Cutting cake at last year’s dinner of the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) are (Right to left) UCU’s JMC Head of Undergraduate Studies John Semakula, Corporate Communications Manager at Umeme Peter Kaujju, veteran journalist and chief guest John Kakande, School of JMC Dean Monica Chibita, Managing Editor for Nation Media Group in Uganda Tabu Butagira and student leaders.
By Pauline Luba “People are lonely because they build walls, instead of bridges.” That timeless quote, by Joseph Fort Newton, an American 20th Century priest and author, is relevant today and fitting to social and networking opportunities at universities.
For university students, including at Uganda Christian University (UCU), dinners among students, faculty and professionals are among the ways of building these bridges to support and not interfere with studies. Of the 11 faculties/schools, one third usually have such dinners.
The live band that performed at last year’s School of Journalism, Media and Communication dinner
In July last year, after a four-month preparation, the UCU community, majority from the School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC), alumni and invited guests descended on Silver Springs Hotel, Bugolobi in Kampala, for their annual media dinner.
Held under the theme “Media Ethics under Attack,” the dinner hosted students, UCU alumni, and media and public relations practitioners.
At the dinner, Ugandan veteran journalist, John Kakande, advised the students that to earn respect, journalists should be able to produce “believable, accurate and impactful stories.” It is such stories, Kakande argued, that will influence policy and bring the desired positive change in society.
From a meal and networking to live jazz music and speeches, most of which were by renowned media professionals who painted for the students a picture of the kind of journalist today’s job market needs, the evening’s activities gave the students value for their time and money – at just sh100,000 (about $27) that they paid for the dinner.
“We were blessed to have a very talented team,” one of the organizers, Elsie Tukahirwa, said when asked how they managed to pull off the event. “Many students offered services, such as photography and decorations, at a subsidized fee.”
A screengrab of Uganda’s Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka (left) presenting a plaque to a student at last year’s UCU Law Dinner. Right is Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi.
And several other faculties, too, hold annual dinners. The UCU School of Law, for example, also held its dinner last year, at an event where students used the opportunity to socialize. At the event, the student leaders of the UCU Law Society, an umbrella association of law students, were recognised. And this year is not any different. Students from both schools are again organizing their annual dinners.
Tukahirwa said it is the duty of the students to “push for their dinners to take place.” She adds that sometimes some students do not wish to have one, because of the level of commitment and engagement required to organize it.
This year, the UCU School of Business will host its dinner on July 22, at Silver Springs Hotel, Bugolobi. At the dinner, according to the organizers, there will be recognition of outgoing student leaders and introduction of new ones.
Elsie Tukahirwa at a dinner she helped organize last year.
Sidney Mugenyi, a third-year student pursuing Bachelors in Procurement and Logistics Management, and is one of the organizers of the July dinner, said they have faced challenges of funds and marketing of the event to the students.
“In spite of the challenges, this dinner is important because it will provide a platform for the students to get entrepreneurship advice from sector players,” Mugenyi explained.
John Semakula, the Head of the Undergraduate Department at the School of JMC, said the dinners are a platform for students to interact with colleagues in different years of study.
The students also invite special guests from the industry who give them tips on how to be a successful professional, Semakula explained.
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.
Doreen Naiga and Solomon Esadu offered career guidance and mentorship as well as tips on how to best use social media, write cover letters and create a Curriculum Vitae during a May 27 workshop at UCU.
By Irene Best Nyapendi As she waits to graduate, Doreen Mbabazi Naiga is already giving back to Uganda Christian University (UCU) through equipping the continuing students with what most call “soft” but nevertheless vital skills. Naiga, who will receive her Bachelor of Laws degree when she graduates in July, partnered with Solomon Esadu, also a student pursuing a Bachelor of Laws in his fourth year, to reinforce employability skills of communication, teamwork and more..
“We saw that after finishing school, students face a challenge of getting jobs because they lack some of these soft skills like perfecting their Curriculum Vitae,” Naiga said.
Some of the students who attended the May training at UCU’s Nkoyoyo hall.
Naiga said they wanted to be proactive at offering students knowledge on some of the softer skills they need to get a job. Along with their organization, United Nations Association of Uganda (UNAU), Naiga and Esadu organized a one-day workshop on May 27, 2023, at UCU on the theme of “Career exploration and professional developing: Mapping your future.” UNAU works in conjunction with UN agencies to achieve aims and objectives of the UN.
Naiga and Esadu were among 20 delegates selected by the Africa UNAU. Naiga was inspired to join the fellowship because she wanted to be part of the solution.
“I wanted to be in a position where I am able to help and influence communities,” she said.
Esadu joined UNAU because he is passionate about leadership and social development.
As delegates, they were offered a skilling program, mentorship, training and workshops where they learned about what they need to do in their community. At the workshop, the two passed some of this knowledge along.
“We learned that more people in society would love to obtain the same skill, so we brought it to our brothers and sisters at UCU to help them understand the skills they ought to have as they go to seek for jobs,” Esadu said.
Esadu noted that with so many graduates hunting for job opportunities in the competitive work world, soft skills make one stand out.
Esadu cautioned students about spending many hours on the internet just watching fun videos, but rather invest that time networking on the various social media platforms and learning about potential employers.
Doreen Mbabazi Naiga training students on how to stand out in a competitive job market.
He also encouraged students to volunteer while they are still in school so that by the time they graduate, they would have acquired more experience needed and desired by employers. He commended the university for the soft skills it offers through the undergraduate course units of Writing and Study Skills. However, he observed that students don’t realize how important the course unit is early in their studies, necessitating that students re-study it later.
“The students were able to learn and re-learn some of the pertinent issues they have not been paying much attention to such as resume writing,” Esadu said of the workshop. “When the speakers emphasized them, they got to understand them more.”
Eborty Ntami, a governance and peace fellow with the United Nations Development Program, taught students how to write an attractive Curriculum Vitae (a resume), how to answer interview questions, how to prepare for an interview, among other skills.
“I urge you to aim at having an attractive CV, to read about the job details and understand them before you apply and carry out research about the organization you are applying to,” Ntami said.
Ntami emphasized that having knowledge about a company before going for the interview not only increases the student’s chance of being hired, but also helps that student decide whether the company will be a good fit.
According to Ntami, knowledge, networking, empowerment, inclusiveness and persistence are key in determining what people become. She encouraged the students to be ready for opportunities when they come and to leverage on Information Technology to overcome in the dynamic world.
“Interviews are always tricky,” said Alex Kaitale, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration, after the workshop. “I am now prepared for the marketplace. I am sure I will submit the appropriate documents and respond to interview questions in the right way.”
Elijah Biimbwa, a second-year student of a Bachelor of Tourism in Hospitality Management, said he learned about the importance of networking.
“I learned that we need to network to increase our access to job opportunities, increase our visibility and advance our career. It is important for us to engage with others,” he said, adding that he also learned to make the best use of his social media platforms to network.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities, and services, go towww.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
The team from UYLC and UCU pose for a photo on the day they signed a MOU. Vice Chancellor of UCU, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi is in the center; Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, the chairperson of the board at UYLC, is at third right.
By Kefa Senoga “Ubuntu: Humanity towards others: I am because we are” is emblazoned on the main Web page of one of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) newest partners to help financially challenged students. Ubuntu Youth Leadership Centre (UYLC), a not-for-profit organization that supports needy students through contributing to tuition fees and mentorship, has joined the effort.
Namiiro Benita, a soon-to-graduate UCU Bachelor of Laws student, is among the UYLC first recipients.
After completing Senior Six, Namiiro did not think her family was able to afford university tuition. She felt that her mother had toiled enough to get money for her school fees and wanted to leave the opportunity for her younger siblings. But Namiiro’s mother encouraged her daughter to continue her education, reasoning that once she was accepted, finances would come.
UYLC board chairperson, Dr. Sabrina Kitaka
“My mother wanted me to serve as a good example to my siblings, and so she encouraged me to enroll for a university education,” Namiiro, who lost her father when a young child, stated on Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) The Standard website.
