All posts by Patty Huston-Holm

About Patty Huston-Holm

Author, professor, communications consultant in Ohio, USA; and Mukono, Uganda, Africa. View all posts by Patty Huston-Holm →

UCU Rescues Uganda’s national athletic trials

May 14, 2021COVID-19, News, SportsPatty Huston-Holm

Trials I: Participants in the 100m race setting off during the annual athletics trials at UCU recently

By Ivor Sempa and Joseph Lagen
The Uganda Athletics Federation (UAF) was until mid-March staring at a possibility of cancelling their season opener activity, the national athletics trials. The athletics body was contemplating cancelling the event after their usual venue, Namboole Stadium, was ruled out because it was a holding facility for Covid-19 patients. Their other option, the Kyambogo University grass track, was unavailable because Uganda’s electoral body had camped at the facility during the 2021 general election.

However, the trials finally took place on March 13 after Uganda Christian University (UCU) accepted to host the event at the Mukono campus track field station.

“We are happy to have been granted this field, free of charge, by UCU,” Mr. Dominic Otuchet, UAF’s president said.

The events at the trials included several track races, such as the 5,000m, 4,000m, 1,500m, 800m, 200m and 100m. Athletes also participated in events like javelin, shot put and long jump.

Uganda has embarked on the preparations for Tokyo Olympics that were postponed from last year to July 23-August 8, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan. The 2020 Olympic games were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Trials II: Participants in the 1,500m race during annual athletics trials at UCU

The trials were graced by some of Uganda’s elite sports athletes. These included: Halimah Nakaayi, winner of the women’s 800m in 2019’s Doha World Athletics Championships; Stephen Kiprotich, a long-distance double gold medalist for the Olympics and World Championships in 2012 and 2013; and Joshua Cheptegei, the current world record holder for both the 10,000m and 5,000m.

UCU also had its representatives that Saturday. They included undergraduate students Juscent Nyamahunge (100m, 400m), Sidonia Atto (400m, long jump), Williamson Oroma (400m) and Linda Evelyn Achan (100m). Nyamahunge and Atto are from the Faculty of Education, while Oroma is pursuing a Bachelor of Governance and International Relations course. Achan is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration course.

In addition to the athletics teams from the Uganda Police, Uganda Wildlife Authority and Uganda Prisons, universities of Ndejje and Makerere also had representatives at the trials.

Nyamahunge, UCU’s team captain, said the trials were the first opportunity for them to compete nationally since the lockdown was instituted in March 2020. As part of the lockdown measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, government banned sports activities in the country. The ban was later lifted after more than six months.

“Running alongside Uganda’s athletics stars, including a World Record holder, helps the student athletes create realistic benchmarks for themselves in preparation for the trials’ second heat in July this year,” Nyamahunge said.

Sam Lukayire, the sports department’s administrator at UCU, shared the same sentiments. “Not many young Ugandan athletes get to run alongside their heroes; that is what makes today special,” Lukayire said.

UCU athletics coach Timothy Kabuye, a certified International Athletics Association Federations (IAAF) trainer, beams with pride over the performance of his team.

“Given the times, we have done well. We can only improve from here,” he said. “I thank the university for offering us this opportunity.”

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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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UCU law graduate mints cash out of tourism

May 12, 2021News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

UCU students of Bachelor of Governance on a study trip to Sipi Falls that was coordinated by Ecstacy Ventures Tourism and Travel

By Gloria Katya
The ultimate goal of many students who pursue a course in law in Uganda is to join legal practice. However, for Joackim Mumbere, the story was different.

After spending four years at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Law School, the 26-year-old did not proceed to the Law Development Centre to pursue a diploma in legal practice, which would enable him become an advocate.

CEO of Ecstasy Ventures, Joackim Mumbere, with Miss Tourism Eastern Uganda at Sipi Falls

Mumbere instead opted to venture into tourism. While a student at UCU, Mumbere started a tour and travel company. He realized that tourism was a lucrative venture when he joined the Rotaract Club of UCU in 2014. As the chairperson of the club, he was put in charge of organizing trips, dinners and picnics for club members.

The experience Mumbere garnered from organizing such events soon changed his career path.

In his second year, Mumbere started a tourism and travel company called Ecstasy Ventures. Mostly on weekends, he promoted and conducted business of the company.

In 2018, following his graduation with a bachelor of laws from UCU, Mumbere returned to his company, as his colleagues hit the streets to search for jobs.

With him in the steering of the business, it expanded its clientele rapidly. Mumbere organized dozens of trips, weddings, parties, graduation parties and boat cruises for clients.

“I also worked with many corporate companies, such as Jumia and banks, and my network grew,” he says. He credits the rate of expansion of his business to the special services that he says he offered.

“My company organizes movies, campfires and celebrates birthday parties during the trips.”

Mumbere earns between sh500,000 (about $136) and sh1,00,000 (about $272) per trip he organizes.

“I organize two-three trips every month, but my dream is to double the number,” he said.

Mumbere’s company is online, but his dream is to secure physical space (offices) for it soon.

Studying law has helped Mumbere to realize the importance of documenting every transaction with clients, so that people don’t cheat him.

“With my law background, I am not easily intimidated by certain classes of customers because I know what the law requires,” he said.

Mumbere’s dream in the next five years is to grow the company so that it can acquire more assets, travel cars, land and at least a lodge in one of the national game parks. He urges students to embrace academics, as well as their talents.

“UCU has a lot of co-curricular activities that can make students successful in life, if well exploited,” he said.

Mumbere says his parents – David and Teopista Mayanja of Kasese district in western Uganda – are proud of his business acumen. Mumbere’s law lecturer at UCU, Samson Wanambuko, says he is not surprised by what his former student has achieved.

“He was a good, inquisitive student who used to participate in class, and was always eager to learn. He is very intelligent,” Wanambuko said.

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‘You were born to pass’

May 10, 2021COVID-19, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Asaph Lee Nsadha showing one of his products.

By Yasiri. J. Kasango
Somewhere in 18th century America the expression “shirt off your back” evolved to refer to the generosity of a person who would give up his/her possessions to help another. For Asaph Lee Nsadha, it means a quality shirt on your back – and front – and a way to make ends meet for him.

The Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum of a Diploma in Business Administration is an unplanned entrepreneur of T-shirts. Here’s how it fell into his lap during the Covid-19 pandemic year:

In late 2020, he worked in marketing for somebody else for sh300,000 (about $80) a month.
After 1.5 months, he was terminated without written reason and with no payment for the work he had done.
In January 2020, he re-joined UCU to expand his diploma to a Bachelor’s in Public Administration.
In March 2020 and because of a government-mandated education shutdown, he was both out of a job and out of education designed to provide him credentials to get another job.
In April 2020, his former employer paid him the money he was owed.
He used some of the money to start a business.

Asaph Lee Nsadha with a shirt printed by his business

The birth of Nsadha’s new idea of making money coincided with the government’s lifting of the three-month ban on private transport in Uganda. In June 2020, when the ban on movement of private vehicles was lifted, Nsadha opened an art store, to do fabric printing.

In order to have a fully stocked workshop, he needed sh7,000,000 (about $1,800). From that money, he could acquire a heating press estimated at sh1.5million (about $406). He also needed a plotter, a laptop, rent for his work station and the clothes, such as T-shirts, to start with, among others. That money was not available. But Nsadha’s will and determination was.

“Whenever my late grandfather sent me a success card as we approached national exams, he often wrote a quote ‘You were born to pass’,” Nsadha said. This statement has been the driving force in his business ventures. He translates this statement to imply that in everything he does, he is meant to succeed.

He started his art store with sh150,000 (about $40.60). He could take orders from customers through social media. He says he took advantage of social media to avoid middlemen. He also asked his friends and relatives to refer people to his business.

By the time government reopened schools in October 2020, Nsadha’s business had picked up, but he had to strike a balance between his work and studies. He managed to find time for class and his business, too. For now, he takes orders from his clients during the week and works on their requests over the weekend.

He adds that the biggest challenge he faces is people not trusting him. Since there are many scammers online, clients find it difficult to trust him with their money before he delivers. However, he says due to lack of equipment, he is forced to demand a deposit of 50% from the clients.

“There is a time I got an order worth sh1million (about $270),” Nsadha said. “The client asked me whether I had guarantee for his business.”

He asked the client to deposit half of the money. She paid, hesitantly. He says he worked and delivered the products. The client appreciated and recommended more clients to him.

According to Reagan Muyinda, one of Nsadha’s clients, the products are unique.

“I placed orders for him to do printing on five T-shirts,” Muyinda said. “He made the products and delivered on time. The T-shirts were good and durable. Whenever, I think fabric printing, he is the answer.”

