Category Archives: News

New dental school grad describes bitter-sweet, career journey

August 25, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of DentistryPatty Huston-Holm

Andinda Jordan, new dental school graduate

By Kefa Senoga
“Seeing people with admirable smiles makes me smile,” said Andinda Jordan, a fresh graduate from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Dentistry. That means for Andinda to keep smiling, he has to ensure people retain and obtain straight, white teeth that are evenly spaced and proportionate to the rest of the face.

Some of the things that now await Andinda as a practitioner is teaching people about the importance of teeth and oral hygiene, and re-aligning people’s maligned teeth so that they can get the “admirable smiles.”

Andinda was among the nine students who graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery at UCU’s 24th graduation ceremony held at the main campus in Mukono on July 28, 2023. A total of 1,006 students graduated with degrees, diplomas and certificates at the ceremony.

Andinda describes his journey through the UCU School of Dentistry (SoD) as bitter-sweet.

“The course has many units to cover in quite a short period of time,” he says, indicating the level of sacrifice that any student desirous of pursuing a course in dental surgery has to commit. Andinda and his eight colleague-fresh-graduates in dental surgery were the UCU pioneer class of Bachelor of Dental Surgery that enrolled in 2018.

Despite challenges of suspension of education in Uganda at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the students completed their course on schedule. The time during the Covid pandemic was primarily used to cover the theory and then post-covid, the practicality of the course commenced. Dentistry is a practical course which involves meeting people and touching them.

The nine graduates are now expected to join a workforce in Uganda where there are about 300 dental surgeons in active practice, covering only 21% of the country. One dentist in Uganda serves about 142,000 people, a ratio dangerously unbalanced, considering the World Health Organization requirement of dentist to patient ratio of 1:8,000.

Andinda said because of the low number of students for the course at UCU, they were able to get undivided attention from their lecturers and faculty mentors for the five-year duration of the course. It is for that reason, Andinda noted, that many students have been able to identify mentors among their lecturers. Also, at UCU, students have a well-equipped dental clinic, where they are able to practice under the supervision of a doctor.

Andinda (extreme left) and his colleagues from the UCU SoD during their student days

“My current mentor, Dr. Catherine Kabenge, is from the UCU dental school; she has shared her career journey and taught me some of the important principles to live by as a dentist,” says Andinda, the first born of six children of Uganda’s High Court Judge Justice Jesse Byaruhanga and Mrs. Betty Byaruhanga.

The other faculty members are seasoned dentists who students would like to emulate. For instance, some of the members of the faculty, such as the Dean of the SoD, Dr. James Magara, practice in the profession. They are, therefore, the most appropriate human resource to impart knowledge since they offer it in the context of the real world of work. Dr. Magara was part of Makerere University’s pioneer class of dental surgery students that graduated in 1988.

During an interview that Dr. Magara granted Uganda Partners in 2020, he said UCU is committed to ensuring that students have good exposure to modern dentistry.

“The UCU Faculty of Dentistry’s teaching hospital has a very long history of teaching medical practitioners in Uganda,” he said. “The university has a partnership with Mengo Hospital, which has a dental unit that has been running for over 40 years now; this unit has trained dentists with internships throughout Uganda,”

Dr. Magara added that the hospital location is “recognized as the premium place to go for hands-on dental studies,” and the main reason any student wishing to pursue the course should look no further than UCU.

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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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From poverty to Social Work PhD: ‘I will persevere’

August 18, 2023News, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

UCU alum, Molly Nantongo, with a Masters of Social Work from the University of California before heading to Arizona State University on a full doctoral scholarship.

By Patty Huston-Holm
Molly Nantongo has come a long way from the 10-year-old “dancing girl with the gap in her teeth.”

A 2015 Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum with a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, she received a Masters in Social Work from the University of California in Berkeley in 2023. Her achievement there landed her a full scholarship for a PhD in social work at Arizona State University. On Aug. 17, she started studies on the Phoenix, Ariz., campus.

“I am aware it will be a challenging journey,” she typed into an email from Uganda prior to heading back to the United States. “However, I am prepared for the difficulties and believe that with God’s grace, I will persevere.”

