Category Archives: COVID-19

Wasswa with his twin sister, Angella Nakato

UCU student credits God for family’s Covid recovery

COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Students


Wasswa with his twin sister, Angella Nakato
Wasswa with his twin sister, Angella Nakato

By Nickie Karitas
On June 10, 2021, when Jim Patrick Wasswa arrived at the northern Uganda district of Yumbe to start his university internship, he had many ushers. In addition to the officials with the Uganda National Roads Authority who brought him to the work experience, Covid-19 was on hand to welcome him.

Being diagnosed with the virus came as a shock to Wasswa. But he had a shock absorber – his mother, who is medical worker with a hand up on health needs. Wasswa quickly made arrangements to return to his home in Kampala, more than 300 miles away.

When he gathered the courage to inform his parents about the new development in his life, he was in for another shock. They, too, had been diagnosed with Covid-19.

“All my life, I had been the strong one holding other people in tough times, but with Covid-19, I felt defeated,” recounts Wasswa, a fourth-year student studying for his Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

With an internship curtailed, Wasswa found his once joyous home was charged with tension and an awkward silence. For once, he understood the meaning of seeing no light at the end of the tunnel as he saw his life, his family’s and all his dreams crushing.

Wasswa (right) with his mother and siblings
Wasswa (right) with his mother and siblings

Around that time, Uganda had just declared a second lockdown due to an increase in the number of infections and deaths. At the time the government declared the lockdown, the Covid-19 positivity rate in the country was 17%.

As all this was happening, Wasswa sought solace in the Bible, specifically Romans 8:28. “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” 

That is where he drew the energy to carry on. He regained strength not because he was feeling any better but because his emotional attention was diverted to his parents’ situation. 

At the time, some of his friends were losing their parents to the pandemic, a rude reminder that erased Wasswa’s audacity to assume that everything would be alright. For his case, some of the stop-gap measures he came up with were to try as much as possible not to sleep at night, for fear of not waking up. Sometimes, he succeeded; other times, he crumbled upon the sleep debt that he had.

The memories of the first night his father was rushed to hospital are still fresh in Wasswa’s mind.  

“That was the darkest night of my life,” Wasswa said. “As the car sped off, my thoughts ran to my four-year-old brother. I could see the life of my father, the pillar of the family, going down. I could hardly believe what was going on.”

Social media was another source of misery for Wasswa. Each time he logged in, he met news of people who had succumbed to the pandemic. He shut himself off social media as he worked to recover.

When his twin sister, Angella Nakato, succeeded in convincing him to join her for a daily jogging routine, it marked the turning point in his life. Wasswa says he started feeling much better and more energetic.

Allan Otim, a friend of Wasswa, helped with the psychological aspects of Covid-19. He offered the emotional support that he felt Wasswa needed by constantly keeping in touch with him. 

Wasswa’s other friend and course mate, Cedric Mutayisa, says although many people were succumbing to coronavirus, more were recovering and he believed it was just a matter of time before Wasswa recovered. 

“I often called him to cheer him up,” Cedric said. “Sometimes, all he needed was courage.”

Wasswa, who was never hospitalized, credits the recovery of himself and his parents to God for taking over the battles he surrendered to Him. Wasswa recovered towards the end of June and for his parents, their recovery was a month later. His father’s bout with the virus was most dire, requiring his hospitalization until recovery, while his mother spent two weeks in hospital. 

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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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Sonia Aturinda stands at the entrance of the Mukono General Hospital Maternity Department at the end of her morning shift.

Faith helps nursing intern work in time of Covid

COVID-19, Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Medicine


Sonia at Mukono General Hospital
Sonia at Mukono General Hospital

Story and Photos by Jimmy Siyasa
It was a hot Tuesday afternoon. But the energy with which the medical workers carried out their duties made one think the afternoon heat was only in the mind. 

“Right now, we are from the post-natal ward and from administering the 2 p.m. medicine to new mothers in the ward,” says one of the medical practitioners. She also had been assisting midwives as they helped mothers deliver. 

This is the routine of Sonia Aturinda, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, at Uganda Christian University (UCU). She is at the Mukono General Hospital, where she is on a three-month internship.

Sonia sanitizes her hands after attending to a patient inside the post-natal ward at Mukono General Hospital.
Sonia sanitizes her hands after attending to a patient inside the post-natal ward at Mukono General Hospital.

As an intern in the post-natal ward at the hospital, Aturinda is charged with offering maternal and neo-natal care services – mostly administration of medicine to new mothers.  

However, because of her excellent performance, her responsibilities have expanded to sometimes offering umbilical cord care, counsel to new mothers, providing family planning advice and, occasionally, assisting midwives in executing deliveries.

Aturinda said she is on internship at the hospital with 23 other colleagues of hers in the same class.

Every morning, Aturinda walks from her hostel, located about 500 metres (about 1/3 mile) from the hospital and only returns after about seven hours. Sometimes, she works on Saturdays, too. 

For Aturinda, her service, though unpaid, is more than just a mere mandatory three-month internship ritual that she must fulfil to merit a university degree. She is living her passion. And she tries her best to be the nurse she would want as a patient. 

“I have passion for the medical field, especially being directly engaged with patients during their lowest and most vulnerable moment, so that I am able to support them through their recovery,” she says, adding: “I like the counseling session, especially when I am comforting and encouraging the patients.”

Sonia Aturinda stands at the entrance of the Mukono General Hospital Maternity Department at the end of her morning shift.
Sonia Aturinda stands at the entrance of the Mukono General Hospital Maternity Department at the end of her morning shift.

In May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the WHO annual assembly that many medical workers became infected with Covid-19 during 18 months of work to save “countless lives and fought for others who, despite their best efforts have slipped away.” 

So, looking at the statistics of health workers who have succumbed to Covid-19, does being in the wards bother Aturinda?

“Of course, it does, but I just need to have faith and be strong, while maintaining the Standard Operating Procedures that have been put in place for us to keep safe,” she says, noting that patients must be attended to. 

While there was debate on whether or not nursing students should continue with their internships, especially during a time when the second wave of the Covid-19 had peaked and the number of deaths increased, the UCU administration decided that students whose internships were in progress by the time of lockdown could safely carry on. 

