Category Archives: COVID-19

UCU academics teach community to access online study materials for children

January 10, 2022COVID-19, News, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Faculty of Education team that conducted the outreach at St. Luke Church of Uganda, Bweyogerere poses with locals visited during the outreach.

By Yasiri J. Kasango
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has been engaged in outreaches to address community education challenges. One of the latest was led by the university’s Faculty of Education and Arts, which conducted a seminar on online learning.

Members of the faculty showed parishioners of a church in Bweyogerere, near Kampala, ways of using the internet as a tool for education.

The UCU team, led by the faculty dean, the Rev. Dr, Can. Olivia Nassaka Banja, equipped parents at St. Luke Church of Uganda with skills on how to access some of the freely available online learning materials.

Patrick Lugemwa (standing in front), addresses parents and children at St. Luke, Church of Uganda, Bweyogerere.

Some private schools have been conducting online studies since the Ugandan government closed education institutions as one of the preventive measures to reduce the number of coronavirus infections in the country. However, government barred public schools from conducting online studies, arguing that such a move would disenfranchise learners who did not have access to computers or the internet. Instead, government distributed education materials to learners throughout the country and encouraged teachers to conduct studies through radio.

At the end of December 2021, some learners had not stepped into school since the first lockdown in March 2020.

The main facilitator at the seminar at St. Luke Church of Uganda, Patrick Lugemwa, a lecturer in the faculty, showed parents the different sites with free reading materials for children. He also showed the parents how to easily access the learning materials. Lugemwa noted that there are many good sites that provide free reading materials and video classes for children.

Some of the sites that he shared with the parents were https://etutoring.gayazahs.sc.ug/, https://examuganda.com/ and https://e-learning.education.go.ug/en/learn/#/topics

“However, before allowing your children to access any site, you must visit them yourself, to protect the young ones from accessing unwanted literature, such as pornography,” Lugemwa cautioned, emphasizing that the internet can be both useful and destructive.

He also introduced parents to an app, Family Link, which can regulate the amount of time a child spends on the phone, as well as the type of content they can access. The app is available on Google Play Store and Apple Store.

UCU has been championing online learning in the wake of the Covid-19-related lockdown on in-person learning in Uganda. Outreaches like these are a direct response to the appeal made by Uganda’s First Lady and education minister, Mrs. Janet Museveni, during UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021.

Mrs. Museveni, who was the guest of honour at the graduation ceremony, said she was impressed by UCU’s “robust online education program” and encouraged the university to share best practices with other institutions.

In December 2021, the university’s e-learning department hosted leaders from Greenhill Academy, a group of Christian-founded primary and secondary schools in Kampala, for a virtual learning seminar to understand more about the university’s e-learning facilities.

The community of St Luke Church of Uganda commended UCU for the outreach, especially at a time when many parents were preparing their children to resume school on January 10, 2022.

The Rev. Abraham Muyinda Nsubuga, the Vicar of St Luke Church, encouraged parents to embrace online learning so that their children can progress with their studies since it is not clear when the world would overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.

Patrick Kisiibo, one of the parents, said his child had not had a chance to access any reading material during the lockdown, noting that UCU’s intervention was timely.

“I didn’t know that there are free books and video classes online,” Kisiibo said. “I can now go back home and ably guide my child on how to utilize online learning tools.”

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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 helps Christian primary-secondary schools with e-learning

January 4, 2022COVID-19, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Greenhill Academy teacher asks a question during the seminar

By Ian Asabo
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) e-learning candle is spreading its light to other institutions in the country. Among the recent beneficiaries is Greenhill Academy, a group of Christian-founded primary and secondary schools in Kampala. Leaders from the Academy met with UCU e-learning staff for a virtual learning seminar in December 2021.

During the UCU visit, Greenhill Academy officials gained a better understanding of how UCU accommodated learners virtually during the Covid-19 lockdown when in-person learning was halted in the country. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Uganda has had two lockdowns, with some classes remaining closed to in-person learning from March 2020 to December 2021.

Greenhill Academy Rector Joy Veronica Maraka led the Academy’s staff who attended the seminar. The head of the UCU Online Distance Learning Department, the Rev. Jessica Hughes, provided insight into how classes are taught on the platforms, highlighting how the switch to online classes has improved her work. She said students prefer having small assessments, which makes it easier to track their progress during the semester.

“Online classes have provided flexibility in the way lectures are conducted because they can evaluate students through small quizzes and assignments, which enables critical thinking,” she told the delegation from Greenhill Academy.

The Rev. Dr. Hughes proposed the evaluation of students on a “more regular basis through videos, quizzes and questions that allow for more critical thinking to eliminate the aspect of cramming.”

During UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021, Uganda’s First Lady and education minister, Mrs. Janet Museveni, said she was impressed by UCU’s “robust online education programme” and encouraged the university to share best practices with other institutions.

UCU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, the Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, who also attended the seminar, said the university was ready to partner with Greenhill Academy.

“This is a great opportunity to find ways of changing the way teaching is conducted,” Kitayimbwa said, encouraging Greenhill Academy to take the lead and show other schools that online learning is the way to go, and that with it, “the possibilities of learning are endless.”

Kitayimbwa said the university has invested a lot in the networking, IT department and library database, which work in unison to provide a seamless experience for students. The university has invested about sh1.4b ($395,000) on e-learning, management information systems and networking, Kitayimbwa said.

Recently, UCU Partners donated $50,000 (about sh170m) to the university to help it expand the e-learning platform. Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, said the organization contributed the funds following a call by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, for external funders to support the eLearning infrastructure.

Greenhill Academy Rector Joy Veronica Maraka thanked UCU for hosting them, stating that they will “pick ideas from the session and follow in the footsteps of UCU in evolving education in Uganda.”

At a virtual dialogue held in August 2021 to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on education institutions in Uganda, Mushengyezi advised institutions to consider a rigorous shift towards online distance learning and service delivery, so that future lockdowns do not affect operations and learning.

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UCU teams up with German university to promote eLearning in rural areas

December 29, 2021COVID-19, News, Science and Technology, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Faculty members and Mukono local government officials after the meeting

By Dalton Mujuni
Koome Island, which is among the largest of 84 Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria, has fishing possibilities, stunning sunsets and more. What the Koome archipelago of 17 islands lacks for its 20,000 residents is technology. Until now.

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has partnered with a German university, Hochshule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), to provide solar energy to the islands. The development is a boost to Koome students who have struggled to participate in e-learning that was accelerated necessarily in the Covid pandemic. They faced challenges of access to electricity to power mobile phones, computers, radios and televisions.

Ugandan schools were in a lockdown for one year, from March 2020. When they were opened for in-person learning in March 2021, it lasted only three months, before they were shut down again in the first week of June 2021 due to a rise in the Covid-19 infection rates. Universities and other higher institutions of learning have since opened, with the rest of the schools expected to be opened in January 2022.

Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, Dean for the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (right), explains relevance of the project to stakeholders

A recent Uganda Bureau of Statistics household survey shows that the rate of access to the national electricity has increased to 57%, of which 19% are on-grid and 38% off-grid connections.

The solar power project, named the “Implementation of Solar Mini-Grids for Digital Learning Models in the rural areas of Uganda” was launched at the UCU’s eLearning lab at the main campus in Mukono, central Uganda. The event attracted stakeholders from the Electricity Regulatory Authority as well as members from UCU faculties to harmonize strategies for the project’s implementation.

The project aims to install solar panels on poor households on the island to foster digital learning. The implementation of the project will unfold as a multi-disciplinary initiative involving all the faculties at UCU since each has a role to play in the transformation of communities.

Speaking at a press conference, Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at UCU, stressed that all the institution’s faculties are relevant in this project due to its diverse nature.

The agricultural officer in charge of Koome island, Obed Nsubuga, commended UCU and HNU for spearheading the project on the island.

Dr. Stephen Kyakulumbye, the team leader of Online Distance Learning at UCU, expounded on the modalities of the Distance Learning model intended to be introduced in Koome. He noted that if appreciated by learners, the model will improve diversity in learning, since teachers who are hesitant to cross Lake Victoria to the island will be brought closer to the islanders virtually.

The project is expected to be funded by HNU, to the tune of Euros 1m. ($1.15 million), according to Inken Hoeck, the HNU Africa Institute representative at the conference. He said the project has already registered success in the southern African country of Namibia.

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UCU main campus gets solar-powered lights

December 27, 2021COVID-19, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Technicians connect solar panels on Nsibambi Lane.

By Ivan Tsebeni
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus has installed solar-powered lights as part of a movement to promote a green lifestyle.

The solar-powered lights were bought with support from Uganda President Yoweri Museveni. In February 2020, Museveni donated sh30m (about $8,400) and pledged another sh50m (about $14,000) towards the activities of the UCU students’ guild government during the year’s UCU Guild Run. The President’s contribution was especially welcomed in 2021 as the guild’s plans to conduct a run virtually vs. in-person struggled in a Covid-restricted environment.

“I’ll put in sh80m towards the cause, but I came with sh30m,” Museveni said. “I will pay the sh50m later.”

The President also pledged to help UCU on installing security lights on the Bishop Tucker Road.

One solar light installed at the new pitch at UCU main campus.

During the university’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021, Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi announced that Museveni fulfilled his promise of sh50m in August 2021.

Former UCU guild president Timothy Kadaga’s administration initiated the solar light project and dedicated part of the proceeds of the year’s guild run towards the cause. The annual UCU guild run is organized, in part, to raise funds for tuition support to needy students, and to set up security lights around hostels established near the university.

At the guild run event on February 22, 2020, Kadaga also made a request to the Ugandan Government to tarmac the Bishop Tucker Road from Mukono town to the university campus. The President agreed to help with the road paving in his remarks at the UCU October 2015 graduation.

Technicians offload solar panels from a truck near Nsibambi Hall of residence.

In December 2020, people operating businesses on the Bishop Tucker Road 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 Bishop Tucker Road from the Bus Stop on the Kampala-Jinja road to Wandegeya trading centre, just before the UCU small gate, a distance of about ½ mile.

UCU director of projects Eng. David Kivumbi said that under phase one, 13 solar-powered lights are installed in three Mukono campus locations: on five poles along Ankrah Rise; on four poles on Nsibambi Lane; and on four poles in the university’s new soccer pitch.

Kivumbi said that after the guild government’s spearheaded first phase, a partnership with Mukono Municipal Council will enable phase two with solar lights fixed on Bishop Tucker Road from Mukono town to the main campus.

“If you move around the university, you will realize that the solar lights are working,” Kivumbi said. “Students have been taking selfies near the poles with the solar-powered lights.”

The UCU Guild Vice President for 2019-2020, Ezra Ambasiize Rwashande, noted that the idea of installing solar lights by Kadaga’s government was something that should inspire future student leaders to think of projects that improve the image of the university.

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UCU grad’s childhood mockery drives passion for human rights

December 15, 2021COVID-19, News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Johnson Mayamba, UCU alum and human rights activist

By Patty Huston-Holm
Be careful little eyes what you see…ears what you hear…tongue what you say…hands what you do…

This children’s song based on Mark 4:24-25, popular in America today and written in 1956, likely wasn’t known in Uganda when Johnson Mayamba was growing up. Nevertheless, the words ring true for the now 33-year-old who was abandoned by a father who had eight children by four women, was chased away by relatives unwilling to help a single mom feed a hungry boy and was mocked for his ignorance by teachers and classmates in school.

The most stinging memory was planted by a science teacher at a primary school in Abaita Ababiri village near Entebbe. She publicly shamed Mayamba. When he didn’t have the correct answer to a question, she mocked him with words and laughter and allowed students to do the same. After one exam he failed with a 50%, the teacher brought out a cane to issue 50 strikes to the 12-year-old’s buttocks and thighs – one for each missed point. The teacher stopped somewhere after 40 because the boy was flattened out and unable to take more.

“I wasn’t stupid,” Mayamba said. “I was simply in a new environment, having been transferred from a poorly facilitated village school to the one in the city.”

Unbeknownst at the time, Mayamba’s “little” eyes, ears, and body encounter that the teacher used that day to remind him he wasn’t good enough were molding his future as an advocate against mistreatment. Today, he understands it, researches it, writes about it and teaches it.

Mayamba volunteering at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Arizona

With a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU) and experience as a journalist, he moved on to get a Master of Philosophy in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He’s affiliated with the Canadian-based Journalists for Human Rights organization with a role of helping 20 Ugandan members of the press to be voices for unrepresented people. These include print and broadcast human rights stories related to the economically poor, the mentally and physically handicapped and others.

While mentoring Ugandan journalists, Mayamba continues his own learning as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication,

Arizona State University, USA. He was among just over 200 who applied for the fellowship from Uganda and was the only Ugandan chosen for the 10-month journalism-focused program that ends in June 2022.

“I never thought I would come to the United States,” he said, speaking from his dormitory room in Phoenix, Ariz. “All the glory goes to God.”

Mayamba had a strong upbringing in the Catholic church, but says his relationship with God strengthened while he studied at UCU. In his studies, as well as engagement in the UCU chapel choir and as a guild and public debate leader, he realized that with God, obstacles and accomplishments have meaning.

“When you give 100% to God and trust Him, you can overcome,” he said.

Human rights advocacy and Christianity blend together well, especially guided by the Matthew 7:12 “do unto others” scripture, according to Mayamba. As a working journalist, he often prayed with and for those he interviewed for stories. For the journalists he mentors now, he suggests the same along with the urging to be sensitive when writing about people subjected to discrimination. He also cautions reporters about their own safety when covering topics that have opposition from government officials, high-profile opinion leaders and even media houses themselves.

“Have the facts,” he said. “That’s the best protection to mitigate risk.”