For Molly, her journey into social work started with dance.

In 2002, Molly was one of four children living with a single mother, a former Hutu in Rwanda, in the Kampala slum suburb of Kirombe. Missing school and food on the table were an accepted way of life. One such day, she jumped gleefully onto a political campaign truck filled with music blaring from loudspeakers. From there, she danced, oblivious to anyone watching, before jumping off.

Because of her dancing, she was noticed on the truck. Because of the gap in her front teeth, she was found by an NGO.

That organization, now known as Undugu Society of Kenya, helped Molly finish primary school. Another organization, Empower African Children, got her to the United States as a member of the Spirit of Uganda Various Artists – Spirit of Uganda: 2008 Tour Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic.

Her moves were natural until age 15, when there was formalized instruction to be ready for travel, do shows internationally and raise money for vulnerable children like her. She was among the 22 children in a 2008 USA tour.

“The organization called me ‘Maureen’ and taught me how to jump and move my hands in different tribal dances,” she said. Her favorite dances are from northeastern Uganda, namely the Karamoja region, with a particular affection for war dances without drums.

Molly Nantongo with UCU mentor, Dr. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo

Molly never took her support and opportunities for granted. She worked hard, always seeking how she could help others. She got a meager salary from dance performances with a troupe at Uganda’s Ndere Cultural Arts Center. She pieced together earnings from dancing and teaching undergraduate students in the university’s foundation courses. Dr. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, then dean of the UCU School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies, was a mentor.

Alas, like for many, Covid was a hardship. A degree meant little without a place to teach, and dancing meant little without an audience. Molly started a fruit business to support herself and her mom. A year into being a street seller, a friend suggested she apply for a scholarship through the American Embassy. Without much optimism as one of 60 candidates for one slot, she participated and was chosen.

Once in California, she applied for a $10,000 “Davis Project for Peace” grant – one designed to help Ugandan youth (ages 14-20) who are victims of Covid shutdown impacts, including pregnant-out-of-wedlock girls. The 15-week project, entitled Ntongo Skills4Peace, took place through mid-August 2022 with assistance to several thousand youth.

“If we don’t do something now, these girls will end up in prostitution,” Molly, turning age 31 in October 2023, said. “I used the grant here to focus on vocational skills like catering and tailoring, hair dressing and welding for these vulnerable.”

As Molly continues her education in the USA, she has her sights on working someday for USAID, UNICEF. United Nations or World Bank, with her forever passion to help those in poverty as she once was.

“I want to start mentoring sessions for children who have been born and raised in the slums to give them hope and connect them to different resources,” she said, smiling to show the gap in her teeth. She doesn’t intend to plug that opening. And she doesn’t plan to stop dancing.

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To support students UCU students, programs, 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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From medicine to theology: ‘…follow Me’

August 16, 2023Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Martin Oluge and Rael Cheptoek on their wedding day. Oluge says it was then that he started “hearing the call” to serve God as a priest.

By Pauline Luba
Martin Oluge’s father, Ignatius Okello, raised many of his children in a hospital setting because that is where he worked as a police officer. It is during that time that Oluge became fond of the medical profession; he could not think of any other career. However, things changed. Oluge is now eyeing a career as a priest of the Anglican Church in Uganda.

As he grew up, he was attracted by the way the doctors carried themselves at the hospital and how they conducted their work.

But there was a hurdle for Oluge to jump. Okello and his wife, Juliet, had 16 children, including Oluge, to look after.

By studying Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics in A’level at St. Joseph’s Senior Secondary School Naggalama in central Uganda, Oluge was more than sure that he was getting closer to his dream career. However, there was a hiccup. He did not get the required grades to get government sponsorship at Uganda’s public universities. He thus opted for a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery at Kampala International University (KIU), a privately owned institution.

“I enjoyed my time at KIU,” Oluge said. “It was great and the experience humbled me. I believe this is what pushed me to excel after my internship.”

Oluge said while in A’level, he had become too confident, and thinks it could have been one of the reasons he failed to meet the cut for a government sponsorship in medicine.