The university reasoned that termination of the training would prove counterproductive, especially for finalists. 

Upon reaching a consensus with students, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, issued a memo, giving the greenlight to the internship. 

The head of the Nursing and Midwifery Department, Mrs. Elizabeth Nagudi Situma, believes their deployment is a blessing in disguise because they are adding to the national taskforce, given the shortage of health workers in the country. She said working during the peak of the pandemic offers the students a rare opportunity to learn the management of highly infectious diseases.

However, Nagudi and the Vice Chancellor say the students are always reminded to observe safety protocols. 

Aturinda says the main challenge they face is insufficiency or delayed delivery of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). This includes gloves, which makes attending to HIV-positive mothers delivering or at the post-natal unit a challenge. 

Aturinda is looking forward to her graduation in 2022, after which she intends to pursue a post-graduate diploma in gynecology, to buttress her love for the field of maternal child care and reproductive health – her childhood dream.

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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.

Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.

UCU alumnus called to the Nigerian bar

COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Law


Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.
Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.

By Jimmy Siyasa
Faced with the career paths of music and law, which one would you take to deliver you to glory? 

That is the question Shalom Okeke encountered years ago. He couldn’t choose, so he walked both. Today, Okeke is an accomplished music minister and a barrister.

Okeke achieved part of his childhood dream when he was called to the Nigerian bar on July 29, 2021, at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria. The development means the Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumnus will now be able to represent a party in a Nigerian court. 

The news of Okeke’s being called to the largest bar in Africa quickly reached Uganda, with his former dean at the UCU Faculty of Law, Dr. Roselyn Karugonjo Segawa, tweeting: “When one of your best students is called to the bar! Congratulations Shalom Okeke!” 

It is no surprise that Segawa, now the chairperson of the Leadership Code Tribunal in Uganda, still remembers Okeke. Her former student was the second best in the Bachelor of Laws class that graduated in 2019. 

In 2013, upon completing high school at St. Christopher’s Junior Seminary in Onitsha, Nigeria, Okeke and his parents got busy scouting for law schools out of Nigeria, but within Africa. “My parent and I chose UCU, because I wanted to study under an environment where I would not just be built intellectually, but also grow in faith,” Okeke says. 

Okeke (second-right) poses with his father, Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke (second-left) and mother, Mrs. Julie Okeke (First- right) and his sister, on his graduation day, at UCU main in 2019. Courtesy photo.
Okeke (second-right) poses with his father, Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke (second-left) and mother, Mrs. Julie Okeke (First- right) and his sister, on his graduation day, at UCU main in 2019. Courtesy photo.

When the family had decided on UCU, he enrolled at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka in Nigeria for a Diploma in Law course, as he awaited his visa and admission into UCU. Everything went according to plan. Okeke, therefore, had to drop out of the Diploma in Law course at Nnamdi Azikiwe after just half a year of studies. 

“Some of my colleagues (at the time) who didn’t know what was happening thought I had dropped out because the course was too tough,” he says during an interview from Nigeria. In 2014, Okeke set off to Uganda, to pursue his dream course in a country he had never been.

Activities at the Nkoyoyo Hall at UCU were the mainstay of Okeke’s spiritual development and feeding his passion for music. His skills and busy schedules had fashioned him into being one of the revered keyboardists in the university.

Asked how he struck a healthy balance between commitment to music and to the law course, in typical Christian modesty, Okeke attributes it all to God. He believes God guided him through tested strategies for academic achievers, such as relentless revision, knowing one’s best revision time and “learning to love all course units and the respective lecturers.”

Not all was smooth, though. He faced serious challenges as an international student while pursuing his course at UCU.  Three obstacles were the language barrier, unfamiliar food and lack of exposure to Ugandan history.

“Constitutional history needed me to, not just know the native names and cases, but also know Ugandan history. And that is something I had no clue about,” he says.

To aid his academic progress, Okeke began to commit to memorizing some of the cases with Ugandan names. Sometimes, and incorporating his music talent, he says, he often “silently” sang some of the Ugandan names as he headed to the exam room. 

Being a pastor’s child, Okeke got exposed to music and music instruments quite early; he lived within the church’s vicinity. And this granted him almost unlimited access. As a teenager, Okeke also pursued a certificate course in music. 

It is no wonder that besides playing the keyboard meticulously, Okeke also plays a couple of wind instruments, too. He is also an instrumentalist to the congregation shepherded by his father, the Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke, the Bishop of Ideato, one of the Dioceses under the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. 

He is currently serving his country in the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a government program, whose aim is to involve Nigerian graduates in nation building and development.  The ultimate tune is yet to come.

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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

Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.

UCU Guild President lightens burdens of needy

COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Law


Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.
Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.

Story and photos by Eriah Lule
Amponda Kenneth Agaba believes that to rise, one must lift others. True to his belief, he has participated in many charity causes, while effortlessly also rising to positions of leadership at the institutions he has attended. 

One of those recent leadership positions is that of Guild President of Uganda Christian University (UCU). And his most recent charitable cause is the founding of a not-for-profit organization, the Amponda Foundation, a vehicle to boost others.

Agaba packs relief items headed for a donation at the Good Samaritan School.
Agaba packs relief items headed for a donation at the Good Samaritan School.

In 2016, when Agaba joined A’level at Gombe Secondary School in central Uganda, he successfully contested for the position of Scripture Union leader at the school. As a leader, he thought of a signature activity that would leave an indelible mark. At the time, there were brilliant, needy students who could not afford the fees at the school.

Agaba and his colleagues rolled up their sleeves and began a fundraising campaign among students and other members of the school community to help these disadvantaged students. On many occasions, they contributed money to the school’s financial aid purse. From this purse, the school got money to meet the tuition fees of the students in need.

At one point, they collected up to sh700,000 (about $200) from students, for this cause. And that was not all. Agaba also often rallied his fellow students to donate items, such as soap, which they would take to patients at the nearby Gombe Hospital. 

Now a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws at UCU, and through the Amponda Foundation, Agaba has been pivotal in the lives of students living in distress during the two lockdowns that Uganda has had due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Uganda had a three-month lockdown from March to June in 2020 and for 42 days, from June to July this year.

