Abby Priscilla (fourth-left) and some teammates and coach (second-right) after her farewell lunch at UCU
By Ian Asabo Ugandan basketball star Abby Priscilla has won a scholarship to study at Grayson College in Texas, USA. Abby, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumna, will pursue a bachelor’s in business administration course at the college.
Abby says winning the scholarship had a lot to do with her performance on the basketball court. The 19-year-old recently earned a call up to Uganda’s national women basketball team. The selection followed Abby’s exploits at the 3×3 Afro Varsity games in Nairobi, Kenya late last year.
Abby Priscilla (blue) playing for the Lady Canons at the 3×3 Afro Varsity tournament in November 2021
At the tournament, UCU’s women’s basketball team, the Lady Canons, which Abby was part of, emerged the best in Africa. For the feat, the Lady Canons will represent Africa at the universities’ World Cup in China, in October this year.
In the United States, Abby will play for Grayson College’s basketball team, The Vikings, in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference.
“This scholarship is a big step for me because I am going to the United States, where their basketball programs set the standard for the world,” said Abby, who received a Diploma in Business Administration, at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021.
She added: “Studying at Grayson College gives me an opportunity to compete against the best players and teams in the world.”
Abby noted that playing basketball at such a level will make her not only a better athlete, but also a competitive one.
One of the people Abby looks up to is Ugandan professional basketball player Claire Lamunu. And it looks like Abby will not just end at admiring Lamunu’s basketball skills. She is also following in her footsteps to a US university. In 2015, Lamunu joined Vanguard University in California to study biochemistry on a basketball scholarship.
Abby credits UCU Lady Canons and her teammates for pushing her to the heights, a place she had never even dreamed of reaching.
“The team is my family and that is one of the reasons Lady Canons has been this successful,” Abby stated, adding: “I will always carry with me the memories of us winning competitions, as well as how we bounced back as a team whenever we lost a game.”
UCU basketball head coach, Nicholas Natuhereza, attributed Abby’s success to hard work, consistency and passion for the game.
“When she joined the team, she showed she had potential to be an important player for us,” Natuhereza said, noting that when they gave Abby the opportunity to play, she did not disappoint them.
Abby praised Natuhereza for being “someone influential” to her, both on and off the court, including instilling in her the basic principles of living the life of an athlete which, she says, have been valuable in her development.
Abby, however, acknowledges that the journey has not been an easy one. She says it was tough balancing performance on the court, as well as in class, which was the primary reason she was in UCU. However, she believes that the challenges only worked to motivate her to put in more effort both in the classroom and on the court. After all, her challenges were what every student athlete goes through – striking a balance between class and basketball court performance.
For now, her mind will be on the conference games with her name team, the Grayson College Vikings in California.
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.
Ochen (wearing glasses) with children during one of the children ministry outreaches. (Facebook photo)
By Joseph Lagen In 2017, when Gabriel Trinity Ochen joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration course, it was a dream come true.
First, Ochen, 27, had always got positive reviews from his elder siblings who were students at the institution.
Second, he had been admitted to a course he felt struck a chord. And there is evidence that Ochen’s feelings were spot on because, no sooner had he completed his course at UCU than he started his own business in Moroto district, northeastern Uganda. He roasts meat which he sells in the evenings in Moroto town.
Ochen, one of the beneficiaries of the charity of Uganda Partners, was among the more than 3,000 people who graduated at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021. While continuing his meat business, Ochen is eyeing a desk job to enable him to pool some resources before he launches into full-time self-employment. He believes the knowledge he has attained from the three years he spent in the UCU lecture rooms are adequate enough to enable him to run a business enterprise.
“I intend to engage in commercial agriculture, through which I can empower the community in which I live,” Ochen says.
Ochen’s journey through school has been unforgettable. Having been born in a family of 10, paying tuition in a private university was not going to be easy for his mother, Betty Angeyo Oyo, a single parent. Ochen lost his father, Sam Odinga, in 1997, when he was just three years old.
To complete primary school and O’level, he got a scholarship for tuition from a Catholic Mission in his area – the Charity Sisters at Reginamondi Catholic Diocese in Moroto district. For A’level, when he got stuck on where to get finances for tuition, family friends and the extended family provided the support.
While Ochen’s benefactors were willing to help pay his tuition even for the undergraduate studies, they said they lacked the capacity. The uncertainty this situation brought made Ochen anxious.
“The semester was always engaging and fun, but as it drew to a close, the fear of being unable to sit examinations because of outstanding tuition balances loomed,” he said. “It was a trying time for me.”
It was in times like those that Ochen received financial aid from both students and some members of the university administration.
Ochen had joined the choir, from where he learned how to play the guitar. He was also a member of the institution’s band.
Gabriel Trinity Ocen (on stage, wearing blue shirt) during a community worship service at Nkoyoyo hall. (Facebook photo)
“I loved to play the guitar and sing with one of the school’s choirs, the Mustard Seed,” he said. “I was also part of the instrumentalists that played at the university’s main auditorium – Nkoyoyo Hall.”
It is through associations like these that made some people get to know him more closely.
“I am grateful to the university staff that helped me process exemption passes when I was unable to meet the full tuition in time,” he says.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many of Ochen’s benefactors were affected and so they could not continue supporting him. It was at that point that a friend, Jimmy, introduced him to the Uganda Partners and how to apply for the help he needed. Uganda Partners, through their sponsorship program, has assisted many other UCU students like Ochen.
“While I was initially hesitant, I saw the Uganda Partners poster calling for sponsorship applications. Thanks to them, I was able to clear my arrears.”
Through the university chapel, Thornycroft, Ochen has been able to do missionary work across the country.
“In 2018, I led a team of about 200 students to Moroto, northeastern Uganda, for ministry,” he said. “Later, I was also part of the mission teams to other districts.”
It is the leadership skills Ochen acquired while serving in the university church that he holds dear and uses at his local church, St. Luke’s Chapel in Moroto district, where he currently resides. He says serving in the Church at UCU enabled him to pick life lessons, such as the need to persevere, no matter the challenges that life throws at him, as stated in Hebrews 12:1-2.
With the degree in the bag, as Ochen settles to find his footing in the field of work, he says he has his eyes equally set on marriage.
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.
Agaba at his work place at the Next Media Services.
By Derrick Muduku To many, being the Guild President at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Kampala campus and doing comedy at the same time is mutually exclusive. That was not the case for Mark Agaba. In 2019, Agaba, a famous figure in the entertainment circles, won the contest to become the campus’ top student leader.
The stand-up comedian, who goes by the stage name Uncle Mark, ably executed the two roles of comedy and student leadership.
Agaba on stage during a stand-up comedy show
His role as a student leader played a great part in Agaba scooping his most recent job as Public Relations Protocol Executive at Next Media Services, a media company in Uganda. Next Media Services owns NBS TV, Next Radio, news site Nile Post and Sanyuka TV.
“As Public Relations Protocol Executive, I am tasked with writing press releases, and reaching out to people who are engaging with our media outlets,” Agaba said. “This opportunity means a lot to me. I’m also expected to co-ordinate activities of Next Media Services with partner international media organizations, such as CNN and BBC.”
“I discovered my funny side during conversations with my friends,” he said. “Whenever I was around my peers, my comments would always leave them in stiches.” Agaba said that is what propelled him to take comedy more seriously and nurture the talent.
Agaba credits the virtues he learned at UCU for carving him into the person he is today.
“It is the virtues of Christ-centeredness, diligence, integrity and stewardship that I honor in every field of my life,” he said. “I have not found any better waves of transformation than these.”
Just how did Agaba manage to balance books, comedy and leadership?