In 2019, Oluge did his mandatory one-year internship at Mengo Hospital, before securing employment at Ngora Freda Carr Hospital in eastern Uganda. For any newly qualified doctor to practice medicine in Uganda, they are required to undergo a year-long paid internship at a government health facility in the country.

Ngora Freda Carr Hospital, where Oluge was employed, is a rural private not-for-profit facility affiliated with the Anglican Church in Uganda. After three years of employment at the facility, Oluge says he got a “calling from God.” He says he heard this call in his head over and over until he consulted the reverends in his church. He was advised to fulfill the call and study theology. This was in 2021.

However, there was another hurdle. Coming from a staunch Catholic family, Oluge knew that he would not get the full support to pursue a vocation as a priest in the Anglican Church. And he was right. When he broke the news to his extended family, it was a double disappointment for them – one, he was leaving the medicine job, and, two, he was joining another faith different from what his family raised him in.

“It was not easy,” he said. “I had to tell my parents I was leaving the Catholic faith, as well as medicine. Yet, they had paid my tuition for the course.”

Oluge says it took two months of battle and prayer before he could apply for a Masters in Divinity at Uganda Christian University. Eventually he did, and is now a student.

The father of three – 6, 3 and 2 years – and husband of Rael Cheptoek had to resign from his job in order to study full time at UCU, where he enrolled in May 2023. For his master’s course, Oluge got a sponsorship from the Lango diocese’s Anglican Aid. The sponsorship covers his tuition, accommodation and basic needs for his family. He also works at UCU’s University Hospital, the Allan Galpin Health Centre.

Oluge now eyes becoming a pastor. To those pondering a career change in life, Oluge’s advice hinges on what Jesus says in John 10:27-28: “My sheep, hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.”

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Why an advanced degree in nursing? Two UCU PhDs share

August 14, 2023Faculty, Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, NewsPatty Huston-Holm

Dr. Elizabeth Namukombe Ekong and Dr. Faith Rosemary Sebuliba Kasumba are among the UCU nurse teaching staff

By Patty Huston-Holm
Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) two lecturers with PhDs in nursing have reasons for their academic journeys not unlike those acquiring advanced degrees in other career fields. The passion for learning often starts with an interest through role model observations followed by personal growth and then understanding and application of how additional knowledge and skill improve people, organizations and systems.

This is especially true in health care, according to Dr. Elizabeth Namukombe Ekong and Dr. Faith Rosemary Sebuliba Kasumba. They hold a half dozen each of nursing credentials including master’s degrees from UCU and doctoral degrees from other countries. They teach students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees under the UCU Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery.

Dr. Karen Drake of Bethel University, center, with UCU’s two lecturers with PhDs in nursing

“At the bachelor’s level, you are learning how you can improve yourself,” Elizabeth said. “At the master’s level, you enhance that while knowing more about policies and practices. With a PhD, you go deeper in questioning to solve problems, improve health, save more lives.”

Acquisition of these capabilities is especially critical for nurses and even more so for developing countries like Uganda. The World Health Organization reports the 27.9 million nurses globally reflects a shortage of 13 million nurses. According to the World Bank, there are 1.6 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people in Uganda, compared to nearly 12 per 1,000 in the United States.

On a July 31, 2023, morning when UCU nursing students were on a full break from classes or engaged in practical experiences, the university’s two nursing PhD holders shared their recollections about early experiences with health care that led them along their career paths. They elaborated on the value of advanced degrees in nursing.

Faith and Elizabeth received their doctoral degrees from Texila American University (Guyana, South America) and the University of Central Nicaragua, respectively. Both are married to medical doctors. Dr. Thomas Sebuliba has been the husband of Faith for 34 of his 37 years as a practicing physician; they have three children. Elizabeth likewise has three children with Dr. Ekong Joseph, who has been a doctor for 18 of their 24 years of marriage. The husbands had some influence on the wives’ advancement in nursing but not all, especially at the onset.

For Faith, her health care interest can be pinpointed to an injured ear at age five when living in the Fort Portal, western Uganda region.

“I pricked my ear,” she recalled of how she tried to imitate adults cleaning their ears with match sticks. “My siblings and I dared each other to see who could go the deepest, and I won.”