“We came to the rescue of students, mostly those who were in hostels,” he said, adding that they provided food to students in hostels at Kyambogo University, as well as at UCU. In addition to the food items, Agaba said they gave out money to help students with other survival needs. 

The university students have not been the only beneficiaries of Amponda Foundation. Good Samaritan Primary School, a school in Mukono for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), is one of the most recent beneficiaries of the foundation’s goodwill. The foundation teamed up with the UCU Guild government, students and well-wishers from the Mukono community and mobilized resources, such as scholastic materials, sanitary pads and foodstuffs to help children at the school.

The foundation also donated $225 toward the building of a PWD-accessible shopping center in Mukono. 

While dishing out donations during the Covid-19 lockdown, Agaba’s charity is a victim of

Agaba interacts with disabled pupil at Good Samaritan Primary School.
Agaba interacts with disabled pupil at Good Samaritan Primary School.

the pandemic. He says the closure of education institutions has been a barrier to securing more funds. He cannot collect enough supplies from the university community to donate to the vulnerable.

There are high chances Agaba’s foundation would not be existing had he not met a UCU alumnus, Herbert Mukuru, who also runs a similar charity – Upendo Mikono.

“When I became the Guild President, I met Mukuru, who showed me his projects with PWDs, something which opened my eyes,” Agaba says.

Agaba first met Mukuru at the latter’s restaurant. The next time he met Mukuru, he was in their class, soliciting donations, which they could take to PWDs. 

“When he saw me coming to their class to collect items, he also picked interest,” Mukuru said. “Agaba is an ambitious and optimistic man and I believe that with such an attitude, his foundation will help many people in need.”

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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.

Sugar

No sugar coating: UCU students learn real-world, green practices

COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, Students, UCU School of Business


Sugar
Sugar

By Patty Huston-Holm and Jimmy Siyasa
Sugar – the substance that sweetens food and drink and that Ugandans grow up eating directly from a stripped-open cane – isn’t all goodness and white. 

Douglas Wegulo, UCU student and green entrepreneur
Douglas Wegulo, UCU student and green entrepreneur

To get the granular crystals, there are by-products of yellow and brown. The yellow could be molasses. The brown is carbonation mud used mostly for fertilizer, but also as filler in polymer composites for plastic. The final wastes go back to the sugarcane fields to produce the same raw materials.

The point is not to waste anything. 

Timothy Muwonge, general manager of environment, health and safety at Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL), said the industry is “70 percent of where we would like to be” for maximum profit and “green” standards. 

How Uganda sugar commerce addresses environmental practices was the main focus of a late July Zoom sponsored by the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business. On a Thursday afternoon, roughly three dozen of mostly UCU business students listened in as part of what Vincent Kisenyi, dean of the school, says is an effort to insert more real-world examples into the UCU curriculum. 

“The sugar industry has taken great (environmental) strides,” Muwonge said. “But it’s almost unknown. Environmental activists need to come out and see.” 

The SCOUL manager shared visuals demonstrating waste and products connected to the country’s sugar factories. In addition to the best-known product of granulated sugar, the industry process yields molasses, filler mud, waste water and bagasse (dry pulpy residue left after the extraction of juice from sugar cane). The goal toward zero waste involves a concept of prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery and disposal. 

A little-known fact is that the industry gauges the purity of treated waste water with home-grown fish. 

“We use tilapia,” Muwonge said. “If they survive, it (the water) must be clean.”

Under the title of “Green Cameo Virtual Conference,” other presenters on July 29, 2021, were UCU Engineer Kivumbi David and UCU student Douglas Wegulo. 

Kivumbi shared that a green environment on the UCU Mukono campus involves roads, buildings, clean water and proper disposal of waste water. He showed photos and discussed how planting trees, shrubs and grass and trimming tree limbs improves the environment along with the disposal of aged items, such as old vehicles and furniture. 

According to the UCU engineer, plans call for better UCU electricity conservation by installing lights with automatic on/off switches and more use of bio-gas and solar energy.  Finance, he said, is always a barrier to accomplishing more.

In the third virtual presentation, Douglas Wegulo, a student in the final year of a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, sensitized the audience about the urgent necessity to preserve the ecosystem. He runs an eco-friendly business that produces briquettes as a form of fuel in compressed coal that burns under fire.

The self-described “green entrepreneur” says his product is free of pollutants triggered by charcoal burning. He argues that the advantages of briquettes over charcoal are emission of minimal smoke, longer burning, and half the cost. 

The business that he started in the midst of Uganda’s first lockdown in 2020 supports him and 10 employees, including two other UCU students. Wegulo’s business has grown from production of  9 pounds (4kgs) in a week to an average of two tons of briquettes each week. The main market includes areas neighboring Mukono, such as Katosi, Namawojjolo, Namataba and Namanve.

According to Wegulo the main challenge is scarcity of clients, such as schools, because they remain closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Other challenges include limited capital, space for expansion and machinery for mass production. 

Yet, he finds hope. At the time of the virtual presentation, he was attempting to secure UCU as a client. 

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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.

Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.

UCU chaplaincy donates food to hostel-stranded students

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, COVID-19, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law


Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.
Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.

By Yasiri J. Kasango
The office of the chaplain at Uganda Christian University (UCU) recently donated food to students that the latest government-order covid lockdown has stranded in hostels around the institution.

Each student received a food pack containing beans, sugar, maize flour, salt and soap. A pack was valued at sh23,000 (about $6.5).

“When we got a report about students who are stranded in hostels and in need of food, the chapel council raised some money to help them out,” the chaplain, the Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa, said.

Uganda on June 7 closed all schools and institutions of higher learning following increase in the positivity rate among the Covid-19 tests that were being done. Uganda is currently in the second wave of Covid-19.

Two weeks later, the country’s President, Yoweri Museveni, announced a 42-day lockdown, banning the movement of vehicles. Only vehicles belonging to categories of people government considered essential workers, such as the media, medical personnel, workers at construction sites and in factories, and trucks delivering goods, among others, were issued with travel permits.

The development meant that the students who were caught up in hostels had to stay there until the lockdown terminates at the end of July. However, in mid-July, it was not yet clear whether government will lift the lockdown after the 42 days. Government has said the positivity rate in the Covid-19 tests dropped from 18% when the lockdown was instituted to 10% a month later.