Namiiro’s journey was often filled with chance. For instance, during the first semester of her first year, Namiiro was unable to pay full tuition in time. Learning of her financial dilemma, Bulungu John, one of her lecturers, topped up the balance, so Namiiro could sit her end-of-semester exams.
From then on, her family struggled to get whatever money they could while Namiiro pursued different financial relief opportunities at UCU. She subscribed to the work and study, financial aid, saving a buddy and the guild fund, as well as moving around hostels to ask for financial contributions from student colleagues. She also is among the beneficiaries of UCU’s latest tuition relief project for needy students, the Just For 10K Campaign.
Namiiro and two other Bachelor of Law students – George Ojocheyi and Apili Peninah – are confident of meeting financial requirements to graduate after the UYLC intervention. The three are the first to get UYLC help since the center signed an MOU with UCU at the end of 2022.
Ubuntu Leadership Centre entered into a partnership after learning about the Just For 10K Campaign. Dr. Sabrina Kitaka, the chairperson of the board at UYLC, noted that they want to go beyond just contributing to school fees to supporting students through mentorship.
“We would like to see mindset change,” Kitaka said. “We would like to see these young people leaving the university and adding value to our country.”
She added that UCU’s holistic education in both academic and Christian values made the UYLC partnership a good fit.
“Working with UCU is just part of our moral fabric to promote Christian values and provide a holistic academic system,” Kitaka said when the team made a recent visit to UCU.
The head of partnerships and grants at UCU, Dr. Angella Napakol, said “UCU is keen on students’ mentorship and apprenticeship and fully welcomes the UYLC initiative.”
The Vice Chancellor of UCU, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, lauded UYLC for their “good vision of touching lives,” noting that the world needs more change agents and intellectuals, and that UYLC is doing a good job in promoting such a cause.
Mushengyezi invited the UYLC team to “feel free to come and organize any seminars at the university,” as well as come and talk to the students during the UCU community gatherings that take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Dorothy Tushemereirwe, the Fundraising Consultant who is coordinating the Just For 10k Campaign, noted in mid-June that UYLC has raised a total donation of sh15,299,060 (over $4,000) in student fees.
How to donate for the ‘For Just 10k’ campaign
For direct deposits: +256774530810 in the name of Dorothy Tushemereirwe or +13344240964 in the name of Mark Bartels (Reason for giving should be “For just 10k fundraiser”)
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.
Some of the nearly 4,000 new and continuing students getting registered for the Trinity intake at the main campus in Mukono.
By Irene Best Nyapendi Roughly 2,165 first-year students were enrolled at Uganda Christian University (UCU) at the start of the Trinity semester that kicked off on May 2. The freshmen, who were visibly thrilled to be accepted, joined over 1,761 continuing students at the Centre of Excellence in the heart of Africa.
New students starting their university education at UCU and continuing students who went for holidays in April (short holiday) and January (long holiday) appeared glad to resume their academic journey. Freshmen and their parents expressed appreciation for security and safe water, among other aspects of UCU.
The programs at UCU are offered in three intakes: Easter (students report in January), Trinity (May intake) and Advent (starts September). More than 11 undergraduate programs wee available for the Trinity intake. These included schools of law, education, medicine and social sciences. Seven of these Trinity 2023 intake students provided comments.
Majorine Narwambala, pursuing Bachelors of Law, hails from Kasubi-Makerere in Kampala. She selected UCU over universities closer to her home.
“I am very excited to be admitted to UCU, one of the most prestigious universities in Uganda,” she said. “I was inspired by my brother who studied from here. I am also pleased with the way UCU kept us updated online – they always updated us on Twitter.”
Lucky Opwonya, a first-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering and environmental engineering, is likewise following in the footsteps of his elder brother, who assured him that he would never regret studying at UCU.
“I heard a lot about UCU from my brother who was here for a bachelor of procurement and logistics in 2022, and I hope to see the good things he told me about,” said Opwonya, who is looking forward to living on campus, as is expected of
all first-year students.
Martina Mary Mugabi, who was admitted for a diploma in business administration, was impressed by the warm hospitality during registration. She said the staff were very helpful and friendly in ensuring herMartina Mary Mugabi, a first-year student admitted for a School of Business diploma in business administration.
documents were in order.
“I was so happy to receive calls and emails from UCU as a follow-up on my application process.,” Mugabi said.
Dorcus Kwagala Natabo, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, was inspired by her parents who work at UCU as well as by the university’s focus on Christian values.
I hope to join the choir,” she said.
Walter Bwambale heard about how good UCU was when a lecturer visited his high school (St. Mark Senior Secondary School). He spent over six hours on the road to reach UCU to study a Bachelor of Law.
“I traveled from Kasese, western Uganda, to come to UCU, and I am glad I don’t have to suffer looking for where to sleep because I will be staying in the university hall of residents,” he said.
Esther Twikirize, a second-year student (Bachelor of Law) is happy to be back for Trinity semester after breaking off in November last year. “I was missing my friends and WiFi while I was at home,” she said.
UCU’s main campus has 75 percent WiFi coverage in addition to its 10 computer laboratories mainly for teaching and research purposes. Twikirize also is happy about the opportunity to worship during Tuesday and Thursday services.
Emmanuel Gerald Abura, a second-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, from Lira, northern Uganda, praised the green and beautiful environment. “Some of us joined UCU because of its appearance,” he said.
Abura, who still stays in the university hall on campus, said the residency has made it easy for him to attend classes and save him from spending time and money on transport.
“Unlike outside the university, where sometimes there’s no power, at campus, we always have power which helps us read even when there is a blackout,” he said.
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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.
At left, Gloria Laker, a fourth-year Bachelor of Laws student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), serves food to a mother of a nodding syndrome victim during a community outreach in northern Uganda. At right, a mother sits with her afflicted child at the veranda of their grass-thatch hut in Pader.
By Olum Douglas Gloria Laker, a fourth-year Bachelor of Laws student at Uganda Christian University (UCU), met her first nodding syndrome patient when visiting an ailing grandfather. It was a Thursday morning in November 2019 at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital in northern Uganda.
As she walked past the women’s ward, Laker saw a teenage patient with severe burns on much of her upper body. The girl, laying alone on the bare floor, was jerking and breathing heavily with sticky saliva flowing profusely out of her mouth. She appeared malnourished with a protruding belly.
Pader District victims of the syndrome. (Courtesy photos from Patrick Larubi)
Concerned about the girl’s condition with seemingly solitary agony, Laker made inquiries and learned the girl was in a seizure from a debilitating neurological disease called nodding syndrome. During one such seizure prior to hospitalization, the girl had been raped and impregnated. Laker’s subsequent research revealed the tragic helplessness of many children suffering from the condition in northern Uganda. As of December 2022, the Uganda Ministry of Health reported at least 1,700 children from northern Uganda’s Pader, Amuru, Gulu, Kitgum and Omoro districts have been diagnosed.
Speaking in May 2023, Laker recalled the 2019 experience: “Nothing about this girl was pleasing. The skin had peeled, leaving red wounds all over. I am told she had fallen in hot oil. I developed goose bumps. I promised myself that if I can only help one person in such a situation, if I can only help 10 percent of those victims, if I can only help a few and instill in them hope and help them carry forward, I would be fulfilled.”
Sadly, Laker learned later that the girl died in childbirth, leaving an orphaned daughter.
Laker speaks about the plight of the children suffering from the rare disease.
Laker’s compassionate exploration has since led her into the lives of several children and families affected by this mysterious, sparsely researched disease. Among them was Grace Adero, a mother of seven children suffering from nodding syndrome. Adero says she has had a life of being forced to either chain or lock her children in the house whenever she steps out to the garden, market or even to fetch water.
“Many of the victims have been bitten by snakes and killed as they wander about, burned in boiling water or cooking oil, drowned and died in water bodies or disappeared without traces,” Adero told Laker during a visit to her home in Anaggura village in Pader district, “We now tie them up or lock them inside to protect them from wandering and dying in such circumstances.”