“I endeavored to make the time for books, since I believed in leading, even in academics,” Agaba says. “I also have to give credit to the competent team with whom I served during my tenure as Guild President. I am grateful to my Vice President of the Guild leadership, Jemimah Jehopio, and the different heads of departments for their diligent service. They made my work a lot lighter and enjoyable.”
Phoebe Namujehe, the immediate past Guild President of UCU Kampala Campus, said Agaba, who was her predecessor, was a tolerant, humble, hardworking and committed leader.
Namujehe said Agaba often lit up the mood at the campus with his comedy. “Even as he read his manifesto, he was comical,” she said of the son of Jane Agaba and the late Godfrey Agaba from Kabale district in southwestern Uganda.
Before joining UCU, Agaba acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Makerere University. At UCU, he studied in the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration program.
Now that he has found his way onto the staff list of a major broadcaster in Uganda, Agaba says he will use the opportunity to further nurture his love for communication.
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.
Steven Kyakulumbye is a senior lecturer in the UCU School of Business.
By Eriah Lule In 2013, Steven Kyakulumbye had a vision about the critical role of virtual learning in knowledge transfer. When he thought it was time to put his dream into practice, Kyakulumbye wrote a proposal for the initiation of virtual learning within Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Faculty of Business Administration.
Impressed by the proposal, then UCU Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, tasked him with writing a virtual learning plan for the entire university. Senyonyi hoped to present it to the University Council for approval.
When the proposal was approved, Kyakulumbye was asked to design the eLearning policies and guidelines. By 2015, the UCU eLearning center was under construction. The university needed to get someone to manage the center. When the vacancy was advertised, Kyakulumbye applied and was hired for the position. However, he was not able to assume the role.
“I didn’t step into my office because, around the same time, I got a scholarship from the UCU staff scholarship committee to pursue my PhD course,” the 47-year-old said. “And so, I had to make the difficult decision.”
Kyakulumbye left in 2016 to attend his Pre-PhD program at the University of Pretoria and, later, in 2017, he headed to the University of Western Cape in South Africa, to pursue a doctorate in information systems. However, he maintained a seat on the eLearning committee that had been formed to oversee virtual learning programs.
Kyakulumbye’s stay in South Africa challenged him to test his own initiative.
“I used to teach my master’s students online,” he says. With the exposure acquired from South Africa, in 2019, the Vice Chancellor asked him to present to the academic management of UCU insights into how they could integrate eLearning in the Alpha app, an application students use to check academic results at the university.
In 2020, the UCU School of Business, set up an eLearning committee to design virtual programs for students, and the ripple effect was felt across all faculties.
By the time schools were closed in March of 2020, to limit the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda, UCU was well ahead of many higher institutions of learning as far as eLearning is concerned. In fact, UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi has invited institutions that wish to learn from the best practices of online learning at UCU not to hesitate.
“We have invested in our infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions and in case of any help, we are around to give a hand,” Mushengyezi said at a recent online conference convened to discuss the disruptive effects of Covid-19 on the education sector in Uganda.
Now eight years since Kyakulumbye’s first proposal rooting for eLearning, lots of changes have happened. He is now a proud holder of a doctorate degree and is a senior lecturer in the University. The Faculty of Business Administration is now the UCU School of Business. And, thanks to Covid, eLearning was fast tracked and implemented across the entire University.
Kyakulumbye did not just bump into the computer world. He’s highly qualified to be there.
He holds a master’s in project management and a post-graduate diploma (both aligned to ICT) from the Uganda Management Institute. His bachelor’s degree, attained at Nkumba University in Uganda, was in computing education.
He is a registered Graduate Educator by Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports. A well-published scholar, Kyakulumbye chairs the UCU Research Ethics Committee, a body that plays the oversight of research involving humans as research participants in Uganda.
For 20 years, Kyakulumbye has been married to Agnes Nansubuga; the couple has five children. He is a son of Lubowa Joseph and Ann Mary Namuddu of Buikwe in central Uganda. Kyakulumbye loves music and enjoys playing traditional instruments like flutes.
When he completes his tour of duty at UCU, Kyakulumbye wants to engage in consultancy in information technology.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Story and Photos By Jimmy Siyasa Just like every shrewd business person, Najib Kabaala saw an opportunity and quickly took advantage of it.
Some students needed salads during their meals in the Uganda Christian University (UCU) refectory. Together with a student colleague, Duncan Barasha, the duo started selling salads to students. They had made contacts with farmers, to sell them fresh vegetables.
And this was not all. As a student of the Bachelor of International Business course at UCU, Kabaala turned many of his class assignments into business ventures.
Another of the assignments which came to life was the business of selling confectionery like chocolate as well as chewing gum to the students. In a goodwill move, Kabaala and Barasha often donated a portion of their profits to the UCU Guild Fund to support financially underprivileged students.
Upon graduating in 2019, the duo started a company, KK International Business and Trade Advisory, which offered services of filing tax returns and business consultancy, among others.
However, in a drastic turn of events early in 2021, Kabaala got employed with a private security firm, Saracen Uganda Limited.
“I never thought that I would take that direction,” he said “I expected to be doing international business.”
Kabaala narrates his sometimes-bumpy but successful journey from business to security.
UCU business alum Najib Kabaala
Throughout 2020, Kabaala was a volunteer with UCU’s Africa Policy Center, aiding with program coordination, among other tasks. However, the job was not financially stable and sufficient. And his infant company had not yet broken even.
Circumstances forced Kabaala to accept a recommendation from a UCU lecturer to work at a security agency. He submitted his credentials, did the interview and got the job.
However, Kabaala’s first experience preparing for the position left him a bit rattled. The venue was Garuga on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda. Kabaala was sharply dressed. It was his first day, so he needed to make an impression.
“When I arrived, the supervisor took my documents, put them aside and told me to join my colleagues,” he says.
The “colleagues” were a few meters away, doing morning drills in the lake.
He took off his shirt, stayed in shorts and joined them into the water. Later, they sang chants, rolled on their backs and frog-jumped. They camped at Garuga, doing that, and several other physical exercises, for more than three months.
“The training was so intense that at some point, I wanted to drop out and go back home,” Kabaala says.
He strongly believes that part of the reason he soldiered on was because UCU, through its holistic approach to academics and individual’s development, had prepared him for that time when he would get to exercise his endurance in an unconventional environment as a graduate.
When he completed the paramilitary training and a management course, Kabaala assumed office as the Assistant Area Manager, courtesy of his degree qualification. He was posted to western Uganda, where he supervises hundreds of private security guards.
In his day-to-day operations, Kabaala gets to meet corporate company executives, such as bank managers, who wish to hire their security services. As he pursued his international business management course, Kabaala hoped to deal in cross-border trade of commodities. However, in his new role, he instead handles the transfer of weapons across borders, on behalf of his company, which has branches in other countries.
Despite switching to security work, Kabaala’s business acumen has not withered. He still actively runs small businesses and hopes to enroll for a master’s degree at UCU when he gets the resources for tuition fees.
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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Vincent Kisenyi, newly appointed Dean of the School of Business at UCU
Photo and Story By Jimmy Siyasa In mid-2021, Uganda Christian University (UCU) underwent a change of guard in many faculties. Vincent Kisenyi was one of those changes. Effective in May, he is the university’s new dean of the UCU School of Business.
“I thank God,” he said. “It is a sign of confidence that I can still contribute to the university.”
The position is familiar ground for Kisenyi. The 49-year-old administrator held a similar position from 2010 to 2014, but at the time, it was the Faculty of Business and Administration. Now, it is the School of Business.
Before that, Kisenyi had been the faculty’s Associate Dean from 2006 to 2009.