For the donation that was handed to the students, the chapel council raised sh1m (about $280) towards purchasing the food items. A total of 54 students benefitted from the generosity. The beneficiaries were identified by the UCU deputy guild minister for religious affairs, the Rev. Benson Amanya.

A recent UCU guild government survey indicated that there are at least 200 national and international students stranded in hostels.

Amanya said the needy students were identified through the coordination of class representatives. 

“When a class representative recommends a needy student, we interrogate them about the student. Their response would help to identify whether the student was actually in need of food,” Amanya said.

“I am grateful for the support rendered to us,” Edith Joseph from South Sudan said. “We are going through a hard time in the hostels.” 

David Kisakye, a final-year student pursuing the Bachelor of Laws at UCU, commended the chaplain’s office for the initiative. “Receiving some food, although little, is better than nothing,” he said.

The Rev. Wasswa acknowledged that the food relief given to students could not sustain them until the end of the lockdown and, therefore, called upon other well-wishers to donate more food to the students. He also asked students who may be in need of counselling to approach his office. 

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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

Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)

Mother, wife and student: It’s never too late to learn

COVID-19, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)
Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)

By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy Siyasa
It’s never too late to pursue what you want. 

That’s the message from Sylvia Nabayego, a married mother of two and the oldest in her undergraduate class pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU). It’s a career path she wanted more than a decade ago, but one that did not have the quality reputation it holds at UCU today. 

Nabayego studying online
Nabayego studying online

Sixteen years ago, she studied human resource management at UCU. She got her degree in that field in 2008 and shortly thereafter married Peter Kauma.

In 2019 and with her uncle, Dr. John Senyonyi, serving as Vice Chancellor, she returned to what was still her passion – journalism and communications. She surprised herself and those around her with a first semester Grade Point Average of 4.7 of 5.0. 

 “Being out of school after all these years, then I get back and I’m able to get the grades I did, especially in semester one!” said Nabayego who juggled her studies with being a wife, a mother to children, ages 10 and 7, and an off-campus student living 15 miles away. 

“I had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day, bathe the children, make them breakfast and then get them ready for school,” she said. “Their dad would drop them at school on his way to work. After that, I would then prepare to leave for school.” 

Nabayego has many lessons to impart, including that mothers and fathers can and should return to school. 

“I never start what I can’t complete,” she said, grinning widely. “Besides, what have I to lose? It is only a three-year course…when you’re intentional, you find a way to make it work.”

Her lean physique and amicable personality bely her seniority in class. Her experience in many aspects of life over many of her classmates gives her the courage to joke that she is old enough to be a mother of some of her classmates. 

“Be confident about your decision,” Nabayego continues. “If you have decided to go for it, then carry on. If you have a support system, lean on it. Get all the help you can from your lecturers and classmates.”

Coming to UCU with a perception that the institution is too restrictive on students, especially on their dress code, Nabayego reminds us that the core values and policies set up are to guide a student into being a better citizen. Attired in formal pants and blazer, she shares her enthusiasm for sports, music and movies, admitting these topics might have helped her better blend into the circles of many of her classmates, many of who speak highly of her. 

“She is kind and generous,” says Dalton Mujuni, a student of journalism and a friend of Nabayego. “In fact, she helped pay tuition balance for a colleague, in order to be able to write exams.” 

Nabayego while still in the UK
Nabayego while still in the UK

For Nabayego, the most difficult part of her student role is being away from her children after being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.

“The hardest bit was not being present in their lives as much I used to be and having to worry about how the children would adjust,” she said in a quasi-British accent. Nabayego once lived with her mother in the UK. 

Unlike younger and single students, the onset of the Covid-19 was, for Nabayego, a blessing as the virtual learning allowed her more time with her family. The children, too, were home during two lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus.

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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.

Mark Bartels and Ashton Davey of UCU Partners pose with E-lab writers at the University in Mukono, Uganda, on May 18. Photo by Ivor Sempa

UCU Partners’ Bartels inspires e-lab program participants

COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, UCU School of Medicine


Mark Bartels and Ashton Davey of UCU Partners pose with E-lab writers at the University in Mukono, Uganda, on May 18. Photo by Ivor Sempa
Mark Bartels and Ashton Davey of UCU Partners pose with E-lab writers at the University in Mukono, Uganda, on May 18. Photo by Ivor Sempa

By Eriah Lule and Jimmy Siyasa
Donning a baby blue shirt, khaki pants and quasi-safari shoes, Mark Bartels arrived at The Standard community newspaper office just in time for the 10 a.m. visit. Not even a downpour would stand in the way of the May 18 meeting. Bartels, the executive director of Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners, was scheduled to meet UCU students engaged in the Partners e-lab program that was launched on the UCU Mukono campus in January.

John Semakula, the Partners e-lab communications coordinator, who had arrived with Bartels, ushered him to a round table in the middle of The Standard newsroom. At the table, Semakula and Bartels joined Constantine Odongo, editor of the Partners e-lab pilot and also with New Vision, and Ashton Davey, a Partners fundraising coordinator. 

The meeting, which was part of Bartel’s activities during his one-week visit to Uganda in May, started with some of the students sharing their experiences working for the e-lab program. 

Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, in Standard newsroom in May 2021.
Mark Bartels, executive director, UCU Partners, in Standard newsroom in May 2021.

“I have learned to tell success stories while observing journalistic integrity and ethics,” Jimmy Siyasa, one of the students, said. “While I was taught to do this in my undergraduate studies, I did not practice as much as I’m doing now, ever since I started contributing content for the UCU Partners e-lab blog.”  Siyasa has completed his bachelor’s program with the graduation twice canceled due to covid lockdowns. 

Grace Bisoke, an international student from the Democratic Republic of Congo, thanked the UCU Partners for being inclusive in its mentorship program.

“I am grateful for the opportunity that you have afforded us, as students, and more so, someone from another country,” she said. “Being part of this mentorship program has enabled me to have the nose for news and also be able to write a story.”  

Ivor Sempa asked for logistical support, especially 300mm camera lenses, so that the team is able to produce high quality photos, which will enrich the content on the blog.  

