who developed the waste water system at UCU and architect Michael Reid who drew plans for the UCU gate and many other buildings at the university, including the Hamu Mukasa library, at no fee.
When Senyonyi stepped forward to continue with the story of UCU after Noll’s reign in 2010, he took advantage of his combined expertise as an academic and the disposition of a clergyman to drive many of his points home, oftentimes using scripture to illustrate why and how certain decisions had to be made.
When Noll was returning to the USA in January 2000 to prepare to assume office in Uganda, he gave Senyonyi a one-page document detailing his vision for the university’s chaplaincy and asked the latter if he could join him at UCU as the university chaplain.
“I was not about to place my life and that of my family in an abstract university with untested stability,” Senyonyi said during his 45-minute presentation. At the time, he was working with the African Evangelistic Enterprise, an evangelical Christian, interdenominational, non-governmental, humanitarian organization.
However, seven months later, when he needed to find a response for Noll who was soon returning to assume his duties as vice chancellor at UCU, Senyonyi said he read the letter and shared the contents with his wife, Ruth, who, to his disbelief, gave him the greenlight. He said he soon found solace in the fact that his father, Eriakimu Kajja, trained at the Bishop Tucker Theological College and so was his father-in-law, Bishop Misaeri Kauma, who even later headed the institution. BTTC transitioned into UCU.
Senyonyi said what he considers the most impactful innovation he came up with was the one-hour community worship that takes place every Tuesday and Thursday.
“It became the largest gathering of the UCU community and, soon, the administration used it to pass communication to the community,” Senyonyi said as he drove the audience down memory lane of his two decades of service at UCU. In 2003, he became the deputy vice chancellor for finance and administration, switching to the docket of deputy vice chancellor in charge of development and external relations in 2006.
“When I became VC in 2010, my prayer was for God’s presence, so I could be assured of the wisdom that Solomon prayed for, without losing God’s favor as Solomon did,” Senyonyi, who holds a PhD in mathematical statistics, said, confirming that, indeed, as VC, he witnessed God’s favor at and on UCU.
The father of four adult children and six grandchildren is married to Ruth, who holds a PhD in counseling psychology.
Ticking off some of the successes he registered during his tenure as VC, the 66-year-old mentioned developing a strong internet backbone to digitize and integrate all services in the university that would result in paperless meetings to save the university costs. Senyonyi also mentioned how his administration equipped the e-lab and slowly began implementing online learning for some post-graduate courses. This infrastructure was later to turn into a blessing in disguise when Covid struck and there was need for virtual operations.
As Noll said in his opening remarks, anyone who sat through the three-hour long event on October 26 discovered the reason why UCU chose to tap into the wisdom of the two retired people he called “historicals” to share the history and legacy of the institution.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Kefa Senoga “Our law students are participating in the John H. Jackson Moot Court competition in Geneva. They are among the four teams representing Africa after defeating 28 universities in Africa.” That was a tweet posted by the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Twitter handle on June 25, 2020.
In 2022, the team participated in the global competition, which is a simulated hearing under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system involving exchanges of written submissions and adversarial hearings before panelists on international trade law issues. In the last seven years, the UCU moot court team has also won the annual inter-university competition in Uganda four times, making news about any success in the event commonplace.
The success of the university’s teams in the moot court competitions is not by accident. As early as 2008, Dennison Brian, a Christian missionary from the USA, laid the groundwork for such achievements. Dennison, who was a lecturer in the UCU Faculty of Law from 2008 to 2015, made it his preoccupation to grow the moot court program in the university.
As a lecturer in the faculty, Dennison was involved in a series of activities, such as moot court coaching and coordinating the development of clinical legal education as well as launching the legal ethics class. He also was credited for transforming the admissions process in the law faculty, which has since become a school.
As a lecturer in the faculty, Dennison was involved in a series of activities, such as moot court coaching and coordinating the development of clinical legal education
During an email interview from Savannah, Georgia, USA, Dennison said because he worked with bright, energetic and appreciative students, they made it easy for him as the moot court coach to impart real world experience, knowledge and skills to students. He said in the process, he also was able to travel to the competitions with the students to provide on-site coaching.
