Nkurunungi Seth Niwabiine said he was honest with his classmates about his financial status. Therefore, many pooled resources to support his campaign for Barham Guild President.
By Pauline Luba The leadership journey that Nkurunungi Seth Niwabiine started in May 2023 was not for the fainthearted. His courage was resolute. With faith, he forged challenges.
The 24-year-old had just made public his longtime desire of leading Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bishop Barham University Campus (BBUC) as its guild president. That particular semester, Niwabiine says he had reported to school with sh10,000 (about $2.6) as money for upkeep. Many who knew Niwabiine’s financial status thought his ability to fund his campaign was wishful thinking.
Niwabiine’s campaign poster
“No matter where you come from or what your background is, be positive,” Niwabiine said during a late November interview with Uganda Partners. “My personal motto is ‘believe, begin, become’.” Indeed, he believed he could win. On November 11, 2023, he did. He became the university’s guild president.
But Niwabiine’s was no ordinary campaign. He was honest with his classmates about his financial status and, therefore, many of those who campaigned for him did not expect compensation.
“In my first meeting (to strategize about how to conduct the campaigns), only five students showed up and I was honest about having no money,” Niwabiine said. “I ended up receiving contributions and help from several students.”
As luck would have it, on voting day, Niwabiine said his name was the first on the paper ballot. Could that opportunity have worked to sway fence-sitting voters who could have opted for any candidate whose name was first on the ballot? Perhaps, but Niwabiine says he believes voters knowingly chose him because he was the best among the contestants.
To Niwabiine’s mother, Mary Aida Nkurunungi, her son’s victory was a family triumph. Nkurunungi said she informed almost every relative she could reach about the new pride of the family. She said she not only often talks to her son on phone, but also prays for his successful tenure as guild president.
There is no doubt his father, Eric Nkurunungi Muhoozi, would have been just as excited. However, the day Niwabiine reported to school to start his journey of university education was the same day Muhoozi complained of pain and was rushed to hospital. Tests at hospital revealed he had liver complications. Three months later, those complications claimed his life.
That tragedy catapulted Niwabiine, as the first born in a family of five children, to fill the leadership void that his father had left in the family. He would often engage in different money-generating activities, with the hope that they would supplement whatever his peasant mother got in her pursuit to put bread on the table. Tasks like brick laying and farming were common activities from which Niwabiine and his family earned a livelihood.
The manifesto of Niwabiine, a year-three student of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship, is built on accountability, security, advocacy and welfare of the students. He said he will strive to establish a cash fund, to support the tuition of needy but bright students, especially those from humble backgrounds.
Niwabiine attended Ishasha Primary School and Rushoraza Secondary School for O’level and and Kyamakanda Secondary School for A’level. All the three schools are found in western Uganda. In both primary and secondary school, Niwabiine was a student leader, including holding the position of head prefect.
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His Grace, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, gives East Busoga Bishop Rt. Rev. Paul Hannington Suubi a pastoral staff during his enthronement on November 19, 2023.
By Irene Best Nyapendi The Church of Uganda is celebrating two milestones. The double commemoration is about East Busoga, Uganda’s newest diocese, which was inaugurated on November 19, 2023, and, the same event, the consecration of Rt. Rev. Paul Hannington Suubi and his enthronment as its first bishop. East Busoga became the country’s 39th diocese of the Anglican Church after approval by the provincial assembly in August 2022.
His Grace, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda and Chancellor of Uganda Christian University (UCU), blessed the twin celebration at Stephen’s Cathedral in eastern Uganda’s Bugiri district. The event was marked under the theme: To proclaim the gospel in accordance with Christ’s commission to make disciples of all nations.
“I, Stephen, by divine permission, Archbishop of Church of Uganda, do now declare that East Busoga has been duly inaugurated as the 39th diocese in the province of the Church of Uganda with its headquarters at St. Stephen’s Bugiri, in the name of God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit,” Kaziimba declared.
Kaziimba consecrated Suubi and urged him to heed to reading the Bible, exhortation and doctrine.
“Think upon the things contained in this book,” he counseled. “Be diligent in them that the increase coming thereby may be manifest unto all people.”
The archbishop asked Suubi to take good care of the flock.
“Be to the flock of Christ a shepherd, not a wolf; feed them, and devour them not,” Kaziimba said. “Hold up the weak, heal the sick, bind up the broken and be so merciful, that you be not too remiss, minister discipline that you forget not mercy; that when the chief shepherd shall appear you may receive the never fading crown of glory.”
He dedicated the new cathedral and presented to Suubi the episcopal staff, which he said was of big significance in pastoral duties.
The new East Busoga Bishop, Rt. Rev. Paul Hannington Suubi takes his oath of service before the archbishop at Stephen’s Cathedral in Bugiri district.
During the service, Suubi took an oath of true and canonical obedience to the archbishop and declared his commitment to uphold the constitution of the Church of Uganda. He affirmed his readiness to resign if requested by a two-thirds majority of diocesan bishops. He pledged utmost dedication to the responsibilities entrusted to him.
“I, Paul Hannington Suubi, swear that I will pay true and canonical obedience to the archbishop of the church of the province of Uganda, in all things lawful and honest. So, help me God,” Suubi vowed.
He promised to respect, maintain and defend the rights of the church and diocese, serving with truth, justice and charity. He committed to observing the diocesan provisions and summoning the Synod at regular intervals
Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, the Vice-Chancellor of UCU and former classmate of Suubi, congratulated him on his elevation to the bishopric. Reflecting on their shared school days, Mushengyezi remarked that Suubi’s leadership qualities were evident even then during their early school days, making his appointment no surprise.
“As someone who went to school with you, I am particularly very thrilled to see God elevate you to such a high calling to shepherd his people,” Mushengyezi said.
UCU pledged continued commitment in training clergy of the diocese on scholarship.
On behalf of UCU, Mushengyezi gifted Suubi with UGX 1,000,000 (about $265) and an iPad Pro for his work.
Suubi said as bishop, his focus areas will be: evangelism and discipleship; family, youth and children’s ministry; education (schools and colleges); environment management; and development, health and human resource.
“We shall develop a diocesan staff development policy to guide us in evolving a God-fearing, competent, well-motivated and professional human resource,” Suubi said.
He also noted that as a diocese, they will carefully select young educated youth for theological training to become clergy in order to address the demand.
The bishop said he was concerned about the Church of Uganda educational institutions whose standards are wanting due to high teacher-pupil ratios, lack of furniture and space.
As a way of addressing staffing and scholastic needs at the church schools in eastern Uganda, Suubi pledged to work with the authorities to “strengthen the management and administration of our schools and colleges, sensitize parents and guardians about their roles and responsibilities.”
Suubi holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Divinity from Makerere University and a Diploma in Education. He also attained certificates in leadership and public administration and management from Makerere University and Haggai Institute, Singapore.
He has been married to Margret Stella for close to 29 years. Together, they have three children.
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Samantha Ainembabazi receiving her award at the gala in late October
By Pauline Luba It is unusual for a medical student to show an interest in farming. Yet, that is what Samantha Ainembabazi, working towards the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at the Uganda Christian University (UCU), did and more.
She diversified her knowledge and skill into an innovation that she thinks could be a game changer for Uganda’s small-scale farmers and received a cash prize for the idea. The 23-year-old, final-year student on the Kampala campus was given a sh10million (about $2,640) grant to help her refine her idea and actualize it.
Ainembabazi’s innovation, Frezo Nano Technologies, which she submitted to the Ayute Africa Challenge 2023, preserves fruits and vegetables by releasing a safe organic formulation extending shelf life by 30 days.
Ayute Africa Challenge Uganda identifies agricultural and innovative tech ideas with the potential to address the challenges of smallholder farmers in Uganda, such as strengthening food security and improving production, income, resilience and access to finance.
And the support goes beyond awarding the agri-tech innovators. A team of expert advisors supports the winners to actualize their ideas to impact the lives of smallholder farmers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than 70% of people in Uganda work in agriculture, and the country has more than three-and-a-half million family farms.
This year’s Ayute Africa Challenge, organized by Heifer International, a not-for-profit organization that supports local farmers in Uganda, featured 189 participants. The contestants were taken through an incubator program to gain deeper insight into how to scale up their businesses, ensure sustainability, and attain financial management skills.
Ainembabazi believes the innovation that took her and her co-founder, Mugisha Arnold Gift, two years to develop will help reduce post-harvest losses among farmers. Frezo Nano Technologies inhibits the activity of phospholipase D, an enzyme responsible for the deterioration of membranes of fruits, giving them an extended shelf life.
Statistics indicate that poor practices in harvest and postharvest handling lead to a loss of 22% of the harvested produce and a further 17% loss of the output value.
“We hope to reach every small-scale farmer, and eventually every household to help in the preservation of fruits and vegetables,” said Ainembabazi, whose innovation was the second runner-up in this year’s challenge.