Flexible and visionary. That is how one of the administrators in the School of Business described Kisenyi. Martin Kabanda, the head of management and entrepreneurship at the School of Business at UCU, said Kisenyi has incredible human-relations skills.
“He knows how to lead the team, without bruises, towards the school’s goals and objectives,” Kabanda says.
Kisenyi considers his appointment a gesture of confidence in him as the “messiah” to save the School of Business from impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. He is cognizant of the fact that many staff, students and sponsors have been affected by Covid physically, economically and academically.
“Because of the pandemic, many staff are anxious, have been either sick or fear to contract the virus; others are afraid of losing their jobs,” he said. Kisenyi has, therefore, been working, together, with his team of heads of departments to help staff who have been affected and infected by Covid.
Some of the programs he recently instituted at the School of Business include counseling for staff, as well as lunch-hour prayer meetings.
“We have seen God working wonders here at the faculty because of the intense prayer meetings we hold,” Kisenyi testifies.
To ensure the faculty effectively manages Online Distance Learning (ODeL), Kisenyi, through the eLearning department, organized a refresher training for his staff as a way of re-tooling them to prepare for digital lectures. The students, too, were not left out. The school organized a virtual orientation for new students, to equip them with knowledge on how to study online.
Kisenyi says the School of Business will soon embark on community outreaches, especially within Mukono. These will be in the form of workshops, to share business skills with people operating businesses within the town.
“As a School of Business, we want to have more impact on our community, more than ever before, he says.
He also intends to work with business owners in Mukono, so that his students get placements in supermarkets and grocery shops as they learn business skills.
When Kisenyi joined UCU in 2000, he was already a refined product, having cut his professional teeth at Kyambogo University, (1997-1999) and Uganda Martyrs University (1997-1999). From 2004 to 2005, he also lectured at Bugema Adventist University.
Under his academic belt is a Master’s in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Dundee, Scotland (1997), a certificate of doing business in Europe from Hanze University of Applied Science, Groningen Netherlands (2016), a Bachelor of Business Administration and Management, acquired in 1996, at the Uganda Martyrs University.
During his free time, Kisenyi engages in sports. In fact, he is a former sports tutor at UCU. He is also the current vice president of both the Africa Woodball Association and the National University Sports Federation of Uganda.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Some graduates who picked up graduation regalia ahead of the day pose in celebration. Photo/ Jimmy
By Yasiri J Kasango and Gloria Katya A total of 3,368 students are slated to graduate on Friday, October 22, 2021, during the 22nd Graduation ceremony of Uganda Christian University (UCU). Janet Kataaha Museveni, Minister of Education and Sports, who is also a former graduate of UCU and wife of the Uganda president, will be the chief guest.
This is the second time UCU is conducting a virtual graduation because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first virtual graduation was held on December 12, 2020.
This ceremony will have the highest number of graduates in a single graduation since the University’s inception in 1997. The students are graduating with diplomas, bachelor’s degrees, masters and PhDs in different disciplines.
The total graduating population is made up of 1,711 females and 1,657 males. Of these, 95 excelled with First Class Degrees. A few of the students who garnered first class will have the privilege to attend the graduation in-person at the UCU main campus in Mukono district, central Uganda.
The overall best student, Sore Moureen, scored a 4.78 Cumulative Grade Point Average out of 5.0. She receives a Bachelor of Human Resource Management.
Jonathan Mbabazi, a graduand who has achieved a first-class degree in Bachelor of Business Administration, was full of praises to God for the feat.
“Despite all the challenges I faced, such as selling charcoal to raise school fees, I thank God for helping me complete and pass highly,” Jonathan Mbabazi said.
Another graduand, Marvin Charles Masoolo, who pursued the Bachelor of Public Administration and Management, said: “I always had a dream to graduate, though the outbreak of Covid-19 had threatened it. I’m going to the world to become a leader of economic transformation.”
In observance of the Covid-19 guidelines, dictated by the Uganda Ministry of Health, UCU can host not more than 200 special guests, including students, parents, and University top management staff. These will include the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi; Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics, the Rev. Dr John Kitayimbwa; and David Mugawe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration; as well as deans and heads of departments.
The university administration has selected the best two students from each of the graduating courses to attend the event. The administration resolved to invite both a male and female student. Unlike the previous graduations where a student would come with both parents, this time, the in-person student will only be allowed to come with one guest.
The graduation ceremony will also be graced by the Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu who also doubles as the University’s chancellor. Kaziimba is expected to lead a Commissioning Service at the graduation ceremony, where he will pray for the students and commit them to the Lord.
The event will be broadcast live on Uganda Broadcasting Corporation UBC TV for students who will not attend physically to follow the ceremony.The venue of the physical event will be the University’s main new soccer match pitch.
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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Students waiting for vaccination at the sports department at UCU.
Story and photos by Yasiri J. Kasango As of early September, 50 Uganda Christian University (UCU) students who participate in sports had received their Covid-19 jabs.
The vaccination administration for nearly all UCU students on sports teams took place on the Mukono campus to enable these students to participate in the forthcoming major leagues in the disciplines of basketball, football, volleyball and netball. Some of leagues were expected to start as early as mid-September.
Speaking about the vaccination that was conducted by the Mukono district health officials, in conjunction with the university health team, Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, the Director of Medical Services at UCU, said the university management chose to prioritize sports students to protect them against the pandemic.
“They come into contact with so many other people during the games and, to ensure their safety, they were prioritized in the vaccination,” Mulindwa said.
He advised both students and staff members who have not yet gone for the Covid-19 vaccination to do so. Many of the vaccination centers in the country are giving priority to teachers, non-teaching staff and students who are 18 years and above because government has pegged the re-opening of schools to sufficient vaccination.
Uganda started vaccination on March 10, but many people have not been able to get their jabs because of the few vaccines available. By the end of August, reports indicated that 1,376,986 doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered, especially to priority groups of teachers, non-teaching staff in schools, journalists, security personnel, medical workers and people with underlying comorbidities.
Out of those, 977,889 people had received their first jabs and 399,097 have completed their two doses. Uganda has 44 million residents.
Students filling out consent forms before receiving the Covid-19 jabs.As of early September, 50 Uganda Christian University (UCU) students who participate in sports had received their Covid-19 jabs.
The Mukono district malaria focal person, James Kawesa, who represented the district medical team at the vaccination at UCU, said people can only get back to their pre-Covid lives if the population gets vaccinated.
The UCU vaccinated students welcomed the initiative. Faith Apio, a student pursuing the Diploma in Business Administration and a member of the university’s female football team, the Lady Cardinals, said she sought vaccination in order to protect herself and others on the pitch.
Cranmer Wamala, a third-year student of Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention and a basketballer on the UCU Canons team, noted that he was eager to receive the vaccination so he can remain on the school team.
He also noted that seeking vaccination would help him to continue with his studies.
Samuel David Lukaire, the head of the university’s sports department, said many of the national leagues were expected to start in mid-September.
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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The Rangers at the Source of River Nile in Jinja, Uganda. Courtesy photo.
By Jimmy Siyasa and Lule Eriah While growing up, the idea of Christian ministry on the ground in Africa did not cross the minds of Americans Richard Ranger and his wife, Catherine. But, as adults and later in life, two main incidents made the couple start pondering such a mission that now has them living on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) campus in Mukono.
First, it was a 2017 call by a friend, Prof. Brian Dennison, who, like the Rangers, also is a former Society of Anglicans Missionaries and Senders (SAMS) missionary and, like Richard, a Law lecturer at UCU. Dennison, then moved back to the United States with his family, reminded the couple that their love for the university as Washington, D.C., hosts for Ugandans had been noticed and that many students spoke highly of them.