Some of the beneficiaries of the infrastructure that Dennison set up is Evelyn Mugisha, who was named the Best African Orator in this year’s John H. Jackson World Trade Organization (WTO) African moot court competitions conducted in March. Mugisha, alongside her teammates, Tracy Nagasha and Hannah Stacey Baluka, all final-year law students at UCU, represented the university and were among the best four teams in Africa that qualified for the global competition that took place in Geneva in June 2022.
“UCU demonstrates that you can be committed to Christ, to positive change and to academic excellence,” Dennison explained.
As a law scholar, Dennison revealed that he is proud and privileged to have worked with the UCU law faculty, most especially the students.
“I am humbled by the great things that my former students are doing in legal practice, public service and academia,” Dennison said, noting that all this is possible because of the UCU law program’s commitment to teaching ingenuity, practical skill development and mentorship, which sets the school apart.
Dennison was born in Augusta, Georgia, which is 126 miles from his current residence in Savannah. He said that while growing up, he had a childhood with a loving family and many opportunities to attend church and participate in sports. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Business Administration and juris doctorate (cum laude) from the University of Georgia, USA.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
As a child, Aiko Olwit often traveled with her father to their upcountry home in Lira district, northern Uganda. Each time she made the trip, Olwit says she would look with empathy at the kind of life most of the people there led. Some were unable to have more than one meal a day. Others lacked decent clothing; it was not unusual to see people dressed in tattered clothes.
Could she help such underprivileged people? No. She had no financial means. What she had, however, was empathy. From then, she made up her mind that when she became of age, she would set up a charity to help the less privileged. That resolution kept haunting Olwit that she could not wait to complete school before putting her plan into action.
Young girls craft reusable sanitary towels.
In 2019, she conceived the idea of starting a non-profit organization. One barrier was that same year, she was a candidate in the Senior Six national examinations. Her parents – Fredrick Olwit and Belinda Sebunya – had misgivings about her timing of starting a charity. However, she persuaded them. Aiko Olwit’s efforts gave birth to Pro Bono, a non-profit organization that creates positive change through outreach programs among youth in high school.
Sooner than later, Olwit, now a year-two student pursuing a Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management at Uganda Christian University (UCU), realized that it was easier said than done. It became difficult for her to multi-task on her academics and run her newly founded baby – Pro Bono. Yet, she soldiered on.
In 2022, Olwit got her organization registered with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development. She says she spent between sh5million and sh7million (about $1,300-$1,800) to launch the organization. She spent the money in producing posters and promotional videos, among other things.
The project that kick-started the launch of Pro Bono was a students’ activity, where Olwit’s organization partnered with Smart Girls Uganda, to teach students aged 16-18, from Kabojja International School and Aga Khan High School how to make reusable sanitary pads. Smart Girls Uganda is a non-profit, girl-centered organization that empowers and mentors girls to speak out, be decision makers and create visionary change in society.
Aiko Olwit handing out donated items to children in Mubende, central Uganda.
Pro Bono also engages in drives to promote environmental conservation, as well as empowering youth to develop a reading culture. She said they host a virtual book reading session at 4 p.m. every Sunday.
Olwit, the first born of six siblings, believes that her family has been the bedrock of whatever achievements her organization has registered so far.
“Many people have role models outside their homes, but for me, mine have always been at home,” she said. “My family members are my source of inspiration.”.
She attended Kampala Junior Academy for Primary, Gayaza High School and Makerere College School for O’level and A’level, respectively. All the three schools are located in central Uganda.
Aiko Olwit giving a speech at the Budo League Dinner after sealing a partnership with an old students association.
She says it was while at Gayaza High School that she got involved in social activities aimed at improving people’s livelihood in communities. She did this through the Interact and Youth Alive clubs. At Makerere College School, as a student leader, she was tasked with planning students-led initiatives, such as movie nights, and car wash activities, to raise funds for the needy. She said such activities only helped to cement the resolution she made as a child to improve people’s lives, seeing less privileged people struggle to get a livelihood.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Students who participated in the movie pose for a photo at the premiere.
By Asenath Were and Vanessa Namukwaya Uganda Christian University (UCU) students of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication have turned their classroom knowledge into action by producing a short film about university life. The 11-minute film, named My Degree, with a cast of seven students, centers on the dangers of pride at the university.
In the movie, Alexa, a final-year student is seeking an extra mark, to push her score from 49% to 50%. It is that one mark that is standing between Alexa and her graduation. The solution for her challenge lies with the head of department.