Simon Peter Okoci, who built an innovation that uses an automated temperature and light regulation system in brooders, was the overall winner. For this feat, he walked home with a cash prize of sh35million (about $9,230). The first runner-up, Willy Katumwa, who invented a fish feeding technology that automates feeding based on fish needs, received sh25 million (about $6,600).
The Heifer Uganda Country Director, William Matovu, said they aim to build a community of agri-tech innovators that can accelerate meaningful impact for smallholder farmers.
“Heifer Uganda believes that the future of Africa’s agriculture hinges on creating opportunities for young innovators to transform the agricultural landscape,” Matovu said at the awards gala held late October 2023.
Last year’s top winners of the challenge, according to Fred Bwino Kyakulaga, Uganda’s minister for agriculture, have already created jobs for 25 youths, with their innovations serving over 200 farmers in 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.
Posed at the Uganda Studies Program (USP) and Uganda Christian University (UCU) display that was part of the North American Association of Christians in Social Work Convention in Pittsburgh, Pa., in November 2023 are (left to right) Dr. David Hodge (Arizona State University), Kasule Kibirige (UCU), Dr. Micah Hughes (Baltimore Urban Studies Program) and Lisa Tokpa (USP Director of Field Education).
By Patty Huston-Holm
Kasule Kibirige believes in Jesus.
A guy he met on November 15, 2023, believes in UFOs (Unidentified Foreign Objects) and Sasquatch, also known as “Big Foot.”
After a quick handshake, the man, donned in a baseball cap embroidered with the Sasquatch name, asserted that USA government data verifies the existence of alien life (i.e., UFOs) and many videos from average people authenticate that a large hairy creature is walking his big feet around North American forests. Kasule listened without prejudice during the five minutes that the man in the hat espoused his views that were new to Kasule and what some more familiar consider fictitious and as the sun was setting outside the Cedarville, Ohio, Sunset Inn and Suites.
That’s what social workers, especially those who are Christian, do.
“Social work has a value base similar to Christian faith,” said Kasule, head of undergraduate studies, School of Social Sciences, Uganda Christian University (UCU), since 2016. “Social work is a program of study that includes accepting others without judging them.”
The profession is much more, of course. The Webster dictionary defines social work as a field with “activities or methods concretely concerned with providing social services and especially with the investigation, treatment and material aid of the economically, physically, mentally or socially disadvantaged.”
The brief, unexpected encounter with the Sasquatch-UFO follower – who also might have shared his religious beliefs had he remained longer – provided an example of implementing social work skills outside the confines of a dictionary or textbook, according to Kasule, who learned of these topics for the first time in his three-week, November trip to the USA. It was his first visit to Ohio and second trip to the United States. While waiting to have dinner with faculty at Cedarville University, he shared other illustrations, including his early recognition of how listening and observing make a difference in the field of social work.
“Most students come to universities directly from high school,” Kasule said. “I didn’t.”
Without sufficient funds, or academic marks to
Kasule Kibirige with the Rt. Rev. Deon John, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri at St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Louis, Mo.
garner a government scholarship grant, Kasule first enrolled in vocational training. Using his tertiary knowledge and skill, he was employed as a welder in a small-scale steel fabrication factory that made machines like the ones used in the agro-processing industry. He later saw social workers in action when working for a child-focused non-profit organization in Kampala, Uganda.
“Choosing social work was largely inspired by that life-changing opportunity of working with a non-governmental organization that helped disadvantaged, urban out-of-school children,” Kasule said.
From 2001 to 2007, Kasule received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Botswana in Africa. Since 2008, he’s been a social work faculty member at UCU and participated in numerous community engagements, both integrated in fieldwork supervision of students’ practicums and community service, researching to enhance teaching and leading social work curriculum at UCU. In addition to these roles, he has collaborated with Lisa Tokpa of UCU’s Uganda Studies Program (USP), a semester-long course of study for American university students. The goal in collaborating is to create mutual benefit among their two programs at the university, including research, co-teaching, social work supervisor trainings, and cross-cultural student groups.
“My major interest is to contribute to improving the quality of social work educational experiences for both students and faculty,” Kasule said. “I continuously seek to engage with colleagues who share this passion through collaborations – in international field education, co-teaching and learning, and applied research.”
The main objective of Kasule’s November visit to the United States was expanded collaboration. He spoke and listened during the North American Association of Christians in Social Work Convention 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pa.; engaged with educators and students at two USA universities that have been involved with the USP in the two decades of the program’s existence; and spoke with the Rt. Rev. Deon Johnson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri at St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Louis, Mo. In the state of Pennsylvania, he visited Grove City College. In Ohio, he spent two days at Cedarville University. In Missouri, he met with social work faculty at St. Louis University.
Since 2004, students from more than 100 American Christian universities, as well as those from a smaller number of secular universities have participated in the UCU-USP four-month curriculum that is largely focused on social work. Most USP-sending universities are associated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, which represents more than 180 higher education institutions.
“My key initiatives are local and international,” Kasule said. “Locally, UCU social work and USP social work emphasis is through cross-cultural learning groups. Internationally, there is the exchange with universities outside Uganda.”
Kasule Kibirige in Cedarville, Ohio
Kasule has seen first-hand the academic and cultural value for American students spending a semester of study at UCU, as well as a more recent collaboration that has UCU students studying at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. He would like to see more United States higher education opportunities for Ugandan students and faculty.
“Cross cultural conversations have infinite value,” said Kasule, who has two children, ages 4 and 7, with his wife, Grace, a pediatrician currently engaged in clinical research. “We have our own perceptions about Christianity and social problems in Uganda. You have yours.”
Besides its spiritual redemption and religious values for the majority of Ugandans, Christian virtues also are an important reference for promising hope; and a practical framework when integrated into curriculum.
While partnership benefits are readily acknowledged, money is a barrier for an equal exchange because Ugandans have fewer resources than Americans. But it’s an obstacle that can be overcome.
“There is the possibility of grants, but we don’t expect our partners to throw money at a problem,” Kasule said. “Rather, we seek mutually-beneficial collaboration.” He pointed to the internet with possibilities for co-teaching and co-research, especially since all UCU post-graduate programs are now online.
David Hodge, distinguished professor, School of Social Work, Arizona State University, is among USA social work partners who have come to UCU. In 2021, Dr. Hodge and Kasule co-published a paper addressing academic research inequalities between Sub-Saharan faculty and their counterparts in the West, and planned more related to how spirituality can be used in assessment until Covid drove Hodge home earlier than planned. As 2023 comes to a close, this later project is being revived.
“Even for non-believers, Christian principles and similar intervention strategies can be applied,” said Kasule, reflecting on some work he has embarked on with partners fighting against child sacrifice, in Uganda. According to census data, 82 percent of Ugandans are Christian. In the USA, 63 percent identify as believers in Jesus Christ.
Kasule sees Christian faith playing an integral part for worker efforts to rebuilding community resilience, prevention and mitigation of social struggles, such as domestic violence, mental illness and children not in school. Loneliness issues for people of all ages also is a current focus both in Uganda and the United States, he said.
Enabling university faculty and students to experience multiple cultures is key, according to Kasule. Opportunities for faculty to engage in more practice-academics (pra-academics) and collaborative projects would not only improve teaching and learning effectiveness but also will certainly improve service users’ overall outcomes.
“We need to engage agencies as partners, teachers and students as learners,” he said. “We learn so much from each other to help others.”
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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.
Rev. Assoc. Prof. Omona, shown attending a conference, says one of the most gratifying aspects of his academic journey is the friendship he has made while pursuing his studies and attending events.
By Kefa Senoga
The Rev. Assoc. Prof. Andrew David Omona has learned how he reacts to adversity is more important than the actual misfortune. His up-and-down life story depends on the value of strength and resilience. And these are skills he has mastered.
Take, for instance, the incident of 1996 when he tried to begin his theology career.
Born in 1970 in Adjumani district, northern Uganda, to the Rev. Andrew and Mary Olal, Omona completed his primary education at Biyaya Primary School before joining Obongi Secondary School in 1986, where he completed his O’level. In 1990, he joined Moyo Secondary School in northern Uganda, from where he completed his high school studies. Unlike many of his peers, he was not influenced by a mass recruitment of people into the Uganda Police Force. He decided to pursue a Diploma in Theology at the Bishop Tucker Theological College.
In 1996, Omona, the seventh of 10 children, enrolled for a Bachelor of Divinity course at what isnow the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology. At the time, the college was under Uganda’s Makerere University. It became part of Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 1997. For reasons unknown to Omona, a week into his course, the Makerere University Council canceled his admission and those of some of his colleagues.
“When that happened, the Dean of Studies of Bishop Tucker at the time, the Rt. Rev. Canon Dustan Bukenya (now a retired bishop), gave me a letter to take to Bugema University,” Omona said, noting that with the letter, he gained admission into Bugema.