Laker’s first-hand encounters with victims opened her eyes to their discrimination as well as inadequate, ill-informed evidence of causes and health care solutions. Some label them cursed.
Pader District victim of the syndrome. (Courtesy photo from Patrick Larubi)
Nodding Syndrome is a debilitating neurological diseasethat manifests in children and youth ages of 3 to 18. The disease, occurring in clusters in sub-Saharan Africa, manifests through severe symptoms such as periodic head nodding and violent epileptic seizures, dizziness, excessive sleepiness, stunted physical growth, loss of attention, delayed puberty and depression. It is not curable but treatable with medical strategies similar to that for epilepsy.
While the origin of the disease still remains a mystery, these are three research conjectures:
Its origin is traced to Mexico as far back as the 1930s, then in Liberia, and later in South Sudan and northern Uganda.
It was first detected in Tanzania, an East African country south of Uganda, in the 1960s.
It was discovered in the 1970s when river blindness (O. volvulus infection from a parasitic roundworm) was associated with visual impairment, severe rashes, and, rarely, swollen lymph nodes and with these victims possessing symptoms similar to nodding.
In northern Uganda, children have been identified as affected by the disease over the last 20 years. Many have succumbed to it due to lack of proper treatment and limited government interventions to address the problem.
Suzanne Gazda, a Texas-based neurologist, who started and ran a non-profit: Hope for Humans, which focused on providing care services for the nodding syndrome patients in northern Uganda between 2012 and 2017, is quoted by UNDARK, an online magazine, as saying that she was not optimistic about the future of the children.
Laker dances with schoolchildren during a sensitization outreach to advocate for the protection and respect of people with the nodding syndrome condition.
Reflecting on the apparent hopelessness of the situation and what she described as “piecemeal advancements in the scientific understanding of the disease,” Gazda noted that: “We’ve got to help these children that have been abandoned and essentially left to suffer and die.”
In 2023, Laker, 22, is carrying part of that torch by leading the non-profit Atwero Child Foundation alongside four other colleagues to support the nodding syndrome-affected children and their families. Through the initiative, she has fed, clothed and spoken hope to many hearts and lives.
Coming from a humble background and being a survivor of sexual exploitation, Laker says she is especially appalled by the situation of the girls she has met, and is challenged to act and change their circumstances.
In June 2022, her organization conducted a run dubbed; “Don’t Touch Me,” to bring to light the plight of females victimized by nodding syndrome and sexual abuse without justice recourse. In November 2022, the organization spearheaded a stakeholder engagement that attracted politicians, cultural and religious leaders and others to learn about and connect with the nodding syndrome victims and their families.
“The dialogue gave the victims and their families the platform to share their pains and experiences – something that was for long ignored as leaders would only go to make promises they never lived to fulfill to the people,” Laker said.
In December 2022, Laker’s organization collected used clothing and food, which she distributed to the victims and their families, feeding over 1,000 people in what was dubbed the “Christmas Love Giveaway.”
Atwero Child Foundation also conducted a legal support outreach in which at around 90 law students from UCU and other universities reached out to the affected families and counseled them on how they could seek legal redress, especially for the sexually abused daughters.
“It was sad to learn that, even when they knew the boys and men who raped their daughters, many of the families did not know that they could pursue them through legal means and get justice served to the victims,” Laker said.
With no specialized hospital care available for the nodding syndrome victims, Laker noted that oftentimes medical workers and other patients at the public hospitals look at the afflicted as trouble-makers. Among the objectives of Atwero Child Foundation is to partner with like-minded organizations and health researchers to set up a specialized hospital for the victims and for informed medical workers and for deeper research and understanding of the disease.
“Sometimes I get overwhelmed and I feel like I should give up,” Laker said. “But I also think quitting now will be letting the helpless children and families down.”
(Douglas Olum, author of this story, is pursuing a master’s degree from the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication)
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students like this one as well as 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.
By Kefa Senoga For an example of a life of twists and turns, look no farther than that of Isaac Christopher Lubogo. Lubogo is a lawyer whose father wanted him to pursue a science career. He is an academic, but initially chose to be a pastor.
During his early days, Lubogo lost his mother, but instead of pulling him down, her demise catapulted his desire to succeed in life. He says he used the depression that the death of Margaret Mugeni caused to create the energy to carry on with life. His father, Patrick Kunya, a minister in the Uganda government in the early 1980s, also had passed on.
“I do not remember lacking anything in life when my mother was alive,” Lubogo says, casting doubt on if he could have achieved whatever he has done now because he “lacked any ambition” before his mother died.
Because Lubogo knew that with the demise of Mugeni, he was all alone against the world, he had to make use of the resurgence in his energy and spirits. And that is partly responsible for an achievement that the law lecturer registered. He recently won the Legal Tech Innovation Award, Africa, for a digital platform that he uses to demystify the law. Lubogo, an alum and former lecturer of Uganda Christian University (UCU), said the judges at the annual awards were impressed with the Suigeneris Law App that he created because they believed that “it changed people’s mindset.”
Lubogo with the writer, Kefa, and some of his over 35 books
Through the application, Lubogo teaches the knowledge of the law to people from certificate to doctorate level through the academic resources and materials. On the platform and without charge, one is able to access previous judgments, a legal dictionary, inspirational material, audios and books. Lubogo also has written more than 35 law books, many of which he shares on the platform through an e-book.
“I got confirmation from one university which is using one of my books in their syllabus,” Lubogo said. “Another book, Obuntu Bulamu and the Law, is also taught in some law schools in the country under jurisprudence.”
Had Lubogo not made a turning point at Busoga College Mwiri, a school in eastern Uganda, where he studied A’level, possibly the world would have missed his resourcefulness in as far as sharing law literature is concerned. He first studied science subjects – Physics, Chemistry and Biology –with the hope of pursuing a course in human medicine at university. However, the grades he got could not grant him the opportunity to study the course on government sponsorship at university. He thus chose to repeat A’level at Kira College Butiki in eastern Uganda, where he abandoned science subjects, opting for arts.
Despite passing his final examinations in A’level, Lubogo had second thoughts about joining the university.
“I studied a course in theology at Alpha-Omega Seminary in Jinja, but did not complete it,” Lubogo says, adding: “My desire to do theology was because of my strong Christian foundation.” He even started a church, Wairaka Miracle Centre, in Jinja. The church exists to date.
After four years of ministry, Lubogo joined UCU to pursue a Bachelor of Laws. By then, he already had a daughter, Zion, who is now at Makerere University, pursuing a Bachelor of Law degree.
Since he did not have money for tuition, Lubogo sold the only piece of land that his mother gave him to get money for the university fees. In his second year, he was lucky to get a scholarship that catered for his tuition needs until he completed his four-year course. After university, Lubogo pursued a Diploma in Legal Practice at Uganda’s Law Development Center, Masters in Law and is now pursuing a doctorate in law and a doctorate in psychology.
The legal scholar says after acquiring his Master of Laws degree at Makerere, he settled for a career in academia. He is currently teaching law at the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU) and Nkumba University. He was previously the Principal of UCU’s Institute of Petroleum Studies.
Lubogo notes that as an academic, he has interacted with students who have helped him come up with ideas. He says as a lecturer at UCU, one of his students, Muchwa Christopher, introduced to him the idea of creating an application from where legal literature can be shared. It is this app that won Lubogo international acclaim through the Legal Tech Innovation Award, Africa.
Lubogo recently wrote the Future Lawyer, which is meant to give upcoming lawyers information on how to deal with artificial intelligence. He is currently writing another book about oral examinations, aptitude tests and sitting interviews for law students at undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.
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.
Applicants before writing for their pre-entry exams in Janani Luwum Dining Hall.