The Rangers gave a thought to Dennison’s suggestion that they might consider doing more. They also consulted with Mark Bartels, the Executive Director of UCU Partners. After this consultation and prayer, they were still not yet persuaded.
The second thing to happen was an invitation extended to them by a UCU alumnus, friend and lecturer – Arnold Agaba – to serve at the institution. That, along with more prayer, sealed the deal.
The house where the Rangers reside at Tech Park in UCU. Courtesy photo.
“We came to UCU in particular, when Agaba Arnold offered us a specific role in the Faculty of Law,” says Catherine Ranger, who, like her husband, has a law degree. “It was a huge affirmation of our call.”
Soon, it was time to prepare for travel. This should have been easy because during Richard’s 43-year career, he worked at three different organizations, meaning the family had to relocate whenever he got a new employer.
This time around, though, there were added challenges. Richard Ranger had a brief bout with cancer. They had to be Covid vaccinated. And the Rangers were travelling to a country, Uganda, that was in a lockdown because of a pandemic surge.
“All the challenges, such as the Covid lockdown, Richard’s cancer, raising money for the support that came after making our decision and committing to coming, were viewed as bumps on the road, not demands to turn aside,” Catherine Ranger says.
Indeed, on their journey, more bumps emerged. For instance, the Rangers missed their flights at some point. However, whenever that happened, they had people who God used to come to their rescue. For instance, when they missed their flight from Dulles twice, they were hosted by a friend while their travel agent re-ticketed them at a subsidized rate.
When they landed in Uganda on June 20, 2021, their U.S. friends had made the necessary travel arrangement for them from Entebbe to Mukono. Together with their dog, Trooper, the Rangers were ushered into aduplex unit, at a section of the university called Tech Park.
Richard says that it is the prayers, encouragement, mentorship and financial support of friends that have sustained them.
A week into their stay at UCU, Richard, 69, and Catherine, 64, celebrated their 43rd wedding anniversary. Their intention is to celebrate five of more such anniversaries in Uganda.
The benevolence of Richard and Catherine towards UCU is new on the ground but not new overall. In 2004, their friend, Dr. Mary Seagull from the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), persuaded the mission community at All Saints Church Chevy Chase in Washington, D.C., to give scholarships to nursing students at UCU. The Rangers were part of this church and they participated in the charity.
Five years later, through the Uganda Partners, they supported UCU students who were to compete in the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competitions in the US. The Jessup moot court competition is the oldest and largest in the world, attracting participants from close to 700 law schools in more than 90 countries.
“We had one free room and a sofa set and accepted to house three of the students from the team,” Catherine said.
The following year, they housed another team that had travelled for the moot court competitions, for two weeks.
Currently, Catherine serves as an administrator at the John Sentamu Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, an affiliate of the UCU Faculty of Law. Richard, on the other hand, shares his more than two-decade experience in the oil and gas industry with students and staff in both Law and the UCU School of Business. Richard will assist as a lecturer and advisor to students in the graduate programs in oil and gas, and energy in the Faculty of Law as well as some teaching/consulting role with the School of Business.
He also hopes to tap the knowledge of his professional colleagues back at home in the U.S. via online distance lectures so they can supplement his contribution.
In his work with the students, Richard envisages helping them to integrate questions relating to the economic development of the oil resource, the conservation of the surrounding environment, and the concerns and interests of stakeholders whom the project may affect, to be able to make informed recommendations to her clients or her management.
The beating that many education institutions have gotten from the Covid-19 pandemic has led to the adoption of virtual, as well as blended learning. Richard believes there is a contribution he can make on that front, too. Prior to his retirement, his last employer, the American Petroleum Institute, begun to increase its use of remote teleconferencing – skills Richard has carried into his retirement activities.
“Since my retirement, I have been actively participating in remote teleconferencing by Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams for attendance at professional symposia, a project working group comprised of fellow graduates of my undergraduate alma mater, Dartmouth College,” he says.
He believes that virtual communication is a necessary and useful tool in learning across the distances of Uganda and the world.
For the next five years, the couple targets to contribute what they have learned and experienced in their different careers and in the 43 years of marriage and service to God. The couple also hopes to assist UCU’s law and business programs to educate Christian professionals hoping they buttress their careers with the university’s five values of Christ-centeredness, diligence, integrity, servanthood and stewardship.
For the time they will be at UCU, the couple says they will rely on prayer and financial support from generous friends, donors and churches back in the U.S. They do not see giving up on the mission as an option.
Both Catherine and Ricard graduated from law school, but have never practiced law. Catherine graduated from the University of Colorado in 1983. Richard graduated from the University of Denver in 1977. The couple has one adult child, Owen Ranger.
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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By Patty Huston-Holm and Jimmy Siyasa Sugar – the substance that sweetens food and drink and that Ugandans grow up eating directly from a stripped-open cane – isn’t all goodness and white.
Douglas Wegulo, UCU student and green entrepreneur
To get the granular crystals, there are by-products of yellow and brown. The yellow could be molasses. The brown is carbonation mud used mostly for fertilizer, but also as filler in polymer composites for plastic. The final wastes go back to the sugarcane fields to produce the same raw materials.
The point is not to waste anything.
Timothy Muwonge, general manager of environment, health and safety at Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL), said the industry is “70 percent of where we would like to be” for maximum profit and “green” standards.
How Uganda sugar commerce addresses environmental practices was the main focus of a late July Zoom sponsored by the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business. On a Thursday afternoon, roughly three dozen of mostly UCU business students listened in as part of what Vincent Kisenyi, dean of the school, says is an effort to insert more real-world examples into the UCU curriculum.
“The sugar industry has taken great (environmental) strides,” Muwonge said. “But it’s almost unknown. Environmental activists need to come out and see.”
The SCOUL manager shared visuals demonstrating waste and products connected to the country’s sugar factories. In addition to the best-known product of granulated sugar, the industry process yields molasses, filler mud, waste water and bagasse (dry pulpy residue left after the extraction of juice from sugar cane). The goal toward zero waste involves a concept of prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery and disposal.
A little-known fact is that the industry gauges the purity of treated waste water with home-grown fish.
“We use tilapia,” Muwonge said. “If they survive, it (the water) must be clean.”
Under the title of “Green Cameo Virtual Conference,” other presenters on July 29, 2021, were UCU Engineer Kivumbi David and UCU student Douglas Wegulo.
Kivumbi shared that a green environment on the UCU Mukono campus involves roads, buildings, clean water and proper disposal of waste water. He showed photos and discussed how planting trees, shrubs and grass and trimming tree limbs improves the environment along with the disposal of aged items, such as old vehicles and furniture.
According to the UCU engineer, plans call for better UCU electricity conservation by installing lights with automatic on/off switches and more use of bio-gas and solar energy. Finance, he said, is always a barrier to accomplishing more.
In the third virtual presentation, Douglas Wegulo, a student in the final year of a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, sensitized the audience about the urgent necessity to preserve the ecosystem. He runs an eco-friendly business that produces briquettes as a form of fuel in compressed coal that burns under fire.
The self-described “green entrepreneur” says his product is free of pollutants triggered by charcoal burning. He argues that the advantages of briquettes over charcoal are emission of minimal smoke, longer burning, and half the cost.
The business that he started in the midst of Uganda’s first lockdown in 2020 supports him and 10 employees, including two other UCU students. Wegulo’s business has grown from production of 9 pounds (4kgs) in a week to an average of two tons of briquettes each week. The main market includes areas neighboring Mukono, such as Katosi, Namawojjolo, Namataba and Namanve.
According to Wegulo the main challenge is scarcity of clients, such as schools, because they remain closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Other challenges include limited capital, space for expansion and machinery for mass production.