He was, therefore, allowed to enroll for a dual program leading to the consecutive award of two bachelor’s degrees — Bachelor of Theology and Bachelor of Arts with Education. The two degrees were combined because the programs shared certain elements, a practice that was acceptable at that time.
As Omona’s graduation at Bugema drew nearer, he encountered another hurdle. He got a challenge with the practical element in his theology course. He explains that despite having fulfilled all the requirements for graduation, there was one challenging course unit remaining — a practical component where they intended to assign him to a Seventh Day Adventist church.
“Whereas the head of department had agreed to supervise me in the Anglican church, the university management made it difficult for that to happen,” Omona says, indicating that when they reached a stalemate on the matter, he opted to only graduate with a Bachelor of Arts with Education.
After completing the BA with Education, he secured an admission at UCU to pursue a Master of Arts in Theology in 1999 and graduated in 2002. In 2005, his interest switched from theology and education to international relations and diplomacy; he enrolled to pursue a Master of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy at Nkumba University, graduating in 2007.
Soon after, a friend who was studying at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania encouraged Omona to enroll for a PhD in International Relations and Diplomacy. However, he says the advisor he was assigned turned out to be too busy for him. On many occasions, according to Omona, he would travel from Uganda to Tanzania, only to find that his advisor had traveled out of the country. So, in 2008, upon a friend’s recommendation, he transferred to Kenyatta University in Kenya, to pursue the same PhD course. He graduated from the university in 2015.
Upon acquiring his doctorate in 2016, Omona applied for a promotion at UCU, where he has been teaching since 2001. He was granted that request. However, three years later, when he applied to graduate to the higher rank of Associate Professor, his wish was denied. He did not lose hope, though. In 2021, Omona re-applied for the promotion. The good news reached him in May this year, when he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Ethics and International Relations.
He said one of the most gratifying aspects of his academic journey are the friendships he has made while pursuing his studies and attending conferences. He said that whenever he travels, he forms acquaintances with people with whom he frequently collaborates on research publications.
The Rev. Omona is married to Anne Cheroto, a priest and the Principal of Ndegeya Teacher Training College in Masaka district, central Uganda. The couple has three biological children — two boys and one girl. Their first born, a boy, is pursuing a Bachelor of Laws at UCU.
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.
Archbishop Emeritus Henry Luke Orombi (middle) is shown during a visit to UCU Arua Campus. Second-left is the Rev. Julius Izza Tabi.
By Kefa Senoga As a young boy, Julius Izza Tabi gave his parents the confidence that his career destination would be one in the field of sciences. As such, Tabi’s father — Izza Soyi Severino — encouraged his son to pursue a course in human medicine. Just imagine what went through the mind of Severino when his son told him he was not interested in becoming a doctor.
The Rev. Julius Izza Tabi during the UCU@25 celebrations in 2022
Tabi said he was feeling a different calling from God, one of pastoral ministry. At first, Severino thought the reason for his son’s change of heart was because he had not garnered the necessary grades to pursue a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. As such, he encouraged his son to repeat Senior Six, and that he was ready to pay the tuition. Tabi had sat his Senior Six exams at Metu Senior Secondary School in Moyo district, northern Uganda.
However, Tabi, who is now the director of the Uganda Christian University Arua Campus, said his heart was elsewhere. Fortunately, the son did not have to convince his father to pay tuition for a course he didn’t think was right. When Tabi enrolled at Lake Victoria Christian Centre for a diploma in Christian ministries, he was on full bursary.
Anglican Archbishop in Uganda Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu launching the UCU Arua Campus Master plan during the celebrations to mark 20 years of the campus
At the end of the one-year course, Tabi not only returned home with his diploma, he also emerged as the best student in the cohort.
Upon graduating with a Diploma in Christian Ministry, Tabi continued with youth ministry activities in the church. It was during this time that he and Severino agreed that the former should return to school and get a second qualification.
Tabi is the sixth born in a family of nine children. His father, Severino, was a primary school headteacher and his mother, Asianzo Catherine, a housewife.
Tabi thus pursued a Diploma in Education at the National Teachers’ College, Muni, where he specialized in Chemistry and Biology. Upon qualification, Tabi was employed at Usindi Secondary School in Arua, northwestern Uganda.
Teaching in close proximity to the UCU Arua Campus led Tabi to become part of the UCU community. In 2011, he was admitted for a Bachelor of Divinity at UCU under the Ma’di-West Nile Diocese scholarship. That same year, Tabi married Oliver Driciru, with whom he has three children — two boys and one girl.
The newly built gate of the UCU Arua Campus
At his graduation in 2014, the Rev. Tabi’s grades earned him the accolade of second-best student. The best student at the graduation was Jonathan Tumwebaze, now also a staff member at UCU.
Tabi’s outstanding performance persuaded Joel Obetia, the Bishop of Madi-West Nile Diocese at the time, to post him to UCU Arua Campus as the Assistant Chaplain in October 2014. That officially marked the start of Tabi’s association with UCU as a member of staff.
The following year, he was given extra roles when he was appointed a tutorial assistant in the Department of Theology. He later pursued a Master of Philosophy in Religion, Society and Global Issues from the Norwegian School of Theology in Oslo. Upon Tabi’s return from Oslo, he was promoted to Assistant Lecturer. In 2018, he was appointed the institution’s Dean of Students.
Three years later, in September 2021, the Rev. Tabi was appointed the acting director of the campus, a position he was confirmed into after the campus went through the requisite process of hiring the position holder.
From left: Rev Julius Izza Tabi, Rev. Canon Prof. Stephen Noll (first Vice Chancellor of UCU) and Rev. Richard Mujuni during the GAFCON conference in April 2023 in Kigali Rwanda.
In an interview that Tabi granted Uganda Partners in August this year, he enumerated his areas of focus as infrastructural development, elevating the campus into a constituent college, a massive student recruitment strategy, beautification of the environment and infrastructure, implementation of the multi-billion masterplan project, development of an endowment project and a staff recruitment plan.
This year, the campus marked 20 years of being part of the UCU family and 64 years of being a training institute. Before the campus was made a theological college and part of UCU in 2003, it was offering diploma and certificate courses in theology and also training Lay Readers in the region.
The nature of Tabi’s job means he always has a full plate. However, he says his wife is the reason he has been able to fulfill the demands of his office because she has been “filling for him whenever needed, especially when it comes to family matters.”
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.
Mukhooli promised to hinge his leadership on bridging the communication gap between the students and the administrators.
By Pauline Luba Picture this: You are a top contender for a political office. On voting day, after casting your ballot, what do you do with the rest of the hours to ease the tension as you wait to know the results? Harry Mukhooli recently found himself in such a situation. Mukhooli, the new Guild President of Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale campus in eastern Uganda, said he isolated himself from people the entire day as he waited for the results.
Luckily for him, he emerged the victor, with 46% of the people who cast their votes preferring him as their new leader. At first, it was a battle against five candidates. However, along the way during the campaigns, two of those dropped out, leaving Mukhooli against three others — two male, one female — whom he beat to clinch the topmost office in the student leadership hierarchy.
So, how did the 22-year-old student of Bachelor of Education (English and Literature in English) use to draw people to him?
Mukhooli started campaigning in May. One issue that Mukhooli promised to hinge his term of office on was improving relations at the institution.
“I wanted to bridge the gap between the students and the university administration,” Mukhooli said, adding that he hopes to use his position as Guild President to “give others a platform” to voice their challenges at the university.
Among the needs that students have voiced include the desire for renovation of some of the buildings at the campus, as well as challenges in paying tuition on time. These, among others, are issues that Mukhooli hopes to bring to the discussion table, with the aim of making the stay of the students at the institution as comfortable as it can be.
On voting day in October 2023, Mukhooli spent considerable money transporting students to cast their ballots. He said many students struggle to fend for themselves, and, as such, they see it as a waste of resources to spend money on transport to go to the university to cast their votes and return home. It is this category of people that Mukhooli said he sought to reach out to, so they can exercise their democratic right to cast a ballot. Could this act have endeared the voters to him? Maybe.
Mukhooli takes office from 30-year-old Daniel Kunya, a student of Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration who has held the office since November last year.
When the need for the funds for the campaign arrived, Mukhooli turned to proceeds from his poultry business. But that was not enough. Contributions came from his father — Namasake Peter Wandeka — whom Mukhooli considers one of his greatest inspirations, including during this run for office. His other cheerleaders were his mother, Namuwenge Sarah; step-mother Bisikwa Sarah; and Munialo Tracy Wandeeka, his younger sister.