At the department, Alexa discovers that there is a new person in the portfolio, someone she had never met. However, as she joins the queue to the office of the head of department, the office bearer arrives. Alexa told the head of department off, thinking she was one of the students, and reminding her that it was only proper that she joins the queue from the back if she wanted to meet the head of department.
The head of department eventually finds her way into her office. When Alexa and the head of department finally met in the latter’s office, the former presented her request for an additional mark so she could be able to graduate. The head of department was clear in her response: “One mark is added to students who have been participating in class and are virtuous throughout the years. Your report does not show that.”
Brian Kaboggoza, a third-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, who directed the movie, said the film’s theme is about students “failing in life because of pride and disrespect.” It does not cost anyone anything to respect others because you may despise someone who will rescue you one day,” he added.
The movie was a work in progress from June 2022 to its September 16, 2022, premiere at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall, according to Kaboggoza, who said the My Degree film “is a dream come true for me because I thought I needed to start my career right now since the opportunities and the equipment are available.”
Kabogozza believes that the movie will not only market the School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC), but also the university, since it has the potential to attract students who are interested in making films.
Brian Kaboggoza, the movie director, poses with the two main actresses, Deborah Anita Talemwa and Shalom Komugisa, at the movie premiere.
Kaboggoza encouraged his student colleagues not to wait for graduation to start putting classroom knowledge into practice. He said, “Anyone passionate about film making should start right now because there is opportunity to learn and get experience.”
The movie producer, Emmanuel Ilungole, is a third-year student. He said the time he spent on producing the movie helped him and his colleagues gain experience in audio balancing and teamwork. “It was the first time I was producing a movie, and the experience taught me that hard work pays.”
The lead actress, Alexa, whose real name is Deborah Talemwa, is a second-year student. She said she joined the cast because she saw it as a learning opportunity for the film crew, but also as an avenue through which they could pass a message to fellow students about the consequences of their actions.
The 11-minute short film that students produced
John Semakula, the head of the Department of Undergraduate Studies at the School of JMC, said the project consolidates the school’s position as a leading practical journalism training institution in Uganda.
“We pride ourselves in equipping students with practical skills in line with our curriculum that is heavily practical and, therefore, students’ projects, such as My Degree, make us feel proud that our efforts of skilling them have yielded positive results,” Semakula said.
Emmanuel Ilungole, the movie producer.
“Most of the work in this project was student-led,” he added. “The school’s main contribution was skilling and encouraging the students, plus providing the equipment.”
Kaboggoza said they have plans to produce more episodes concentrating on the life of a campus student. He, therefore, called upon all those able and willing to finance their projects.
The movie is just one of the many practical projects that the School of JMC is engaged in. The students also produce a weekly TV news bulletin through the online channel The UCU Focus, podcasts and multimedia stories on the Standard website. They previously produced a bi-monthly newspaper, The Standard, and assisted the Uganda Partners NGO with the July 2022 production of a newspaper called Ebenezer.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) held a public lecture on October 26, 2022, in Nkoyoyo Hall as one of the activities to mark UCU@25 – the university’s 25th year of existence. The main speaker was UCU’s first Vice Chancellor Prof. Stephen Noll, and the main discussant was his immediate successor, Canon Dr. John Senyonyi. Under the topic ofUganda Christian University: The Beginnings of Private Higher Education in Uganda, each spoke about their experiences. The day before, on Oct. 25, the University hosted its alumni at a homecoming ceremony at the main campus in Mukono. UCU Partner’s photographer Pauline Luba captured most of the unique moments.
A decoration assembled by Pearl Classic Food Court at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in commemoration of the Silver Jubilee is displayed in the library courtyard for a luncheon after the 23rd graduation ceremony on October 28. (Photo by John Livingston Mutyaba)Canon Dr. John Senyonyi (center) with alumni at Nkoyoyo Hall during the alumni homecoming on October 25.Prof. Lawrence Adams, a member of the Uganda Partners Board, from Virginia, USA, at UCU during the anniversary week.Prof. Stephen Noll (second-right) and his wife, Peggy Noll (second-left), attending community worship at the alumni homecoming in Nkoyoyo Hall. Also pictured at left is Jack Klenk, a member of the Uganda Partners Board.A basketball match between UCU alumni and current students during the alumni homecoming.UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi hands over a token of appreciation to Bishop James Williams Ssebaggala and his wife during the alumni homecoming.