At 9,000 miles away from his home in Uganda and on the day of this interview in December 2021, Mayamba is in the state of Arizona, closely watching another timely human rights issue – the coronavirus pandemic. He recently published a paper entitled “Low Supply and Public Mistrust Hinder Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in Africa.” He writes that in November 2021, only 4% of the world’s vaccinated people live in developing countries like Uganda.

“Developed countries that aren’t sharing enough of the vaccine are partially to blame,” Mayamba said. “Misinformation or lack of information breeding distrust by media in all countries bears the rest of the responsibility.”

Social media and traditional media are accountable for honest story telling, Mayamba says. His master’s research focused on media freedom, specifically in Uganda. Reporters Without Borders ranks Uganda among the lowest in the world when it comes to press freedom. While Uganda’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression with “on paper” protection of human rights, there are radio, TV and print limitations and restrictions related to reporting on certain topics and persons, according to Mayamba’s experience and research.

While the United States press is freer and human rights more respected than in Uganda, “it’s not as rosy here as I thought,” he said. “In this land of the free, there needs to be more and louder voices for homeless people, immigrants. . . and on racial injustice and gun violence.”

From his dorm room window in Phoenix, Mayamba daily observes nearly two dozen homeless people living on a square of land. During a visit to New York City and looking past the amazing buildings, he saw men and women living in parks and on the streets. In his brief time in Washington, D.C., he observed first-hand the massive police response and multiple phone video recordings of the arrest of a black man accused of stealing a small item from a store. He watches, hears and reads the news about arrests, trials and confusion about wrongful deaths on American soil and about Mexican families camped at the USA border in hopes of obtaining asylum from terrorism in their country.

“Telling these stories honestly and fairly is the role of a journalist,” he said. “Human rights stories are lacking everywhere.”

One such story he hopes to learn more about is that of a middle-aged white man living under the stars outside his residence in Arizona. In the midst of book studies, computer research, and service projects, such as preparing food in boxes for people like this man, he wants to “learn his story and tell him mine.” So far, the man appears educated but without a home because he lost his job.

Looking ahead to his life a decade from now, Mayamba doesn’t see himself reporting the news in a country such as his, where the pay is too low to support a family. But he does see himself continuing to train others to “amplify the voices” of those less represented and understood in his native Uganda. In three years, he hopes to embark on his PhD studies and be teaching journalism with an emphasis of human rights reporting.

For now, he’s navigating the American culture that includes daily converting temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius and distances in miles vs. kilometers. He appreciates a winter in the warmth of Arizona instead of living in a state with cold and snow. He soaks up knowledge in a school named after Walter Cronkite, a late veteran broadcaster that he never knew. He learns alongside 13 other journalists from 13 countries, including South Korea, Russia, Hungary, and Palestine.

He thinks about his mother who died of cervical cancer in September 2014, leaving behind her two sons – Johnson Mayamba and the younger Titus Bulega – as a legacy. He also thinks about that childhood teacher who meted that early punishment that was illegal then, but exists still and about the mocking classmates.

“At the end of the day, I moved ahead of them,” he said. “And I learned to stand up for myself and for others.”

(The author of this article, Patty Huston-Holm, who is the Uganda Partners communications director, first met Johnson Mayamba when he was an intern at the UCU Standard newspaper in 2013. Among stories they worked on together at that time were the suicide of a student and conditions at a women’s prison in Jinja, Uganda.)

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Congolese student overcomes money, language challenges to graduate

December 13, 2021COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Alexis Mugabe Munyakazi on graduation day

By Gloria Katya
“One day, I will be like them.”

This is what Alexis Mugabe Munyakazi commonly told his parents whenever he saw workers at a road construction site.

That desire drove Mugabe from his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Uganda Christian University (UCU) for an undergraduate course in engineering.

In 2016, Mugabe was among the students who started the journey to attain a degree. That journey came to an end on October 22, 2021, when the 27-year-old and 66 other colleagues received a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UCU.

Making the decision to pursue his undergraduate course from Uganda was not without anticipated challenges. In DR Congo, the national language is French. Mugabe, therefore, had to undergo a mandatory pre-year program at UCU, to enable him learn English, since it is the language of instruction in Ugandan institutions.

He learned English, but it was not sufficient enough for him to communicate.

“I could not express myself well in English,” Mugabe recalls. “The lecturers could teach, but I hardly picked anything, except from one course unit, Engineering Mathematics.”

Despite the challenges, Mugabe soldiered on with the course. With persistence and camaraderie, he, eventually, caught up.

Mugabe says the Christian orientation of UCU was key to his nudge to study in Uganda. When he eventually joined the institution, he says he was not disappointed.

“What I found unique about UCU were the Christian values they teach their students and they always practice what they teach,” he said.

Mugabe was actively involved in Christian ministry at UCU and held various positions of leadership, including minister of religious affairs at the UCU Honors College and chaplain of the UCU International Students’ Association.

Tough financial times
Mugabe is one of the students whom the economic impacts of the Covid-19 hit especially hard at both the personal and family level. He got stranded in Uganda when a lockdown was declared in March 2020. While some of his colleagues managed to go home, Mugabe could not because he did not have the resources to transport him. He is grateful that the university continuously housed and fed him and a few other international students who were in his shoes, throughout the lockdown.

In order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Uganda imposed a lockdown on movement of people from March to June 2020 and on schools from March to October 2020, when it was opened only for in-person classes for final year students as they prepared for their exams.

The pandemic also did not spare the jobs of Mugabe’s parents – Munyakazi Matthew and Nyambo Angel – who were employed in DR Congo, leaving their son with a huge tuition bill.

“I was frustrated since I could not raise that big amount of money on my own,” Mugabe says.

It was at that point that Mugabe got wind of an opportunity – the UCU Financial Aid Office had made a call for applications for financial relief. UCU Partners was willing to make tuition top-ups for students who were due for graduation, but were financially stuck. Mugabe was among the fortunate few who got that financial relief.

“The financial aid helped me to understand that, indeed, there are generous people out there who are ready to help you to achieve your dreams, even when they do not know you,” Mugabe says.

“May God bless them abundantly.”

Now with the bachelor’s degree, Mugabe says he is leaving UCU with not only a transcript, but also with friends from diverse worlds, including America, because of his relationships with students in the UCU Uganda Studies Program.

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Former UCU Guild President lands job at major Ugandan broadcaster

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

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.

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UCU wins Ugandan universities’ virtual exhibition

December 6, 2021COVID-19, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi (right), receives UCU’s Certificate of Recognition as Best Exhibitor under the Public and Private Chartered Universities Category from Prof. Mary Okwakol, the Executive Director of NCHE.

Story by Yasiri J. Kasango, Photos by Jimmy Siyasa
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has won the first ever virtual exhibition for higher education institutions in Uganda. The three-day virtual contest that took place in November was organised by the regulator of higher education in Uganda, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

A total of 50 institutions of higher learning – both private and public – took part in the exhibition that saw Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a government aided institution, emerging second.