The damage put Faith in a hospital, now known as Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala, for two months. During a series of surgeries leading to full recovery, she was surrounded by caring, nurturing nurses. It was them as well as a “retired nursing officer” cousin who started her direction to become a nurse.

On the opposite side of the country, Elizabeth was likewise young and watching happenings around a health facility in eastern Uganda’s Kamuli District.

“I was fascinated to see people go in a place sick and come out well,” she said. “I was surprised that somebody could identify your problem and help you get better…By the time I was in secondary school, I was looking for a profession where I could do that.”

When considering higher education options and given the choice between being a doctor or nurse, Elizabeth and Faith chose nursing that would allow them closer contact with patients. While their education journeys after high school are roughly eight years apart, both Elizabeth and Faith started out as midwives – an occupation in 2023 that, according to the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council chaired by Elizabeth, is occupied by around 70,000 men and women.

“To smile at a baby was pure joy,” Elizabeth said of her midwifery practice at Mulago. “I’m still passionate about newborns and identifying and helping mothers at risk.”

While helping mothers deliver their babies, Elizabeth and Faith worked at deepening their health care knowledge with the growing realization of the need to pass on what they learned. They began to understand the value in stretching the knowledge and curiosity of the next generation of nurses in their country.

“Until 1993, nurses were only at the diploma level here,” Faith said. That year, she recalled, Makerere University started a bachelor of nursing program that interested her but she couldn’t begin because of child rearing responsibilities while her husband was getting surgical training in Zimbabwe. She got a couple more diplomas before getting her bachelor’s degree at UCU in 2007.

Elizabeth, who got her UCU Bachelor of Nursing Science in 2008, also started to see the importance of teaching others while continuing her own learning. Like Faith, she worked her way up from tutor to lecturer. As teachers, they share both the academic and practical sides of nursing.

“I’ve seen a critically ill person, not able to talk or open the eyes and then functioning after treatment,” Elizabeth said. “As I am enlightened with deeper understanding and ownership, I pass that on to students.”

Faith and Elizabeth cite Dr. Karen Drake, emeritus professor of nursing, Bethel University (St. Paul, Minn.), as their mentor. Karen, who holds a PhD in educational policy and administration, has been a practicing nurse since 1968, including at the side of her late husband in East Africa; as well as a nurse educator at UCU for more than a decade.

The difference among bachelor, masters and doctoral degrees is primarily critical thinking and problem solving, according to the two UCU nursing doctoral holders. Those with undergraduate degrees are primarily applying what they have been told while those with advanced degrees are more likely to keep questioning.

“Many times, people say the PhD is for the sake of self-actualization,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t see it that way. I see it about more help for the patient, better services, improved policies and processes.”

For Faith, her advanced degree has reinforced the “importance of collaboration for change” with increased confidence and a “spirit of inquiry.” One area in need of louder, more informed voices is mental health that is “highly stigmatized” in an ill-informed East African culture that may label mentally ill people as “possessed,” she said.

In addition to what their advanced degrees offer for their students, Faith and Elizabeth are frequently at the table for policy and research discussions and conference presentations. Topics have included early postnatal care improvements, work-based learning, menstrual hygiene among adolescents and technology learning and application.

“We need to have nurse leaders at various levels,” Elizabeth said.

In addition to their on-paper credentials and reputations as esteemed lecturers and nurse practitioners, Christian walk is critical to UCU’s two PhD holders.

“God has called me to do this,” Elizabeth said. “My model is Jesus Christ.”

“It’s a calling,” Faith concurred, admitting that she initially didn’t want to teach but a higher power nudged her there. “When I feel almost like giving up, I know who is my strength. God is my strong foundation.”

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UCU Arua campus hits 20-year milestone

August 11, 2023Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Education, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi waters a tree planted at the UCU Arua campus during a visit in July

By Pauline Luba
From a trade school to a lay readers training college and now part of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) family, the Arua campus has shown a marked growth in both enrollment and importance to the community in the northwestern part of Uganda.