By Kefa Senoga Uganda Christian University (UCU) has held its first physical pre-entry examinations for applicants wishing to pursue three of the courses it offers at the undergraduate level. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, for the past three years, UCU has conducted virtual pre-entry exams for the Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
The examinations for the School of Medicine and that of Surgery were conducted from April 10-14 at the UCU School of Dentistry in Mengo, Kampala, while the students intending to pursue a course in law sat their examinations at the UCU Main Campus, in the Janani Luwum Dining Hall from April 17-21.
Invigilators preparing to distribute the tests.
UCU’s pre-entry examinations consist of both oral and written tests. The written examination is intended to test the candidate’s level of comprehension while the oral test is done to evaluate the confidence levels and the oratory skills of candidates.
Ninsima Dorothy, one of the students who sat the pre-entry examinations for the admission into the Bachelor of Laws, said the oral interviews give UCU an edge over other law schools. She reasoned that students who are not as effective in written presentations also have the option of the oral interviews to make their case. Ninsima wants to follow in the footsteps of her sister who also pursued a Bachelor of Laws at UCU and “performed quite well.”
UCU School of Law
Kamya Joel Jessy also sat the pre-entry exams for the admission into the Bachelor of Laws course. The former student of St Julian High School Gayaza, near Kampala, lauded UCU for setting a “feasible and practical” test which “fitted well in his level of understanding.”
“They asked for my take on divorce, marriage and foreign aid,” he explained, noting that the questions were mainly testing one’s level of general knowledge and current affairs.
Speaking to the applicants before they wrote the tests, Dr. Mutesasira Davis, the Dean of the UCU School of Law, informed them that it is not necessary for one to be coached before they sit the pre-entry exams as he allayed any fears the students could have had, especially those who had not had any form of coaching.
Asaph Elly Munyigwa, the president of the UCU Law Society, noted that in pre-entry examinations, candidates are asked about what’s happening in their societies. “You cannot desire to pursue a Bachelor of Laws course if you don’t even know who the current Chief Justice of Uganda is,” he warned.
Munyigwa said for the written exam, the candidates were given one-and-a-half hours to take the test, which consisted of questions with multiple choice answers. “There were 30 in number and each question carried two marks.”
Munyigwa said more than 800 students turned up for the pre-entry examinations, and that 150-200 of them were examined every day.
According to Munyigwa, the good performance of UCU alumni in the recently released examination results for the Bar Course at Uganda’s Law Development Centre for the academic year 2021/22 attracted more students to express their desire to join the School of Law.
The Law Development Centre offers a contemporary Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, which is the Bar Course, and its acquisition is mandatory before anyone practices law in the country.
In the most recent results of the Bar Course, of the 20 First Class graduates, nine, including the top four, are UCU alums. UCU alum Emmanuel Okia emerged the overall best student with a grade point average of 4.90 out of 5.0. Other UCU alums Shamira Kitimbo garnered 4.80, Reagan Ahumuza got 4.75 while Jemimah Jehopio scored 4.70.
UCU School of Dentistry
Addressing the students who sat the pre-entry exams for the Bachelor of Laws course, Christa Oluka, the UCU Director of Director of Admissions and Student Records, said the university has a special law school where the staff and the students are always engaging each other.
Mukibi Lawrence William, the student leader at the UCU Medical School, said more than 320 students sat for the UCU School of Medicine and dentistry pre-entry exams. However, only 68 were selected for both courses, with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery taking 50 of those chosen.
UCU School of Medicine
Ayero Claire Nono, a former student of Uganda Martrys Namugongo, near Kampala, passed the pre-entry exams. She said she enjoyed the oral part of the exams because it offered her an opportunity to physically interact with the panel. She said now that she has joined the university, she looks forward to qualifying as a doctor with a foundation anchored on Christian values.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Pauline Luba Ordinarily, when a student studies Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics at A’level in Uganda, chances are they will opt to pursue a course in medicine at university. That was not the case with Emmanuel Okia. He says even before he completed A’level, he knew his heart was elsewhere.
The turning point in Okia’s career journey was a presentation made when he was in high school. For A’level students, Okia’s school, the elite St. Mary’s College, Kisubi in Uganda, invites professionals to explain to students what it means to pursue a career. On the day Okia attended the career talk, Ugandan lawyer Mathias Sekatawa made a mind-blowing presentation, arguing for why a career in law was the best that could happen to anyone.
“Sekatawa’s speech is what convinced me to go for a career in law,” Okia said.
And he is soon realizing that dream. Okia recently completed his Diploma in Legal Practice at Uganda’s Law Development Center (LDC). At the most recent bar examination that LDC conducted, Okia emerged the best student, with a Grade Point Average of 4.9 of 5.0. A bar examination is a written assessment that a student must pass if they are to get a certificate to practice law as an attorney. To practice law in Uganda, all lawyers must acquire a Diploma in Legal Practice.
And what other better way to launch into the law profession than with the man who swayed Okia away from a career in sciences? The 24-year-old has just completed clerkship in Sekatawa’s law firm, MMAKS Advocates.
Emmanuel Okia often topped the law class.
The news of Okia topping his class in the bar examination could easily shadow the fact that his journey to the helm was not as straight as many would think. First, he failed to meet the requirements for the pre-entry exams to get admitted for a Bachelor of Laws at Makerere University in Uganda.
“I had scored (lower) points in UACE, which meant I didn’t qualify for the Makerere pre-entry exams,” Okia said, noting that, however, he was able to sit for the exams at Uganda Christian University (UCU), which he passed.
During a virtual interview with Uganda Partners, Okia said for a large part of his studies at UCU, he often topped the law class. He recalls spending long hours revising and benefiting from UCU’s arrangement of the lecturer–tutor format of teaching. In the lecturer-tutor set-up, after class with the lecturer, the students would also meet the tutor, who would break down the issues learned and explain how they apply in the practical world. Okia said if one didn’t understand the lecturer, then they would understand the tutor, which was a great aid to the overall academic excellence.
He is grateful for the fact that he was able to form close bonds and friendships with classmates he met at the university. From that bond, he was also able to get a fiancée. Okia and Christine Leah were part of the same discussion group and eventually became friends for life – and more. After years of dating, Okia proposed to his fiancée early this year. The two are planning for their marriage later this year.
He considers his keys to success as the discussions he was involved in and having good lecturers who were also practicing lawyers.
Okia is the son of Alex Okurut, an accountant, and Esther Katalikako, the headteacher of Kakoro Primary School in the eastern Uganda district of Pallisa. He attended Nkonkonjero Primary School and St. Mary’s College Kisubi for his O’ and A-level. Both schools are located in central Uganda. While at Kisubi Okia says he was a leader in many school clubs. At UCU, among the leadership positions he held was being the vice-chairperson of the Moots Committee in 2019. At LDC, he was the student leader in charge of academic affairs.
As Okia looks forward to contributing to jurisprudence in the country, he also wants to have a firm grip on accounts-related issues. He is currently pursuing a course for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.
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.
From left to right: New Guild President Ddumba Timothy, Mirembe Racheal Sserwadda (outgoing Guild President) and Edonu Jorem (guild aspirant).
By Kefa Senoga To graduate at Uganda Christian University (UCU), it is not enough to pay full tuition and pass all the exams. A student has to show proof by clearing with the different departments at the university, before they join the graduation list. And this clearance requires the physical presence of students at the offices of the students guild, finance, hall of residence, UCU Alumni and library, among others. This is something that Ddumba Timothy, UCU’s new Guild President, wants to change.
“The process of clearing for graduation is quite lengthy, needing students to travel back to the university,” Ddumba said, promising the university’s students that he already has a solution.
“Where the finalists are, is where we should be,” he said during his campaigns, noting that they are in advanced stages of setting up a digital clearance platform, so that a final-year student can be able to clear virtually, and only turn up at the university for graduation. Should Ddumba see his proposal through, it will be a game changer for UCU’s final-year students.