The first-place win is the third straight one for UCU, having emerged the best exhibitor at the 2018 and 2019 fairs. Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no exhibition in 2020. This year’s fair has been virtual because the Ugandan government imposed a ban on large gatherings, limiting the number to 200, to reduce chances of spreading the coronavirus.

On October 22, Janet Museveni, Uganda’s First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, who was the chief guest at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony, acknowledged the strides the university has made in virtual infrastructure, noting that the institution has a “robust online education program” and encouraged the facility to “share best practices with other institutions.”

In the November fair, institutions of higher learning exhibited their e-learning services that reflected the programs taught and their capacity to admit and facilitate learning for students. They also displayed the technological innovations to overcome the challenges caused by Covid-19.

UCU’s Communications Manager, Frank Obonyo, said that the university exhibited its capacity in conducting online admissions, pre-entry exams for students who want to pursue courses in law and medicine, virtual elections for student leaders, e-library, online classes and online exams.

“The judges found UCU’s virtual stall attractive and in line with the event’s theme, Innovation for Current and Emerging Challenges and Opportunities under the COVID-19,” Obonyo added.

The lead judge, Denis Omvia, said: “UCU displayed a stall that resonated well with the theme. UCU’s booth also showed a high level of organisation and preparation.”

Omvia added that the UCU booth had video uploads and it was easy to navigate and download content for anyone who visited the site. Among the visuals in the UCU display was a UCU Prospectus, developed by UCU Partners communications team members, Patty Huston-Holm and Constantine Odongo.

During the exhibition’s opening ceremony, Mrs. Museveni said the COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for institutions to shift from face-to-face learning to online.

Christa K. Oluka, UCU’s Director of Admissions and Student Records, said the win was a vote of confidence by their regulator in the university’s level of innovation.

“It is special whenever your regulator recognises something good about the institution,” Oluka said, adding: “This motivates us to keep working harder and finding new and better ways of doing things.”

When universities were closed during the lockdown on education institutions as a result of Covid-19, UCU embraced online learning that saw the institution’s students continue with learning, uninterrupted.

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UCU Law alum becomes digital content icon

December 3, 2021COVID-19, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

By Vanessa Babirye Gloria
Studying a course in law was not Fiona Kemigisha’s first choice, but it was the choice of her parents. In pursuing the course, she intended to fulfill their dream while trying to put a finger on her own desires that edged toward digital media.

In 2013, Kemigisha graduated from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Law program. She immediately headed to Kenya, where she did her internship in Nairobi. She later enrolled in a post-graduate diploma in legal practice at the Kenya School of Law. To practice law in Uganda and Kenya, one must attain a diploma in legal practice.

She is grateful for the four years she spent pursuing a Bachelor of Laws course at UCU because she says it provided her a platform to keep the right company and meet friends who have remained invaluable in her life.

Kemigisha, at right, and her friend, Nyonyozi, also a digital content creator

Upon her return to Uganda, she was employed at the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, where Kemigisha put her professional learning into action. Her initial intention was to spend five years in this job and then switch to something else. And she almost hit her target. She left the agency just after four years.

While practicing law at the immigration department was rewarding, she felt her heart belonged somewhere else. That place was digital content. She had a side job of creating digital content, which she sold to clients, and hopes of full-time work there.

The force with which the covid-related lockdown came in 2020 was the push that Kemigisha needed for her to throw in the towel at the immigration directorate. Uganda imposed a lockdown last year, from March to June, where movement was only permitted to staff it considered essential workers.

Being home more for Kemigisha meant more acquired skills in creating digital content.

“I got to a point where I realized that I needed to do something that didn’t just make other people happy, but myself,” the 31-year-old says.

Watch: “Kemigisha interview about self-employment” (more than 2,500 views)

Under the digital platform business name of Fiona Kemi, Kemigisha shares everything from natural hair care tutorials to her own journey with her hair. She started her journey on a WordPress blog, where she shared about alopecia (hair loss) and hair care.

Eventually, when her content gained traffic on social media, she began sharing videos not just about natural hair, but about a complete lifestyle. She uses YouTube channels and Instagram to engage with her followers. She helps clients find the necessary hair tools, products and designing a customized hair care regimen to help them grow healthy hair.

Watch: Kemigisha talking about her natural hair (nearly 1,000 views)

Nyonyozi Murungi, a content creator and a friend of Kemigisha, said when her friend told her about quitting her formal job, she got concerned.

“I was afraid about her life outside work, but Kemigisha is a creative woman; you can’t help admiring how her brain thinks,” she said. “She’s unstoppable. I love how her content has helped all of us nurture our hair and relationships.”

Though her parents were concerned when she was quitting her job, they supported her in her new venture. Kemigisha says: “They let me be when I chose and that was all the support I needed from them.”

The ball is now in Kemigisha’s court to turn her passion more fully into finances to support herself.

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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 Partners donates $50,000 to UCU’s eLearning platform

November 22, 2021COVID-19, News, Science and Technology, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Guild President Kenneth Amponda Agaba (blue shirt, holding microphone) during an online conference hosted in the eLearning lab at UCU

By Yasiri J. Kasango
Efforts by Uganda Christian University (UCU) to upgrade its eLearning platforms have gained momentum after Good Samaritans donated funds to assist.

UCU Partners has donated $50,000 (over sh170m) to the university to expand the platform. Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, said the organization contributed the funds following a call by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, for external funders to support the eLearning infrastructure.

“The idea to support eLearning came from UCU,” Bartels said. “In all of the support that UCU Partners offers to UCU, we seek to meet the most important needs of the university. When the Vice Chancellor communicated this need to us, we were glad that we had some funds available to donate to UCU towards achieving its goal.”

Bartels added that given the restrictions in Uganda due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the significant increase in eLearning needs, it was a natural place for UCU Partners to make a contribution.

Students attend virtual conference in eLearning lab.

“We know that these funds will make a difference for so many students, even after the Covid-19 restrictions are eased,” he said “We have been so impressed with the way UCU has led universities in Uganda in terms of eLearning.”

“It is always exciting to support a project that has shown promise with few resources, knowing that additional resources will make a big difference,” Bartels added.

At a recent virtual dialogue to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on education institutions, Mushengyezi advised government and schools to follow the online learning path that his institution has taken in order to reduce effects of Covid-related lockdowns on studies.

In March 2020, when the government of Uganda imposed a total lockdown on academic institutions in the country as precaution to limit the spread of Covid-19, UCU embraced eLearning and it is one of the few universities in Uganda teaching during the lockdown.

“We have invested in infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions,” Mushengyezi said at the dialogue, adding that such a move will not only keep students from lagging behind because of the pandemic, but also enable them to continue studying on their own time.

UCU Partners is a US-based non-profit charitable organization committed to raising public awareness about UCU by seeking material and spiritual support for students and other projects in the university.