This year, the UCU Arua Campus marks 20 years of being part of the UCU family and 64 years of being a training institute. Before the campus was made a theological college and part of UCU in 2003, it was offering diploma and certificate courses in theology and also training Lay Readers in the region. However, in 1959 when it was established by the African Inland Mission under the leadership of its first principal, the Rev. Robert Booth, the institution was named the Rural Trade School.

When UCU took over the facility, it had four departments — Theology, Business Administration, Social Sciences and Education — all offering bachelor’s degrees. The facility also had 80 students and 27 staff. However, 20 years down the road, the four departments have still been maintained, but with an increase in student enrolment to over 650 and about 100 staff members.

UCU has since constructed a multipurpose hall, which also doubles as the University Chapel. Another building is the library and a block for lecture rooms to accommodate the increasing number of students. University education at the facility has been decentralized to train the much-needed human resource in the districts at more affordable rates.

In July, UCU Chancellor, who is the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Uganda, the Most Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu visited the facility, located in northwestern part of Uganda, for the first time as its chancellor, during one of the campus’ activities to mark 20 years.

UCU leadership, led by the Chancellor, His Grace Kaziimba Mugalu (center), at the celebrations in July

UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) David Mugawe, were among the team that went with Kaziimba to Arua. While welcoming Kaziimba, the UCU Arua Campus Director, the Rev. Julius Tabbi Izza, said that he was optimistic for future opportunities of development for the campus.

He said the campus had become a home to a number of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic due to their huge presence in the region. Last year, the campus won a regional award as the best higher institution of learning in West Nile for 2022. The criteria for selecting the awardees involved assessing their economic sustainability, operational effectiveness, level of technology adoption, progressive leadership and culture, as well as social and community contribution, commitment and perseverance.

The campus, however, still faces a major challenge of threats on its land. Izza said that the about 100 acres that the facility sits on are under threat from some individuals in the community. Izza, therefore, asked for the process of transferring the land title from the particulars of the African Inland Mission to the trustees of the Church of Uganda or UCU to be expedited.

Among the plans in the pipeline is elevating the campus into a constituent college, a massive student recruitment strategy expected to garner 1,000 learners by next year, beautification of the environment and infrastructure, implementation of the multi-billion masters plan project, development of an endowment project and a staff recruitment plan as well. To achieve the intended plans, Izza argued that unity among the key stakeholders will be crucial.

Jimmy Siyasa, the UCU Public Relations Officer, said there was hope that the Arua campus would morph into a fully-fledged college sooner than later. “In short, there is much to hope for,” Siyasa said.

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UCU’s treatment plant turns waste water into treasure

August 9, 2023Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

The screening section of the plant where paper, pads and other similar waste is removed

By Kefa Senoga
Waste from water to flush toilets, take a shower and do laundry is not a waste at the main campus of Uganda Christian University (UCU). It hasn’t been wasted in 17 years. It’s recycled and used to educate students, primarily those studying engineering.

UCU constructed a $300,000 wastewater treatment plant in 2006. Two-thirds of the cost of the plant, the first of its kind for any institution in Uganda, was funded by the Diocese of Sidney’s Overseas Relief and Aid Fund of Australia.

Wastewater that is generated from various daily activities is toxic to both humans and the environment, hence the need to purify it, before it’s released into the environment. Wastewater is treated in 3 phases: primary (solid removal), secondary (bacterial decomposition), and tertiary (extra filtration).

According to Arnold Mugisha, a demonstrator at UCU’s department of Engineering and Environment under the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology, the wastewater treatment plant that was developed by Prof. Steven Riley, uses a biological process to treat the sewage and clean the water so that it is safe enough for disposal into the environment.

Mugisha says that the plant uses an activated biological sludge water treatment process, where microorganisms are used to break down the organic matter, which would otherwise be hazardous to the environment.

The plant has several sections, with the first having screens, where paper, pads and other similar waste are removed. The screened waste water then drops into the equalization chamber, from where the microorganisms break down the fecal matter. The water is then pumped into the aeration chamber, where more oxygen is supplied to the microorganisms, to enable them break down the waste completely.