Mushengyezi, Noll and Senyonyi during the UCU alumni homecoming event at the university’s main campus in Mukono. The event, held on October 25, was part of the activities to celebrate 25 years of UCU. Photos by Joel Muhumuza
By Constantine Odongo A 1992 meeting of the House of Bishops in the Anglican Church in Uganda came up with a decision that later changed the landscape of higher education in the country. Because the church felt it needed to have a broader impact in society through university education, the bishops decided to set up a provincial university. As a result, in 1997, the Trustees of the Church of Uganda established Uganda Christian University (UCU).
This year, UCU celebrates 25 years of existence, under the slogan Ebenezer, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12).
The main celebrations, which climaxed in the week of October 24-28, included an annual public lecture, an alumni homecoming and a thanksgiving service. The past two vice chancellors of UCU – the Rev. Professor Stephen Noll and Dr. John Senyonyi – joined current Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi during the celebrations whose apex activity was a graduation ceremony held on October 28. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was the invited chief guest at the ceremony.
Some of the people who attended the UCU alumni homecoming event on October 25 at the main campus. Sitting at the front are the Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, the Provost of All Saints Cathedral Kampala, and Peggy Noll, the wife of UCU first Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Professor Stephen Noll.
Stephen Noll, the university’s first vice chancellor, and his wife, Peggy, flew into Uganda from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, where they currently reside, for the silver jubilee. For his association with UCU, Noll has to thank former Church of Uganda archbishop, Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.
When the university commenced in 1997, Nkoyoyo, now deceased, went on a hunt for a suitable vice chancellor. It was his primary duty as the chancellor to conduct the search. By default, the reigning Archbishop of the Church of Uganda becomes the UCU chancellor.
Therefore, when Nkoyoyo first approached Noll about the opportunity, the latter’s response was a no. Noll had never been to Uganda, or Africa long enough to understand the environment well. His other challenge was that he had only run a theological college and not a university. However, that was even better news to the ears of Nkoyoyo who saw it as an opportunity get someone who would be able to complete the transformation of the premises of the Bishop Tucker Theological College, which started in 1913, into a university.
Noll eventually gave in. But there was a condition: Uganda Christian University would have to be Christian not only in name, but in substance, too. Upon assuming the office of the Vice Chancellor of UCU in 2000, Noll embarked on a mission.
“I considered that it was important to lay a formal orthodox foundation for both students and university staff, and also help students lay an intellectual foundation for their own lives,” Noll said in a 2014 unpublished UCU book to celebrate a decade of the university being granted a charter.
From 1997 to 2000, UCU was under the leadership of acting Vice Chancellor, the Rt. Rev. Eliphaazi Maari, who was the Principal of Bishop Tucker Theological College.
Just like Nkoyoyo committed for UCU to maintain a Christian identity, the institution integrated Christian values in its institutional policy. All UCU students and staff are required to sign the Instruments of Identity, upon admission to UCU, professing their commitment towards maintaining UCU identity for their life as members of the institution. The policy also calls for the integration of faith in teaching and learning.
To further cement its signature identity as a Christian university, in 2002, UCU introduced compulsory core courses named Foundation Studies for all students. The courses include the Old Testament, the New Testament, Understanding Ethics, World Views, and Health and Wholeness.
Within four years at the helm, Noll oversaw the start of four other campuses – with the first being Bishop Barham University College in 2000 and UCU Kampala, Mbale, and Arua campuses in 2004.
In his 10-year tenure, Noll grew the population of graduating students from 324 at the institution’s inaugural ceremony in 2000 to 2,803 in 2010, the year he handed over the baton to Senyonyi. This growth, however, did not come on a silver platter, as between 2000 and 2010, at least six universities were established in Uganda, significantly eating into the potential market for UCU. Of the six universities, three were privately-funded and the other three were public institutions.
Asked what he considers his top three achievements in an interview Noll granted the Ebenezer, a July 2022 publication in celebration of 25 years of UCU, the former vice chancellor said: “Preparing UCU to receive the first charter in Uganda (in 2004), planning and executing the expanded campus and its facilities and keeping its focus on the Gospel by calling and equipping the clergy and lay leaders for the church, the nation and the world.”
Enter Senyonyi Prior to assuming the top office in 2010, Senyonyi had served in UCU in different portfolios since 2001. He joined the university as a chaplain, before becoming the deputy vice chancellor for finance and administration in 2003 and then deputy vice-chancellor in charge of development and external relations in 2006.