Nsadha has not yet registered his company. He expects to do so when he gets a permanent location for it.

Nsadha advises youth to follow their hearts in whatever they want to do, arguing that it is only then that one can give whatever they do “their all.”

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Former UCU guild president and Partners-sponsored student is newly elected alumni leader

May 7, 2021News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Wabwire sensitizing the youth about their rights in the Kampala suburbs in a campaign designed by Faraja Africa. Photo/Faraja Media Team.

By Lule Eriah
It is not the first time that Wabwire Emmanuel’s name is being etched on the annals of Uganda Christian University (UCU). From 2012-2013, Wabwire was the university’s guild president as he pursued a Bachelor’s in Development Studies.

When he left the university in 2013, if some people thought it was the end of his relationship with the institution, they were wrong. On March 5, 2021, Wabwire renewed his leadership relationship with UCU, when he assumed another role – chairperson of the UCU Alumni Association.

Those who have been close to Wabwire narrate how the 30-year-old has been a leader throughout his life. To close associates, Wabwire’s victory in the polls is simply one more testament to the fact that he never tires from service.

Wabwire is currently the Gold Award Winner of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, a non-formal education and learning youth program currently operating in more than 130 countries. The awards were founded in the UK in 1956 by the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Wabwire during the alumni presidential debate held early this year.

Wabwire, a holder of a Master’s in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Milan, is currently the Executive Director of Faraja Africa Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that deals in digital story-telling and youth leader-mentorship.

Former students speak glowingly of Wabwire’s tenure as UCU guild president.

“He created a bridge between student leadership and the administration, which was quite a hard thing to do during that time,” Ronald Awany, a former student and now a communications assistant at UCU, says.

But that was then. Now, Wabwire said he wants to establish a leadership and business incubator for both UCU alumni and the entire UCU community. He intends to use the incubator to mobilize resources in order to avail UCU alumni, among other beneficiaries, loans and/ or grants for businesses.

Besides his impeccable leadership background, Wabwire also credits his tech savviness for giving him an edge over his competitors in the race for the alumni association chairperson. The campaigns were digital and the elections online, through the E-Chagua – an online voting application created by the university’s ICT department. Eligible voters would receive links through their email addresses registered prior to the voting day and, follow it to vote for the candidate of their choice.

Daphine Kumakune, the alumni office administrator, says voter sensitization and calls for voter registration were done on different social media platforms and reminders sent through emails to active members.

“I know it was a low turn-up, but, still, I was very sure of victory because I had campaigned very well and my voters knew what I had in my manifesto,” Wabwire said.

Background
Wabwire is the third of four children of Henry Nicholas Wabwire from Mbale in eastern Uganda. Growing up from a simple, God-fearing background, Wabwire’s spirit for leadership erupted at a tender age.

“I have been a leader from nursery school, where I was the class monitor. In primary school, I was a prefect and eventually became the head prefect,” he says. “In secondary school, I held many leadership positions in school clubs. However, the highest of them all was deputy head prefect.”

From 2008-2009, he worked with the Red Cross as the National Youth Council Treasurer for Mbale district. Later, in the same organization, he was assigned to lead the task force that oversaw rescue and rehabilitation at the occurrence of a major landslide that had left many homeless in Bududa and Butaleja districts, in the eastern Uganda. He was also the District General Secretary for the Uganda National Students Association for Mbale district.

Wabwire believes his service with Red Cross tickled his soft spot for charity work. “Initially, I wanted to be a lawyer, but after the Red Cross experience, I changed my mind into community service and social work,’’ Wabwire said, noting that the change of mind shifted his interest to development studies.

Like it usually is with many students, Wabwire struggled financially. During one of the semesters, he had failed to raise tuition fees. However, Uganda Partners was at hand to intervene.

“But I was saved by Uganda Partners, which topped up sh500,000 (about $137) on my tuition,” Wabwire said. “And I give them credit for their support toward students,” he added.

For now, we wait to see the fruits of Wabwire’s business incubator idea that he plans to implement during his term of office.

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UCU alumnus applies law degree skills as police officer

May 5, 2021News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

ASP Beyanga Cornelius poses in his police official uniform at one of the events at Naguru Police Headquarters. Photo by Police Media Team

By Lule Eriah

When Cornelius Beyanga was completing his Bachelor of Laws course at Uganda Christian University (UCU), he attended a talk during the institution’s Career Week. The presentation facilitator, then Uganda’s head of Police, Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, made a case for why it was beneficial for graduates to join the Police force. He made specific reference to a need for recruits with legal knowledge.

Having had a background of family members serving in the armed forces, Beyanga already saw working in the police or military forces as one professional option. Beyanga had three uncles who were serving in the military. The magnetic pull toward that work was made stronger during the career week talk.

When he completed school, Beyanga enrolled into the Police. And he was not alone with his legal background.

ASP Beyanga conducts a workshop in one of the Uganda police academies in the country early this year.

“During our entry into Police in 2014, we were 47 lawyers who joined,” Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Beyanga, a UCU 2011 Bachelor of Laws graduate, recalled. “I thank UCU for the Career Week that it organized. It is because of those career talks that I am what you see.”

He currently works in the Directorate of Human Rights and Legal Services of the Uganda Police, where he sits on a panel of six prosecutors of a Police tribunal. The tribunal was established as an internal mechanism for trying errant Police officers and guiding the Police disciplinary process. Beyanga’s work includes orientation of new recruits on the Police ethical codes of conduct in Police academies all over the country.

Before his current position in the Police, which he assumed in 2018, Beyanga was the deputy officer in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in Lwengo, a district in central Uganda. He also served as the Officer in Charge of Lamwo district in northern Uganda, from 2016-2017.

Dr. Anthony Kakooza, a former dean of the Faculty of Law, said: “I am pleased to see my students prosper in different fields. This encourages me to share knowledge more and enforce discipline in order to develop our nation.”

Edith Kamakune, the outgoing speaker of the UCU Alumni Association and Beyanga’s former classmate, is not surprised by achievements in the Police. “Our class was full of serious people. No wonder, Beyanga is in the Police to fight for the oppressed as he used to say,” she added.

When he rests his gun, Beyanga’s other hand picks up a hoe. He owns an agro-produce company called Cousin Factor Uganda Limited, established in Mbarara, western Uganda. This produces coffee, bananas and also deals in livestock farming.

“I am working hard to become one of the remarkable farmers in the country,” Beyanga, who hopes to make a demonstration, says. The father of two children, he is married to an alumna of UCU.

He hopes his colleagues in the forces can borrow a leaf out of his entrepreneurial endeavors, so that they diversify their sources of income while making a positive impact in various careers.

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Ntege dances off stage, ending her ‘tour of duty’ as UCU librarian

May 3, 2021News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Retiring Librarian Monica Nabagala Ntenge and guests enjoy a meal outside the UCU Learning Commons Room at Ntege’s farewell party.

Story and Photos By Jimmy Siyasa

“Time limits are good things. No matter how good a dancer you are, you must leave the stage.”

This quote, attributed to former Congolese politician Patrice Lumumba, came to mind when Uganda Christian University (UCU) bid its recent farewell to the campus’ long-serving librarian, Monica Nabagala Ntege.

For half of the time she has spent on earth, Ntege has been serving UCU. She retires at 65, which is the university’s age of passing the baton.

“UCU has been my home. UCU has made me what I didn’t even expect to be. And I thank all of you for being part of that making,” Ntege told guests at a farewell party organized in her honour on April 26, by the Human Resource Department.

“It’s been a long journey. Some people were asking me to request for a contract extension. But the university retirement age is clear and we have to uphold it.”

Ntege is credited for many initiatives during her tenure, including starting a library choir whose sweet melodies always formed part of the ambiance outside the Hamu Mukasa Library whenever they met to practice.

Ntenge serves cake to Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi and former Vice-Chancellor, the Rev. Can. Dr. John Senyonyi, at her farewell party.

Top UCU managers, led by the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi and his two deputies – John Kitayimbwa and David Mugawe – as well as former Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Can. Dr. John Senyonyi and his wife, Ruth, were part of the team that convened at the UCU Learning Commons Room to celebrate Ntege’s dedicated service.

Senyonyi exalted Ntege for upholding Christian values and inspiring her subordinates.

“As Vice Chancellor, I visited the (library) staff several times,” he said. “And I saw her to be a mother, so caring and loving to the staff. Thank you for leaving the library without a scandal.”

Senyonyi added: “She could have actually served very easily as an Assistant Chaplain. Her interest in the spiritual life and spiritual vibrancy of this university is something that I can attest to.”

Ntege’s strong Christian values are reflective of a conventional brand of Christianity that was popular in the early 1930s, as espoused by an Anglican movement then known as the East African Revivalists.