Growing up, Mukhooli wished to become a journalist and a sportsman. While not strongly interested in football, but is a talented soccer player who has been on all his school teams. In fact, while in primary school at St. Edwards Junior Academy in Manafwa district in eastern Uganda, Mukhooli was the captain of the school football team. He also is the current captain of the UCU Mbale campus football team. He says he is a beneficiary of a sports bursary at UCU.
When not attending to the academic needs or his political office, you will find Mukhooli either in his passion fruit farm tending to the plants or looking after the chickens that he rears in his poultry farm.
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.
Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi (wearing cap), Brigadier General Rugumayo (front, second-right), and UCU Guild President Timothy Ddumba (front, right) participate with other participants during a warm-up run on October 21, 2023
By Pauline Luba Years ago, when Brig. Gen. Abdul Rugumayo, a member of Uganda’s army, completed Senior Four, he could not proceed to A’level. He said he did not have the money that was needed for school fees.
As a result, he registered to teach as a non-qualified teacher in a primary school in Uganda, so he could save some money for further education. He eventually saved the money and was able to complete school.
Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge East African Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, giving speech at the guild run.
What a coincidence that Rugumayo, the Deputy Director of the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence — the intelligence arm of Uganda’s army — was the one invited to flag off a run organized to raise funds for tuition for needy students of Uganda Christian University (UCU).
“This activity is something very close to my heart, especially when someone is about to do their exams,” Rugumayo said, as he narrated his personal story, before adding: “To give is not because you have. To give is because you share.”
The run, which covered six kilometers (three miles) around Mukono in central Uganda, took place on October 21, 2023. Organized by UCU student leaders, the event began at 7 a.m. with participants engaging in aerobic exercises before the actual race at 8 a.m.
“I come from a family that would have required this type of arrangement during my time as a student,” said Rugumayo, who has served in the army for the past 35 years. He handed over Sh3 million (about $800) as contribution from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence. He also promised to contribute sh2million (about $530) and commended the student leaders for identifying the military as a partner in trying to support society.
Uganda’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in charge East African Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, was the main guest of the day.
Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi welcomes Brigadier General Rugumayo. Pamela Tumwebaze, acting Dean of Student Affairs, is in the background.
“I’m glad that the tradition has been maintained and that the young people are growing up as philanthropists. It’s very easy for one not to care about others because their tuition fees have been paid,” said Kadaga, a former Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament. She flagged off the maiden UCU guild run in 2020 and has been keeping tabs on the subsequent races. For the 2020 run, among the donors was Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who contributed sh80million (about $21,250). At the October 21 event, Kadaga pledged to donate sh10million (about $2,700) towards the cause.
UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi thanked runners for participating in a cause aimed at supporting needy students with tuition. Mushengyezi pledged sh3million (about $800) from the Office of the Vice Chancellor. Pamela Tumwebaze, the acting head of the Directorate of Student Affairs at UCU, pledged to contribute sh1million ($264). All participants in the race bought running kits — either a vest at sh20,000 (about $5.3) or a T-shirt at sh30,000 (about $8), which they wore on the day of the run. By the end of the event, sh24,000,000 ($6,400) had been collected in cash and pledges.
The proceeds are expected to be handed over to the student leaders who organized the run and they will, thereafter, distribute to students facing financial difficulties.
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.
Caleb Ndishakiye, a UCU School of Education alum, poses with children during a school outreach.
By Kefa Ssenoga When you sit down for a conversation with Caleb Ndishakiye, he does not need to mention his love for literature. His diction validates that. And if you sit with him for a longer time, you also will discover that he has a deep passion for communication, the promotion of literacy and sharing knowledge.
Ndishakiye has been fortunate to earn a living from his passion. His first attempt at teaching was in 2011 during his long holidays after writing his end of Senior Six national exams. An unlicensed teacher, he nevertheless taught literature at Seseme Girls Secondary School and Mutorele Boys Secondary School. Both schools are in Ndishakiye’s native area of Kisoro, southwestern Uganda.
Despite the passion of sharing knowledge, Ndishakiye did not envisage a career in teaching. Early in his secondary education, he developed a love for law, which he applied to study at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
“I wanted to pursue a course in law when I joined UCU, but interestingly, I was admitted for education,” he said. “I decided to pursue it and still be excellent at it!”
Ndishakiye and Patricia on their Dec. 7, 2019, wedding day at Thornycroft Chapel Kyaggwe, UCU.
He has never regretted the idea of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. He acknowledges that this move has had a significant impact on who he is now. Ndishakiye began his studies at UCU in 2012 and graduated in 2015. While at UCU, He was in the Honors College.
Barely a year after graduation, Ndishakiye was hired as a teaching assistant in the UCU foundations department. He was primarily teaching writing and study skills, and occasionally teaching in the literature department, particularly course units like the Bible as literature and other English language short courses.
His teaching journey at UCU began in 2016 after returning from a one-year mission and a leadership development program at Nairobi Chapel, Kenya, courtesy of the UCU chaplaincy and the community as a whole.
“UCU, particularly the Thornycroft Chapel, had a partnership with Nairobi Chapel in Kenya, where two missionaries were sent for a program. I was one of the two,” Ndishakiye says.
He was attached to the Teens’ church, which also is famously known as Club Expressions, an experience he says exposed them to an international perspective to life.
In 2018, after two years of teaching at UCU, Ndishakiye got a one-year opportunity to teach English language and Literature in English at Seroma Christian High School in Mukono. He needed more time to attend to his newly found passion for literacy programming and children’s literature through Glow-Lit Uganda, an organization he founded earlier that year. With UCU, he continued to serve until 2020 when Uganda closed schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I was invited as the Programs Specialist to support the national technical portfolio of the association, and support the development of storybooks in Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga,” he said.
He noted that in the role, his other tasks were “establishing libraries in Government primary schools and supporting their management and use, training of teachers and developing materials to support the lower primary school teaching of reading Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga.”
The Room to Read Uganda project at the Reading Association of Uganda is sponsored by Room to Read, an organization that, according to their website, envisions a world in which “all children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to lead fulfilled lives and make positive change — in their families, communities and the world.”
Working closely with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the project has developed 154 storybook titles, two learner books, and two teachers’ guides in Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga. It also involves training with teachers, government, publishers, and book value-chain players to build writing, illustration, design, and editing capacity, especially for children’s literature.
Ndishakiye argues that the Ugandan book market has not given sufficient focus to children’s literature. He is now an advocate for quality children’s literature production, distribution and use.
Ndishakiye is the third born of eight children of Richard and Lydia Ndishakiye. He completed his primary education at Muganza Primary School in Kisoro district. He studied O’level at Chahi Seed Senior Secondary School and A’level at Trinity College Kabale. Compassion International, an international charity organization, paid part of his school fees in primary and secondary school. At the university, he says, the charity paid all the school fees.
He is married to Patricia and the couple has a son, Jordan, age two.
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. Edison Kalengyo delivers a sermon during a service in Nkoyoyo Hall at the UCU Main Campus in Mukono.
By Kefa Senoga What would you do about a son who turns down a job offer after graduating with a veterinary medicine degree, preferring to return to school to become a priest? In 1986, that was the dilemma of the father of Edison Kalengyo. His son, now the Rev. Can Prof. Kalengyo, had just completed a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, a four-year course, at Uganda’s Makerere University. Kalengyo had even received an appointment letter,dated June 20, 1986, from the Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries.
Despite his fresh qualification, Kalengyo’s heart was elsewhere. He felt compelled to answer God’s call to become a priest, prompting him to join Bishop Tucker Theological Collegein 1986. The college, now known as part of Uganda Christian University (UCU), in Mukono, is where Kalengyo pursued a bachelor’s degree in divinity. This was after going through a stringent process of selecting candidates for the ordained ministry by South Rwenzori Diocese, his home diocese.
Along the way, Kalengyo’s family kept questioning his decision. For instance, his father, who was a trained lay reader in the Church of Uganda, knew fully well that the economic prospects for priests were not encouraging. In the extended family, Kalengyo had been the first person to graduate with a degree. As such, many people looked up to him. But he stuck to God’s call on his life to the ordained ministry.
After his course at Bishop Tucker Theological College, the Rev. Kalengyo served in South Ruwenzori as a curate in the cathedral before moving on to serve as a diocesan secretary and, eventually, an archdeacon.
In 1997, the principal of Bishop Tucker Theological College, Bishop Eliphaz Maari, invited Kalengyo to join the staff of the college, following the recruitment process. He obliged. Since December 1997, UCU has been Kalengyo’s “home.” He currently serves as Professor of New Testament and Coordinator of Biblical Studies and Languages in the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology.
He says teaching theology at UCU goes beyond a mere salary. He believes that the true significance lies in knowing that he is fulfilling God’s calling on his life, and that this is what brings him reward and fulfillment.