Yet, he finds hope. At the time of the virtual presentation, he was attempting to secure UCU as a client.
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Simon Mwima, recipient of a merit-based PhD scholarship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Story and photos by Jimmy Siyasa Two tragedies occurred in the early life of Simon Mwima. One, he lost his sister to AIDS. Two, the son of his departed sister succumbed to the same scourge. Those two deaths left an indelible mark on Mwima that later determined his career path.
“Due to structural and institutional barriers, poverty and stigma, my sister, Alice, could not access the care that she needed, leading to her death,” he said.
After watching his sister and nephew die helplessly, he made it a mission to fight against HIV and AIDS. And he is now a medical social worker, as well as an academic at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
The offer did not come on a silver platter for the 36-year-old who is the first person to pursue a PhD program in his family.
“I applied to five PhD programs and I must thank God that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was impressed with my academic credentials and my research interests,” he said.
Looking back at the path of material scarcity that Mwima has trodden since his birth in the eastern Uganda district of Budaka, he cannot be more grateful for where he is now.
Simon Mwima working in the UCU Department of Social Work and Social Administration staff boardroom
Mwima also earns his daily bread working for the Ugandan government in the health ministry. He has been a medical social worker for the National AIDS Control Program since 2016. A celebrated national trainer for the Ministry of Health, Mwima has so far educated over 500 social workers, as well as spearheading various HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns.
He is a cog in the wheel of the COVID-19 Mental and Psychological National Taskforce. Here, Mwima has contributed to the development of the national psychosocial plan for COVID-19, as well as serving as a social epidemiologist.
Mwima, a son of retired primary teachers, Simon and Agnes Mukubba, previously worked as a clinical social worker at the Mulago Most At Risk Initiative (MARPI) clinic in Kampala. At the clinic, he managed cases of vulnerable adolescents. He is a research fellow for the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) implementation program, a new HIV prevention intervention.
He holds two master’s degrees – the first in public health, from Lund University in Sweden (2015) and in sociology (2020), from Makerere University. His undergraduate degree, which he obtained in 2009 at Makerere University, was in sociology.
When one knows what they are doing, they will not need to chase after opportunities. Opportunities will instead chase after them. Indeed, prospects sought Mwima, for him to start teaching at UCU.
Five years ago, he was invited to the university as a guest speaker. Kasule Kibirige, Mwima’s head of department at UCU, said the guest lecture excelled that they were left with no option but to ask him to join the institution. And he said yes to the proposal.
From then, Mwima has been lecturing in sociology, anthropology and social works. He also supervises students conducting research at both undergraduate and master’s level at the institution.
“He is quite resourceful. He has come to the department with a wealth of practice experience because of his work and rich networks from the Ministry of Health and its partners,” Kibirige said.
As a result, Kibirige said, Mwima took into the department consultancy work that has “helped advance some of our interests in the external world, as a department.”
Mwima considers his employment at UCU a blessing because it has offered him opportunity to translate knowledge through lecturing, an experience he believes has afforded him friendships with fellow academics and students.
The teaching job also came in handy during his PhD application.
“The teaching experience is critical and matters while PhD programs are assessing applications for admission,” he says. Mwima intends to invest plenty of his post-PhD time conducting research to inform sexual health policy and practice.
Fiona Niyijena, a third-year student of Bachelors of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU said of Mwima: “He is an understanding lecturer. He often shared with us his personal story and encouraged us to pursue further studies. I look forward to pursuing a master’s course.”
Dustan Katabalwa, another student, said Mwima gives them audience when they have issues they want to share with him.
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Charlotte Mbabazi attends to a customer in her shop on Wandegeya-Bugujju Road.
Story and Photos by Michael Kisekka Fiercely independent, Charlotte Mbabazi disliked depending on her parents. For that not to happen, she started saving part of the pocket money that her parents gave her while a student at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Those savings became a pillar for her livelihood after school.
At the time Mbabazi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree in 2020, just like everyone else, she had not anticipated a lockdown due to the devastating effects of Covid-19. The lockdown meant she could not get a school to teach since schools had been shut in Uganda.
The 25-year-old, however, had a fall back plan. It was the sh5m (about $1,300) that she had saved while at UCU. She had the money, but no idea where to invest it. After some thinking, she started a retail shop. Everything was on standstill at the time, but people still needed groceries. So, she thought the answer would be a grocery shop. The location was on the Wandegeya-Bugujju road, adjacent to UCU. She used the sh5m to pay rent, renovate the shop and purchase the groceries to sell.
At the time, businesses were folding because of the impact of the lockdown in Uganda. She did not tell her parents as she set up the business for two reasons: 1) She hadn’t shared that she was saving their money; and 2) selling groceries was considered something for the lowly educated. In fact, Mbabazi’s peers often mocked her about her choice of business.
“People will always talk, regardless of what you do,” Mbabazi said. “But you have to remain focused and aim at achieving your goal.”
Mary, Charlotte’s sister, in the shop
When she eventually broke the news to her parents, she said they were more than delighted. In fact, they even supported her with more capital to increase her stock in the shop.
As with all businesses, Mbabazi’s, too, was not short of challenges. She said she faced competition in the business, especially given the fact that she was just a beginner. Eventually when she opened the shop, Mbabazi worked on all days of the week, exposing her to burnout. However, her never-give-up attitude kept her afloat. She soon found ways to work around the obstacles.
“I had to find out how people who owned retail shops around me operated their businesses and how they sold their commodities,” she said. “I also found time to interact with customers, which gave me opportunity to get direct feedback and improve on how to handle the customers.”
When everyone at her home became aware of her new business, Mbabazi enlisted the services of her younger sister, Mary, with whom they would keep the shop in turns, so she gets some rest days. In effect, she feels the training she is giving her sister will be helpful if her sibling chooses to take that path one day.
Mbabazi says she has been able to manage her own finances, which has enabled the grocery shop to celebrate its first birthday. With the business, she has also been able to manage her own finances, thus reducing the financial burden on her parents. Being self-employed is something she always dreamt about; she is glad that her business is growing slowly and steadily.
In fact, Mbabazi has applied to pursue the Master of Human Resource Management at UCU and she hopes to meet the tuition requirements from the proceeds from the business.
While an undergraduate student at UCU, Mbabazi contested for the position of the Guild President, but lost. Even with the loss, she believes she learned invaluable lessons in the campaigns, which she hopes to put into practice in the near future as she seeks an elective office in the country.
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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Story and Photos By Eriah Lule Allan Kampame had just completed A’level and was facing a “long vacation” before starting his university education. What could he do to be productive with nine months? Kampame found the answer at Dembe Trading Company, a goods delivery firm that was operating in the Kampala business hub of Kikuubo.
The year was 2015. Dembe employed Kampame as a delivery man in the business hub.
“Moving in trucks day and night gave me the exposure I yearned for,” recounted Kampame, now a 26-year-old, final-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Public Administration and Management at Uganda Christian University (UCU). “I loved my work because there was a lot I was learning.”
Dembe means freedom in Luganda, one of the dialects in Uganda. Kampame, however, says while he initially enjoyed working at Dembe Trading Company, he was far from being free. He worked like a horse for his bosses, yet he felt the returns were never commensurate to the energy he put in.
Allan Kampame ready to start supplying products
“Our employers promoted many new people and I was skipped because of my low qualification of high school, even when I had more experience in the field than my colleagues did,” he said.
Kampame, however, was not the kind to mourn. He turned the lemons life gave him into lemonade.
The best he got out of his experience at Dembe was exposure to the various manufacturers and other business owners whom he met as a sweaty errand boy while on delivery duty. From that toil, he learned the fundamentals of business, which he later applied in birthing his own.