The University ICT Services (UIS) technical manager, Rebecca Kangabe, said the contribution from UCU Partners will go a long way towards purchasing cooling equipment for the servers. “The funds will also go towards improving the internet service capacity of the university and the PS link from 1GB to 10GB,” she said.

The increase in the PS link is expected to boost the communication at UCU, making the internal emailing system faster and also simplifying the teaching on the Big Blue Button.

Kangabe commended UCU Partners for the generous contribution.

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To support Uganda Christian university programs, students, activities and services go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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UCU Law staff member shares story of Covid stigma

November 19, 2021COVID-19, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Andrew Ayebare in his office at UCU. (Courtesy photo)

Andrew Ayebale is the academic registrar at the Faculty of Law at Uganda Christian University. Ayebale was diagnosed with the coronavirus in June at a time when Uganda was receiving a beating from the second wave of the pandemic. He narrates his story to Lule Eriah.

The biggest challenge people who contract Covid-19 have to deal with is trauma. Trauma from stigma as well as from the sad stories about the deaths and the suffering that people go through. The case was not any different for me.

In fact, I had to temporarily go off social media, because there was an avalanche of negative stories about Covid-19. They only made me more depressed.

Andrew Ayebare (left) with the UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor, Finance and Administration, Mr. David Mugawe.

I contracted the coronavirus at a time when Uganda was just entering its second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Every time I was on my bed, my only prayer was for God to give me a second chance to live and serve Him.

I watched helplessly as Covid-19 frustrated a lot of my personal plans and those of our department. We had planned a UCU senior staff retreat, for which I was the coordinator, but it did not happen. I was down. The country was plagued with both the disease and the restrictions on movement to reduce the incidences on infection.

The disease manifests itself
From May 29-31, 2021, I was feeling unwell. So, I decided to go to the Allan Galpin Health Centre (University Clinic). Surprisingly, the doctors diagnosed non-Covid infection and gave me medication.

On June 2, there was information that the University Clinic had acquired some Covid-19 vaccines and we were urged to get vaccinated. I did. As expected, I felt fever at night. Surprisingly, for the next few days, I would be fine during day and develop high fever at night.

Could this be the after-effects of the vaccine? I asked myself.

On June 3, I travelled to Mbarara in western Uganda, to play a football match, but I could not make it for the second half of the game.

I was so dizzy, and developed flu. When I got home, I began to rigorously steam and drink concoctions because the Covid-19 scare was becoming more and more real.

On the night of June 4, I got a terribly bad fever. It was worse than the ones I had been getting the previous days. However, by day break, the fever was clearing. Indeed, it cleared. In a bid to self-medicate (something not medically recommended) I took painkillers and antibiotics. Later, the fever hit again, and it was worse this time round. I had just returned from a trip to Jinja in eastern Uganda.

I went to hospital three days later, to test, not for Covid-19, but other diseases. I was still in denial. The doctor warned that I was suffering from a strong virus. He could not name it, since the test was not conclusive. Nevertheless, he prescribed Azithromycin, an antibiotic. Thereafter, I took Vitamin C tablets.

By June 10, I had lost the sense of smell and appetite. I was feeling so sick. And it was my birthday.

The following day, when I visited the University Clinic, I was given a referral to Mukono General Hospital. There, I found a long queue of patients and could not wait. I considered testing for Covid-19 elsewhere. The results were positive.

By June 12, I was coughing incessantly. I instantly began medication and got onto the recommended regimen of taking vitamins, eating a lot of fruits, sunbathing, strolling sometimes for about 4 miles, among others. Thankfully, I did not get bedridden.

On June 18, I regained my sense of smell and was feeling almost normal. Around that time, my younger sister, too, and her four friends were battling the virus. Together, we built a support system – praying together and encouraging one another.

On June 25, 2021, when I was declared negative for Covid-19, I was on cloud nine. It felt like being born again. I, immediately, took a photo of the results and sent to my supervisor, friends at work and family. I also requested for a scan to find out whether all my body organs were functioning normally. And all was well.

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New restaurant employs former UCU kitchen staff

November 17, 2021COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

The outside view of pearl classic food court — The outside view of Pearl Classic Food Court

By Michael Kisekka
It is barely six months old. It contains a food buffet. For about $3 a person, there are local and spicy selections. It’s called Pearl Classic Food Court on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus.

Roughly double the price of what other nearby restaurants charge in a time with fewer students on campus, this UCU-Mukono canteen is swimming against the tide but keeping its head above the water. How? The quality of food and service and fine-dining atmosphere give the eatery an edge.

“I had come to campus to pay tuition, but I felt hungry and branched at this fancy-looking restaurant,” Juliet Nyakato, a third-year student pursing Bachelor of Laws at UCU, said. “I have been impressed by the good food and the high-quality customer care.”

Understanding how a restaurant might work on the UCU campus is a plus as the court is operated by employees who were laid off and hired back as independent contractors. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck and education institutions were closed, the UCU administration outsourced catering services from a service provider.

The move meant that the members of the UCU catering department were rendered redundant. Upon learning that he had no job, the head of the UCU catering department, Richard Ekadu, opened a restaurant at the premises of the former Guild Canteen, which had closed due to the effects of the Covid-19.

Ekadu recalled to duty many of his faithful servants after the layoff. This time, they would be staff at his new restaurant, which he oversees as the director. The restaurant now employs about 20 people as cleaners, waiters, chefs and delivery persons.

With neatly kept wooden walls painted in purple, white and green, a conspicuous banner on the roof edge, a huge water dispenser at the entrance for clients to sanitize, the restaurant officially opened its doors for the first customer on July 20, 2021.

Bridget Lugunda, a waitress at the restaurant, is proud of her new workplace and the opportunity to have a job.

“I am happy to be serving here, especially after I lost my job,” she says, adding, “I urge students and other people to come and try out our food.”

Habib Felix, who works as the delivery man, says he delivers food to people even outside the university.

In such a business, professionalism is key, if one is to maintain their clientele and that is what Pius Mutebi, one of the chefs, says is their goal.

David Ebonyu, the manager of the

restaurant, says through the facility, they hope to market the university to the people who eat their meals. He also says they take advantage of the time when they provide services at parties to market the university.

The restaurant intends to train UCU students interested in culinary arts. “Through internship programs, we are aiming at training students as well as providing employment opportunities, eventually,” Ebonyu says.

While much is positive at the food court, there are challenges. The manager says the prices of food in the markets are high and there have been fewer people at the university because in-person classes were suspended June through October 2021, when the second wave of the Covid-19 hit Uganda. Success is expected to increase now as the Ugandan government has allowed universities to open for in-person lectures, starting in November.

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UCU welcomes students for in-person studies

November 10, 2021COVID-19, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

First-year students wait registration at the Hamu Mukasa Library on first reporting day for in-person classes. Courtesy photo. — First-year students await registration at the Hamu Mukasa Library on first reporting day for in-person classes. Courtesy photo.