Kalengyo has refrained from considering higher leadership positions within the church before, even when such opportunities presented themselves, in preference for his job of training church leaders. His extensive theological expertise and deep-rooted academic grounding make Kalengyo’s job of teaching church ministers one easy for him to execute. In addition to the 64-year-old’s bachelor’s degree in divinity, he also holds a Master of Philosophy in the New Testamentfrom Nottingham University in the United Kingdom (UK) and a PhD in Theology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Another reason for Kalengyo’s stay in theological education is his wife, who explained to him that by teaching church ministers, he was serving the entire province as opposed to being a bishop who serves mainly his diocese.
Because of this, Kalengyo says he is always happy and believes he has fulfilled his purpose in life whenever he meets his former students who have taken up church leadership roles.
Kalengyo says hisguiding principle has always been that every theological educator should be a pastor and actively participate in church life. For this reason, he once voluntarily served as an auxiliary member of the pastoral team at St. Philip’s Cathedral in Mukono and was the first Chaplain of St Luke’s Chapel Butabika. He also has served as a priest at St Luke’s Church Ntinda and was Priest-in-Charge All Saints Chapel Lweza.
He says he now pastors a group of about 400 Christians from his home diocese who reside in and around Kampala. The Christians gather for worship once every month. He said he also performs baptisms and helps to prepare couples for marriage.
Kalengyo and his wife, Dorothy, will celebrate their 36th marriage anniversary on December 12, this year. They have three adult children — two boys and one girl — and they are all married. From the three children, the Kalengyos have got five grandchildren.
Born in 1958 in Kasese district, western Uganda, to Hosiah and Elizabeth Katsiotho, Kalengyo completed his primary education at Karambi Primary School before joining St Edward’s Bukumi Secondary School for O’level and Ntare School for A’level. Both Bukuumi and Ntare are located in western 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. Christopher Byaruhanga, dean at Uganda Christian University’s Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, is the chairperson of the new ethics committee for universities and tertiary institutions.
By Irene Best Nyapendi Prof. Christopher Byaruhanga, the dean at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, is the inaugural chairperson of the ethics committee for universities and tertiary institutions. The newly created body by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is tasked with creating ethical rules for universities and tertiary institutions as required by the law.
Prof. Byaruhanga leads the six-person committee, which includes Dr. Annette Kezaabu, UCU’s head of research and postgraduate studies. The others are Dr. Olive Lunyolo (secretary), higher education officer at NCHE; Dr. Rev. Canon Aaron Mwesigye, director for ethics in charge of religious affairs, Directorate for Ethics and Integrity; Ibban Iddih Kasozi, an Imam and lecturer at Islamic University in Uganda; and Dr. Betty Bukenya Nambuusi, Higher Education Officer at NCHE.
Dr. Annette Kezaabu, head of department postgraduate programs and research at the School of Journalism, Media and Communication.
Dr. Kezaabu announced the initiation of the committee “to develop basic ethical standards for higher education” in an Aug. 29 post on X (formerly Twitter).The ethical standards are designed to ensure that higher education institutions in Uganda operate with integrity, accountability and professionalism.
The ethics committee’s primary focus is to create a handbook outlining ethical standards and guidelines for institutions of higher learning and their members. The handbook, expected to be completed by early 2024, will regulate and promote ethical behavior for the country’s higher education.
The ethics committee will look at how institutions do research and focus on issues such as employee behavior and relationships with students, colleagues and the community.
“There are a number of pressing challenges faced by students and staff at universities because of lack of morals,” Prof. Byaruhanga said. “I have heard of cases where the lecturer prevents a PhD student from graduating because he is afraid that the student will take away his job; this should stop.”
One of the challenges facing higher education in Uganda that Byaruhanga wants to address is academic dishonesty, including cheating during exams and unethical behavior by lecturers. To tackle this, he stressed the importance of transparency and fairness in the academic processes.
“As part of my contribution to the handbook, I am focusing on academic integrity and ethical research, intellectual honesty, accuracy, transparency, among others, because knowledge can only be contributed through research,” he said. “It ought to be done right.”
Prof. Byaruhanga decried lecturers who don’t conduct research following the prescribed moral standards. He said in some cases, lecturers don’t get consent from participants.
He said the committee hopes to address proper research methods in the handbook through outlining ethical standards and guidelines that ought to be followed.
“I am working on having this handbook finished and I hope it will be implemented,” he said. Once NCHE approves the handbook, we expect everyone to follow these guidelines. We must foster a culture of respect for ethical conduct”.
Prof. Byaruhanga is dedicated to striking a balance between enforcing ethical standards and maintaining academic freedom. He emphasized that academic freedom should operate within the framework of ethical guidelines and national education policies.
“Most of what we are looking at is already implemented by some universities; for such, this is to remind them,” he said.
UCU students and staff will benefit first hand because Prof. Byaruhanga will personally and directly supervise the implementation of the required ethical guidelines and standards through his physical presence at the university.
“Being a member of the senate, I will have a voice there,” Prof. Byaruhanga said. “We also have the ethics committee; I will ask them to read the hand book.”
Prof. Byaruhanga is one of the longest-serving professors at UCU, having joined in September 1997. From 2000-2002, he was the dean of the Faculty of Humanity and Social Sciences, which was the only faculty then. 2003-2006, he was the dean of the Faculty of Education, Arts and Social Science. In 2011-2016, he was the dean of the School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies. Since 2018 to present, he has been the Dean of Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology.
After the handbook has been developed, it will be shared with the stakeholders, including university representatives, public figures and vice-chancellors. It is hoped that by involving diverse voices, the handbook’s ethical standards will be thorough and effective.
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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.
Kefa Senoga, a finalist for a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication, is an intern with Uganda Partners
By Irene Best Nyapendi Kefa Senoga’s journey into the world of mass communication started with a desire to know and to be informed. His fascination with current affairs and politics, combined with his family’s background in journalism, led him to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Senoga awaits graduation this November.
As a child, he was usually the last to get off the TV set with his biggest interest in the news.
“I was also intrigued by my father’s knowledge about everything,” Senoga said. “I knew it was because of his profession, so I was inspired by that.”
Growing up in a household where journalism was not just a profession but a way of life, he was deeply influenced by his father, who was involved in both journalism and teaching journalism. His father, Geoffrey Senoga, is a lecturer in UCU’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication.
Through his academic years at UCU, the younger Senoga has been a proactive student, seeking opportunities to gain practical experience. In 2022 he applied to Uganda Partners for an internship. He was successful and started writing stories about UCU for the NGO’s website.
“Before I joined Uganda Partners, I used not to write much, but ever since I joined, I now write articles every month which has made me a better writer,” Senoga said.
He has gained insight into how stories are assigned and the persistence required to secure interviews. He said sometimes it takes immense determination to secure interviews with prominent figures.
“Through my experience as a writer for Uganda Partners, I’ve grown to become assertive, learned how to build rapport with people from diverse backgrounds and capable of securing interviews,” Senoga said.
Balancing academics and internship Senoga started writing for Uganda Partners in his second year at UCU. Unlike most internships offered during holidays or the off-studies semester, this one is offered concurrently with studies. Through the experience, Senoga learned that work/study balance and time management are essential. He learned first-hand that journalism is a profession that demands flexibility, efficiency and consistency with often overlapping deadlines.
Senoga also had the responsibility of UCU Media Link Association president.
“I used to get caught up by time doing class work and the association work during the day, so I started waking up at 4 a.m. to finish the writing assignments,” he said. “I used daytime for academic work which I gave priority because I wanted to excel. I also used night times for writing my articles.”
He advises students to be proactive, inquisitive and seek out opportunities for growth and improvement with the understanding that people you need for a story or guidance “are often very busy with their own tasks.”
The Uganda Partners internship enabled Senoga to build a portfolio, network with professionals and open doors to other career opportunities such as one placement at Vision Group, Uganda’s leading media organization.
“It is a privilege to work with Uganda Partners,” he said. “Many students would want to be part of the team. I am grateful to my mentors for helping me to improve my writing skills.”
Constantine Odongo, Senoga’s editor and mentor at Uganda Partners and also an editor at New Vision, said writing has become an integral part of every professional’s life.
“Senoga is lucky that he has gone through the formal training on how to write, and indeed, communicate,” Odongo said. “I cannot wait to see him put this skill to use to help companies and corporations expand their frontiers in terms of profit and visibility.”
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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.
The Rev. Dr. Abel Wankuma Kibbedi was part of the pioneer class of the PhD in literature course at UCU.
By Kefa Senoga In 2005, when Uganda Christian University wanted to start a master’s program in literature, the institution sent some of its academics to convince alums they thought would take advantage of the course.
Abel Wankuma Kibbedi, who had graduated the previous year with a First Class degree in Bachelor of Education with English and Literature, was one of the alums approached. At the time, Kibbedi was residing with other undergraduate students in one of the hostels in Kauga, a suburb near UCU’s main campus.