Ddumba, a second-year student of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology, won the November 18, 2022, elections for the position of UCU Guild President, defeating his rival, Jorem Edonu, by 190 votes. The winner polled 1,515 votes, against Edonu’s 1,325. Ddumba becomes UCU’s 25th Guild President, in a year the institution is celebrating its silver jubilee. He takes over from Mirembe Racheal Sserwadda. When Ddumba was announced winner, Edonu, who was also in the room, congratulated him with a hug.
“What makes online voting user-friendly is that an international student can also participate; for instance, someone from Kenya who is not in school can also vote,” Sekiziyivu Daniel, one of the members of the university’s electoral commission, said.
Ddumba’s victory in the third virtual elections at UCU means that for the first time in four years, the university will have a guild president outside the School of Law. Due to the Covid pandemic, UCU started a virtual online voting process for its student leaders in 2020.
Ddumba, who received significant support for the campaigns from his family and friends, promised to be a guild president who stands for the interests of the students.
“During my reign, the students will feel the benefit of our government. We shall not stop encouraging them to approach us with the different ideas that they have in mind, to make UCU a better place,” Ddumba said, adding: “We shall open doors for students to know how their money is being spent and used by the guild government.”
The new Guild President called for unity among the students who contested and urged the winners to show magnanimity, stressing that “we are one family in the UCU community.”
Before UCU, Ddumba attended the elite King’s College, Budo, where he was the head prefect. He says Budo was the cradle of his leadership growth because, through his leadership at the school, he learned to communicate, and to manage people.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Kefa Senoga “Our law students are participating in the John H. Jackson Moot Court competition in Geneva. They are among the four teams representing Africa after defeating 28 universities in Africa.” That was a tweet posted by the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Twitter handle on June 25, 2020.
In 2022, the team participated in the global competition, which is a simulated hearing under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system involving exchanges of written submissions and adversarial hearings before panelists on international trade law issues. In the last seven years, the UCU moot court team has also won the annual inter-university competition in Uganda four times, making news about any success in the event commonplace.
The success of the university’s teams in the moot court competitions is not by accident. As early as 2008, Dennison Brian, a Christian missionary from the USA, laid the groundwork for such achievements. Dennison, who was a lecturer in the UCU Faculty of Law from 2008 to 2015, made it his preoccupation to grow the moot court program in the university.
As a lecturer in the faculty, Dennison was involved in a series of activities, such as moot court coaching and coordinating the development of clinical legal education as well as launching the legal ethics class. He also was credited for transforming the admissions process in the law faculty, which has since become a school.
As a lecturer in the faculty, Dennison was involved in a series of activities, such as moot court coaching and coordinating the development of clinical legal education
During an email interview from Savannah, Georgia, USA, Dennison said because he worked with bright, energetic and appreciative students, they made it easy for him as the moot court coach to impart real world experience, knowledge and skills to students. He said in the process, he also was able to travel to the competitions with the students to provide on-site coaching.
Some of the beneficiaries of the infrastructure that Dennison set up is Evelyn Mugisha, who was named the Best African Orator in this year’s John H. Jackson World Trade Organization (WTO) African moot court competitions conducted in March. Mugisha, alongside her teammates, Tracy Nagasha and Hannah Stacey Baluka, all final-year law students at UCU, represented the university and were among the best four teams in Africa that qualified for the global competition that took place in Geneva in June 2022.
“UCU demonstrates that you can be committed to Christ, to positive change and to academic excellence,” Dennison explained.
As a law scholar, Dennison revealed that he is proud and privileged to have worked with the UCU law faculty, most especially the students.
“I am humbled by the great things that my former students are doing in legal practice, public service and academia,” Dennison said, noting that all this is possible because of the UCU law program’s commitment to teaching ingenuity, practical skill development and mentorship, which sets the school apart.
Dennison was born in Augusta, Georgia, which is 126 miles from his current residence in Savannah. He said that while growing up, he had a childhood with a loving family and many opportunities to attend church and participate in sports. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Master of Business Administration and juris doctorate (cum laude) from the University of Georgia, USA.
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.
Nakigudde taking oath of office after her election in August
By Israel Kisakye
For as long as she remembers, Uganda Christian University (UCU) student, Maria Speria Nakigudde, has been a leader at school. On many occasions, the leadership positions have given her the privilege of engaging school administrators on matters concerning fellow students. She also has had the honor of representing her colleagues at management meetings.
She also has paid the not-so-positive price of being a student leader.
In 2013, while serving as the health prefect at her school, St. Mary’s Vocational School, Kyamuhunga, located in western Uganda, Nakigudde was appointed to the school’s disciplinary committee, as a students’ representative. Whereas her role on the committee was well defined, some of the undisciplined students viewed her as a mole among the students.
She said most students did not like her because she was tough and always stood on the side of the truth, a stance some students found difficult. However, such awkward situations only motivated her to develop a thick skin as a leader. In fact, when she went to attend A’level at Immaculate Heart Girls’ School in Rukungiri district, western Uganda, from 2016 to 2018, Nakigudde was appointed to a similar role, which she gladly accepted. She was appointed as a member of the school’s court, which was tasked with guiding and counseling some of the school’s undisciplined students.
Nakigudde (right) with the Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Anita Among
The experience Nakigudde has garnered over time, including the leadership positions she has held at UCU, where the 22-year-old is pursuing a Bachelor of Laws, has helped to provide her with invaluable opportunities to hone her leadership skills.
At UCU, Nakigudde has served in different leadership positions, including that of the Speaker for the Truth Debate Club. She has also been the secretary of the UCU Moot Court Society.
In August, the year-four law student used the skills she has acquired over time as a springboard to launch herself into national leadership. She contested for the position of Speaker of the National Youth Parliament of Uganda.
“I felt I was qualified for the position because I have previous leadership experience. I also thought I would make a good speaker who can elevate the voices of the youth,” Nakigudde said, noting that to prepare for the contest, she had to contend with dividing her time between internship and extensive travel to introduce herself to potential voters.
And she sailed through, becoming the country’s fifth speaker of the youth assembly. Beating out four other contestants was not all. Nakigudde, who said UCU has done a good job in nurturing her leadership skills and providing a conducive environment for exchange of ideas, also became the third consecutive UCU student to hold the position. She takes over from Ezra Ambasiize, who took the mantle while in fourth year, pursuing Bachelor of Laws at UCU. Abenawe Allan, the third speaker, handed over the mantle to Ambasiize. The position holder serves for one year.
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.
In August, while seeking support for her candidature, Nakigudde promised to “share my determination, diligence and commitment at work to impact youth legislation and tailor inclusivity of the youth in policy making.”
Usually, the youth parliament holds one sitting per year. However, Nakigudde plans to push for a review of that, so that the sittings can be more.
She thanks the UCU fraternity for helping to popularize her candidature, noting that many students helped to distribute her fliers in August, as she introduced herself to the electorate.
Mirembe Racheal Sserwadda, the UCU Guild President, praised Nakigudde’s relentless attitude, saying: “Nakigudde is a go-getter, highly ambitious and focused on her goals. She is also extremely vocal.”
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.
Brendan Katushabe and musician Joanita Kawalya (right) at the launch of activities of Own Your Future (OYF) in January 2022 at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall.
By Vanessa Kyalimpa At last year’s World AIDS Day on December 1, UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed optimism that it is still possible to end the epidemic by 2030. However, Guterres emphasized that for that to happen there would be a need for “stepped up action and greater solidarity.”
UCU Law student Brendan Katushabe says many university students in Uganda are ignorant about sexual and reproductive health
In a direct response to Guterres call for “stepped up action,” Brendan Katushabe, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) student, has taken matters into her own hands, to champion advocacy about the danger that still exists with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
She says there is usually more hype about the epidemic during the commemoration of the World AIDS Day and noticeable silence for the rest of the year. The year-four student of Bachelor of Laws says she is aiming towards change by taking action to better empower communities with information on sexual and reproductive health – namely HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Her vehicle is an advocacy initiative called Own Your Future(OYF), which she founded in early 2022.