Her not-beating-around-the-bush approach to life could have rubbed some students the wrong way, but it, no doubt, won Ntege admiration from not only “people that matter,” but also those to whom truth matters.

“I am so obliged to celebrate your hard work. I have not worked for long with Monica, but for the few months I have been here, a few things have struck me about her; she is someone who is natural.” Assoc. Prof. Mushengyezi said.

One of the things the library staff will miss about Ntege are the pancakes that she would bake for them. “Every small thing she had, she shared with us. She made sure we had something, especially for breakfast,” Annet, a front desk officer at the library, said.

A daughter of Mr and Mrs. Isaac and Ekiria Ntege, who were both primary school teachers, Ntege is the eighth of 14 children. Both her parents have since died. Ntege joined Nabisunsa Girls School for O’level at 11 years and later proceeded to Trinity College Nabbingo for A’level. It was at Nabbingo where she gave her life to Christ, at 17 years. She later enrolled to pursue a Diploma in Library course at Makerere University.

Ntege joined Bishop Tucker Theological College on June 1, 1988, as the Assistant Librarian. Bishop Tucker Theological College became UCU in 1997. Before joining Bishop Tucker Theological College, Ntege worked at Kibuli Secondary School in Kampala as a librarian.

To sharpen her competence edge, Ntege flew to England to study a bachelor’s degree in library studies, which she completed in 1996. At the time, there were plans to transition from a theological college into a university, so she needed the academic qualification to work in a university library. World Council of Churches sponsored her course in England.

In 1999, Ntege returned to England to pursue a master’s degree in library services at the Loughborough University.

Upon her return, Ntege was employed as the Deputy University Librarian, a position she held till 2015, when she became the Librarian, upon the retirement of Dr. Frederick Mukungu, who held the position.

As a child, Ntege’s parent taught her to appreciate reading. While she says her father did not know much English, he often bought for them books to read, to sharpen their literacy. It is no surprise that the grammar Nazi once punished Frank Obonyo, currently the UCU Communications and Marketing Manager, in his student days, for poor punctuation.

In her retirement, Ntege plans to open a bookshop, so she can “strengthen the reading culture among children.”

Ntege leaves the library in the able hands of David Bukenya, who has been deputizing her. Bukenya will be the acting University Librarian.

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Two UCU soccer players help team secure 5th trophy

April 30, 2021News, Sports, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Fred Atuhwera, UCU student and star soccer player with the Gomba Lions

By Ivor Sempa and Joseph Lagen

Two final-year students of Uganda Christian University (UCU) were among the players who helped their team win a soccer tournament at the finals played at the picturesque St. Mary’s Stadium, Kitende, off Entebbe Road. For their outstanding performance, Fred Atuhwera, Derrick Mbowa and teammates helped their team – Gomba Lions – walk home with a sh12m (about $3,300) cash prize after roaring past the Buddu Buddu Football Club (FC).

Part of the award money is distributed among the football players and part supports administration of the club.

Twenty-three-year-old Fred Atuhwera is a final-year student of Bachelor of Business Administration, while Derrick Mbowa, 24, is pursuing a Bachelor of Procurement & Logistics Management course, also in his final year.

The Masaza Cup tournament, held since 2004, was one of the sports activities affected by the Covid-19 lockdown imposed on sports in the country last year. As a result, the competition, which usually attracts a record number of spectators in the country, started six months later, in December 2020. The finals, held on March 6, were played behind closed-doors to fans. Attendance was only by invitation. The tournament is played by the local administrative units in Buganda, called counties. Buganda is the biggest kingdom in Uganda.

Atuhwera, a three-time winner of the Masaza Cup, is a central defensive midfielder. UCU also has had the opportunity of benefitting from his immense talent. In 2019, Atuhwera helped UCU win the soccer league of Uganda’s University Games.

Atuhwera’s three medals in the Masaza Cup have come with three different teams – Mawokota in 2015, Buddu in 2016 and the most recent, Gomba.

UCU student and soccer player, Derrick Mbowa

On the other hand, Derrick Mbowa is an attacking midfielder on UCU’s soccer team, the Cardinals. For four years, Mbowa has been part of the university soccer team, until 2020, when he retired from competitive university sports. Mbowa has also previously played for other counties in the Masaza Cup, such as Kyaggwe FC.

When asked about the performance of Atuhwera and Mbowa, the coach of Gomba Lions, Ambrose Kirya, said: “These two players have helped the team win and their names will remain etched in the Masaza Cup history.”

For his outstanding performance, Atuhwera was named the best central defensive midfielder of the 2020 competition, while Mbowa scored one of the three goals that helped his team roar to victory.

Kirya lauded the vibrancy of Uganda’s University League, saying it is from there that he scouted Atuhwera and Mbowa. He tasked other universities with borrowing a leaf from the books of UCU’s level of organisation and commitment to develop the game of soccer.

Atuhwera said: “Winning has always been a part of me. While I am excited, it is normal for me to win trophies as I have done back home at UCU. Winning for UCU brings me particularly more joy because I get to represent the university’s students.”

Mbowa, who will be leaving the university soon, pledged commitment to help his alma mater, even when he is out. “I am proud to have served UCU and I pledge to bring more young talent to the university, in order to grow the team,” he said, adding: “I send my appreciation to all those in UCU who have always believed in me.”

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New journalism curriculum reinforces ‘industry ready’ learning

April 28, 2021News, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

UCU journalism students have a discussion at the University Guild Park.

By Ivan Tsebeni

Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies has adopted a new curriculum that aims at bridging the gap between training institutions and the practical world.

The curriculum implementation has started with the first-year students who joined the university for the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication (BAJC) on March 1, 2021. Until its implementation, the journalism program at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) was called Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication (BAMC).

The faculty dean, Prof. Monica Chibita, said the changes in the curriculum are aimed at “shooting several birds with one stone.” Chibita noted that the first aim was to address the requirement of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) that curriculums should be revised every three years.

“But the faculty also has used the same opportunity to redirect the curriculum to address the questions of ethical practice, gender and the faculty’s performance,” she noted. “Our goal is to produce students who are industry-ready and ethical in practice.”

Building that houses leadership for the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies.

To achieve the goals, the faculty made changes in some of the course units. The new course units introduced include Media and Information Literacy; Introduction to Journalism and Media Studies; Journalism and Political Communication; Economics and Business Journalism; Data Journalism; Media, Gender and Social Justice; and Understanding Journalism, Media and Communication.

Chibita said the new curriculum was approved by the university’s senate and NCHE, which allowed the faculty to launch it this semester, using blended learning.

Dr. Emily Comfort Maractho, the Head of Department of Journalism and Media Studies, said the faculty labors a lot to respond to the dynamic demands in the media industry.

She noted that the areas tackled under the new curriculum are of “great importance” in defining the future of journalism.

“We have introduced writing in almost every semester. We believe that the writing skills are helpful in restructuring the profession of journalism,” she said. “It has been our desire to improve journalism performance in Uganda.”

The changes in the curriculum have been welcomed by the journalism and communication students.

Marvian Kadu, a third-year student, said the curriculum will yield more and better results and lauded the faculty for what he called progressive transformation.

Andrew Bugembe, a second-year Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication student, said he expects the new curriculum to help them improve their writing skills, which he said is the ‘backbone’ of journalism.

“Without writing skills, a journalist is incomplete. It is encouraging to see the faculty giving it priority,” Bugembe said.

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Writing, evangelism keep Senyonyi company in retirement

April 26, 2021Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, NewsPatty Huston-Holm

Former UCU Vice Chancellor Dr. John Senyonyi speaks during a Zoom session held at the time of his university retirement in mid-2020.

By Esther Byoona

When he was retiring from university service last year, former Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor Dr. John Musisi Senyonyi said he would carry two main passions into retirement. The passions for the 65-year-old revered preacher, mathematician, evangelist, husband, father and grandfather are theology and writing.

In the midst of a packed schedule as Vice Chancellor, Senyonyi often afforded time to write messages to preach to students during the bi-weekly community worship sessions in the main campus’ Nykoyoyo Hall. He also contributed regular articles for not only the university’s The Standard community newspaper, where he had a column, but also national publications like New Vision and Daily Monitor.

Senyonyi retired from the Vice Chancellor position in August 2020 after serving UCU for 19 years. He joined the institution in 2001 as university chaplain. Two-and-a-half years later, Senyonyi was the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of finance and administration. In 2010, he replaced the university’s founding Vice Chancellor, Prof. Stephen Noll.

So, six months into retirement and now moved off the Mukono campus to his home on Mukono Hill, how far is Senyonyi with the activities that he said would keep him company during retirement?