Semakula observed that the students on the programme have benefited in terms of skills acquisition and financially. 

“Thank you very much for the stipend,” he said. “They afford us our daily bread and enable the students to meet some basic needs, so as to continue working for UCU Partners,” he said. He referred to the stipend that Partners pays to students for their contributions in terms of articles published on the Partners blog and for Internet. 

Semakula beseeched Bartels to engage the university top management in order to facilitate the speedy revival of The Standard newspaper. Operations of the university newspaper were halted in March 2020, when the Ugandan government closed education institutions to reduce the rate of the spread of the coronavirus. The institutions were allowed to resume physical classes in March this year, only to be shut again on June 7, 2021 as Uganda imposed new restrictions following a second wave of Covid-19. Recently, the newspaper launched a digital platform. However, the print platform is still in limbo.  

“We’ve learnt that you’ve been meeting the Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor,” Semakula said.  “Please highlight our plight as a newsroom. We need funding so that we can begin to fully operate.”

Bartels commended the team for performing beyond the organization’s expectations. “You have proved our experiment right. I am grateful for your services,” he said. 

“The quality of work coming from the e-lab and the podcast team is really good and I appreciate the thoughtfulness, time and resources that the students are investing,” Bartels continued, reminding the students that telling a story is just as important as the story itself. 

Bartels said his meeting with UCU Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, was to get to know him (Vice-Chancellor) and understand his priorities. He also later met with Prof. Monica Chibita, the Dean of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, among other top university officials.

He later visited the UCU School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala, where he interacted with the Dean of the School, Dr. Gerald Tumusiime. 

“Currently, we are working on equipping the School of Medicine to match the standard requirements, in order for it to produce quality graduates,” Bartels said. 

Early this year, UCU shared with three hospitals in Uganda a donation of the sh520m (about $141,500) medical equipment that it received from the US. The beneficiary hospitals – Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital, Mukono General Hospital and Mengo Hospital in Kampala – are UCU’s training partners for its medical and dental students. 

Partners also has over time given scholarships and tuition top-ups to UCU students. 

“We are now planning to support faculties to do community outreaches so as to impact the society,” Bartels added.  

Uganda Partners, a nonprofit, based in Pennsylvania USA and in existence for more than two decades, started the e-lab this year to give a resume-building platform to UCU’s journalism and communication students through hands-on experience to supplement their in-class learning. The products benefit Partners by providing information to current and potential contributors to the NGO. 

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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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Mubezi sorts files on his computer at Kingdom Comix. Photos by Enock Wanderema

Video entrepreneur: Business alum works for others, then himself

COVID-19, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business


Mubezi sorts files on his computer at Kingdom Comix. Photos by Enock Wanderema
Mubezi sorts files on his computer at Kingdom Comix. Photos by Enock Wanderema

By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy Siyasa
When Isaac Mubezi qualified to join Uganda Christian University (UCU), his mother thought it imperative that he get accommodations in one of the University’s halls of residence. She gave him the money to meet the hostel fees. 

However, Mubezi had other plans. He felt that by renting an affordable room outside the university, it would provide him an opportunity to start an independent life and better learn to deal with challenges life threw at him.

He knew fully well that with his mother’s monthly salary of slightly above sh500,000 (about $150), he would not be able to have as much disposable income as he wished. It is from that salary that his mother, a resident of Iganga, a district in eastern Uganda, paid his tuition fees, as well as for his other three brothers. His father is something he doesn’t discuss.

Indeed, as Mubezi left UCU, after three years of studying a bachelor’s in business administration course, he had decided that he would be an employee for just five years, as he learned the skills of running his own business.  

The 30-year-old now has a video library in Mukono.

 “All I know is I have always had passion for service,” is his response when asked about what drives him. 

Mubezi attends to a gentleman who is inquiring about a movie.
Mubezi attends to a gentleman who is inquiring about a movie.

Before setting up the video library, Mubezi got a job with Stanbic Bank as a teller in 2014, the year he graduated. He felt that one year was enough for him to learn money matters in the bank. The following year, he got a job to manage a new café shop in Mbale, a district in eastern Uganda. Again, he did not spend more than a year at this job. Next, he sought a job which could enable him get the experience to manage people. Picfare Industries, which deals in stationery, employed him as an assistant human resources manager. Here, he spent three years. 

Upon clocking his five years as an employee, Mubezi quit in January 2020.

By this time, Mubezi had saved sh4m (about $1,090), which he used as capital to set up his small business of a video library. Mubezi’s choice of business was an irony. As a child, he would escape to go and watch films in video hall shacks in their locality. For that, Mubezi earned a fair share of beating from his mother.

He says the video library that he set up was to offer an alternative for students who could be tempted to relieve stress by sneaking out of hostels to go to night clubs. Despite many businesses closing during the Covid-19 lockdown in Uganda from March to June 2020, Mubezi’s continued operating. He says during that time, he would get up to 35 clients in a day.

Kingdom Comix, the name of Mubezi’s video library, is situated about 100metres (328 feet) from the UCU “small gate.” He has never regretted his choice of business. The proceeds from it enable him to pay his own bills, such as rent, meals and other expenses. He also is now also in position to pay some of his mother’s bills. With a monthly saving of sh800,000 (about $220) from Kingdom Comix, Mubezi believes he made the right choice. 

At the counter of the video library are packets of sweets. These, Mubezi always offers as tokens of appreciation to his clients. Sometimes, he adds a message. One common one is: “when one does not work hard, even God will have nothing to bless.” 

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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.

A student (right) is assisted with loading her luggage on a boda-boda as the university closed on June 7. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa

Schools shut again as Uganda imposes new Covid-19 restrictions

COVID-19, News, Students


A student (right) is assisted with loading her luggage on a boda-boda as the university closed on June 7. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa
A student (right) is assisted with loading her luggage on a boda-boda as the university closed on June 7. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa

By Jimmy Siyasa
The second Covid-19 wave is currently sweeping across Uganda, paralyzing life and livelihoods of many people. Education institutions have been hit, after Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni shut them once again, for 42 days, effective June 7.