When he became vice chancellor Senyonyi set infrastructural development as part of his agenda. In 2011, the magnificent Hamu Mukasa library was opened. Senyonyi says throughout his tenure, the university did not get external funding for infrastructure development, and, therefore, depended on student fees.
“We used the undesirable and very limiting method of nominal increments on fees, to the chagrin of our students, but they bore it stoically most of the time,” Senyonyi said during an interview with the Ebenezer publication. He said the beauty was that most of the time, the students understood the reason why fees increment was done, because the university was “mindful to use money to its intended purpose.”
One time, Senyonyi said, tired of the dusty road leading to the university, the student leaders asked the university administration to increase the tuition fees, to be able to put asphalt on the roads.
“After sensitizing the guild leaders about the costs involved, they suggested we do it,” he said. “It is the only time students have asked the university to increase fees!”
Senyonyi said the UCU model demonstrated to other players in institutions of higher learning that private facilities can compete favorably and even beat a well-financed public university. He said, “Many vice chancellors came to consult with me for best practices…and even benchmarked with UCU.”
Senyonyi granted Uganda Partners an interview on how Covid affected learning and administration at UCU, as well as his time at the helm of UCU leadership.
UCU is considered a sports powerhouse in the country, having produced numerous players for Uganda’s national teams in football, netball, women’s football, basketball and rugby, among other disciplines. Because of its modern sports facilities, the institution has hosted the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation in 2017, the Inter–University Games Uganda in 2013, and in 2007, as well as the East African University Games in 2014.
In May 2021, the national athletics trials were hosted at the Mukono campus track field station.
Mushengyezi assumes office in 2020 The 53-year-old assumed leadership of UCU in 2020, in the middle of the Covid pandemic. As was necessitated, the university, under the stewardship of Mushengyezi, adopted several virtual options for normal operations to continue.
For instance, two virtual graduations were held – in December 2020 and October 2021; most of the programmes are now delivered through blended learning; using the alpha online system, two student guild elections have been held virtually, as well as pre-entry exams for courses in law, dental surgery and medicine. In a 36-minute video, Mushengyezi explained some of what his administration achieved within one year of leadership.
In 2021, Mushengyezi invited institutions to borrow a leaf from the infrastructure in electronic learning that the university had set up. He emphasized UCU’s commitment to “pioneer in innovation and learning with community outreach.” Indeed, in December 2021, the university’s e-learning department hosted leaders from Greenhill Academy, a group of Christian-founded primary and secondary schools in Kampala, for a virtual learning seminar to understand more about the university’s e-learning facilities.
From the 270 students admitted in 1997, UCU has grown to nearly 13,000 students across its five campuses today and now looks into a future of stronger partnerships, improvements in infrastructure and more emphasis on research and innovation.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Luminsa (center) receiving the consignment from the UK
By Vanessa Kyalimpa One evening in 2019, as Uganda Christian University (UCU) student, Kizza Arnold Luminsa, surfed the Internet, he came across a UK-based organization, Workaid. On reading more about the charity, he discovered that it was possible to present to them a proposal for a donation. Without much faith in succeeding, Luminsa gave it a try. He sent his proposal seeking a donation to help the disadvantaged he saw around him.
The charity refurbishes tools that have been donated to them and then ships them to training centers and self-help organizations. The organization claims the tools help 9,000 people out of poverty every year.
Luminsa did not expect an immediate response from Workaid. Indeed, after months of waiting, he gave up.
The people of the Bob McLeod Technical Institute receiving the donation
Early this year, Luminsa was pleasantly surprised to learn that his request had been approved by the UK charity and that he would, therefore, get the donation after more than two years of waiting. Indeed, on March 9, he received the consignment from the UK. It contained manual sewing machines, electric zig-zag sewing, treadle sewing machines, sewing machine accessories, manual knitting machines, wool and wool winders, general maintenance kit and knitting machine tables, among others.
“I was surprised at the success of my proposal. I didn’t see it coming, I was just trying out things – being the curious and inquisitive young man that I am,” says Luminsa who sent in the proposal while a UCU year-two student of Bachelor of Laws. He was among the 2,106 students who graduated on July 29 this year.
Arnold Luminsa delivering the consignment of donated goods.