“There’s a manuscript I did while in the theology school that was recommended for publication, but it was not done,” he said. “When I retired, I decided to work on it, to see if it is still relevant. Now, I am done working on it.”

Dr. Senyonyi’s manuscript focused on the preaching of Bishop Festo Kivengere. He said the title could change, but when he was writing the thesis, he called it “philosophy of evangelization.” He related it to his context in the East African Revival. Kivengere is a former Anglican leader in Uganda.

Dr. Senyonyi explained that in the days after the martyrdom of Archbishop Janani Luwum, the theme that became prominent in Bishop Festo’s preaching was love. He talked about the love of God, as well as the love for our enemies. In 1977, Festo co-authored a book titled I love Idi Amin: The Story of Triumph under Fire in the Midst of Suffering and Persecution in Uganda. The title and content, Dr. Senyonyi explained, were unthinkable at the time.

Senyonyi said he has completed working on the manuscript. “There were many mistakes, but I’m thankful someone could type it in because the original manuscript was on a (now outdated technological) floppy disk, which I lost, but I still had a hard copy.”

Senyonyi also had edited a book for his long-time friend, Mark Blair, a former lecturer at the Bishop Tucker Theological College and now a pastor in Beijing. He edited a small part of what Blair was writing. He further explained that Blair wanted some assurance regarding his work, especially if the facts were accurate.

The other book Senyonyi edited was on his father-in-law, the late Bishop Misare Kauma, who wrote about suffering, which Senyonyi said was a reflection of his ministry as a pastor to people who were in anguish, especially from HIV/AIDS.

Senyonyi said Kauma was a very compassionate man and that he was instrumental in closing the gap between the church and those who were in need and the vulnerable. Kauma was one time the chairperson of the Uganda AIDS Commission.

Senyonyi also has a chapter in the book the Third Education Revolution that focuses on the education and the church. His chapter talks about his experience in the university and how the church and the university can work together to form a new cohort of graduates whose understanding of education is formed by the Christian worldview.

Before his retirement, Senyonyi narrated, there was an article he was given to write, regarding Christian education in Uganda. He says he has embarked on that, too.

Senyonyi noted that he is willing to write the history of UCU in a bid to preserve it. He has fears that a lot of the university’s history will be lost if it is not documented. Senyonyi particularly cites the death of former university librarian Frederick Mukungu, who, he believed, had a lot of knowledge about the university, but it was not documented. Mukungu, who worked at UCU for over 20 years, passed away on January 1, 2021. He had since retired from UCU and was the librarian at Muni University at the time of his death.

Two fairly recent documents, a 20th anniversary magazine in 2017 and a university prospectus in 2020, capture some of this history but not in depth.

Last but not least is a memoir. Senyonyi started his autobiography before retirement. He said he has been approached by many people who offered to write his life story. But Senyonyi believes that many biography writers do not do justice to biographies of the people they are writing about. That is why he is only confident in himself executing the task. He says the first chapter is a work in progress.

Clearly, Senyonyi’s plate looks full, but to him, there is still space for evangelization. As recently as January 31, he preached at the Nkoyoyo Hall, during the Sunday services. He said preaching is something he loves to do and he says he will comfortably do it along with writing.

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Work on UCU’s Bishop Tucker Road stalls

April 23, 2021News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Part of the Bishop Tucker Road that is tarmacked

Story and Photos by Israel Kisakye and Joseph Lagen
It is commonplace for vendors on the Bishop Tucker Road to wipe thick dust off their merchandise. Some traders operating electronics shops have been forced to buy electric blowers to remove dusty grime from their displayed equipment. The road, 4.7 miles long, links the Kampala-Jinja highway to Namilyango. It is also the main road to the Mukono campus of Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Reagan Muyinda, a graduate of Bachelor of Public Administration and Management at UCU, operates one of those whose business – selling ice cream – affected by the state of the road. “My customers leave the shop immediately after buying ice cream because of the dust,” Muyinda says.

But dust is not the only challenge on the road, named after the Bishop Tucker Theological College (later becoming Uganda Christian University). The street is also riddled with pot-holes.

Part of the Bishop Tucker Road that is not tarmacked.

In December 2020, people operating businesses issued a sigh of relief when Mukono Municipality’s local council started renovations on the road. The constructors placed fresh tarmac on the section of the road from the Bus Stop on the Kampala-Jinja road to Wandegeya trading centre, just before the UCU small gate, a distance of about 0.4miles.

However, the excitement of the businesspeople was cut short. For now (mid-April 2021), the works on the road have stalled.

Nevertheless, the Mukono Municipal Council’s head engineer is hopeful the road repairs will be completed.

“We are working alongside the central government to get the construction done,” says Josiah Sserunjoji, an engineer who blames the snail pace of the construction on the lack of funds. “We are co-operating with the government to get enough funds to complete the road works.”

According to Sserunjoji, it costs a little over $880,000 to construct a mile on the road.

The Mukono Municipal Council says it is responsible for the section of road from the Bus Stop on the Kampala-Jinja Road up to the end of the university fence. After that, the responsible agency for managing the road is the national roads agency, the Uganda National Roads Authority. The money used by the Mukono Municipal Council for the road works comes from their fund of locally collected taxes.

UCU’s Director of Facilities and Capital Projects, Eng. David Kivumbi, says since 2010, they have been in discussions with the Mukono Municipal Council over the works on the Bishop Tucker Road.

“Sadly, we hit a dead end each time we hold the discussions,” Kivumbi, who is also in charge of construction works at the university, says. “While they promise to work on the road, all they do is fill the pot-holes with murram, which easily erodes.” Murram is laterite which is largely used for surfaces of seasonal roads in Africa.

Beyond the impact on businesses, the uneven, dusty road negatively effects the image of UCU, endangers pedestrians as they dodge vehicles weaving in and out of potholes and hinders UCU student travel to classes.

Lillian Nganzi, a final-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, said whenever it rains, the road becomes slippery for cars and foot travelers. Students’ clothing is covered with dust in dry weather and mud when it rains, causing discomfort and often delaying their time to classes.

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UCU students wash cars to raise money for sanitary pads

April 21, 2021News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention students pose while washing cars to raise money for teaching youth how to make re-usable sanitary pads.

By Dalton Mujuni
The day was March 12, 2021. The venue, Uganda Christian University (UCU) parking yard. The activity, car wash. The university was witnessing one of its first student-led charity activities upon their return from a year-long break, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A disturbing statistic drove the charity activity. The Non-Governmental Organization, World Vision, reports that insufficient menstrual hygiene management is responsible for 10% of the dropout rate of girls in primary schools in Uganda. The data unsettled a group of UCU third-year Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention students, up to the point of organizing a fund-raising car wash.

The students are targeting girls in Bugujju, a poor neighborhood near the university’s Mukono campus, with basic menstrual hygiene necessities. Suzan Venusto Kaluma, one of the students, said their intention is to empower up to 100 youths in Bugujju with skills in making re-usable sanitary pads. The car wash has given them a financial boost to kick-start possible other activities; the students collected sh200,000 (about $55) in one day of washing cars.

Whereas a pack of disposable sanitary pads can cost as low as $1, many children from poor families in Uganda cannot afford them. According to the World Bank, more than a third of Uganda’s population lives below $1.9 a day.

Previously, the government had promised to give school girls free sanitary pads, but the promise did not materialize. The government later said it had no funds to implement the promise. Money raised by UCU students will allow the purchase of cloth the girls can use to make pads that can be washed for re-use.

Kaluma said they were concerned about the high school dropout levels in Uganda that are attributed to the lack of self-esteem caused by insufficient access to sanitary pads by young girls.

She noted that high poverty levels in the country were the root cause of the challenges the young girls face and that it was the reason they were compelled to consider equipping youth with skills to make re-usable pads.

The team leader of the students, Emmanuel Sanyu, said: “Bureaucracy in Uganda has caused a big gap between the central government and the people at the grassroots, compelling young leaders like us to step forward and fill the gap with such initiatives, so as to mitigate the effects of this divide.”

The students expressed their gratitude to the university administration for supporting them with free water to use for washing cars.

They also said the Director of Students Affairs, Mrs. Bridget Mugume K. Mugasira, had promised them some financial assistance through her department.

Sandra Abara, a student from Makerere University Business School (MUBS), who participated in the campaign, said there were similar campaigns at her university.

The same group conducted a similar project for Bidibidi Refugee camp in northern Uganda in February 2020, where they empowered hundreds of youths with the life skills. In Bidibidi, they taught the camp settlers the skill of making reusable pads and also used a football game to sensitise the residents about the dangers of domestic violence.