Inter-district transport in both public and private means also has been banned for 42 days, starting June 10. Uganda’s health ministry says it has so far registered four Covid-19 variants – the Wuhan strain and the variants from South Africa, India and the UK.

On June 4, Uganda registered its highest number of corona virus cases in a single day – 1,259 out of the 7,424 tests done.

A female resident of Sabiti hall carries her duvet, leaving the hall of residence. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa
A female resident of Sabiti hall carries her duvet, leaving the hall of residence. Photo by Jimmy Siyasa

During a televised address on June 6, Museveni noted that the restrictions would prevent overwhelming the country’s health system. The current number of hospital beds to manage Covid-19 patients in Uganda stands at 3,793. As of June 6, Uganda’s cumulative number of Covid-19 cases stood at 52,929, reported confirmed deaths at 374 and recoveries at 43,487.

In response to the directive of shutting down schools, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, issued a statement on June 7, asking the institution’s staff and students to migrate to online learning.

“The Division of Academics and the Alpha MIS/UIS team should offer students and lecturers the support they need to ensure that e-learning is seamless, as we have done before,” Mushengyezi said.

In February 2021, the Ugandan government had given the greenlight for education institutions to resume physical classes for the first time since March last year. The return to school, which was expected to be in a phased manner, followed the October 2020 resumption of face-to-face learning of final-year learners, who sat for their national exams in March, April and May 2021.

In his June 6 address to the nation, the President announced  that when schools eventually re-open after the second wave, only teachers who will have been vaccinated will be allowed back on duty. UCU has been urging its staff and students to get vaccinated, starting with its health workers on March 12. On June 2, the university rolled out a mass vaccination exercise at its clinic, the Allan Galpin Health Center. An estimated 100 people took jabs on the first day of the exercise.

Staff and students queue up to get inoculated at the UCU clinic. Photo by Emmanuel Kizaale
Staff and students queue up to get inoculated at the UCU clinic. Photo by Emmanuel Kizaale

Uganda has vaccinated 706,000 people, with about 4,000 of those having received their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. In the June 6 address, Museveni said the country was exploring possibilities of procuring China’s Sinovac vaccine, Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine and Johnson & Johnson. At that, it is not confirmed if any of the world’s current vaccines cover all variations found in Uganda.

Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, the Director of Medical Services at UCU’s medical facility, said the mass vaccination program at the university was an opportunity for the institution to join in the fight against the second wave of Covid-19. At the vaccination exercise, Mulindwa said priority was given to those who were due for their second jabs.

In March, the university commissioned a Covid-19 student task force, to ensure the safety of learners at UCU. The 244 students were tasked with coordinating health activities related to Covid-19 in the university. At the commissioning of the task force, Mulindwa said the university had lost two staff members to Covid-19. At least three others contracted the virus with one recovered and two still in recovery in June.

In early June, UCU had around 500 students living on campus. According to the University Halls custodian, Reverend Simon Peter Ddamba Anatoli, before the lockdown, there were 279 female and 218 male residents. With the latest order, all but a few international students and some athletes are required to leave.

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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

Guild officials who are part of the UCU Covid-19 Student Taskforce pose for a photo after being commissioned.

UCU commissions Covid-19 Student Taskforce for peer-to-peer assistance

COVID-19, News, Students


Guild officials who are part of the UCU Covid-19 Student Taskforce pose for a photo after being commissioned.
Guild officials who are part of the UCU Covid-19 Student Taskforce pose for a photo after being commissioned.

By Ivan Tsebeni
Uganda Christian University (UCU) management and student leaders have commissioned a Covid-19 Student Taskforce to further ensure the safety of learners. 

The group of 244 students was tasked with coordinating health activities related to Covid-19 in the university. 

The team was equipped with several skills, such as how to maintain a clean facemask and how to detect students with high body temperatures. This, the university argued, is intended to help the task force identify possible Covid-19 cases among the students and how to offer health assistance to those affected while keeping the larger student body and staff safe. They are, thus, expected to ensure that students practice social distancing, wear masks and always wash their hands at the different water points within the university.  

All education institutions in Uganda were shut down in March last year in order to eliminate concentration centres for the coronavirus. After six months of lockdown, final-year students were allowed to report to school in October 2020. Universities and other tertiary education institutions were reopened to the rest of the students in March 2021. 

Some of the UCU student coronavirus task force
Some of the UCU student coronavirus task force

During the launch of the UCU student taskforce on March 19, Dr. Geoffrey Mulindwa, the Director of Medical Services at the university’s Allan Galpin Clinic, urged members of the student task force to encourage students to adhere to the set standard operating procedures. 

Mulindwa, who is the vice-chairperson of the UCU Covid-19 Taskforce said the university lost two people to the deadly virus since March 2020 and that there were some who had contracted the virus, but got healed. 

“We are not immune from the pandemic; our staff, about six of them, got infected,” he said. “But I thank God that since we reopened for physical classes this year, we have not had any new cases.”

Mulindwa used the opportunity to rally people to get the Covid-19 vaccination, saying it is one sure way of protecting oneself. He thanked the university employees who had heeded the call and got vaccinated. 

UCU Guild President Kenneth Agaba Amponda welcomed the idea of forming the Covid-19 Student Taskforce. He said the main priority of the guild government is to ensure that students are safe by adhering to the Ministry of Health guidelines.

He asked the university to provide T-shirts and tags to students, to help intensify the campaign against the pandemic. He promised to contribute some money from the coffers of the guild government, if the university buys his idea of intensifying the sensitisation campaign about the effects of Covid-19 and how to keep safe. 

The student in charge of health affairs in the UCU guild government, Benjamin Bikongo, noted that the adherence of the students to the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 prevention was good. “I can testify that many students are minding about their health. I, however, urge them to continue observing the set guidelines,” he said.

Garry Murungi, one of the members of the taskforce, lauded the university for the initiative, saying it would keep many students safe. 

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To support Uganda Christian University 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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Trials I: Participants in the 100m race setting off during the annual athletics trials at UCU recently

UCU Rescues Uganda’s national athletic trials

COVID-19, News, Sports


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Asaph Lee Nsadha showing one of his products.

‘You were born to pass’

COVID-19, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business


Asaph Lee Nsadha showing one of his products.
Asaph Lee Nsadha showing one of his products.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, UCU School of Medicine


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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.