Katushabe says many university students in Uganda are ignorant about sexual and reproductive health, which makes them prone to contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). Through the OYF initiative, she holds sensitisation campaigns in a more structured manner. One such activity was in January 2022 at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall.
Under the theme, “Combat STDs once and for all, advocating for a free, healthy Uganda,” the event attracted information seekers as well as other promoters of sexual and reproductive health.
At the January campaign, Joanita Kawalya, a vocalist with Uganda’s Afrigo Band and activist on health and reproductive health, thanked Katushabe for organizing such a platform and encouraged students to take advantage of initiatives like those to inform themselves.
The activity, which included a free medical camp, was attended by students from UCU, Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Nkumba University and Kampala International University.
After testing the waters with her initiative, Katushabe was back again at UCU in March 2022, this time to launch her program. At the launch, Katushabe had the backing of Reproductive Health Uganda, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and Uganda’s Ministry of Health.
“We need to put emphasis on the health of the young people for the next 10 years,” Dr. Richard Mugahi, the assistant commissioner in charge of reproductive and infant health at Ministry of Health, said at the launch of OYF in March. He added: “We have the capacity to do all it takes if all partners harmonize their approaches and strategies.”
A screenshot of a OYF Twitter Space event held in May 2022
The president of the UCU Debate Club, Suzan Owomugisha, said that many young people had forgotten about the importance of paying attention to their sexual health.
“Ever since the start of Covid-19, people have been minding more about the pandemic than any other disease,” Owomugisha said, noting that the information that was shared during the OYF activities will help reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancies and HIV among young people.
Edbert (full name concealed), who is living with HIV, urges the community to restore hope among people living with HIV, instead of stigmatizing against them.
“Stigma is one of the biggest challenges affecting most people living with HIV,” Edbert said, emphasizing that with concerted efforts from the community, negative perceptions and shame can be eradicated.
HIV stigma was among the topics of discussion in a May 2022 OYF-hosted Twitter Spaces event, where the chief panelist was Emily Katarikawe, the Uganda Country Director of jhpiego, an NGO that advocates saving lives and improving health. Katushabe says more such engagements have been lined up to promote health advocacy.
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.
Supporters of Owen Michael Masembe with his posters during campaign
By Michael Kisekka It took two elections for the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Kampala Campus to choose Owen Michael Masembe as its Guild President.
He wasn’t the top choice in an election on November 26, 2021. That “victory” of Stecia Kasemiire was contested and overturned by the university’s appeals tribunal. The university’s electoral commission second election in February 2022 had Masembe victorious with 356 votes against Kasemiire’s 230 and Lisa Jjemba Najjemba’s 12 votes.
“I can’t wait to serve the students,” he said, upon being declared the winner in the polls. “I am looking forward to working hand-in-hand with the university administration and the students to the best of my ability.”
Masembe, a year-three student of Bachelor of Laws, replaces Phoebe Namujehe, also a student of Bachelor of Laws. Masembe planned to put emphasis on finding scholarship opportunities and revamping sports facilities at the UCU Kampala campus.
In his year of leadership, Masembe said he hopes to help lift the student financial burden of meeting the university requirements. He says he got the inspiration to vie for the office because he thought the structural arrangement of the sports facilities at Kampala Campus needed to be improved by a leader with an interest in sports.
Owen Michael Masembe
Masembe believes the experience he has garnered working in three guild governments will be instrumental in guiding him as the Guild President. From year one, he has been part of every guild government in power.
Masembe is fully aware of the stress that being in leadership positions sometimes brings, especially as a student leader, where he has to balance the interest of those he represents with the university. On such occasions, he believes his favorite pastime activities – listening to music and playing rugby – will help to soothe his mind.
Mark Magoola, the outgoing Guild Attorney General, believes Masembe will be able to achieve most of the things on his to-do list because the Guild President is “an objective person who sets goals and always strives to achieve them.”
Charles Muleeyi, the deputy Prime Minister in Masembe’s government, said the Guild President is an exemplary person who loves serving people. ‘‘He is a competent and honest leader and I admire him for that,” Muleeyi said.
Unlike other leaders who are inspired by their role models to venture into politics, Masembe says he has no role model. “I just want to be the best version of myself as a political leader, by God’s grace.”
Masembe is the last born in a family of six children of Paul Nkata and Rose Nakayiza, the latter of whom died in 2021.
The 22-year-old attended City Parents Primary School and Seeta High School (Mbalala Campus) for his O’level and Mengo Senior School for A’level, before joining UCU.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Edwin Masingano, president of Azania (foreground), with other members of Azania after a poetry event in Kampala
By Agatha N. Biira When there is a burning desire for wordsmiths to breathe life into the spoken word, they rarely fail to find a platform to express their craft. If such a platform doesn’t exist, they create their own.
A group of Uganda Christian University (UCU) students, passionate about poetry, did just that in 2008. The poetry group named Azania at UCU was born.
For 14 years, the faction has given students a place to express their talents. Once every year, there is a meeting of like minds for the group’s annual ritual, the Grand Azania – a concert of poetry, music, dance and drama – at UCU’s iconic Nkoyoyo Hall.
Mark Mulwanyi, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, performs as part of Azania.
Whenever people gather in Nkoyoyo Hall for the annual event, ears stand still so they do not miss the craft from the presenters of poetry and music.
Since its formation, the group has been evolving, incorporating performing arts, such as music, dance and drama. Azania’s current president, Edwin Masingano, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, says poetry could have stood on its own, but that they thought the group could get better when accompanied by other creative productions.
“When we incorporated music and art into Azania, we pulled another crowd which would not have known about poetry if it was all we did,” Masingano said.
He says he joined the group in 2018 when he came to the university. According to Masingano, the group not only gave students a platform to express talent, but also helped them transition with it into the real world.
He adds: “Students can get opportunities of performing elsewhere through the group because they get the platform to showcase their talents.”
“If you are performing four times a week, within six months, you will be better than you were at your first performance,” Masingano says.
Azania also has a WhatsApp group, where members post their work for critiquing. It is through such engagements that students get opportunity to polish their craft. The group also conducts trainings before shows, so as to produce good quality work. Azania has taken part in several events, such as participating in guild and university activities through reciting their poems. It has also taken part in many inter-university poetry shows.
Gavin Mugisha, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, who is the group’s vice president, said the platform allows members to have conversations about life as they grow their talents.
“I have been part of Azania for four years and it has helped me improve my talent as a singer. I now have a band that I manage, all because of Azania,” Mugisha says.
For Mark Mulwanyi, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, Azania has helped him work through his stage fright.
“I’m now more confident performing before a crowd; and it’s taught me how to engage with the crowd while performing,” he said.
Philip Bravo, one of the students who usually attends the weekly Azania meetings, says the group’s performances are great and inspirational.
“The fact that they encourage one to freely express one’s feelings through music, poetry and conversations that are opinionated makes one relate easily,” Bravo said. “I think more students should engage with Azania.”
Brian Kabogozza, a student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communicationand a member of Azania, says the group has “interesting, motivating and life-changing stories that build confidence and solidarity among the students.”
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.
Evelyn Mugisha, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws.
By Agatha N. Biirra Evelyn Mugisha had her first public speaking experience in Primary One at Kabatereine Memorial Primary School, Mbarara, in Western Uganda, where she contested for the position of head girl and won. From then on, she was a confident speaker.
Now a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Mugisha has found it even easier to take part in intellectual discussions. In the recently completed online John H. Jackson World Trade Organization (WTO) African moot court competitions on March 27, Evelyn Mugisha was named the best African orator.
Evelyn Mugisha and the team after the WTO moot court competition.
Mugisha, alongside her team mates, Tracy Nagasha and Hannah Stacey Baluka, all fourth-year law students at UCU, represented the university and were among the best four teams in Africa that qualified for the global competition that will take place in Geneva in June 2022.
She says this is a great achievement for her that will open up many career opportunities. “Having that on a CV especially in the legal career is a big bonus point,” says Mugisha.