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Host families come to the rescue of international students during Covid-19 lockdown

April 17, 2021COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

Eziuzo Chizoba Oluebubechukwu (far right) with Kampala family and friends who hosted her during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Story and Photos By Grace Bisoke
March 18, 2020, began like any other day for many people in Uganda. President Yoweri Museveni was set to address the nation that Wednesday evening. The issue of coronavirus disease was to take center stage in his remarks.

To the members of the President’s cabinet who had had a meeting two days before, this address was not an ordinary one. There were major decisions agreed upon. And the President was expected to make the communication public. Among that public were Uganda Christian University (UCU) faculty and national and international students.

Some of the issues had already leaked to the press. In fact, that day, the lead headline in the New Vision, Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, was Government to Suspend Church Services. Not many people believed this. And they were right to have doubts. As of that Wednesday, there had been 200,179 confirmed Covid-19 cases in 163 countries. Of those, 7,958 had died. And Uganda was not part of those statistics.

At 8 p.m., Museveni began his address by educating the nation about Covid-19 and how it was spread. One of his pronouncements confirmed the lead headline in the New Vision that day. “In the interest of our people’s health, prayers in churches, mosques, open air prayers and services should be suspended …with immediate effect,” Museveni said.

Munyakazi Mugabe Alexis, standing in front of Senyonyi and Eva Nsibambi university halls, where he stayed during the nationwide lockdown.

But before announcing the closure of prayer places, Museveni had announced the closure of schools, starting March 20, 2020. “All these institutions, without exception, should close so that we deny this virus high concentration. We don’t want the virus to find dry grass ready for ignition,” Museveni said.

As students were still coming to terms with the abrupt closure of schools, the borders and the international airport, too, were closed two days later – adding to the anxiety of UCU students from outside the country. Many opted to remain in the hostels where they were residing, but the unease increased as they ran out of cash. On May 12, 2020, the Daily Monitor, one of the English daily newspapers in Uganda, published a story, detailing how 300 students across universities had been stranded in hostels and were starving.

The resolution at UCU was host families. The administrator in charge of international students at UCU, Edgar Kabahizi, said that in conjunction with the UCU International Students Association, the stranded UCU students were assigned to the care of local families – Ugandan families, often in homes owned by UCU staff and clergy in Mukono. In normal times, Americans in the Uganda Studies Program have the option of living with a local family or living on campus.

“We were stuck. We didn’t know what to do next,” said Shalom Talandira Mukhuva, a Malawian student pursuing a Bachelor of Public Health course at UCU, and who was among the beneficiaries of the warmth of a host home.

The host family chosen by the school gave me a warm welcome and a personal room,” he said, describing the care he received, including regular checks by Kabahizi, as “a good experience.”

For Eziuzo Chizoba Oluebubechukwu, a Nigerian student, her stay with a host family was an opportunity to learn new skills.

“I learned to make snacks like pancake and chapatti,” Chizoba, now in third year, pursuing a Bachelor of International Business, said. She appreciated the Christian practices, including morning and night-time prayers, in the home and being corrected when she made mistakes. Her stay, she said, was morally and spiritually enriching.

But there were some students who opted to reside in the campus halls of residence.

“I am glad that the university allowed me to remain at the campus and provided me with food and security,” said Munyakazi Mugabe Alexis, a Congolese, final-year Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering student. “Personally, I do not like staying with new people, because of culture shock.”

Mugabe and a handful of international students who chose to stay in the university halls were kept under close watch, lest they strayed and contracted the coronavirus disease and experienced too much loneliness. While appreciating the care, Mugabe said at times he felt frustration with the lack of freedom and requirements to have permission from the Director of Students Affairs or the warden to go outside the campus gates.

Schools were re-opened to final-year learners in October 2020. Many semi-finalists reported to school in March 2021. Other classes are expected to follow in a phased manner, until early June, when the last batch of the lower primary school, will be expected to report to school. Uganda’s higher institutions of learning were given the greenlight to conduct online studies in July 2020.

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From mockery, ‘I get the inspiration to climb high’

April 14, 2021News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

(Yasiri J. Kasango is a man with capabilities overcoming disabilities. He has thick skin. The life of the 25-year-old with height and sight impairments has been laced with mockery. But through the ridicule, he has found strength. Below, the Uganda Christian University third-year student in the Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication program narrates the trials he has faced due to his physical challenges.)

By Yasiri J. Kasango

Visual impairment is usually attributed to old age. For my case, I was born with the challenge. The trials with my sight cannot be corrected with prescription eye glasses or surgery. Medical professionals in Uganda label it “low vision.”

I stand more than a head shorter than the shortest person. When I asked my mother why I am this short, she told me that I was created like this. As a child, due to my unique height, wherever I passed, people would call me names. Pygmy was the most common. I used to get irritated. While in boarding school in Senior One at Bukoyo Secondary School in the eastern Uganda district of Iganga, I almost quit my education because of such harassment.

At school, we used to pick food from the dining hall and eat from our dormitories. Whenever I went to the dining hall to pick my food, students would follow me, shouting “pygmy.”

There were days when the bullying was so much that I didn’t eat. I slowly started losing my self-esteem. There were many occasions when I did not turn up for evening prep or eating in the dining hall because I had anxiety about the bullying. I made meals from the snacks I carried from home, which were meant to last me the whole term.

Despite the bullying, there were days I would wake up with the resolve that my happiness entirely depended on me. I chose not to pay attention to the mockery that I would get from fellow students. With this new attitude, I started getting leadership positions.

From Senior One to Senior Six, I was a student leader. For Senior One to Senior Three, I was a councillor on the country’s umbrella body for secondary school student leaders – the Uganda National Student’s Association (UNSA). From Senior Three to Senior Four, I was the external coordinator for UNSA. In Senior Five and Senior Six, I was a prefect in my school, in charge of lights, furniture and water.

So, how did I discover that I had low vision? In Primary Three, while at Covenant Primary School in Mbale, eastern Uganda, Mrs. Sylvia Mutungi, my former teacher, found out that I had a sight challenge. She told me to always move closer to the black board, to be able to see.

One day, she informed my father, Juma Mugabi, about my vision obstacle. My mother, Zain Mutesi Kasango, told me that when my father told her about what the teacher had said, she remembered that as a child, I always had challenges with my right eye. “You would cover the eye with one finger, in order to see well,” she told me.

Sometimes I was forced to squint, in order to see objects at a distance.

My mother said she usually slapped me whenever I put a finger on my eye. While in Primary Six, I went to an eye hospital, St. Benedictine Eye Care Center, in Tororo district, eastern Uganda. That is when I was diagnosed with low vision.

I was warned never to drive a car because of my challenges. The optician said I should also learn to live with my sight challenges since there were no lenses to correct my condition.

I was told that since my sight problem originates from the retina, it was difficult to find optical glasses that would solve the problem. However, I was given magnifying lenses for close range reading and a telescope to focus on the black board.

The telescope gave me short relief while reading things on the black board. However, it was only for use in class. But being a child, my telescope did not last for more than two terms. It fell and got damaged. In my final term, I went back to my usual struggle of moving closer to the black board. When I joined Senior One, I went back to the eye hospital.

After tests, I was given two lenses. The optician told me they were meant for reading only. Therefore, I had to struggle while walking on the road. Throughout my life, I usually find a person to walk with on busy roads.

One day, I was left home on a Sunday. My siblings and dad had gone to church. I, too, wanted to attend prayers that Sunday. I set off for church, alone. When I reached the point to cross the road, I waited until I could not hear the sound of any car. I crossed the road while running. To my surprise, there was a car coming, and it missed hitting me by a whisker.

The recent introduction of Computer Studies in A’ level as a subsidiary subject was a good initiative by the Ministry of Education and Sports in Uganda. However, to a student like me with a sight challenge, it was a disadvantage. The subject has two sections – theory and practical.

I struggled to do the practical exams because of my visual impairment and ended up getting a pass. I joined Uganda Christian University in 2017. At the university, I found a similar challenge. In my first year, I was supposed to study basic computing. For the practical coursework of basic computing, my lecturer, Mr. Henry Sseguya, helped and gave me “oral practical” coursework.

I thank teachers and lecturers who have helped to make studying a little easier for me than it would have otherwise been.

The nick names that people have always given me due to my challenges have, instead, been my source of strength. Whenever people called me pygmy, I get the inspiration to climb high. I wish all people who are naturally blessed differently – physically and mentally – can be considered just as important in society as those who seemingly blend in.

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Francis Okumu: UCU graduate who never saw the campus

April 12, 2021UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Francis Okumu (second right) and fiancée pose with friends.

Story and Photos by Jimmy Siyasa
Francis Okumu could be a modern-day Mordecai, a biblical exile who saw God’s hand draw him from a pit of peril and hopelessness. For Okumu, age 36, his challenge and lack of hope were two-fold: visual impairment and lack of funds.