When Prof. Timothy Wangusa, who was among the people overseeing the start of the master’s course at UCU, visited Kibbedi, he advised the latter to leave the hostel where he was residing. At the time, Kibbedi had just been offered a position as a teaching assistant at UCU. Wangusa rhetorically asked Kibbedi if he intended to continue sharing the same space with the students he was teaching.
To follow up on his advice, Wangusa offered Kibbedi, who had taken up the opportunity to enroll for the master’s course, the guest wing at the professor’s residence. Two years later, Kibbedi, who was part of the pioneer class of master’s in literature, was a proud recipient of the postgraduate degree, an achievement made possible courtesy of a scholarship through the staff development committee at UCU.
Again, in 2017, Kibbedi — and two other colleagues — was part of the pioneer class of the PhD in literature course at UCU. And at the most recent UCU graduation held at the Main Campus in Mukono on October 13, 2023, Kibbedi was among the graduates who earned a PhD. Kibbedi’s other two pioneer doctoral colleagues in literature were not present at the October 13 graduation. Mary Naula had already graduated in 2021, while the third PhD student lost her life two years into the course.
Between Kibbedi’s master’s degree in literature and the PhD, he earned another degree — Masters of Divinity and Theology — from the Pennsylvania-based Westminster Theological Seminary.
“While attending a conference in the United States in 2007, Church of Uganda Archbishop at the time, Henry Luke Orombi, asked the president of Westminster Theological Seminary if they would offer a scholarship to a Ugandan student,” Kibbedi said during an interview he granted Uganda Partners after his October 13 graduation.
The answer to Orombi’s question was in the affirmative. However, it was not a direct pass for Kibbedi, whom Orombi had in mind as he asked the question. There had to be interviews for the scholarship, which, fortunately, Kibbedi won.
According to Kibbedi, upon his return to Uganda, with a second master’s degree in the bag, the vice chancellor at the time, the Rev. Dr. John Senyonyi, singled him out among the younger staff for departmental leadership as part of professional development. This is how he assumed the role of heading the Honors College, a position he held from 2012 to 2021.
To make his new master’s degree count, Kibbedi was taken in by the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology to teach Hebrew and Greek, primarily because the program he had pursued in the US at Westminster had an aspect of the ancient languages. Despite this, Kibbedi notes that he has mainly been involved in teaching literature at UCU.
He is grateful to the UCU administration, without whose support, he says, he would have struggled to achieve anything. For instance, Kibbedi cites the example of UCU first Vice Chancellor Prof. Stephen Noll, in whose tenure the former pursued further studies in Pennsylvania. He said Prof. Noll decided that Kibbedi be left on half pay throughout the duration of his four-year course, as opposed to no pay, because the lecturer “had family members and dependants to take care of.” Kibbedi said the PhD now has buttressed his desire to continue sharing knowledge as an academic.
The achievement of the PhD did not come on a silver platter, though. “My wife had to bear my long hours of reading and absence; she has had to step in for many activities with the children,” the Rev. Kibbedi says.
He is married to Lydia Wankuma Kibbedi who works as an administrator of the Uganda Studies Program at UCU. They have a daughter, Atungonza Wankuma, age 15, and a son, Anunula Wankuma, age 14. Atugonza is in Senior Three at Wanyange Girls School while Anunula is also in the same class, at Busoga College Mwiri, his father’s alma mater. Both schools are found in eastern Uganda.
Kibbedi completed his primary education at Namalemba Primary School in eastern Uganda, before joining Busoga College Mwiri. From Mwiri, he pursued a diploma in education at the National Teachers College Kaliro, before eventually joining UCU.
Kibbedi is number six of a family of 12 children. His father, the Rev. JFJ. Kibbedi Nswemu, a politician and educator, passed away in 1999. He credits his interest in literature to his father. Kibbedi’s mother, Robina Christina Kibbedi, now retired, had a career as a social worker.
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.
Dr. Gladys Ayot Oyat celebrates with her husband, Dr. Michael Oyat, after attaining her doctorate during graduation at Uganda Christian University, Mukono campus, on Oct. 13, 2023.
By Irene Best Nyapendi Dr. Gladys Ayot Oyat’s inspiration to pursue a PhD in Education Administration and Management at Uganda Christian University (UCU) is rooted in her passion for addressing real-world challenges. Her commitment to women’s issues served as a driving force in choosing a research topic focused on the domestic violence impact on female teachers in Uganda.
Ayot’s research explores how domestic violence affects the teaching and administrative roles of female teachers working in secondary schools in Kitgum, northern Uganda.
Dr. Gladys Ayot Oyat, a former member of the governing council of Uganda Christian University, graduated with a PhD in Education Administration and Management on October 13.
Her study found that domestic violence adversely affects teaching roles, leading to poor service delivery, absenteeism, missed lessons, poor preparation, low self-esteem and mental health issues. This likewise negatively impacts women in administrative roles, resulting in reduced work, interpersonal relationships, learning outputs and mentorship. Female teachers employ various coping mechanisms, both informal and formal, but some strategies prove counterproductive. Support for victims is insufficient, hindering their ability to manage these challenges effectively.
Ayot found that the patriarchal nature of Ugandan society determines relationships between men and women irrespective of educational status.
“A lot needs to be done to address this challenge,” she said. “It undermines the laws we have in Uganda entrenched in our Constitution. My disappointment is that even women who are enlightened and educated, conceal what they go through in the name of protecting their marriage, adhering to culture and wanting to remain as role models to the students they teach when they are exposed to domestic violence. Worse still, taking the pain in silence and blaming themselves for the dysfunctional families.”
One moving story she encountered in her research involved a husband forcing his wife to have an abortion.
“This caused post-traumatic symptoms and depression,” Ayot said. “She would (imagine) the crying baby sitting on her lap and crying for help while she was in class teaching.”
With the dissemination of her findings, Ayot aims to encourage female teachers to be open to talking about the problems they go through and seeks for school administrators to support and create favorable conditions for women suffering from domestic violence.
Ayot, who was a member of the governing council of UCU, did her PhD on a modular course, which allowed her to study during the holidays.
She lauded UCU’s academic environment for its unique and supportive characteristics. The university’s modular approach, small class sizes, and strong faculty-student relationships fostered an atmosphere of shared learning and collaboration.
“I thank God that I chose UCU. My supervisor was very supportive; for example, during the Covid-19 pandemic time, he always called to follow up and give me support,” she said. “At the time when public places such as universities were closed as a way of curbing the spread of disease, I utilized the online university library.”
Ayot acknowledged the hectic and difficult journey to a PhD — long hours, rejection of proposals, and balancing social and work responsibilities.
“I was a wife and head teacher of Kitgum YY Okot Memorial College (2002-2022),” she said. “I had social responsibilities that I couldn’t ignore. At some point, I wanted to give up; for example, when I was working on chapter three of my research and my supervisor kept on asking me to redo it.”
However, her unwavering determination and support from her family, particularly her husband, who purchased grammar editing software for her, became pillars of strength.
Ayot said that being 61 years old also motivated her, knowing that she didn’t have as much time as the younger students.
“I told myself that I am not the type who should spend 10 years doing research. I wanted to do it and finish,” she said.
She is married to Dr. Michael Oyat with whom they have four children. She has served in the church as chairperson mothers union and is currently a lay Canon at Kitgum diocese. She studied a Bachelor and Masters in Education at Makerere University. She has served as Vice President, Mothers Union for the Province of Church of Uganda.
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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.
Best UCU student Ninsiima Precious Claire (first class in BBA) receives her accolade from David Mugawe, the UCU deputy vice chancellor (finance and adminstration) during the commissioning service at the Mukono campus on October 12, 2023
By Irene Best Nyapendi Precious Claire Ninsiima, 22, is the best student graduate from the October 13, 2023, ceremony. The Bachelor of Business Administration student could have joined a public university, where she was offered a scholarship, but didn’t. Her mother chose Uganda Christian University (UCU) because of its moral principles and image as a Christ-centered institution.
“My mother saw that it was important for me to study at UCU because of its values,” Ninsiima said. “She believed those values would prepare me for the outside world so that no matter what I found after school, I would know how to navigate.”
Of the 986 graduates on the UCU main campus celebration in Mukono, 459 were males and 527 females. The graduation included graduates from UCU’s constituent colleges of Kampala and Arua campuses. Ninsiima starred among the 33 – 20 female, 13 male – who got first-class degrees. Ninsiima, who studied at the Kampala campus, shone as the overall best student with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 4.78. She was also separately awarded as best female student and best arts student.
Ninsiima shakes hands with retired archbishop Henry Luke Orombi after picking up her award. In the center is Church of Uganda Archbishop and UCU Chancellor Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu. At left is Ass. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, the UCU vice chancellor.
