Category Archives: UCU School of Business

Work on UCU’s Bishop Tucker Road stalls

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Part of the Bishop Tucker Road that is tarmacked

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

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

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

Part of the Bishop Tucker Road that is not tarmacked.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News, Students, UCU School of Business


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

By Jimmy Siyasa and Joseph Lagen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business


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

By Jimmy Siyasa 

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

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

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

Dr. Isaac Wasswa Katono in his office at UCU.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

UCU course focuses on bird tourism

News, UCU School of Business


Crested Crane, one of more than 1,000 bird species in Uganda

By Dalton Mujuni

In 1907, British explorer Winston Churchill visited Uganda. His visit gave birth to his book, My African Journey, a year later. In the book, Churchill detailed the beauty of nature that he had met in Uganda. And that was not all. He also concluded that Uganda is, indeed, the Pearl of Africa.

And the African Wildlife Foundation confirms Churchill’s assertion. The continental wildlife body says Uganda has more than half of all the bird species in Africa. The Uganda Wildlife Authority puts the figure at 1,070 species.

Johnnie Kamugisha, an East African birding guide for more than 20 years, explains the birding industry to Martin Lwanga, at left.

The allure of Uganda’s birder paradise attracted the attention of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business, which recently established a course in birding. The new course, which will yield a certificate in birding, started on February 5. Up to 30 students in this first course are learning the economic potential of the birding industry, important bird areas of Uganda, professional bird guiding as a career, marketing bird watching locally and globally, establishing and running a birding tour company, and conservation and protection of bird habitats. 

 

The two-month course is part of the sh238m (about $65,000) grant that the UCU School of Business won from the Private Sector Foundation Uganda.

During the project’s recent info-day held at the university, UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said the university is the first in Uganda to offer higher education knowledge and skill for bird industry professionals. 

“This is a big step in building UCU to keep its might as the center of excellence in the heart of Africa,” Mushengyezi said.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, said the birding course is practical and that it will enable tourism students and other interested learners to explore the industry.

 “We are reengineering the structure of tourism by recruiting industrial lecturers to whom students will be attached to study for one-and-a-half years,” he said.

Kitayimbwa also revealed that the university has put in place an online teaching infrastructure that will enable students studying the course to attend it from anywhere.  

The Dean of the School of Business, Martin Lwanga, said they have hired Johnnie Kamugisha, one of the country’s top bird guides, to train the first cohort of students.

During the info-day, Kamugisha showcased the cameras, spotting scope, notebook, sound recorder, binoculars, and bottles that he said he will be using while teaching the course. 

Lwanga said the new program is expected to create jobs for the UCU graduates. The UCU School of Business offers a Bachelor’s Degree in Tourism and Hospitality, under which the birding course will fall, in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.

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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 Facebook and Instagram