Having joined the competition in November 2021, Mugisha attributes the latest achievement to months of hard work as a team and her involvement in various platforms, especially debates. With guidance and an extra push from their trainers, it all paid off. Among the trainers are Samson Wanambuko, a lecturer of law at UCU; Isaac Mpirwe, a tutor of law at UCU; and Peter Ahabwe, a UCU alumnus. Mpirwe who is also their lead coach, says it was a team of seven with some dropping off until the last three.
“These three are very hardworking, brilliant and resilient ladies,” says Mpirwe.
This was not the first time Mugisha was representing UCU. She represented the university at the All Africa Moot Competition in her second year in 2020. The event that was supposed to happen in Senegal was conducted online due to the Covid-19 induced lockdown. In 2021, she represented UCU in Gulu at the annual Inter-university Human Rights Competition where she emerged the winner.
Mugisha’s passion for public speaking and interest in diplomacy have pushed her to keep taking part in programs and competitions that help her grow. And just like every other thing, there is always a downside. Mugisha says her biggest challenge has been time.
“For this particular competition, it really steals time that I would have put into my academics,” says Mugisha. “It is very demanding and yet you have to be a good student. So, I have to balance with my academics which is not really easy.”
But Mugisha says the environment at UCU is ideal for self-growth and development.
“Generally, people are very receptive and responsive,” she said. “The general set up is not chaotic and so for me, I have been able to make wonderful friends among students and staff.”
Coming from a family where four out of six children are public speakers, Mugisha has been naturally drawn and molded to take part. She has full support of her parents, Alex Paul Mugisha and Annette Tumwikirize of Kamwengye district in Western Uganda.
She also was molded by the schools she has attended such as Kabatereine Memorial School, Ibanda Town School and Maryhill High School, all in Western Uganda. Mugisha says she has taken advantage of the already existing programs such as the weekly debates and various school competitions. In her senior six, she represented her school in the National Schools Championship organized by Stanbic Bank in 2017 where she emerged the national champion.
While at Maryhill High School, Mugisha was a deputy speaker for the School Council in O’level and Speaker in A’level.
“Public speaking is a big part of who I am and what I do,” she said. “It made my leadership very easy and I found it really easy to fit into these positions.”
Mugisha looks up to her parents for they inspire her to go after what she wants, persevere and be consistent. “My parents have set a standard for me, so it’s really where I begin,” she said.
She also looks up to Martin Muhwezi, the team leader at Investors Club Uganda, a partner of Stanbic Bank and Barbara Kasekende, a former CSI manager at Stanbic Bank. Mugisha hopes to be a diplomat for Uganda someday.
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.
Ouma John Baptist, Guild President of LDC Mbarara campus
By Ian Asabo An alumnus of Uganda Christian University (UCU) has been elected the third Guild President of the Law Development Center (LDC), Mbarara campus.
John Baptist Ouma was only a student for a few days at the campus located in western Uganda when he heard of the process of nominating candidates for the post. He did not think twice before throwing his hat in the ring against three other contestants. He beat them all.
Ouma joins another UCU alumnus on the pedestal of guild leadership. Boss John Bruce became the Guild President of the main campus of LDC in Kampala on November 8, 2021.
Ouma (third-left) with some former UCU student leaders. Courtesy photos
LDC offers a postgraduate bar course, the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, a mandatory course for all lawyers intending to practice law in Uganda. LDC is the only institution that offers such a course in Uganda. It has campuses in Kampala, Mbarara and Lira in northern Uganda.
Ouma’s former student colleagues at UCU have in the recent past achieved victory in elections.
Former UCU Guild President Agaba Kenneth Amponda was elected the Speaker of the Uganda National Students Association, an umbrella body of student leaders in the country.
Ouma is fully aware of the challenges of being the Guild President. He acknowledges that it will be a daunting task for him to juggle the tight student schedule with leadership responsibilities and “making some tough decisions” as a leader. However, he is quick to add that he is mentally prepared for the challenges.
During his campaigns, he promised to be the medium through which students can pass to reach the administration to present their concerns as he tries to bridge the gap between the two parties.
As he takes up the mantle, Ouma is aware that his leadership position can be used to launch himself into national politics after school. In fact, it is one of the reasons that propelled him to pursue the Bachelor of Laws course – he believed the course offers the best platform for “one to get the necessary knowledge before venturing into representation of people.”
While a student at UCU, Ouma served in the position of Prime Minister in the 2019 UCU guild government.
Ouma says he did not have the money to finance his campaigns at the LDC Mbarara campus, but because he focused more on what he wanted to achieve, he easily raised funds from friends, especially the UCU alumni in the legal fraternity.
When Ouma joined UCU in 2017, he was appointed Class Representative for his Bachelor of Laws class. As a Class Representative, among many other duties, he was the link between students and the lecturers. He was later voted a student leader representing non-resident students at the university.
Ouma has relished leadership since his formative years of education. He contested unsuccessfully as a leader in Primary Five at York Primary School in Bugiri district in eastern Uganda. While he didn’t succeed, Ouma says he picked up lessons from what did not go right in the contest. When he enrolled at Kiira College Butiki where he attended secondary school in eastern Uganda, he was elected a student leader.
“The biggest failure is failing to appreciate that failure exists,” said the 24-year-old who hails from Namayingo district in eastern Uganda. “If you can’t take in failure, then success will never come your way because it is these hardships that we go through that make us better people.”
He says no amount of obstacle should block someone from a dream, adding, “Let no excuse ever be too big an obstacle to stop you from pursuing …because you don’t want to have regrets down the road.”
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.
(Left to right) Miriam Aceng, Assoc. Dean of the School of Law; David Bukenya, the acting University Librarian; and Jane Patricia Bako, the Communications and Prevention Manager at ICRC, at the handover of the books.
By Derrick Muduku Uganda Christian University (UCU) has received a donation of books on International Humanitarian Law from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Jane Patricia Bako, the Communications and Prevention Manager at ICRC, handed over the assortment of books to Miriam Aceng, the Associate Dean at the UCU School of Law, in late March 2022.
“The donation comes to enrich the school’s International Humanitarian Law literature stock and to further enhance the knowledge base of students who undertake the course unit,” Aceng said. “This is a great gesture. Our students are offered International Humanitarian Law as an elective in their fourth year of study.”
Books that were donated
According to Aceng, students writing their dissertations in line with humanitarian law and those who participate in international law moots and essay competitions will benefit from the donation. Some of the copies of the books will be at the School of Law for students to easily access, while the rest will be kept at the university’s main library.
The School of Law received 200 copies of publications under the topic of the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949; 100 copies in the Protocols Additional to the Geneva Conventions of August 12 1949; one copy of a publication on how the law protects in war; and 50 copies on the subject of integrating the humanitarian law.
The school also received 10 copies under the Commentaries of the Geneva Conventions, 50 copies in Direct Participation in Hostilities and five copies of the Handbook of the Law of Armed Conflict.
Bako commended UCU’s focus on international humanitarian law as a course unit, adding that her organization was ready to boost its effort in equipping students with knowledge within that field.
Joel Okello Oyet, the President of the UCU Law Society, said the donation comes as relief to the law students.
“We have been facing challenges in acquiring books,” Oyet said. “Certain books are not enough for us. We are many students pursuing a course in law and towards exams, you find that only a reserve copy is left in the library.”
Agnes Kabatooro, a law student who witnessed the handover ceremony, said she was looking forward to benefiting from the publications so that she can achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer who can impact society.
The donation is part of the ICRC’s effort to equip universities offering International Humanitarian Law with literature that would facilitate student learning. The ICRC is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. Among its mandates is facilitating the incorporation of international law in the curriculum of education institutions.
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.
Panelists (from left) Syndia Chemutai, Ben Mwine, Dr. Livingstone Ssewanyana and Dr. Peter Mutesasira during the public lecture.
By Israel Kisakye Syndia Chemutai is an amiable person. Her demeanor has always won her friends, and the case was not any different when she became a Faculty of Law student at Uganda Christian University (UCU). It is through her disposition that the lecturers at the Faculty of Law quickly learned of Chemutai’s love for the protection of free speech.