Gilbert Afema was the best male student with a CGPA of 4.60 in a Bachelor of Divinity. Martin Juuko was recognized as the top science student for scoring a CGPA of 4.50 in Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
To Ninsiima, the accolades served as proof to her that she has the ability to excel in any endeavor she chooses to pursue as long as she approaches it with determination and effort.
“It feels good knowing that I was the overall best student,” she said. “It also shows me that I have the potential to do well. I now know that if I put my mind to anything, I can excel at it.”
She commended UCU for instilling merits such as integrity and Christ-centeredness in students. She firmly believes that by embracing these values, students can become better individuals.
“I appreciate UCU’s culture of Christianity,” Ninsiima said. “I didn’t think that there would be an institution where you have something like community worship. This helped me carry on with my spirituality.”
Ninsiima juggled her books with leadership. She was the deputy finance minister at Kampala campus, class representative and chairperson of Class Representatives Association. She said it was tough to balance books and leadership, but because she was an evening student (studying from 5 to 9 p.m.), she managed fairly well.
“Regardless of how tough it got, I had it at the back of my mind that my education was a priority. So, I made sure that my academics didn’t suffer at the cost of leadership” she said. “When it was time for class, I would prioritize that.”
UCU’s impact on her went beyond academics to co-curricular activities such as sports and community outreach. These experiences allowed her to engage with the community and provide valuable service.
“In 2022, I participated in a sports gala which gave me a chance to interact with other students at the university,” Ninsiima said. “It also built team spirit within us at the School of Business as we worked towards one goal to win.”
Her memorable experiences include an outreach to a Kampala slum, where she helped to clean the environment, encouraged people to donate blood and taught residents how to make reusable sanitary towels.
With ambitions to excel in her career, she envisions entering fields such as financial consultancy, financial analysis or auditing, among others. Her passion for business stems from its potential for growth and financial freedom.
“With formal employment, you can only grow as much as your employer wants you to; at each point you have to ask for more salary or wait to get promoted, while with business, if you establish a good brand, and keep working hard, you are able to grow and have financial freedom,” Ninsiima quipped.
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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.
The Vice-president, Guild Government, Melisa Kamikaze, reads the Ebenezer paper.
By Pauline Luba Christiana Ampeire was at one time mocked for scoring low grades at school. Among the people who mocked her for what they considered poor performance, she says, was one of her teachers in secondary school.
Graduands prepare to receive their awards.
Such conduct towards Ampeire forced her to reset her mind with every sunset. Luckily for her, the tide changed in her favor. And on October 13, 2023, she had a plaque to show for that. The plaque was a gift for academic excellence.
“Here I am with a First Class Degree, and I feel good,” Ampeire, a fresh graduate of Uganda Christian University, said. She was among the 33 students who graduated with a First Class at UCU’s 24th graduation ceremony held at the Main Campus on October 13. At UCU, every student who achieves a First-Class degree is awarded with an academic achievement plaque.
Ampeire received a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication at the ceremony where 986 students graduated. Fifty-four percent of the graduates, drawn from the Main and Arua Campuses, including some of the affiliate institutions, were female students.
Some students who received Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication.
At the ceremony, Precious Claire Ninsiima, a graduate of Bachelor of Business Administration, was announced the overall best student, and also the best arts student, scoring a Grade Point Average of 4.78 of 5.0. Gilbert Afema was the best male student. Afema, who graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity, had a Grade Point Average of 4.60 of 5.0. Martin Juuko took home the award for best science student, garnering a Grade Point Average of 4.50 of 5.0 in Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Ninsiima said she had initially been admitted to Makerere University to pursue a degree course in international business under government sponsorship. However, the allure of the orderliness and the virtues that the alums of UCU espouse were too strong for Ninsiima’s mother to ignore. She thus relocated her daughter to UCU, so she could tap into the values that come with studying at the university.
“My mother suggested I join UCU because of its values and its image as a Christ-centered institution,” Ninsiima said.
The Dean of the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Prof. Monica Chibita, reads names of the graduates.
However, UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi reminded the graduates that the values they had acquired at the university need to be nurtured “because it’s what sets you apart as a UCU graduate. UCU is well-known for our value-based education.”
The Rt. Rev. Henry Luke Orombi, the day’s chief guest and former Archbishop of the Anglican Church, who is also a former chancellor of UCU, urged the graduates to be willing and ready to use the values they had learned to serve humanity.
“True service will promote your name. Be willing and ready to serve. You don’t have to bribe your way to a position. Faithful service wins the approval of heaven and it’s heaven that promotes,” Orombi said. He encouraged the graduates, who included five UCU staff who graduated with PhDs, to pursue their destiny with ambition and prove themselves as trustworthy workers.
Ampeire Christiana after receiving a first-class degree.
Getting doctoral degrees from UCU were the following faculty members: Rev. Dr. Abel Wankuma Kibbedi, who completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Literature; and Dr. Faith Mbabazi Musinguzi, Dr. Gladys Ayot Oyat, and Dr. David Sengendo, all acquiring a PhD in Education Administration and Management. Dr. Arthur Nuwagaba of the School of Business was awarded a PhD in Business and Administration from the University of Nairobi.
Enumerating some of the recent achievements at the university, Mushengyezi mentioned the six newly accredited PhD programs at the university, inviting people to take up the opportunities to further their academic pursuits. The newly accredited programs are PhD in Journalism, Media and Communication; Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies; Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration; Doctor of Philosophy in Theology (reassessment); and Doctor of Ministry and Doctor of Philosophy in Literature.
Chancellor and Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Most. Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba, and the guest of honor, the Rt. Rev. Henry Luke Orombi at the October graduation ceremony.
UCU Chancellor His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, encouraged the graduates to apply the knowledge they have acquired to be change makers.
“I encourage you to embrace your roles as potential job creators and innovators. Be bold, take risks, and pursue your passions with self-discipline and trust in God to lead you,” Mugalu said.
He urged the graduates to tap into the power of social media to connect people, bridge gaps, and amplify voices. However, he warned about the potential of social media to promote division, cause misinformation, negativity and biases.
For the second time, Uganda Partners, in partnership with the UCU Department of Communications and Public Relations, produced an annual newspaper, the Ebenezer that was distributed to some guests at the graduation ceremony. The online edition can be found here.
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.
UCU senior management and VIP guests join the Rt. Rev. Henry Luke Orombi (sixth-left) in cutting cake to celebrate the 74th birthday of the former archbishop.
By Pauline Luba On October 11, 2023, former Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, the Rt. Rev. Henry Luke Orombi celebrated his 74th birthday. To mark this day, Orombi cut a specially made, three-tiered cake at the Uganda Christian University’s Nkoyoyo Hall, a structure named after his predecessor in the Church of Uganda leadership, Archbishop Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.
However, the main reason for Orombi’s presence at UCU that day was not to celebrate his birthday. In fact, the cake was a surprise to him, since he had already celebrated the birthday a day earlier, owing to the fact that he had a commitment on his birthday. Orombi was at UCU to deliver this year’s keynote address at the university’s Annual Public Lecture that is always held two days before the October graduation ceremony.
UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi presents a gift to Orombi after the latter delivered a public lecture at UCU on October 11.
Under the theme “Servant Leadership,” Orombi spent the sunny afternoon attempting to convince the leaders in the fully-packed Nkoyoyo Hall on why the positions they hold at their workplaces and elsewhere demand more service from them than entitlement. He said just like the church, Uganda needs more leaders who are able to impact those they lead than leaders who care more about “boastful” lives.
The concept of servant leadership is one aspect of management that is rare to find. It is premised on the belief that as a leader, your first and foremost goal is to serve the people you lead, and then you can aspire to lead them. This is in contrast to the age-old practice of traditional leadership, which is about exercising one’s power assumed from the authority bestowed on them as a result of the leadership position they hold.
“When you meet some of the leaders and you try to introduce them as Mr., they correct you, saying, ‘I am Hon.’,” Orombi noted, indicating that some leaders are more concerned about the titles than the responsibility that the positions bring.
Orombi delivers his keynote address during the Annual UCU Public Lecture 2023.
“But titles go with responsibilities,” the bespectacled Orombi said. “The higher you go in leadership, the more responsibilities you have. You come under more intense scrutiny, wherever you go and in whatever you do.”
Part of the members of the audience were UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi and his two deputies — the Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa and Mr. David Mugawe. Also in attendance was former Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Canon. Dr. John Senyonyi, and H.E Tania Perez, the Cuban Ambassador to Uganda.
Just as was expected of a former archbishop, Orombi, the Chancellor of UCU from 2004 to 2012, spent a considerable time during his lecture, drawing lessons from the Bible to enrich his lecture.
H.E Tania Perez, the Cuban Ambassador to Uganda, with VC Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi
“When Jesus walked the earth as God-man, he was fully God, so he had a lot of power,” Orombi, currently the Chancellor of Muni University in Uganda. said. “But, he did not use it. If He did, only slightly. Such should be the case with servant leaders.”