For close to a year, he saved money and created networks to launch his own business before throwing in the towel of working for somebody else. Crown Supplies, a delivery company, was the baby that Dembe gave birth to.
Crown Supplies now has a store in Mukono town and hires a delivery truck at about sh600,000 (about $168), per week, to transport customers’ orders to shops and stores elsewhere. Kampame has not only created a job for himself, but also for five others he employs.
Part of the proceeds he gets from the business is what Kampame uses to pay his tuition at UCU. And he is meeting his university’s financial needs not because his parents are unable to but because he can financially support his education on his own.
Abel Muhangi and Ruth Kirungi of Mbarara, a district in western Uganda, are Kampame’s parents. The Muhangis are prominent farmers in the district.
Three years ago, Kampame’s aspiration to champion the fight against environmental pollution led him to a new entrepreneurial path – producing paper bags.
“I realized it was possible to control polythene disposal in the environment while earning something from the venture,” he says.
Kampame recently teamed up with his sister, Peruth Nankunda, and the two started a graphics design and branding business in Kampala.
“I can’t believe how ambitious my sibling is,” Nankunda said. “I first declined his proposal of teaming up to start a joint venture because I thought we were not in position to pull it off. But, later, I accepted because his passion for innovation made all things look possible.”
With challenges of a tight academic schedule and what he calls the high taxes levied by the government on businesses, one would think Kampame would lose morale. Not at all. “Challenges are part of business and so, somehow, you have to find a way to continue in spite of them,” he says.
After graduation, Kampame intends to fulfill his childhood dream of having a qualification in health sciences. He intends to pursue a master’s degree in epidemiology and biostatistics.
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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Gilbert Nyaika in complete attire of the Uganda Police Force
By Ivor Sempa and Jimmy Siyasa Adults, take note. Children are watching. Often, they dream of being like you. For Gilbert Nyaika, he looked up to three uncles who served in Uganda’s army, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces. He loved the way they conducted themselves and the respect they earned in society.
Someday, the young Nyaika told himself, he would be like them.
When he graduated with a Uganda Christian University (UCU) Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance in 2008, Nyaika got employed in a telecommunications company. But his heart was restless. That is not where he thought he belonged.
Seven years later, in 2015, when an advert calling for people to join the Police force was published in the Uganda Gazette, Nyaika saw it as his chance to join the armed forces. He applied and got the job. Nyaika was a regular Police officer at the Hoima Police Station. According to the Police Act, the Police is supposed to protect people’s lives and property, as well as their rights, maintain security within Uganda, enforce the laws of Uganda, ensure public order and safety, detect and prevent crime in society, and perform the services of a military force.
In 2020, Nyaika was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police – the officer in charge of Police stations in Bunyangabu district in western Uganda. He reports directly to the Regional Police Commander.
One would think that holding such a demanding office of overseeing Police posts in the whole district would keep Nyaika away from the everyday law enforcement impact. Far from it. In fact, he says part of the reason for his promotion last year was because of how he was positively impacting communities, and those appointing him don’t want that work to cease.
UCU Alum Gilbert Nyaika
Nyaika has contributed to the infrastructural development of up to 13 schools in Bunyangabu district. Through his resource mobilization skills, in 2020, Nyaika mobilized up to $40,000 (about sh145m) from donors. This money was used to build classrooms, and purchase furniture and scholastic materials for learners. Some of the beneficiary schools were Bunyangagu Progressive School, Hoima Advent Primary School and Hoima Modern Primary School.
Among the many who applaud Nyaika’s efforts are a former teacher at UCU. Vincent Kisenyi, the former dean at the UCU School of Business, said: “I am proud to see him prosper and that he learnt a lot of values from the university. Nyaika thrives to see change in the community, which makes me feel very happy as his former teacher and mentor.”
So, what did he learn while pursuing studies at UCU?
“My experience at UCU taught me to serve,” Nyaika said. “I was inspired to serve my community using my skills; UCU inculcated in us a sense of social responsibility.”
He is a recipient of the Vice Chancellor’s award by Professor Stephen Noll, who was the UCU Vice Chancellor at the time. Nyaika was awarded after spearheading a cleaning campaign in one of the suburbs of UCU. He served in the UCU guild government of 2006-2007 as a Member of Parliament of the business faculty. The following year, he was appointed the minister for agriculture. His achievements also were mirrored academically as he bagged a second-class upper degree.
Nyaika attended Buhinga Primary School, before joining St. Leo’s Kyegobe Senior Secondary School, for O’level. For his A’level education, Nyaika studied at Mandela Secondary School.
Nyaika’s well-rounded interests include sports. He sits on various sports committees in Uganda, including on the board for the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association (FUBA) and the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA). On the FUFA board, he sits on the ethics and investigations committee. Nyaika also founded a team, Kitara Soccer Club, which plays in the second division 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.
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Mubezi sorts files on his computer at Kingdom Comix. Photos by Enock Wanderema
By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy Siyasa When Isaac Mubezi qualified to join Uganda Christian University (UCU), his mother thought it imperative that he get accommodations in one of the University’s halls of residence. She gave him the money to meet the hostel fees.
However, Mubezi had other plans. He felt that by renting an affordable room outside the university, it would provide him an opportunity to start an independent life and better learn to deal with challenges life threw at him.
He knew fully well that with his mother’s monthly salary of slightly above sh500,000 (about $150), he would not be able to have as much disposable income as he wished. It is from that salary that his mother, a resident of Iganga, a district in eastern Uganda, paid his tuition fees, as well as for his other three brothers. His father is something he doesn’t discuss.
Indeed, as Mubezi left UCU, after three years of studying a bachelor’s in business administration course, he had decided that he would be an employee for just five years, as he learned the skills of running his own business.
The 30-year-old now has a video library in Mukono.
“All I know is I have always had passion for service,” is his response when asked about what drives him.
Mubezi attends to a gentleman who is inquiring about a movie.
Before setting up the video library, Mubezi got a job with Stanbic Bank as a teller in 2014, the year he graduated. He felt that one year was enough for him to learn money matters in the bank. The following year, he got a job to manage a new café shop in Mbale, a district in eastern Uganda. Again, he did not spend more than a year at this job. Next, he sought a job which could enable him get the experience to manage people. Picfare Industries, which deals in stationery, employed him as an assistant human resources manager. Here, he spent three years.
Upon clocking his five years as an employee, Mubezi quit in January 2020.
By this time, Mubezi had saved sh4m (about $1,090), which he used as capital to set up his small business of a video library. Mubezi’s choice of business was an irony. As a child, he would escape to go and watch films in video hall shacks in their locality. For that, Mubezi earned a fair share of beating from his mother.
He says the video library that he set up was to offer an alternative for students who could be tempted to relieve stress by sneaking out of hostels to go to night clubs. Despite many businesses closing during the Covid-19 lockdown in Uganda from March to June 2020, Mubezi’s continued operating. He says during that time, he would get up to 35 clients in a day.
Kingdom Comix, the name of Mubezi’s video library, is situated about 100metres (328 feet) from the UCU “small gate.” He has never regretted his choice of business. The proceeds from it enable him to pay his own bills, such as rent, meals and other expenses. He also is now also in position to pay some of his mother’s bills. With a monthly saving of sh800,000 (about $220) from Kingdom Comix, Mubezi believes he made the right choice.
At the counter of the video library are packets of sweets. These, Mubezi always offers as tokens of appreciation to his clients. Sometimes, he adds a message. One common one is: “when one does not work hard, even God will have nothing to bless.”