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

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, COVID-19, News


By Dalton Mujuni

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Covid-19: UCU revises graduation program for 2021

COVID-19, News, Students


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

By Ivan Tsebeni

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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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Hostel owners hike fees as UCU students return for physical classes

COVID-19, News, Students


One of the plush hostels that accommodate UCU students

By Simon Omit and Yasir J. Kasango

The excitement was palpable on February 4, 2021, when Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni gave the okay for the physical return to school of learners, starting March 1. 

The permission for the return to school, which is expected to be in a phased-in manner, follows the October 2020 resumption of face-to-face learning of final-year learners, some of whom start their national exams in March 2021. Uganda closed all education institutions in March of 2020 to control the spread of the coronavirus, allowing on-line studies at mid-year. 

Hostel outside UCU Mukono campus gates

That excitement by Uganda Christian University (UCU) students about the resumption of in-person learning was, however, short-lived when they heard the news of the increase in fees by hostels located outside the campus gates in Mukono. In some cases, these hostels had increased their fees by over 70%. 

Inside the UCU main campus, students pay hostel fees per semester for accommodation in its halls of residence. At sh1.2million (about $330) to the university, a student gets housing as well as meals for the entire semester. However, the space in the halls is not adequate for all the students; hence, the need to seek accommodation in the hostels. 

In justifying the increase in hostel fees, hostel proprietors argued that they had spent a year out of business, and under Covid-19 guidelines can have fewer students in their facilities. Their income has suffered.  Having a smaller number of student residents in order to maintain social distancing has increased the demand for hostels around the university. For a few, it seems like an increase when actually the rent was reduced during a more restricted time and is now back to the previous rate. Many of the hostels announced their new charges in notices pasted on their gates.

Examples include: 

  • At Jordan Hostel in Bugujju, students now pay sh605,000 (about $164) per semester, up from the sh350,000 ($94.90) that they paid last semester. 
  • At St. Benedict Hostel, students will have to part with sh100,000 (about $27) more, up from the sh800,000 ($216) they paid last semester. 
  • For Ndagano Hostel in Bugujju, management has increased fees from sh400,000 (about $108) to sh600,000 (about $162) for a single self-contained room. New management said they renovated the hostel during the lockdown, rebuilding rooms to be self-contained.
  • The non-self-contained rooms, which previously cost sh300,000 (about $81) per semester at Luna Hostel in Bugujju, are now at sh650,000 (about $176). The hostel also charges sh850,000 (about $230) for the self-contained rooms, up from sh400,000 ($108) last semester.    
  • Orange Hostel is charging sh500,000 (about $135) this semester, up from sh300,000 (about $81). 

Ritah Kaitana, a student who resides in an outside-campus hostel, said the services have improved, which could justify the increase. 

“Previously, we used to fetch water from one stand tap in the hostel’s compound, but now the rooms have been fitted with taps,” she said.

The Benedict hostel manager, Jotham Kinene, echoed what other proprietors said – that the increase is intended to recoup the loses they incurred during the lockdown.  Charles Nabongo, the director of the Luna Hostel, said: “Last semester, we were considerate to the students because we were just emerging from the COVID-19 lockdown.” 

The proprietors of hostels are smiling, but most students are not.

Asaph Nsadha Lee, a student of business administration, said despite the increase in hostel fees, there is no innovation in the services offered. “I think the increment is because there are more students now, hence more demand for rooms.” 

 “The increase in prices would have been okay if we were living in normal times, but all of us have been hit by Covid-19,” said student David Awoko. “But hostel owners are still asking for exorbitant accommodation fees.” Awoko asked the university’s student leaders to engage with the hostel owners to reach a lower price compromise. 

UCU’s Guild President, Kenneth Amponda Agaba, called for calm among the students as the leaders engage hostel owners. 

Meanwhile, more students are weighing the less-expensive option of residing in university halls. 

“I will return to Sabiti Hall inside the university, where I know that after paying sh1,200,000, (about $335), I will have access to food and shelter, unlike in hostels where only the shelter is provided,” Janat Nalukuba said.

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

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Excitement as students return for face-to-face classes

COVID-19, News, Students


UCU returning students check in

By Dalton Mujuni and Ivan Tsebeni

With excitement, students returned to Uganda Christian University (UCU) after a year-long absence. For finalists, the face-to-face reporting for classes was February 8; for the rest, it was March 1, 2021. 

Their return to school follows the lifting of the ban the Ugandan government had imposed on all academic institutions in the country. On March 18, 2020, President Yoweri Museveni closed all academic institutions and banned gatherings, a move intended to limit the spread of the coronavirus. After a six-month lockdown, academic institutions were opened slowly to final-year students.

In January 2021, the government allowed universities and all institutions of higher learning to reopen in a staggered manner. Primary and secondary schools were also allowed to reopen, following the same pattern.  

University students had been allowed to study online, beginning October 2020. However, the online classes in many institutions were hampered by poor internet connectivity and inadequate skills among both learners and their lecturers.

Students in the queue for registration at UCU after returning for the Easter Semester

“It’s exciting to be back for physical classes,” Gloria Adikin, a year-three student of social work and social administration, said. Adikin returned to UCU mid-February for the Easter Semester that usually starts in January and closes at the end of April.  

Ruth Owomugisha, a second-year student of social work and social administration, said: “I have been missing friends, lecturers and the beautiful UCU compound…Home has many distractions that make reading and studying online difficult.” 

Marvin Sseruma, a third-year student of procurement and logistics management, said the face-to-face studies will enable him engage with his lecturers more. “Most of my course units have calculations in them and require face-to-face consultation,” he said.

Sseruma appealed to the university management to revise the operation hours of the library, to enable students catch up on lost time. He said an extension from the current closing time of 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. would create ample time for revision and research.

Rinah Mumpe, a second-year law student, said the e-campus that they were using for online studies lacked the social component of learning. 

“I was afraid I would fail to complete my assignments at the college if the university had not opened for physical classes. I am going to work tirelessly to accomplish my four papers, to be able to graduate on time,” Marvin Kaddu, a final-year student pursuing Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, said.  