He overcame these obstacles and graduated from Uganda Christian University (UCU) on December 18, 2020, with a Bachelor in Social Work and Social Administration (BSWSA) – even though his lack of transportation from Mudodo, a hamlet of Tororo district in eastern Uganda, meant he couldn’t be there in person. He had no funds to travel from his home to the UCU main campus 120 miles away.

Okumu and his fiancée, Abbo, when she visited him at UCU

He never scored below 4.00 GPA throughout his three years at UCU. He was one of the best students in his class of 82.

Okumu enrolled at UCU in September 2017 with hopes for a scholarship that didn’t initially materialize and an understanding that his sight problems would be a challenge.

“No other university or course of study was more ideal for me apart from (the social work program) at UCU,” he says. “I knew in UCU they would serve other students and me with that Christian heart. I also knew I would get more knowledge about God at UCU, as opposed to studying in a public university.”

Okumu says he wanted to avoid non-Christian institutions where lecturers seeking bribes for marks, sexual harassment and other vices would be more prevalent.

Keeping his focus on UCU, Okumu prayed. One morning in 2018 while he was in Tororo, he received a call from Kasule Kibirige, the head of department of Social Works and Social Administration. The purpose of the call was to tell Okumu that he could study at UCU for free.

“I knew it was God who had given me the chance,” he says. “I was surprised that my lecturers had been discussing how to help me and how they could bring me back to my dream campus.”

Kasule had lobbied the UCU Directorate of Teaching and Learning into absolving Okumu of paying fees. They would later grant him the green light for free meals, accommodation and education.

“I also knew the requirements of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) regarding people with disabilities,” Kasule said. ” I can confidently say that Okumu was among the top 10 students in his program who deserved all the help he needed.”

Okumu is a Jopadhola from Tororo. His mother, Alowo Angelina, died in 1991. He was survived by his father, Ochieng David, who later died in 1994. He was then left to the care of a paternal aunt. He lived in Bunya, one of the six traditional chiefdoms of Busoga kingdom in eastern Uganda. This was until 2001, when his grandmother succumbed to an unknown illness, while he was in primary five. He was then moved back to Tororo where he would live until adulthood, in the custody of a paternal aunt.

By infancy, Okumu already had optical complications that only worsened as time passed. As a child, he could make out colors, shapes, and his environment.

He often suffered severe eye ache that later escalated into monocular vision. Growing up from an impoverished family, Okumu’s father could only afford trivial treatment such as eye drops and only occasionally could he take the boy to a hospital in Busolwe, a town in Butaleja district. Mr. Ochieng’s shoestring budget could not warrant a proper oculist-appointment.

In 2003, Okumu completely lost sight.

“I remember, I woke up one morning and my eyes were paining. I could not see anything,” he said, with no emotion. “I felt very bad. Like my life had ended. But as I kept on moving, I realized that only God can help m–even if I had killed myself, it would not help.”

Okumu was introduced to Perkins Brailler while at Agururu Primary school in Tororo Municipality, Western Division. Thereafter, he joined St. Francis Madera secondary school of the blind in Soroti district. While in secondary school, senior six, his hope to ever see light again was shuttered when he was referred for a checkup to Benedictine Tororo Eye hospital. There, he was urged to stick to Braille because his eyes were beyond repair.

With UCU tuition fees, meals and accommodation sorted, Okumu still had other challenges. He needed a laptop with Braille and, at the end of his undergraduate studies, an aide to help him do research.

For his research, he could not single-handedly execute the mundane task. He needed a seeing pair of eyes to support him. Blessedly his faculty permitted him a research assistant with whom he analyzed data and typed the work. But Okumu had to pay him $40 for the job. This was a fortune, considering the former’s financial inhibitions.

To help disabled students who will in future seek to study from UCU and other Universities, his research topic was: Visual Impairment and Learning Capabilities of Students at the University.

Okumu hopes his undergraduate research will reveal some of the hurdles which learners with visual impairments face in higher institutions of learning. Most importantly, to him, the findings of the study will guide lecturers on how to not only best-handle students with the kind of impairment Okumu suffers, but also to assess the latter based on their learning capabilities.

Okumu says his desire after school is to serve the community and participate in charity works.

While in Tororo, Okumu has always volunteered as a counselor for his home church.

Okumu is now aiming to achieve two things: forging himself a career but also walking down the aisle with his fiancée, sometime in 2021.

Immaculate Abbo, said “Yes” to Okumu’s proposal in 2020. They have known each other since 2013, as church-mates, but only started dating in 2017. Abbo is a teacher of English and Religious education at Apex Junior School in Kireka, a suburb of Kampala. They plan to live together in Kireka. Abbo has no disabilities.

Okumu says he would be glad if he got an opportunity to do a master’s in theology.

“There are many poor people with disabilities who feel discouraged and think it’s over,” he said. “I want to motivate them.”

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Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology wins grants worth over $57,000

April 9, 2021Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, COVID-19, NewsPatty Huston-Holm

By Dalton Mujuni

When people have faith, God makes a way where there seems to be no way.

That is what He has done for the Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity at Uganda Christian University (UCU) during the ever-present Covid-19 period.

The Dean of Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, Rev. Prof. Dr. Christopher Byaruhanga, in office.

While most academic institutions in the country struggle to find funds because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to the education sector, the School has continued to receive providence in form of multiple grants for capacity building of its staff and refurbishment.

According to the Rev. Prof. Dr. Christopher Byaruhanga, the Dean of School, four of the UCU theology/divinity lecturers – Rev. Andrew Nalumenya, Rev. Rose Ekirunga, Rev. Hope George and Mr. Denis Ruhama are pursuing their Ph.D. studies in South Africa using grant funds.

The school has won several grants from different sources. The donors and amounts include the Overseas Council Australia, $5,000; Cornerstone Foundation, $33,000; and St. Augustine Foundation, $19,000.

Byaruhanga said the grant from the Oversees Council Australia is a two-in-one.

“They agreed to partner with us in terms of staff development at the Ph.D. level for the next 15 years and also granted us sh20m (just over $5,000) for purchasing laptops for the lecturers at the regional campuses to help with the on-line teaching during the Covid-19 period,” he said.

Overseas Council Australia is an Australian-based Organization that matches the interests of Australian donors and the need of their partner Bible colleges by educating and encouraging Australian Christians to understand the mission scene in the 21st Century.

Byaruhanga said that the sh123m ($33,000) from the Cornerstone Foundation USA is for the refurbishment of the Department of Theology at the Mbale Campus (Mbale University College). Cornerstone Foundation Australia Inc. is a Christian, interdenominational, non-profit organization registered as an incorporated body in Adelaide, and is affiliated to Cornerstone Foundation USA.

He revealed that the School bought space from a Primary School near the Mbale Campus for the Department of Theology. The Cornerstone Foundation money was directed towards renovating the block.

“The face-lifting of the block is going on very well, and the first phase is done,” he said.

Similarly, the sh69m ($19,000) grant from St. Augustine Foundation is intended to support the School’s Online Theological Education during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Byaruhanga noted that with the grant, they were able to procure other laptops for seven of the lecturers at the UCU Main Campus and fund on-line teacher trainings for the staff.

The St. Augustine Foundation is an international organization that supports the needs of individuals and communities that advance the Kingdom of God. It is an expression of St. Augustine’s directive “to hold all things in common.”

“The grants have not only impacted the School but the University at large,” Byaruhanga said.

During the 21st graduation ceremony on December 18, the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi commended Faculty heads, including Prof. Byaruhanga, for securing the grants.

The Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity is Uganda’s oldest theological School affiliated with the Church of Uganda. The school offers both undergraduate and postgraduate levels training in Theology, Divinity and Child Ministry.

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‘Mummy, I have told you, I want to pray alone.’

April 7, 2021News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

House of Rest existed as a church for over a decade on the top floor of the famous Fido Dido building on Kampala Road. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa

By Jimmy Siyasa and Joseph Lagen

On July 2, 2021, and during Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) 22nd graduation, Lorita Blessy Asiimwe will receive a Faculty of Business and Administration Bachelor of Human Resource Management degree – posthumously.

Lorita Blessy Asimwe, a victim of the March 2021 building collapse, was slated to graduate in July 2021 with a BA in Human Resource Management.

She will not have a physical presence to cap off 19 years of study from primary through postsecondary. Her young, lifeless body was pulled on March 16 from a partially collapsed church where, ironically, she had gone to pray for a long life and prosperity. Asiimwe, who joined UCU in 2017, was among the more than 30 members of the Kampala, Uganda, House of Rest Church who had gathered for lunchtime prayers on the fateful day.