Her gift of hospitality and openness about free speech importance contributed to her selection in April as the student to sit on a panel of discussants about the state of press freedom in Uganda. The talk, held under the theme The right to freedom of expression and assembly: Are we moving forward or backwards? was organized by not-for profit organization, African Institute of Investigative Journalism (AIIJ).
Students and other visitors attending the public lecture in Nkoyoyo Hall
To set the stage for Chemutai and her co-panelists to dissect issues of freedom of expression and assembly, the attendees were first shown Targeted, an AIIJ documentary detailing stories of journalists who were targeted by Ugandan security as they covered the presidential campaigns ahead of the January 2021 Ugana general election. The screening of Targeted and the panel discussion took place at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall.
To calm her nerves of sitting on a panel for the first time, Chemutai came armed with as much research as possible. Chemutai found several examples of incidents where rights to freedom of expression and assembly have been curtailed in Uganda. During her presentation, she urged authorities to exercise more restraint as they seek to respect the rights to freedom of expression and assembly as enshrined in Uganda’s laws, as well as international statutes.
Others on the panel were Dean at the Faculty of Law, Dr. Peter Mutesasira; human rights scholar and lawyer, Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana; and media personality, Ben Mwine. The panel was moderated by investigative journalist and AIIJ executive director Solomon Serwanja.
Dr. Mutesasira urged students to always take a step in expressing themselves in a respectful way.
“If you cannot move, you cannot express yourself and if you cannot express yourself, you have no freedom of expression,” he explained, before emphasizing the need for students to speak up and defend others in a respectful manner, while aware that freedom of expression is not absolute.
Ssewanyana, who is the executive director of Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, a non-profit organisation, called upon the students to learn how to balance between freedom of expression and malicious statements.
He noted that Uganda is facing a democratic backlash towards freedom of expression. “There has been an erosion of the freedom of expression in the last five years,” Ssewanyana noted.
Panelist Ben Mwine urged the audience comprised mainly of law students, to widen their scope of thinking by reading more, in order to succeed in the world of work.
Juliet Nyakato, a third-year law student, said the lecture “widened her scope of seeing things.” “I have always known about freedom of expression, but I didn’t know that we must demand and express them. This has been an opportunity for me to learn this and other issues.”
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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.
By Ivan Tsebeni Joel Okello Oyet, a third-year student of Bachelor of Laws, is the new Uganda Christian University (UCU) Law Society President. Oyet polled 46% of the votes, beating his closest rival, Dorothy Akatukunda, who garnered 30.36% in elections that were held in March.
Declaring Oyet the winner of the elections, David Waboga, the head of the electoral commission at the Law Society, said he was satisfied with the level of transparency exhibited in the polling process that was conducted virtually.
“It has been a tedious task, but my team has done it with passion,” Waboga said, noting that the polling officials showed “a lot of endurance.”
The announcement of the results threw Oyet and his campaign team into wild jubilation.
“I cannot find the right words to express my excitement,” he said. “I’m grateful to the Law Society for entrusting me with the mandate of serving the students.”
Oyet noted that he was fully aware that every leadership position comes with responsibilities and expectations, but emphasized that he will seek to work “together to deliver.”
Joel Oyet shaking hands with Philimone Kitandwe, one of the people who contested.
First item on his agenda is helping students who have challenges of paying tuition, Oyet said.
“We are nearing the examination period but many students have not yet paid full tuition fees,” he said. “We intend to walk this journey together with everyone, to see that we all sit for exams.”
Asked how he intends to solve the problem, the 25-year-old said he would organize a campaign to solicit funds from other students to support those who were having challenges.
The campaign team of Dorothy Akatukunda, who emerged second in the race, conceded defeat and wished Oyet a successful term of office.
“Thank you, the electorates, for standing with us up to the last day,” the message read. “Thank you, the campaign team. We also congratulate the president-elect, Mr. Joel Okello Oyet, upon the milestone. We wish you the very best in your term of office.”
The other three candidates who contested for the position were Edrine Maseruka, who got 5.8% of the votes, Oscar Derrick Wafula (7%) and Jonathan Philimone Agabba who polled 10%.
Fred Burondwa was elected Vice President, Susan Owomugisha got the Speaker position, while Solomon Esadu is the Deputy Speaker. In the elections, Gloria Atuheire got the General Secretary position. Others chosen are Sianah Nsubuga Namazzi (Publicity Secretary), Irene Nakamatte (Deputy Publicity Secretary), Hillary Fimarubo (Academic Secretary), Brian Ayebare (Finance Secretary), Ann Beatrice Nansubuga (Organizing Secretary) and Rone Trevor Kawuma (Deputy Organizing Secretary).
The Law Society outgoing President, Elizabeth Tumwebaza, said the electoral process was as transparent as it could be. “I have been praying for better progress, and I hope the new leaders that God has given us will serve the people well,” Tumwebaza said.
Who is Oyet? Oyet was born to Jackline and Simon Oyet in Nwoya, a district in northern Uganda. He attended primary school at St. Francis Ntinda Kigoowa in Kampala, but sat the Primary Leaving Examinations in Nwoya, at Anaka Primary School. For his secondary education, Oyet attended Our Lady of Africa Secondary School Namilyango, Comprehensive College, and Naalya SS.
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.
Edwin Masingano, law student with love of writing and music
By Agatha N. Biira Writing and music are the apple of Edwin Masingano’s eye. They occupy equal status as passions.
As a child, Masingano says he remembers the hunger he had for writing because it “challenged me to think.” As he grew older, he discovered another soft spot – music. He found music “innovative” and something that would bring out the happy side of him.
Now a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Masingano finds his love for writing and music even stronger. For instance, he recently published an anthology of poems that sound out the common vices in society. Before that, he put some of his words to music. (Note that singer/pianist at this link is James Tukupe, also a Law student.)
He argues that the spoken word can be a powerful weapon of peace and a tool for advocacy. The two Covid-19-induced lockdowns that Uganda had in 2020 and 2021 led to a rise in gender-based violence in many homes, according to Uganda Police statistics.
Masingano’s book, Omuwala Sanyu
In his book, Omuwala Sanyu, translated to mean “The Girl Called Sanyu,” Masingano has not kept silent on that injustice. He says girls are more sexually harassed than boys, and the community needs to speak up against such vices if they are to be tackled.
After close to two years of school closures in Uganda due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in January 2022, buildings were re-opened for learners. However, one of the biggest stories after the re-opening was the failure of many girls to return to school. In Amuru, one of the districts in northern Uganda, authorities said more than 3,200 girls aged 15-19 were impregnated, eloped or were forced into marriage during the time schools were closed. Such evils, Masingano says, can only end if they are spoken about.
As if to offer a remedy for the challenge that the girls faced during the lockdown, Masingano prescribes parents showing more love to their children, so that they can feel they are safe at home.
Society’s expectation of newly married couples in Uganda is bearing children. However, sometimes, the children may not come as quickly as society expects. Masingano has used his book to speak about the issue as well.
He says: “Everyone presumes that as soon as you get married, you should have a child. But what about those who cannot get that chance, sometimes, due to health complications?”
“When I am on stage, I don’t just read. I explain and make you feel like you are listening to a song poetry,” he says.
All this, Masingano attributes to the schools he attended. He says at York Primary School and Seeta High School, Mbalala in Mukono, his teachers gave him the platform to think that he can pursue his passion, as well as continue to perform well in class.
Masingano has used his talent to train secondary school students in poetry recital. Students at his alma mater Seeta High School, St. Peter’s Naalya and Lowell Girls’ School – in central Uganda – have been beneficiaries of his projects. He also has been invited for poetry presentations at high-level functions at UCU.
When he eventually becomes an attorney, Masingano has no plans of dropping poetry. He says he will continue with poetry recital, alongside using the professional qualification as a lawyer to advocate for people’s rights.
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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