By Simon Omit and Dalton Mujuni When Uganda Christian University (UCU) convened on December 18, 2020, for a virtual graduation ceremony, not many graduands knew what was next in their lives in a world that had taken a beating from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The uncertainty did not reside within Reagan Moses Muyinda. The 26-year-old graduate, who had always dreamed of joining politics and now had a Bachelor of Public Administration and Governance Degree, was ready to sell ice cream.
And this was not by accident. As soon as Muyinda joined UCU in 2017, he started saving part of his pocket money for capital for some sort of business. To supplement his savings, Muyinda also operated an online furniture shop.
Reagan Moses Muyinda, graduation gown, treats himself at his ice cream stall on the day he graduated on December 18, 2020.
As the graduate walked out of the gates of UCU on December 18 last year, he had savings worth sh4m (about $1,090) in his purse. To purchase an ice cream-making machine, Muyinda needed sh5m (about $1,370). A friend loaned him the balance of the money.
Despite rebuke from his peers that selling ice cream was too low a job for a university graduate, Muyinda persevered. As a result, they isolated him. But he cared less. After all, his parents loved the business idea and have financed it as well. One of Muyinda’s classmates had introduced him to the business. He, therefore, knew full well what to expect. Ice cream is considered “comfort food” and a treat especially comforting during a pandemic.
To those who look down on him and others in jobs without prestigious titles, Muyinda advises them to work.
His business, located a several metres (about 20 feet) away from UCU’s Tech Park gate, is booming. In March, Muyinda was recording almost 100 customers daily.
“I have been in the ice cream business just for a few months, but it has already picked up,” he said. “The business idea was good and the UCU students haven’t let me down, most of them are my customers.”
The high number of customers was not by accident. Muyinda recently introduced board games at his business premises, to attract more patrons.
Muyinda’s day starts at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 9:00 p.m, the start of the curfew time in Uganda. The country remains under curfew, which was instituted last year, to control movement of people due to the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time this story was written in March 2021, no movements were allowed in Uganda from 9:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m, daily.
Muyinda dreams of becoming the most popular ice cream supplier in Mukono town, by expanding his business to different trading centres in the town.
To achieve that, he first has to overcome some setbacks that are already afflicting the business. In addition to the curfew that shuts off customers after 9 p.m., landlords often raise his rent.
“The landlords always think that I am making more from the business,” he said. “In two months, I have shifted to three different locations and this is affecting my profit margin.”
Muyinda, however, remains steadfast. “Challenges keep me going since there can’t be business growth without obstacles,” he said.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org
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UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushegyezi (second from left) helps cut cake at the birding course graduation. Also pictured are Mrs. Mary Kajumba of the Private Sector Foundation, Assoc. Dean of the School of Business Mrs. Elsie Nsiyona and Dr. Martin Lwanga, the outgoing Dean of the School of Business.
By Eriah Lule
Forty students who enrolled for the inaugural birding course class at the Uganda Christian University have flown the nest. The fledglings have fledged.
Birding course graduates and faculty
The students, who have been studying since February 2021, graduated at a low-key ceremony held at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Nkoyoyo Hall on May 26. They were awarded certificates recognising them as birdwatchers. The three-month course, taught as an evening program, was conducted at the UCU’s Kampala campus.
The course was made possible through a partnership between UCU and the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, where the university won a sh238 million (about $65,000) grant to train students, especially those pursuing the degree of Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management.
The students were taught the economic potential of the birding industry, important bird areas in Uganda, professional bird guiding as a career, marketing bird watching locally and globally, establishing and running a birding tour company, as well as conservation and protection of bird habitats.
Uganda has more than 1,000 bird species, according to the African Wildlife Foundation, making the country one of the richest destinations for birding in Africa. More than half of the continent’s bird species are in Uganda.
“We have a big gap in the tourism industry, but with such a training, the industry will grow faster,” Agnes Joy Kamugisha, one of the graduates, said.
“I had the opportunity to learn how to associate with my customers, how to develop good business ethics, bookkeeping and many other things that I believe when I put into practice, my business will live to see its 30th birthday,” she added.
Mary Kajumba, an official from the Private Sector Foundation Uganda, who spoke at the graduation ceremony, said one of the major aims of the agency is to equip citizens with employment skills and empower them to be able to set up projects that can solve the high level of unemployment in the country.
“Birding is one of the areas that doesn’t need much capital,” she said. “I am convinced we are training job creators and not seekers…We hope that this project is rolled out to other universities all over the country after being approved by the National Council for Higher Education.”
Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, the UCU Vice Chancellor, said the course fulfils his objective of imparting skills-based learning.
“I didn’t understand the aim of the project at first, until I was given a lecture on how practical it was, fulfilling my long-term desire of creating skills-based courses, that can bridge the gap between the industry and the classroom,” Mushengyezi said. “I now consider this course a success, so we can now enroll more birders.
He encouraged The Private Sector Foundation to keep “supporting us” so that UCU “can enroll more students.” UCU is the only institution of higher learning offering a course in birding.
Johnny Kamugisha, a professional birder and the CEO of Johnny Safaris, is optimistic about the impact of the birding project.
“This project will produce professionals for our industry. I assure you that with such a course, we shall uplift the tourism industry in this country,” Kamugisha, one of the instructors in the course, said.
Assoc. Prof. Martin Lwanga, the outgoing Dean of the UCU School of Business, which supervises the implementation of the birding project, expressed gratitude that in spite of the challenges they faced, the first cohort has graduated.
“Although we met different challenges, experts in the field of birding helped us design the curriculum, teach and mentor our students,” Lwanga said.
The project was a pilot, to evaluate how effective the short course would be in terms of learning, access to reading materials, lecturers, mentors and field work. Although much of the course content was delivered online, occasionally, students went to the field.
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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Students walk on campus during the Easter Semester
By Israel Kisakye and Joseph Lagen The parents of Eriya Lule, a final-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU), are just emerging from the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
Lule’s father is a real estate broker, while his mother is a beautician. The two spent much of their time last year at home, due to the lockdown that was instituted by the Ugandan government to reduce the rate of spread of the coronavirus. Operations of salons, where Lule’s mother earns her daily bread, were suspended from March to August 2020.
When the Ugandan government allowed final-year university students to resume studies on October 15, 2020, Lule was among those who breathed a sigh of relief, returning to school after a seven-month lull.
However, the sigh of relief did not extend to Lule’s parents. Where would they get the money to pay the full tuition for their son to complete his studies? That question lingered in their minds.
The normal UCU policy requires that students pay either half of the tuition at the start and the balance before sitting for examinations or pay the full tuition at the start.
“The university only has two registration stamps to indicate half and full payment,” said Joselyn Mukisa, a final-year student of Bachelor of Business Administration. “Without the full payment stamp, it is near impossible to sit for exams, which worried most of us.”
Parents of Mukisa lost their jobs during the lockdown, something which made the 21-year-old contemplate registering for a dead year at UCU. Tuition fees per semester for many of the undergraduate courses at UCU are a little over $800.
Lule and Mukisa were not the only ones going through financial challenges. As a result, the university adjusted the policy for the two and many others with similar economic challenges. Unlike before, where one sat for examinations only after paying full tuition, this time round, the university, through the Financial Aid office, temporarily relaxed its fees policy, granting permission to over 1,000 students who had paid half tuition to sit for their exams. Lule and Mukisa were among the beneficiaries of this goodwill.
“Many students sat for their exams without completing their tuition,” Walter Washika, the manager of the UCU Financial Aid office, said. “We didn’t want to be so hard because we knew what was going on out there, and, besides, we are also parents.”
“Last year, 642 students approached our offices for assistance,” Washika noted. “This number was only for the finalists who had been allowed to report back to school.”
But hundreds more who were studying remotely using online platforms also reached out to the Financial Aid office to be permitted to sit for their end of semester examinations before completing the fees payment, and Washika permitted them.