By Joseph Lagen
For the first time in five months, Uganda Christian University (UCU) welcomed students on its campuses for in-person learning. The development follows a September directive by Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, allowing universities to commence physical teaching after education institutions were shut in June 2021, after a second wave of Covid-19.

According to an October 28 letter to all students and staff of UCU, Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said freshly admitted first-year students who joined in September would report on November 1 for additional orientation sessions. Mushengyezi said the first-year students would then migrate to blended learning – online and in-person – starting December 4 before they sit for their exams from January 3 to 17, 2022.

Two freshman girls drag suitcases through the main gate to check into university halls of residence. Courtesy photo.

“Continuing students who have been studying virtually will report on November 8, 2021, for face-to-face classes in a phased manner,” Mushengyezi wrote, noting that they will then take their examinations from December 4 to 17, 2021.

UCU Communications Manager Frank Obonyo said the institution is not allowing all the continuing students at once because of “escorting potential health risk.”

“We prioritized first years – the rest will have blended studies,” he said.

In early summer, Museveni directed all education institutions to close, starting June 7, to reduce concentration centers that the government argued were increasing infection rates of the pandemic. At the time, the Covid-19 cases in the country had gone up by 137%. It was the second time that education institutions were closed in Uganda as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In March 2020, Uganda closed all schools to reduce chances of Covid-19 infection on learners. In October 2020, final-year students were allowed back to school for in-person learning as they prepared to take examinations. The rest of the classes, with the exception of lower primary, were allowed back to school for in-person learning starting March 2021. However, that excitement was cut short by a surge in the Covid-19 infection rate, necessitating the closing of schools in Uganda, again after only three months of opening.

On June 18, 2021, the Ugandan government imposed a total lockdown on movement, with the Covid-19 positivity rate at 17% at the time. However, the lockdown was lifted at the end of July 2021, with many of the sectors of the economy being opened for operations. For the sectors that are still closed, such as the entertainment industry and bars, Museveni said in a televised address on October 28 that they will be opened fully in January 2022, whether people go for Covid-19 vaccinations or not.

According to the President, by the end of December 2021, the country will have received 23 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines of two-per-person for more than 12 million people, including 4.8 million frontline workers.

As UCU welcomes its staff and students for in-person learning, the institution has set up its university health facility, the Allan Galpin Health Centre, for vaccinations. The condition for in-person learning, according to Government, is that all institution staff and students above 18 years should be vaccinated.

Despite the two lockdowns – of 2020 and 2021 – on education institutions, UCU continued with online learning. At UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony held on October 22, Uganda’s First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni congratulated the institution for its “robust online education programme” and encouraged the university to share best practices with other institutions.

At a recent virtual dialogue to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on academic institutions, Mushengyezi said UCU had invested in infrastructure of electronic learning and, therefore, “has something to share with other institutions.”

Due to the robust online operations infrastructure, Obonyo said UCU was able to conduct online semesters, plus other virtual activities, such as virtual guild elections, conferences and pre-entry exams for students for courses in law, medicine and dentistry.

The university has locally developed two online applications to supplement the use of tutoring e-services in its operations. These are the Alpha MIS for student registration and the E-Chagua, which the university uses during virtual elections.

Among some of its other virtual activities, from October 14-16, the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) hosted the 10th Annual East African Communication Association Conference.

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Over 3,000 to graduate at UCU’s 2nd virtual ceremony

October 21, 2021COVID-19, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

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.

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UCU student voted Speaker of Uganda’s National Youth Parliament

October 13, 2021COVID-19, Students, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Speaker of Uganda's National Parliament Jacob Oulanyah robes Ezra Ambasiize after he was declared winner. — Speaker of Uganda’s National Parliament Jacob Oulanyah robes Ezra Ambasiize after he was declared winner.

By Dalton Mujuni
A Uganda Christian University (UCU) student has entered the annals of Ugandan history after being elected the speaker of the youth parliament in the country.

Ezra Ambasiize, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, has become the speaker of the fourth National Youth Parliament. The Parliament offers political and legislative space and serves as a creative advocacy vehicle that brings together young people in Uganda, as well as youth-focused organizations to amplify youth voices to lawmakers.

“I take this opportunity to thank God and the entire youth fraternity for entrusting me with the mandate of serving as 4th Speaker [of the] National Youth Parliament,” Ambasiize tweeted a day after his triumph. He beat off competition from two challengers, including Calvin Olupot, also a student from UCU.

Ambasiize’s election took place under the watch of the Speaker of Uganda’s legislature, Jacob Oulanyah.

The victory did not come easy for Ambasiize. He had to divide his time between class and travelling throughout the country, consulting and introducing himself to members of the

electoral college. And the campaigns were as intense as any would be.

So, why did Ambasiize choose to go through such, risking his academic performance at UCU?

“There is a big mismatch between the number of representatives of the youth at national level of policy formulation and their numbers in the country,” Ambasiize says.

He hopes to amplify the youth voices and advocate the implementation of ideas put forward by the youth, as well as use his position as a launch pad into national politics.

On the same day of his election, Ambasiize chaired the youth parliamentary sitting that passed four motions to be sent to the National Parliament for debate. The motions called on the Ugandan Government to address issues of “spiraling teenage pregnancies” and the reproductive health challenges faced by the youth.

The youth also were cognizant of the destructive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, urging the Government to put in place post-Covid recovery measures for young people and address the challenges affecting youth in business.

Standing are National Parliament Speaker Oulanyah (left), Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige (center) and Ambasiize (right).

The corridors of leadership are not new for the bespectacled son of Bernard and Harriet Nuwagira. At UCU, he was the Deputy Prime Minister in the university’s guild government in 2019 and the Vice President in the institution’s student leadership of 2020.

In praise of Ambasiize, UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi described the student as a principled and disciplined leader who serves with integrity and diligence.

“In the previous year, he and then UCU Guild President Timothy Kadaga mobilized students to participate in the Guild Run, to raise funds for needy students,” Mushengyezi says.

In secondary school, Ambasiize was a student leader in charge of internal affairs at Mbarara High School in western Uganda. He also represented the school at the national association of student leaders.

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UCU hosts East African communications conference with pandemic perspective

October 11, 2021COVID-19, News, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

FROM THE PAST: Some delegates of the 6th EACA Conference, organized by both Uganda Christian and Makerere universities in 2016, included Professor Monica Chibita (second from left), Dean of the UCU Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication; and Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (far right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then a dean at Makerere. Courtesy Photo

By Jimmy Siyasa and John Semakula
How has the Covid-19 crisis impacted East Africa’s media industry and training institutions? The pandemic and its necessary and mandated safety protocols have yielded constant dialogue to discuss solutions for a new-normal of problems that have daunted the media and communication landscape, in Africa and all the world, since March 2020. Information has been shared and strategies applied by scholars, researchers and policy makers.

Enriching the discussion and response, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication (FJMC) will host the 10th Annual East African Communication Association (EACA) Conference, October 14-16, 2021. The theme of the virtual conference is “Re-imagining Media and Communication in a Pandemic Context.”