The excitement of the resumption of physical classes at UCU spread to the students undertaking the Honor’s College Leadership mentorship program that has also been allowed to resume.  The new Head of Department at the Honor’s College, Pamela Tumwebaze, said students will be able to utilize all the resources in the university, to accomplish their assignments.

According to a memo to the UCU community dated February 8, the Vice Chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, noted that all classes for this semester will be conducted in a blended manner – a mixture of online and face-to-face.

The university has been a hive of activity, with registration of students, training of staff in online teaching, elections for student leaders and campus beautification. The Easter Semester is expected to end by April 30, for the Trinity Semester to start in May.

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

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UCU International students celebrate during the International Students Cultural week in 2019.

UCU student services reorganized as part of Covid cost-saving plan

COVID-19, News, Students


UCU International students celebrate during the International Students Cultural week in 2019.
UCU International students celebrate during the International Students Cultural week in 2019.

By Grace Bisoke

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has made changes in the three offices that handle student-related issues under the office of the Director of Students’ Affairs (DOSA).

Largely as a cost-cutting measure, the university fused the previously independent international student administrator’s office, the guild record’s office and the Ugandan student administrator’s office. The Covid-related, government order to close education institutions in Uganda during 2020 grossly affected the purse of various establishments, including UCU. 

The Director of Students Affairs, Bridget Mugume K. Mugasira, said that in addition to cost savings, the fusion reduces the duplication of services. Previously, for example, there was a thin line between tasks handled by the guild records assistant’s and student administrator’s offices in regard to financial requests for students. The international student administrator’s office that focused on helping students from countries outside of Uganda is closed with that role assumed by the guild office. 

Reception area of DOSA office in 2020.
Reception area of DOSA office in 2020.

These changes made through the UCU human resource department, which could be temporary, resulted in loss of staff positions. 

“I feel sad to see some of the people under my office leave after we have built a strong relationship,” Mugume said.

While Tom Toboswa, the guild records assistant, said he stands more than ready to help the international students under the new arrangement, he likewise laments that others are without a job. 

The former international student administrator, Edgar Kabahizi, said it was not easy for him to leave his previous office, but he understands the re-organization need. 

“I ask the international students to support whoever will be working with them,” he said, adding: “I will also not be far away since I lecture at UCU. During the International Students Association (ISA) meetings, I will always be with them.” 

“He knew his job well,” said one beneficiary of the international services, Hellen Akek Marial, a student from South Sudan.  “He knew everything about that office and, even when was tired, he would never let his face show.”

Gracia Bwale, a third-year student of bachelor’s of mass communication from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said Kabahizi has left a big gap that will take time to fill. Bwale said Kabahizi was among the people who helped her fit into the university when she arrived. 

Another example of UCU’s fiscal responsibility plan is the introduction of the Management Information System (MIS). The MIS helps an individual perform tasks that were previously handled by other people, rendering some office positions obsolete. 

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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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Diana Hilda Ayikorus

One student’s dream to promote dental literacy in Africa

COVID-19, UCU School of Dentistry, UCU School of Medicine


Diana Hilda Ayikorus
Diana Hilda Ayikoru, UCU School of Dentistry student, shares her story about her passion to be a dentist.

By Maxy Magella Abenaitwe

We may never truly get over a loss, but we can move forward and evolve from it. 

Diana Hilda Ayikoru, a third-year School of Dentisty student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), unveils a transformation story shaped by a loss in 2014. Two years after the death of her devoted, caring mother, Ayikoru realized that one must have a unique reason to live in a remarkable style that adds value to society. 

“Mother’s death opened my mind to understand that there is more to life than just a tedious routine,” she said.

Much as her mom’s death remains a sad occurrence, it unwrapped a new chapter for a daughter – one filled with bigger visions, self-determined decisions, and dental literacy. One of the big vision, independent decisions she made was a career path in dental health. Between her mom and  Dr. Aisha Bataringaya, a Ugandan orthodontist, Ayikoru felt pulled to learn more about dentistry. 

“There is more to dental health than just a daily brushing routine and plucking out of spoilt teeth like most Africans think,” she said, adding that the lack of access to dental information and facilities contributes to African dental illiteracy. Ayikoru’s dream is to promote good oral hygiene. 

 “Sometimes I look at someone’s teeth and feel something could have been done to save them by just creating awareness,” she said. “One can help improve oral health since dental complications can be bound or even handled before conditions worsen.”

Ayikoru says lack of dental awareness in Africa affects both the rich and poor.  Those with money for dental wellness and dental work often end up with complications because of inadequate equipment or untrained dentists. 

Ayikoru is glad she is studying dentistry at UCU.  In addition to a drive from the tragedy of her mother’s death, her decision to join UCU was influenced by some UCU alumni who told her that the University has great courses. 

“The kind of course units we study such as Christian Ethics and World Views have helped paint a picture of how best my dental sensitization dream will work,” she said. “Some of my friends in other institutions envy me especially when it comes to the student-lecturer relationship for my course. UCU lecturers know their students individually.” 

UCU started the School of Medicine with medicine and dentistry in 2018 to address the problem of smaller numbers of dentists and medical practitioners in Uganda. In 2020, UCU pulled dentistry out as its own faculty – School of Dentistry – to further accentuate the importance of dental health. The Ugandan government COVID-19 lockdown has slowed Ayikoru’s work toward becoming a dentist as she and eight of her classmates, who are the pioneers of dental surgery at UCU, were supposed to be doing year three practicals by now. 

Ayikoru’s peers are supportive of her aspirations. One, Rodney Wamala, describes her as a “lively, graceful and hardworking woman.”  Another, David Magara, echoes accolades, nothing that Ayikoru “is very inquisitive in class, asks excellent questions to teachers and always sits at the front.” 

“I am excited to feel the touch of dental equipment and have hands-on experience with patients in the training hospital,” Ayikoru remarks. “It’s interesting to be at the hospital and gain exposure to patients even before one can officially start work. It ignites the energy and zeal to work harder.” 

For more of these stories and experiences by and about Uganda Christian University (UCU) staff, students and graduates, visit https://www.ugandapartners.org. If you would like to support UCU, including the School of Dentistry, contact Mark Bartels, Executive Director, UCU Partners, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org or go to https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/

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