Washika noted that before Covid-19 struck, only between 40-60 students would run to his office per semester to ask for pardon to sit for the examination before completing their fees payments.
Lule explained what the arrangement entailed: “About 30 of my classmates, myself inclusive, were given exemption letters by the Financial Aid office, so as to be able to sit for the exams. The letters allowed us to sit for our examinations after paying only half of the tuition required and we were asked to complete the outstanding balance before graduation.”
Washika confirmed that a number of students who were allowed to sit for the examinations before paying full fees have since paid their balances and continued with the new semester. For the finalists who have not yet paid he said they will not graduate until after the balance is settled.
This year’s first phase of graduation will take place on July 2, in a virtual nature. The next virtual ceremony will be held in October.
The Financial Aid office has, since inception of the university, offered a life-line to thousands of students, ordinarily contributing a little under $100 to each of its beneficiaries’ tuition balances.
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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Some new UCU Deans and Heads of Departments present for announcement at a May 2021 function at the Hamu Mukasa University Library. Photo/ Israel Kisakye
By Jimmy Siyasa The Uganda Christian University has announced a change of the guard within its faculties and departments.
The announcement was made by the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, during the farewell for some of the outgoing leaders and the unveiling of the new guard. The ceremony took place on May 10 in the Learning Commons Room, located at the Hamu Mukasa University Library.
The Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa unveils a list of some new deans and heads of departments. Photo/ Israel Kisakye
“Covid-19 has shifted the demands,” UCU Vice Chancellor Associate Professor Aaron Mushengyezi said as he urged the new leaders to be creative in their work. “And so, as we come in to lead, please take note, you are not going to lead with the ordinary tools your predecessors have led with. You will require new tools because wholly duplicating what your predecessors did, may not work.”
Due to the “new normal” presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mushengyezi said all programs will have a digital equivalent.
“Covid-19 has changed the academic landscape,” he said. “And so, one of the main tasks for you is to pioneer and continue to consolidate e-learning.”
The university’s council chairperson, the Rt. Rev. Can. Prof. Alfred Olwa, congratulated the new leaders and thanked the outgoing for their dedication and hard work.
The newly appointed Head of the Department of Literature and Languages, Dr. James Tabu Busimba, was delighted by his new role at UCU. Busimba recently retired from a public university, Makerere, after clocking 60 years.
“I think serving in an institution that has one of its core values as Christ-centeredness is such a golden opportunity,” Busimba said. “I am grateful to God.”
According to the Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who unveiled the new team, the UCU Statute for Appointment of deans and heads of departments mandates that the appointments are ratified by the University Senate and then submitted to the institution’s human resource board for consideration.
Comments from some of the leaders “To me, serving in Uganda Christian University is building the kingdom of God,” Professor Martin Lwanga, former Dean, School of Business, said. “It is a privilege, and some of us are still available to serve at this great institution.”
Eriah Nsubuga, the Head of the Fine Arts Department, said: “It is unusual times. But an opportunity for us to reengineer how we do things. And one thing I like about UCU is that they care for their staff.”
“This year, we are changing direction as a university,” said Prof. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, the dean of the School of Research and Post Graduate Studies. “We shall provide a bigger amount of funding to professors, to lead various teams of researchers.”
The changes that were announced in May 2021
Faculty/ Department
New Head of Department
Predecessor
School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies
Dr. Emilly Comfort Maractho (Now the Director- UCU Africa Policy Center) Also Head of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, until contract expires on 31 May 2021
Reverend Professor Lawrence Adams
Faculty of Social Sciences
Mr. Kasule Kibirige Solomon
Department of Social Work and Social Administration.
(Expired contract )
Contract renewed
Faculty of Education and Arts
Department of Languages and Literature
Dr. James Taabu Busimba
Mr. Peter Mugume
Honors College
Ms. Pamela Tumwebaze
Reverend Abel Kibedi
Department of Art and Design
Dr. Eriah Nsubuga
Dr. Joel Masagazi
Department of Education
Dr. Mary Kagoire
School of Business
Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
Mr. Martin Kabanda
Mrs. Elsie Mirembe Nsiyona
Faculty of Health Sciences
Department of Public Health
Dr. Edward Mukooza
Dr. Ekiria Kikule
ASSOCIATE DEAN APPOINTMENTS
Faculty
New Dean
Predecessor
Faculty of Social Sciences
Rev. Dr. Andrew David Omona
Prof. MarySsonko Nabachwa
School of Business
Mr. Vincent Kisenyi
Assoc. Professor Martin Lwanga
School of Medicine
Dr. Gerald Tumusiime
Has been acting Dean, but now is the substantive Dean
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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By Yasiri. J. Kasango Somewhere in 18th century America the expression “shirt off your back” evolved to refer to the generosity of a person who would give up his/her possessions to help another. For Asaph Lee Nsadha, it means a quality shirt on your back – and front – and a way to make ends meet for him.
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum of a Diploma in Business Administration is an unplanned entrepreneur of T-shirts. Here’s how it fell into his lap during the Covid-19 pandemic year:
In late 2020, he worked in marketing for somebody else for sh300,000 (about $80) a month.
After 1.5 months, he was terminated without written reason and with no payment for the work he had done.
In January 2020, he re-joined UCU to expand his diploma to a Bachelor’s in Public Administration.
In March 2020 and because of a government-mandated education shutdown, he was both out of a job and out of education designed to provide him credentials to get another job.
In April 2020, his former employer paid him the money he was owed.
He used some of the money to start a business.
Asaph Lee Nsadha with a shirt printed by his business
The birth of Nsadha’s new idea of making money coincided with the government’s lifting of the three-month ban on private transport in Uganda. In June 2020, when the ban on movement of private vehicles was lifted, Nsadha opened an art store, to do fabric printing.
In order to have a fully stocked workshop, he needed sh7,000,000 (about $1,800). From that money, he could acquire a heating press estimated at sh1.5million (about $406). He also needed a plotter, a laptop, rent for his work station and the clothes, such as T-shirts, to start with, among others. That money was not available. But Nsadha’s will and determination was.
“Whenever my late grandfather sent me a success card as we approached national exams, he often wrote a quote ‘You were born to pass’,” Nsadha said. This statement has been the driving force in his business ventures. He translates this statement to imply that in everything he does, he is meant to succeed.
He started his art store with sh150,000 (about $40.60). He could take orders from customers through social media. He says he took advantage of social media to avoid middlemen. He also asked his friends and relatives to refer people to his business.
By the time government reopened schools in October 2020, Nsadha’s business had picked up, but he had to strike a balance between his work and studies. He managed to find time for class and his business, too. For now, he takes orders from his clients during the week and works on their requests over the weekend.
He adds that the biggest challenge he faces is people not trusting him. Since there are many scammers online, clients find it difficult to trust him with their money before he delivers. However, he says due to lack of equipment, he is forced to demand a deposit of 50% from the clients.
“There is a time I got an order worth sh1million (about $270),” Nsadha said. “The client asked me whether I had guarantee for his business.”
He asked the client to deposit half of the money. She paid, hesitantly. He says he worked and delivered the products. The client appreciated and recommended more clients to him.
According to Reagan Muyinda, one of Nsadha’s clients, the products are unique.
“I placed orders for him to do printing on five T-shirts,” Muyinda said. “He made the products and delivered on time. The T-shirts were good and durable. Whenever, I think fabric printing, he is the answer.”
Nsadha has not yet registered his company. He expects to do so when he gets a permanent location for it.
Nsadha advises youth to follow their hearts in whatever they want to do, arguing that it is only then that one can give whatever they do “their all.”
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.
Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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