The 2021 event seeks to “explore how media and communication actors can re-imagine and redefine the future of journalism and communication through critical conversation on media and communication industry in a context variously impacted by the Covid-19.” Media and communication experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners from East Africa and beyond will speak.

The keynote presenters and their topics are:

Professor Guy Berger George, Director for Freedom of Expression and Media Development at UNESCO, addressing “Freedom of Information in Light of Covid-19 Media Dynamics;”
Professor George Morara Nyabuga, scholar from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, addressing “Law and Political Landscape of the Media;” and
Joel Kibazo, formerly Director of Communication and External Relations at African Development Bank, discussing insights and foresights on the future of the media and communication.

According to Dr. Emily Maractho, the Director of UCU Africa Policy Center, who also is Convener of the Conference, as many as 40 other presenters will share perspectives and replicable models before an audience of roughly 100 professionals working in the fields of journalism and communications and academics as well as students, among others. The conference will generate research papers and presentations for publication in such scholarly journals such as the African Journal of Communication.

PREVIOUSLY: At the 2016 EACA Conference, Professor Aaron Mushengyezi (right), UCU Vice Chancellor, then the Dean School of Languages, Literature and Communication at Makerere University, shakes hands with Frank Tumwebaze, former Cabinet minister of Information and Communications Technology. Courtesy Photo

Patty Huston-Holm and John Semakula, director and coordinator, respectively, for the Uganda Partners communications e-lab, are among the presenters. They will explain how this virtual university-NGO collaborative works with tips for how the model can be replicated by other non-profits and higher education institutions.

Reinforcing the value of student engagement, Dr. Maractho said, “Young people need to be involved in such Conferences so that they can learn how the experts they encounter during the conference succeeded in the field of Media and Communication.”

She says the organizing committee has discussed an exclusively subsidized registration fee for students, especially for those in journalism and communication, both at UCU and around Africa.

“Hosting the conference is a sign of trust from communication academics in the region,” said Professor Monica Chibita, the Dean of FJMC at the university. “It gives us great opportunities to consider collaborative and comparative research across the region.”

That the 10th annual conference is happening virtually for the first time and UCU is hosting it is an indicator of confidence in the University’s E-service delivery capacity and infrastructure that has strengthened during the pandemic.

“Opportunities to host such a huge conference elevates our branding, in that we are exposed to big, diverse networks of academics and institutions with whom we can create meaningful partnerships, because they now will know about UCU,” says Frank Obonyo, the Communication and Public Relations Manager at UCU.

More specifically, the conference also will attract regional publicity for UCU JMC not only as a giant at training world-class journalism and communication students, but also as an institution that continuously “re-engineers” themselves to meet the demands of the dynamic media industry.

EACA was established in 2011 to serve as a platform for media and communications experts, researchers, academics, policy makers, regulators and media practitioners in Eastern Africa and beyond. Since its inception in 2011, EACA conferences have happened in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.

UCU FJMC hosted this conference in 2016 in collaboration with the Makerere University Department of Journalism and Communication. However, it is the first time UCU is hosting the EACA Conference as a Faculty as it previously was a Department of Mass Communication under the Education and the Arts Faculty.

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UCU art students help renovate sports facilities

October 4, 2021COVID-19, News, Sports, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

UCU art students painting the basketball court recently

Story and photo by Ivan Tsebeni
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has taken advantage of the absence of students by embarking on the renovation of its sports facilities at the main campus. The university intends to spend up to sh12m (about $3,400) in the facelift.

The money is expected to be used to buy paint, among other things, which will be used for a fresh coating on the basketball, netball and volleyball courts.

Speaking at the launch, UCU Vice Chancellor Professor Aaron Mushengyezi said the project also is intended to uplift the face of the institution, most especially in sports, through talent development.

“When we have the best sports facilities, it gives us an edge over other universities,” Mushengyezi said, adding that the institution has always been known to be a sports powerhouse.

UCU’s team was the 2019 University Football League champion, beating St. Lawrence University 2-1 in the final played at StarTimes Stadium, Lugogo in Kampala.

In the current facelift exercise, UCU administration chose to contract the institution’s Department of Visual Arts and Design, which hired its own students to execute the project.

“We are using our own students to help build their skills and capacity, as well as to support them financially,” the Vice Chancellor said.

Jamada Bikala, a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts and Design, thanked the university for entrusting them with the project, noting that it is one way of testing the skills of their products.

“We have, over years, trained our students in this field, but we have not been receiving this opportunity to be assigned such projects,” Bikala said.

Traditionally, UCU has basked in the glory of her superb sport facilities. For that reason, it has often won bids to host major national and regional tournaments. Some of the popular tournaments that have been played at the Mukono campus include the Regional Inter-University Games of East Africa (2013 and 2014).

On March 13, UCU came to the rescue of the Uganda Athletics Federation by hosting the national athletics trials. The athletics body was contemplating cancelling the event after their usual venue, Namboole Stadium, was ruled out because it was a holding facility for Covid-19 patients. The other option, the Kyambogo University grass track, was being used by Uganda’s Electoral Commission during the general election that was taking place at the time.

Michael Kakande, the UCU sports supervisor. attributes such opportunities to UCU’s high quality sports facilities.

Jackson Ssekandi, a basketball player, calls the renovation a shot in the arm.

“We could not feel comfortable playing on such rough and unmarked ground,” he said. “It is better now.”

Kenneth Amponda Agaba, the UCU Guild President, said the facelift was an aesthetic necessity.

“Our sports facilities were not enticing due to the old look,” Amponda said. “This development will encourage more talented students towards sports.”

Vice Chancellor Mushengyezi said the university will be looking into adding a modern swimming pool to its array of sports facilities.

The Department of Sports had been closed ever since last year’s lockdown due to the devastating effects of Covid-19 in Uganda. However, it was reopened mid-this year and the facelift is a sign of the department getting back to life.

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UCU vaccinates sports students ahead of major national leagues

October 1, 2021COVID-19, News, Sports, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

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.

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Ramp up online learning to avoid career stoppage, unemployment, forced marriages

September 27, 2021COVID-19, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Student leaders from different institutions of learning participate in the dialogue in UCU's Principals Hall. — Student leaders from different institutions of learning participate in the dialogue in UCU’s Principals Hall.

By Eriah Lule
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor has asked government and schools to follow the online learning path that his institution has taken in order to reduce effects of covid-related lockdowns on studies. As of late September 2021, Uganda has had two lockdowns occasioned by a spike in the coronavirus positivity rate in the country. Each lockdown has included the shutting of in-person learning in schools.

UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi is urging institutions to consider a rigorous shift towards online distance learning and service delivery so that future lockdowns do not affect operations and learning.

“We have invested in infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions,” he said, adding that such a move will not only keep students from lagging behind because of the pandemic but also enable them to continue studying on their own time.