He called on servant leaders to use the positions they have to mentor people, especially the younger ones, drawing lessons from the life of Jesus, who he said came to serve, and not to be served and that that is the kind of servant leaders “we are meant to be.”
The Rev. Prof. Dr. Samuel Luboga, the chairperson of the Uganda’s Education Service Commission, who was the discussant at the public lecture, concurred with Orombi, noting: “Unless we become servant leaders, we cannot hope to serve efficiently the people before us, let alone accomplish the great commission of Jesus Christ.”
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 As a medical writer, one needs to be familiar with healthcare concepts, to be able to decode and present research data, as well as have the abilities to edit and meet the requirements for publishing. As the President of the Writers’ Society at Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Medicine (SoM), Namayanja Christabel is fully aware of this.
The fifth-year medical student at UCU’s SoM notes that medicine and writing go hand in hand.
“If you really want to be a doctor of international repute, one way of getting known is through publishing papers, writing articles in journals and other platforms,” she said.
One of Namayanja’s duties as the Writers’ Society president is to inspire students to think about scientific writing, as well as facilitating connections with professionals and organizations involved in clinical research and clinical content publication.
Efforts like these have made entities like the International Journal of Clinical Research (IJCR) express interest in working with the writers’ team, raising hopes for potential future projects. According to the IJCR website, the journal “publishes high-quality, open-access, peer-reviewed articles,andinteractive clinical contentfor physicians, educators, and the global medical community.”
When most students join the SoM writers’ association, their initial thinking, which was much the thinking of some of the association’s original torch bearers, is to focus on creative writing. However, the school has often encouraged them to participate in science writing, as it aligns more closely with their field of study.
Namayanja Christabel, the UCU SoM writers’ association president
And to do that, they constantly need coaching and mentorship from the field’s tried and tested professionals. Patty Huston-Holm, the Communications Director at Uganda Partners, is one such mentor. Namayanja attributes the improvement in their recently published newsletter to Huston’s invaluable feedback and advice during an online meeting after reviewing one of their earlier newsletters.
Each member of the UCU SoM writers’ association pays sh50,000 ($13.20) per year as membership fees. The money is used for meeting administrative costs of the association and producing a newsletter every semester.
According to Namayanja, the association members could have engaged in more activities related to writing had it not been for their current rigorous school programs. In year five, the students are more engrossed in intense clinical practice, in addition to theoretical work, which requires long hours of study, justifying that some of them belong to the association purely out of passion.
Namayanja is known for her ardent interest in writing. At Gayaza High School located in central Uganda, where she had her secondary education, Namayanja espoused skills in writing, reading and social interaction, with the latter getting reinforced as she served in different capacities as a student leader in the school. She was at one time the editor-in-chief of the school’s writers’ club.
The experience she garnered in the writers’ club at Gayaza are credited for her leadership ladder climb at the UCU SoM writers’ association. And she does not hope to have her passion end at school. Namayanja aspires to be more than a practicing clinician, with a career in writing, alongside her medical profession.
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.
Opinira Ovua Joshua says he joined UCU because of the influence of his brother, an alumnus of the university, and that he appreciates the university lesson of humility that he applies in his job of serving prisoners.
By Pauline Luba On July 5, 2019, Opinira Ovua Joshua was among the 1,234 people who walked out of the gates of Uganda Christian University (UCU) in a graduation gown, ready to join the world of work. Opinira’s five-year journey yielded a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship.
However, it was not until four years later that the 29-year-old secured formal employment. October 2, 2023, was his first day as a Prisons General Duties Officer in the Uganda Prisons Service. Prison officers oversee the safety and security of an inmate. They transfer prisoners to and from prison, including apprehending those who escape from lawful custody. They also are responsible for the welfare of the inmates.
Opinira, the third born of five children, first went to the Prisons offices to drop his application letters for the positions of Prisons Agricultural Officer and Prisons General Duties Officer. He was successful in the latter position, which he accepted since he did not have another job at the time. For now, he serves in the northern Uganda district of Kitgum.
Opinira’s father, Ovua Shem, is a teacher while his mother, Alezuyo Janet Ovua, is a housewife. Opinira says his parents impacted him by pushing him to stay in school, work hard and stay humble. The latter attribute relates to his humility in serving men in prison.
Opinira says coming from a farm family in Arua district in northern Uganda made him easily appreciate the value of a profession in agriculture. The love for the career, he says, was the driving force behind his excellent performance in the subject throughout secondary school. He studied agriculture as a subject in both O-and A’level at Mvara Secondary School in northern Uganda.
“I wanted to be a plant breeder,” he said.
And that aspiration has not yet evaporated. Even as a general duties officer in the Prisons, he hopes to set up his own agricultural enterprise, so he puts into practice some of the knowledge he acquired in the classroom.
Opinira was attracted to UCU because his brother graduated from there.
Having grown up in a church setting, Opinira was convinced by his elder brother’s stories that UCU was the perfect place for him to achieve his career, grow his faith and ministry, and expand his talent in music. UCU provided fertile ground for Opinira’s love for music as from the time he joined UCU in 2014 to when he left, he was a member of the university’s choir, The Mustard Seed Worship Team. In the five years, he held different positions in the choir, including as chairperson and music director.
As the chairperson of the choir, part of Opinira’s work was leading Sunday and midweek services, which attracted congregations of 400-500 people. He was also in charge of handling the administrative duties of the choir. As the Music Director, a position he held from 2016-2017, Opinira oversaw the planning of music in line with the scripture messages, as well as teaching songs to choir members, who numbered up to 50 people.
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.
A demonstration of cooking using the gas bag at the UCU kitchen.
By Kefa Senoga Uganda Christian University (UCU) has launched one of its latest innovations that will see the institution turn much of its waste into wealth. While launching the waste harvesting and biogas production plant at the UCU main campus in Mukono early September, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, said he had, indeed, come to believe that waste can be gold.
Mushengyezi’s remarks came after watching a demonstration where waste from the UCU kitchen, fecal matter and cow dung is mixed to produce biogas that can be used for cooking. The biogas production plant was a collaborative venture between UCU’s Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology and PSEM Africa, an engineering company.
Ucha David, renewable energy engineer at PSEM Africa, demonstrates the waste harvesting process to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi.
Moses Nuwaha, the projects manager at PSEM Africa, highlighted their experience in constructing biogas digesters, with a history of continuous refinement and development. He said even if they have handed over the project to the university, their participation and partnership should continue as they are looking forward to working with the research team to improve the innovation.
Ucha David, the renewable energy engineer at PSEM Africa, who conducted a demonstration of the biogas production, explained that they combine fecal matter, cow dung and food waste to create a diverse feedstock, ensuring a balanced nutrient composition, to be able to generate gas.
Waste is collected from the treatment plant and transported through pipelines to the holding tank. Ucha explained that given that the biogas plant is a prototype, they are currently pumping only one cubic meter of waste per hour, even though the pump has the capacity to handle 20 cubic meters.
Ucha explaining to the UCU officials at the waste treatment plant.
According to Ucha, the biogas plant does not only rely on fecal solid and liquid septic waste. They combine cow dung and food waste into the mix to utilize all the resources. He emphasizes that relying only on facal waste would not yield enough gas.
Waste from cooked food is crushed into a homogenous mixture — to the same level like cow dung, Ucha explained. He noted that waste from raw food, such as banana peelings, is not effective for the process.
After obtaining the gas, it is stored in gas bags, which are then transported to the kitchen for use. He adds that a full gas bag of two cubic meters is sufficient for two days of kitchen use.
Dr. Miria Agunyo, the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology, said their next research will address the packaging of the gas. He said one of the gas bags was accidentally damaged by a stone in the kitchen. In industrial settings, gas is stored and transported in cylinders.
Harry Oryema Langalanga, the chairperson of the Uganda National Biogas Alliance, encouraged the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology, which is in charge of the plant, to consider acquiring a solid-liquid separator to enable more efficient utilization of the nutrients found in the digestate. The liquid portion, rich in nutrients, can serve as liquid fertilizer, while the solid part can be subject to further processing or employed as solid fertilizer.
The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology, Dr. Miria Agunyo (wearing overalls), briefs officials about the facility.
Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Director of Research, Partnerships and Innovations at UCU, said her directorate would extend support for the expansion and growth of the project. She appealed to Mushengyezi to consider recruiting more technicians to the different science departments at the university.
Eng. David Kivumbi, the Director of Facilities and Capital Projects at UCU, noted that whatever can be recovered or transformed from waste needs to be harnessed because resources have become limited. He urged the community to engage in research that benefits the community.
Mushengyezi suggested that, perhaps, in future, the university can think of transporting the gas through pipes. He said should the project become more beneficial, the funds previously spent on buying firewood and charcoal could be redirected into supporting the plant.
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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