Eyewitnesses said when the church had a power outage, a technician climbed to the ceiling to see if he could fix the problem. However, that was not to be. He came tumbling down with the ceiling onto the worshippers.

Asiimwe was among those critically injured. She and other worshippers were rushed to the Mulago National Referral Hospital. There, she passed away.

At first, there were no indications that this Tuesday was unusual for Asiimwe. However, as others look back at events of the day, there were signs of difference.

Her mother, Ritah Bagyenda, had gone with her for the lunchtime fellowship at the church located on the top-most floor of an aging building on Kampala Road. Oddly, Asiimwe declined to sit with her mother for the fellowship.

“Mummy, I have told you, I want to pray alone. Please let me be,” Bagyenda quoted her daughter as telling her. Asiimwe sat on the side of the church that was badly affected by the collapsed ceiling. Bagyenda escaped unscathed.

A woman who preferred anonymity and claimed to be a survivor of the accident, showed Asiimwe’s photo off her phone to curious onlookers just after the collapse of the ceiling. Her account corroborated that of Bagyenda.

“They sat on opposite sides of the church. I saw her mother walk to her side before the start of the service. After failing to convince her daughter to sit with her, the woman went back to her seat,” the woman, who in her late twenties, said of Bagyenda and Asiimwe.

Another woman, identified as Maama Naava, also succumbed to injuries sustained in the accident.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Geoffrey Sam Oyelolobo at the Kampala Central Police Station said they were investigating the cause of the collapse of the ceiling.

In January 2020, six builders were killed and three others sustained serious injuries when a building under construction collapsed on them in the Kampala suburb of Kansanga. In May 20019, five people lost their lives after a wall fence collapsed on them during a downpour.

Asiimwe was buried in Kayunga district, central Uganda. Among the mourners at her burial was UCU Guild President Kenneth Amponda.

“We went to console with the family of our sister and colleague,” Amponda said. “The collapse of the ceiling was an accident, but it took away someone dear to us.”.

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‘This was not the Jesus I knew’

April 5, 2021Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Site of evangelism experience in day light

When Penelope Nankunda joined UCU in 2017, she attended an overnight prayer service at a hill about a kilometer (0.6 mile) away from the Mukono Campus. Penelope, ending her three-year program in 2021, shares this account to warn first-year students about religious activities outside UCU.

By Penelope Nankunda

The year before I joined the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus in Mukono in 2017, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. My hunger to know God was at its peak. I was willing to satisfy this hunger at any cost. That is when I met a person I will call Alex.

Alex (not his real name) had been coming to our first-year classroom at the University for close to three weeks. He came off as someone eager to spread the good news of the Lord. He did this through sharing his personal testimonies, scripture readings, praying and inviting my class to his Friday overnight prayers on a nearby hill with many names – Monkey Mountain, Prayer Mountain, etc.

I was captivated.

Alex was a very powerful speaker, seemingly well conversant with the word of God and very charming in an unsettling, Gothic manner. I desired to spend more time in the presence of God as well as seek a strong spiritual family to sustain me through my three-year academic journey at UCU. An overnight prayer event appeared to be a good opportunity to make that happen. After weeks of contemplating, and with a combination of excitement and guilt for this delay in what I perceived as my new-found journey in Christ, I prepared for the Friday overnight on the hill.

It was a decision I later regretted.

On that Friday evening after my dinner at 8 p.m., I rushed back to my bedroom to gather some things. At 9 p.m. I grabbed my black leather jacket in which I stuffed a handkerchief and my student passbook and ran for the door.

By 11 p.m., I was at the venue – a heavily dense forest with close to 30 meters (98 feet) of cleared trees with a cut-out tree trunk at the center. The weather had changed at the top of the hill and the atmosphere was now chilly with the moon as the only source of light. Slowly analyzing the scene, panic began to set in.

I was then informed that the overnight did not only consist of students from UCU, but also Kyambogo and Makerere University, and so we were to wait until they arrived.

At 11:30 p.m., the headlights of two vehicles slowly emerged up the hill pointing towards my direction, before parking nearby. Out of the vehicles, which were taxis, hopped out two dozen university students.

Amidst all the chatting and laughing, a male voice called out to all the students to form a circle. However, before forming the circle, we were told to place our bags, phones and coats onto the cut bark of the tree.

Once the circle was formed, a short man walked to the middle of the circle and began to sing some familiar songs of praise. He clapped his hands and sang as the rest of us followed. The sky grew darker. Now, I could only see people’s eyes.

Thirty minutes into the singing, I suddenly noticed a white Toyota Ipsum drive up the hill and park under a tree near our circle. Out of the vehicle came a tall, thin man dressed in a long dark overcoat (as though a tuxedo), a cap and what seemed to be gum boots. He walked towards the circle and stepped into the center, standing with a strong presence of command, hands held behind his back.

The singing was immediately brought to a halt as the song leader requested that we welcome our pastor with a thunderous clap.

“You are welcome to another mighty overnight; I am happy to see you all here,” said the pastor with a loud husky voice. “God loves you all, and it is because of this God that we are all here today. Therefore, open your hearts and receive his spirit today.”

As we resumed singing, the pastor pointed at me. Two young men walked towards me and instructed that I approach the pastor. I slowly walked up to where the pastor stood, right at the center of the circle. He took hold of me. He began to pray in tongues placing his hand on my chest, while bending me backward as though wishing for me to fall, but I did not. In less than a minute, he released me to return to where I was standing in the circle.

I resumed singing as I watched him call my neighbors. I saw students fall to the ground while others screamed, as the pastor placed his hand on their chests while praying, just as he had done to me.

Once he had finished praying for all the students, the pastor pointed at me again. I walked towards him. This time, the pastor whispered in my ear “open up your heart and let the spirit in. You are not opening your heart.”

I remained silent as he began to pray again, placing his hand on my chest and pushing me backwards, but again I did not fall. He released me.

At past Midnight, the pastor preached to us about a new way in which we were going to worship God. He explained to us that this way of worship was directed at calling the Holy Spirit, that it was new to most believers and three-dimensional. He then instructed us to make a circle around the incompletely cut tree bark where our properties sat and begin to rotate around the tree bark until he told us to stop.

As we rotated around the tree bark, the pastor told us to begin imitating how leopards roar in order to invite Jesus the lion of Judah. Everybody, it seemed, except for me began to roar loudly as they rotated around the tree bark.

The whole night was full of such strange activity as different groups of people performed different rituals. This was not the Jesus I knew from worship on the UCU campus. At one point, a few other students and I attempted to leave the hill but failed, because Alex followed us and nudged our return. I could only leave at sunlight.

Needless to say, this is not an experience I repeated. While I realize there are different ways that different people come to Christ, this is not the means endorsed and provided by UCU. In fairness, there is much good on that hill, including tent housing for the homeless.

I am narrating this account to advise other students to be more discerning to avoid falling prey to religious activities outside the University.

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‘This Ph.D. is not mine…This was purely God’s grace.’

April 2, 2021News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Dr. Isaac Wasswa Katono, left, and son, Jim Katono, at one of their projects.

By Jimmy Siyasa

With a new doctorate degree under his belt, Dr. Isaac Wasswa Katono is eager to live his wish of being among the most cited scholars from Uganda Christian University (UCU). In December 2020, the former dean of the Faculty of Business and Administration at UCU graduated with a Ph.D. in Business Science and Entrepreneurship from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. That journey further reinforced his passion and understanding of the value of research for publication.

Metric data from the Web of Science reveals a promising, proactive researcher whose impact has risen steadily since 2010. ResearchGate, a European commercial social networking site for scientists and researchers, shows that Dr. Katono has 16 publications, 7,029 Reads and 382 citations. This places him at the pinnacle of UCU’s distinguished scholars. GoogleScholar has juried his research on action-based entrepreneurship training, automatic teller machine quality and government impact of multi-party politics, among others.

Katono does not simply bask in the glory of his Tudor bonnet. He always has his scholarly sleeves rolled up.

Dr. Isaac Wasswa Katono in his office at UCU.

“Currently, I have a list of 10 papers, which I am supposed to have finished and published, because I already have the data,” he said. “I pray for God’s peace because all I now need is to sit down and do my data analysis. God willing, I will have executed all of them by year’s end.”

Not only Google but friends and colleagues attest to Katono’s unwavering zeal for research.

“One thing I know about him is his passion for research,” said Richard Sebaggala, a lecturer of Economics. “He encourages us to do research and always looked out for opportunities for staff to upgrade their studies when he was still Associate Dean in the faculty. Dr. Katono is also a very humble person.”