With Uganda’s second 2021 lockdown in June, many institutions of higher learning, as well as elementary schools remain closed. Only a handful, including UCU, have continued with classes, through electronic means.

Last year, the government shut down schools in March and only opened for in-person learning for final-year learners seven months later. It was not until March this year that schools were opened for in-person learning, only to be closed again three months later.

Mushengyezi emphasized UCU’s commitment to “pioneer in innovation and learning with community outreach.”

He spoke during a recent virtual dialogue to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on academic institutions. The virtual event was held at UCU’s Principals Hall on the main campus in Mukono.

The dialogue, which brought together national and international organizations, was organised by the UCU Alumni Association together with the university’s Student Guild and in partnership with external organizations. The European Union (EU), Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development and ActionAid were among the organisations that participated in the event.

Online dialogues are part of the activities that the UCU alumni association is embarking on as part of its community engagement activities.

One of the panelists in the dialogue, Rose Namayanja, a former Ugandan minister and the current deputy secretary general of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, said many students have dropped out of school as a result of the lockdown. She said the Government was working at developing sustainable digital learning structures for schools in the country.

Rose Namayanja, a former Ugandan minister and the current deputy secretary general of the ruling National Resistance Movement party, speaks during the dialogue session.

“Many students have resorted to hawking, others have succumbed to forced marriages and teenage pregnancies, due to the lack of digital structures to keep them studying during lockdowns,” Namayanja noted.

The UCU Alumni Association General Secretary, Julius Oboth, urged government to provide soft loans to schools so they can make plans to re-open. He also rooted for tax holidays for all private education institutions, calling on government never to close schools again because such a move “cripples the education sector.”

Ezra Byakutangaza, the president of the student leaders in Uganda, urged government to initiate loan schemes to enable students to purchase learning tools such as laptops, which are needed in online learning. This, Byakutangaza said, would ease the burden on schools that are unable to afford computers for every student.

Elizabeth Ongom, a representative from the European Union in Uganda, said the EU is in the process of drafting projects that will inspire innovative practices for the education sector not only in Uganda, but the whole of Africa.

In order to keep children in school, Naiga Shuburah Kasozi, a representative from Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, called for concerted efforts from all stakeholders.

“It’s not only the Government, but everyone’s responsibility to keep children in school,” she said. “So we should de-campaign actions that push our children out of school as the Government is finds a better plan for them to study.’

UCU Guild President Agaba Kenneth Amponda reminded people participating in the dialogue that a conversation about schools without factoring in the other people who benefit from its operation was an incomplete discussion. He argued that by opening schools, security personnel, chefs in catering departments, cleaners, and other people who provide support services in schools will also be able to find employment.

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UCU Chaplain: God helped me defeat Covid-19

September 24, 2021Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, COVID-19, News, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Eng. Rev. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro in his office at UCU

With the negative stigma attached to testing positive for Covid-19 in Uganda, it takes courage to confess publicly that one has contracted the virus. Despite the wrongfully imposed shame, some Ugandans are courageous enough to tell their experience, reminding others with Covid to have hope and encourage all to follow Covid safety guidelines. The Rev. Eng Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, the Chaplain of Uganda Christian University (UCU), is one such courageous person. Ssembiro contracted Covid in November 2020. He narrates to Eriah Lule his ordeal with the virus and how God helped him overcome it.

By Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro as told to Eriah Lule
I don’t know how Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa (UCU’s Director of Medical Services) referred to me, but I am sure I was “Covid-19 Patient 001.” I don’t have a clue of where or when I contracted the virus. But I got it.

I began to be conscious about some sort of infection when I started feeling general body weakness and pain in the joints. The joint pain was unusual because I used to jog every day, to beat off fatigue. The symptoms were akin to those I got whenever I suffered from malaria. On this Saturday, I discovered that I had developed a dry cough. I was uneasy because I had to lead the church service the following day. So, I sought immediate medical attention at the Allan Galpin Health Center, the university clinic.

Eng. Rev. Paul Wasswa preaches during community worship in Nkoyoyo Hall.

I had a throbbing headache, which seemed to be localized just slightly above my ears. I took painkillers and even took too many at some point and out of despair. But, to no avail. I must confess that I struggled with denial and self- pity, saying to myself “I can’t be infected.” Soon, I reached out to Dr. Mulindwa, who gave me a referral to Mengo Hospital, an Anglican Church-founded hospital in Kampala. Mengo. It is affiliated with UCU.

When I got to the hospital, I met a doctor whose team noticed my agony. They administered a diclofenac (anti-inflammatory drug) injection that relieved my pain a bit. Several medical tests ensued: Lung scanning, heart-echo tests, blood count tests and finally, a test that I dreaded the most – the Covid-19 PCR test.

I was admitted to the hospital and immediately given intravenous injections for pneumonia, and pain killers. When the Covid results returned, the doctor told me I could not go home. They had confirmed I was positive for coronavirus.

They told me my lungs were in a crucial state. They sent doctors to counsel me, because the hospital did not have the facility for treatment of Covid-19 patients. My spirits sunk. I was distraught.

I was referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital. Anxiety caused me to unduly feel stigmatized in the process because I seemed like a problem Mengo was trying to rid itself of as soon as possible. But, thankfully, God gave strength to my wife who stood firmly in faith, for me, that all would be well.

Eng Rev. Paul Wasswa preaches at a seminar

Before admission at Mulago, I was sprayed with chlorine that soaked my clothes. The experience was irritating and traumatizing. It was an uncomfortable and painful wait of nearly two hours, before I was taken to my admission room. Eagerly awaiting a bath, having spent 24 hours without one, I was alarmed there wasn’t any I could have.

But God granted me divine favor. It was a Friday morning. A nurse walked in to check on patients who had been admitted the previous evening. She was a UCU alumna. She knew me. God used her to get me to a better ward, where I got a private room, with certain privileges such as accessing fruits to make juice and immunity-boosting concoctions from lemon and ginger, among other foods.

I also met a young man, also a patient, but in a better state than I was. He had known me as clergy from the church conventions I attended. “Pastor, you are my responsibility now,” he told me, with a smile. He started bringing me salads and hot water, until the day he was discharged. However, before he left, he asked colleagues at the hospital to take care of my meals and make sure I was comfortable.

The healing hand of the Lord was with me; my body responded well to medication. Six days after admission, when the Director of Mulago Hospital was moving around the ward, he entered my room. When he saw me, he said: “You are not supposed to be here. There are worse cases than you are. We should be discharging you soon.”

This was good news, to me, from a person who had a bigger picture of the virus. My fellow patients would later tell me I looked better than when I was admitted into the facility. I began doing mild physical exercises. My breath was improving. Finally, on the December 4, 2020, I was discharged.

While I still battle with side effects, such as high blood pressure, occasionally, I bless the Lord for healing me. Of course, my Christian ministry was disrupted; plans got sabotaged. Matter of fact, the whole chaplaincy office was closed to control the spread of the virus, as well as my leadership responsibilities quelled. But, we still bless God for His faithfulness.

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