A view of the wastewater treatment facility

“The waste is broken down by absorption, where the microorganisms eat the waste, and adsorption, where the organic waste sticks onto the body of the microorganisms,” Mugisha explains.

According to Mugisha, this is the most important step of the plant because that’s where most of the biological oxygen demand is reduced.

At the clarifier stage, solid particulates or suspended solids are removed from the liquid. At this point, the deposited sludge settles at the bottom and the clear water remains up, says Mugisha. The sludge is used for both manure and decomposition by anaerobic bacteria to produce biogas. At the time of installation, the plant was able to treat about 350 cubic meters of water per day.

Robert Muhumuza, a plumber, operating the facility

At the chlorination chamber, chlorinated water is used to kill extra organisms that are still in the water. Mugisha says that if waste water is not treated properly, it can pollute water sources, cause illnesses and damage natural habitats. The treated wastewater is used for irrigating flowers, grass and plants in the university compound. People who would want to use the sludge for manure in their gardens are always granted permission to pick it from the facility.

Okot Innocent, a fresh UCU engineering graduate, says the facility provides a platform for engineering students to put their classroom knowledge into practice, learning in practical terms how the processes work.

“Some of the students who want to become water engineers have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the equipment and the systems used in the treatment process,” Okot noted.

In Kampala, the Bugolobi wastewater treatment plant is the largest in the country and serves about four million people per day. The plant is capable of processing 45 million liters of waste daily.

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‘If God gave his only son, we can give this’

July 31, 2023News, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Education, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Some primary students being served by Teach for Uganda fellows in Mayuge District

Text by Patty Huston-Holm, visuals by Irene Best Napendi
Daphine Oitamong talks about Sophie who walked to school two kilometers (1.3 miles) barefooted with rat bites on her heels. Nannyanga Restetuta talks about Dora who went from “jolly and active” to being withdrawn after her parents left her in the care of a sexually abusive uncle. Nancy Ongom, who mentions the name Jafa, grapples to pick just one.

There are so many.

Daphine, Nancy and Restetuta, who prefers the name Resty, are Uganda primary school teachers with over 100 students per class. While they barely know each other and work in different schools, the young women share the distinction of being Teach for Uganda fellows, having Uganda Christian University (UCU) degrees and owning a passion to serve “the least of these,” as they know from Matthew 25:40.

UCU School of Education alum, Daphine Oitamong, with one of her students and the custodial grandmother

The three UCU alum are among 226 men and women engaged in two-year fellowships helping the poorest of the poor ages 4 to 10 in Uganda’s Kayunga, Mayuge, Namutumba, Mukono, Buikwe, Namayingo and Bugiri districts, according to Decimon Wandera, who serves as a coach for the fellows.

Charlotte Iraguha, co-founder and managing director for the seven-year-old Teach for Uganda NGO, says there are 40,000 students in 151 public schools where fellows are assigned. Uganda has nearly nine million elementary school children. Charlotte, a former teacher, explained that her organization’s model has government teachers working alongside fellows to build a “full child – not just focusing on grades.” Fellows with degrees in various programs teach children and, as time permits, engage with parents.

“When I first came here, I thought I had arrived in another country,” Daphine said of the primitive, rural Namutumba area of the Kamudooke Primary School where she teaches. “I grew up in Kampala and never traveled here.”

UCU Law alum, Nancy Ongom, teaching Kaluuba Primary students in Mayuge District

Namutumba is more than four hours from Uganda’s capital city as well as four hours from where Resty and Nancy teach in Mayuge district. The often-rugged roads leading to all three schools are lined with brick and mud-and-wattle homes, children carrying jerry cans of water from bore holes and fields of bananas, maize, cassava and sugarcane.

According to Decimon, 70 percent of the fellows stick it out despite that most didn’t grow up the way the schools’ students are.

Resty, 26, and Daphine, 29, who graduated with UCU Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees in 2021; and Nancy, 29, who got her UCU degree in law in 2017, are part of the retention group. For them, what started out as sh550,00 ($150) per month for a job vs. no job at all has become a mission for positive change and a reminder of the biblical lessons from UCU.