Everything about Dr. Katono, 65, seems mellow and simple. His office space is unlike a typical Ugandan office; it is clean and clear of old, dusty files or piles of papers. While a Ph.D. somewhat warrants its bearer in Uganda and some other developing countries some pomp, Katono brushes off that elevated status.

He says, “This Ph.D. is not mine. It is for my benefactors. But most importantly, it’s not a fruit of my labor. This was purely God’s grace. And you should emphasize that…”

Dr. Katono and wife, Christine, at a recent traditional marriage ceremony.

Katono’s graduation ceremony in South Africa happened (virtually, due to Covid-19) in December, just as UCU’s 2020 virtual graduation ceremony did. He was the only graduate from the UCU Faculty of Business and Administration, let alone being the only Ugandan from his Ph.D. class of 2020 from the South African-based university.

His PhD thesis is titled: “Cultural Predictions of Entrepreneurial Orientation and the Moderating Role of Entrepreneurial Competencies on Graduate Entrepreneurial Intentions: A Cross-Sectional Survey of East Africa. The research focuses on the impact of culture on entrepreneurial orientation.

Dr. Katono was admitted to UCT in 2012 but wasn’t able to join until 2016 because of lack of funds.

“When I received the news of my admission, I shouted and all the neighbors came,” he said. “I knelt down and thanked God… My admission for the Ph.D. was absolutely by God’s grace. Not my performance or intellectual prowess.”

After his admission, Katono applied to the UCU Staff Development Committee for a scholarship. His fingers were crossed to receive the financial award. To his shock, Katono was granted a full scholarship by UCU. To him, this was a miracle as the $70,000 cost of private pay sponsorship was insurmountable.

From his Ph.D. research, Dr. Katono established that the rate of unemployment in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania is appallingly high. “Many graduates cannot be employed in the formal sector because jobs are not there,” he argues.

He attributes this “tragedy” to the unfavorable cultural/ entrepreneurial orientation in the countries in question. A common string he found tying youth in the three societies is retro activeness and poor attitude toward risk-taking.

He calls upon students and youth at large to embrace risk-taking, be proactive and undertake entrepreneurial ventures. Dr. Katono further argues in his thesis that the education curriculum in these countries must change to solve the problem.

“We don’t let the students think for themselves under the current curriculum,” he said. “We simply cram them with notes, which we expect them to reproduce during exams.”

Katono’s natural business acumen evolved after acquiring a Bachelors of Science from Makerere University in 1979. He was charged with running the family business – a secondary school called Seeta College where he was Principal for six years. Thereafter, he joined Kasuru Enterprises, an agricultural company in Uganda, where he was head of agrarian projects. In 1995, he quit and enrolled for an MBA at the Makerere faculty of commerce.

Earlier in 1986, at age 30 years, Dr. Katono invested in a company called Wasswa Katono’s Hatchery. He bought 50 acres of land in Njeru, Mukono district, for the project. It still stands to date. Dr. Katono hopes that his children can master the art of business management, learn the fundamental principles so that they can effectively manage the estates, assets and reputation that he has curved out of unstinting effort.

Dr. Katono counts himself blessed because he saw UCU at its beginning stage as it hatched from Bishop Tucker School of Theology in 1997 to become the “Center of excellence in the heart of Africa” as a university with other faculty. He went to Bishop’s Primary school Mukono and Bishop Senior Secondary school, in Mukono – both schools adjacent to UCU. Thereafter. he joined Kololo Secondary School, in Kampala, from where he attained a high school certificate. He is married to Christine Katono for 40 years. Together, they have four children.

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Covid-19: UCU revises graduation program for 2021

March 31, 2021COVID-19, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Graduates celebrate after graduation ceremony on October 11, 2019.

By Ivan Tsebeni

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has announced that this year’s graduation ceremonies will be held in July and October – a departure from the usual March, July and October ceremonies. Another change in the ceremonies will be their virtual nature, as opposed to the usual in-person attendance, thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic.

A memo to the students, signed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. John Kitayimbwa, says the July 2 event also will involve the other campuses and constituent colleges of UCU. The university has two constituent colleges – Bishop Barham University College, Kabale, and UCU Mbale University College – and three campuses – in Mukono, Kampala and Arua.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, UCU would hold three graduation ceremonies at the main campus in March, July and October and one at each of its constituent colleges during a 12-month period. The two constituent colleges would hold their ceremonies a few weeks after the primary one at the main campus. However, world over, the disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have made institutions to move to a fully virtual graduation ceremony or a hybrid one, with just a handful of the graduands attending in person.

Graduates excited after their graduation at UCU Mukono-based campus in July 2018.

Kitayimbwa said no student will be allowed to graduate before clearing with all the university’s departments. The July event, which will be the 22nd graduation of the university, will also be the second time UCU holds a virtual graduation, after its maiden online event held on December 18, 2020. In the December 2020 graduation, only guild officials and graduands who had attained a first-class degree were allowed to attend in person.

UCU’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Dr. Olivia Nassaka Banja, noted that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic have made it impossible to run a normal graduation plan of up to five in-person ceremonies a year. Dr. Banja said the decision on when to hold the graduation ceremony was made by the University Council.

“Covid-19 has disrupted the program, so the University Council thought it wise to hold the graduation only in July and October, to give students ample time to clear their dues and the transcripts office to finalize the processes (of getting the transcripts and certificates ready),” she said.

Commenting about the changes, Prof. Monica Chibita, the Dean of Faculty of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies, said everyone is in a “period of reading and learning” how to live in a new normal and that she was sure the university will “go forward,” despite the existing challenges.

Janet Natula, a final-year student of the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration course, said although the new arrangement has hampered the graduation plans of those who expected the ceremony to be held in March, the university had to adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

Another final-year student, Andrew Semujju, pursuing Bachelors of Arts in Education, said the extension of the graduation date does not worry him much. After all, and most importantly, he has completed studies all but a ceremony.

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UCU Law Student beats decades-older candidates in election

March 29, 2021News, Students, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

By Lule Eriah

Before January 2021, the closest Mary Immaculate Wabuyele had been to politics was campaigning for other candidates.

In 2018, she was the campaign manager of Joshua Wanambwa, who was contesting for the position of Uganda Christian University (UCU) guild president. Wanambwa lost in that election. The following year, guild presidential candidate Timothy Kadaga brought Wabuyele on board as his campaign manager. This time round, Wabuyele’s candidate won.

Wabuyele during the campaign. Courtesy photo.

When Wabuyele, a fourth-year student of law at UCU, declared her intentions of contesting herself in national politics last year, she took many by surprise. It was even more surprising that the novice emerged victorious over contenders two decades older than her. For the next five years, she will represent Goma division in Mukono as a councillor in the local council three. She assumes office in June this year.

In Uganda, councillors monitor performance of the civil servants in their jurisdiction, ensure compliance of government policies, approve budgets of the respective local government, as well as monitor provision of government services.

Wabuyele attributes her victory to the support from her friends and family. The tenacity of the 23-year-old could have been passed down from her mother, Lorna Wabwire, the sole provider her daughter’s tuition especially since the death of her husband in 2018.

“I don’t know the right way to explain how Mary has brought prestige to this home,” said an emotional Wabwire. “I can’t imagine that my girl represents all these people in the division.”

Wabuyele’s poster used during campaigns. Courtesy photo.

For a novice politician who only showed up to campaign twice a week due to the stringent academic schedule of the law school, one would understand the source of Wabwire’s emotion.

“I thank God that in spite of having less time to campaign, compared to my fellow contestants, the people of Goma still trusted me with their votes,” Wabuyele said. She contested on the National Unity Platform party ticket. Many candidates who contested on the same party ticket in central Uganda emerged victorious because of the party’s popularity in the area.

Her greatest challenge during the campaign trail was the language barrier. She was reaching out to not only the uneducated people, but also people with diverse dialects, the majority of whom do not understand English.

“Since I was young and educated, if I had tried to use English during the campaigns, it would be construed as a mockery of their illiteracy,” she said. “Besides, some were already indifferent about the fact that I am a young woman who aspired to lead them.” The two contenders who Wabuyele defeated were her mother’s age.

“I was very shocked when Mary told me she had joined national politics. In fact, till now, I am still shocked she won,” Carle Uwitingiyimana, a student pursuing a course in procurement and logistics, said. “I believe one day, she will become a Member of Parliament for the area.”

For now, Wabuyele has the uphill task of elevating her impoverished community by ensuring that the government services in the area reach the intended beneficiaries. Most of the residents are subsistence farmers.

“As a woman councillor, I want to lobby for my people from this society, so that I can inspire socio-economic development in the area,” Wabuyele said. Should she achieve this goal, voters may find it easy to give her another nod for an electoral office five years from now, if she chooses to contest.

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