Upon receiving the consignment, Luminsa wasted no time in putting the items to good use. The following day, he was on the road to Kangulumira, a village in the central Uganda district of Kayunga. Kangulumira hosts the Bob McLeod Technical Institute, which was the final beneficiary of the consignment.
Luminsa says a friend who knew about the needs of the institute recommended it to him. Besides, he says the institute is run by religious people, which gave him added trust that the donation would be put to its intended purpose.
“I was happy to see that my efforts are giving hope to many underprivileged members of the community,” Luminsa said. “Seeing them happy and grateful filled me with joy and made me want to help more people.” Luminsa added that his dream has always been to help in creating a positive impact on the lives of the people in his community. He enumerated the different charitable causes that he participated in as a student at UCU.
Since charity begins at home, Luminsa believes his heart started beating for the needy after seeing what his father, Mukasa Anthony Harris, does. Mukasa founded the People United to Save Humanity, a local community-based, non-governmental organization. Established in 1996, the organization strives to save humanity from disease, ignorance and poverty, among others.
Months down the road, Luminsa still makes a monthly visit to the Bob McLeod Technical Institute, to monitor the progress of the beneficiaries of the donation. He says they “check on the progress the beneficiaries have made in using the skills they are taught, so that they are able to earn a living on their own.”
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Atem de Kuek (center, back) with colleagues on graduation day at the London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK in 2018.
In the 25 years of its existence, Uganda Christian University (UCU) has graduated many students, both Ugandan and foreign nationals in a multiplicity of disciplines. Recently, Kefa Senoga caught up with two UCU Bachelor of Mass Communication degrees graduates who are serving in humanitarian agencies in South Sudan. Kefa asked about the impact of their work and take-home value from UCU.
Acquiring a UCU Bachelor of Mass Communication degree 11 years ago was significant for Atem de Kuek, but the second most important thing within that credential were the lessons he learned during “foundation studies” courses. The foundation courses, such as Writing and Study Skills, Health and Wholeness, World Views and Christian Ethics, are mandatory course units for every undergraduate student at the university.
Atem de Kuek addressing colleagues at his work place in South Sudan.
“I can testify that in my working experience, these courses have been handy for work integrity,” Kuek, who graduated in 2011 with a First Class degree, says. He works as a social and behavior change consultant for the UN Children’s Fund.
The academics who teach the foundation courses take pride in being the “roots and the stem” that support the other courses represented on the tree “leaves, branches and fruits.” The course Health and Wholeness, for example, teaches principles of health promotion and interventions for people who are sick or injured and finally, building a healthy society. The course is taught within the context of wholeness, in which “health” is not the absence of disease but a state of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wellbeing. Deliberate strategies to maintain and promote health and to seek help with health problems are nonexistent or weak in other degree-granting universities.
Kuek added that UCU’s strict dress code is another takeaway for his work. Most students detested the policy forbidding short skirts, tight-fitting clothing, damaged jeans, shorts and tinted hairstyles, among others. However, Kuek says this earlier dislike better prepared him to easily blend into the world of professionalism.
As students, Kuek says they formed prayer clubs and research groups, to hold members accountable to each other. However, what started as groups to aid them to pass at the university became a mainstay in their lives and that they have kept in touch to date.
Okot deals with crisis and reputation management at ICRC
For Emmanuel Okot, a South Sudan national, the environment at UCU enabled him to improve academically, as well as to register growth in the social, emotional and spiritual aspects of life.
“And that’s how I developed the love to serve humanity,” says Okot, who graduated with a Bachelor of Mass Communication from UCU in 2018.
He emphasizes that UCU gave him training and skills that apply to his job with a humanitarian agency, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in his home country.
“I take my entire life at UCU as a mentorship process, from my experience with everything and everyone – the lecturers, colleagues and the support staff,” he says.
ICRC has a humanitarian mission of protecting the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict by providing them with assistance to prevent further suffering. As one of the information officers with the agency, Okot deals with crisis and reputation management, as well as leading efforts within the public communication team to connect with relevant audiences through digital content.
Among Kuek’s recent tasks were providing evidence on child marriages and on behavior change around ebola and COVID-19. He has over 10 years of experience in development and field research in South Sudan with UNICEF hosting his third position since he left UCU. Kuek, who holds a Master of Science in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies from London School of Economics and Political Science,also previously worked with Plan International, Right to Play International and the Catholic Relief Services.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
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