UCU School of Education alum, Nannyanga Restetuta, teaching English

Quoting Luke 6:38 “give and it shall be given unto you,” Nancy said she interprets that verse to include love, compassion and skill that could break the cycle of poverty she sees every day. She entered her teaching post at Kaluuba Primary School with no formalized pedagogical training but a drive to “go deep in humanitarian action,” to challenge herself and to learn what she could from trained government teachers.

Resty and Daphine applaud the teacher training that came with their undergraduate degrees, citing the value of psychology, discipline and teaching methods they gleaned from the classroom. At the same time, they point out practical experience gaps – especially when working with children in high-poverty, rural areas. These children come to school dirty and hungry or not at all as they are needed at home to plant and harvest food. One frequently absent student explained that her belly is full if she climbs a tree to eat mangos near her home but empty as she sits at a desk at school.

“The school provides porridge as the main food for children during lunch but only for those whose parents can afford to bring some maize so we still have a lot who go the whole day without a meal,” Nancy said. “It breaks my heart.”

Resty and other teachers at Kigandaalo Primary School, start each day with a 7:45 a.m. hair, teeth, body, clothing cleanliness check. Discovery of lice means the child goes home.

“Many days, it helps to remember the servanthood, diligence and Christ-centeredness that was part of our UCU character building because that is what we do,” Resty said. “At the same time, I see now that our university life was too soft. We weren’t prepared for work this hard.”

Hard means understanding a non-native language from children and parents with little to no knowledge of English in a country with as many as 70 different dialects. Resty and Daphine have Luganda mother tongue in schools with children speaking Lusoga and Ateso, respectively. Nancy, who speaks Acholi from her native Gulu, is surrounded daily by indigenous Lusoga speakers.

“Every child is capable of learning,” says Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum, Nancy Ongom. This video, shot on July 10, 2023, gives a snapshot of how UCU graduates are teaching Uganda’s most economically disadvantaged children through a program called Teach for Uganda. (https://www.teachforuganda.org)

Dr. James Taabu Busimba, Head of the Department of Literature and Languages, UCU School of Education, agreed with the value of academic application in real-world contexts. “Knowledge gained is as useless as pride if filed away and never applied,” he said, repeating a quote often attributed to several writers and politicians.

On one day in July, Resty was using phonics and memorization to teach English while Nancy was teaching numbers and how to add them together. Crammed at desks in the two school locations, children were sounding out the words “poison” and “chicken” for Resty and adding the numbers three and four to equal seven for Nancy.

For the three UCU teaching alum, the work doesn’t end with a school day among small children. Their afternoon hours may find them seated with a child’s custodial parent, helping the secondary girls make and understand how to re-use sanitary pads, preparing lessons for the next day and fundraising. Using their UCU alum network, they have raised money for food and clothing for their neediest schoolchildren.

“I learned the value of helping others through UCU’s Save the Buddy program,” Daphine said. “At UCU, we would be looking around, especially at exam time, to see if we had extra money to help classmates pay fees so they can sit for exams.”

According to Daphine, Nancy and Resty, living amongst latrines, filth and dust and the challenged home lives of the children seated before them contains many life lessons and reminders of how Jesus might have lived.

Like Jesus, Daphine feels she is going deep and “testing my strength.” Resty believes that the work in the schools, no matter how difficult, is preparing them for other opportunities. Most days, the three are exhausted but ready to give more.

“If God gave his only son, we can give this,” Nancy said.

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God Story: Words and Chicken

July 24, 2023NewsPatty Huston-Holm

Uganda Partners scholarship recipient Charles Ssuuna shares a story about how God uses him.

By Charles Ssuuna
“Mwami ssuuna, mbadde nsaba kwogerako nawe.”

A tall woman I’d never seen spoke Luganda. Translated to English, the message was: “Mr. Ssuuna, I would like to talk to you.”

My eyes were full of sleep as I focused on the visitor and what she held – a live, brown chicken.

Just prior, her knock had roused me from my elephant grass bed. It was 6:20 a.m. on a rainy Sunday at grandmother’s house in Central Uganda’s Kasawo town council. The date was June 18.

“I kept this just for you, as God used you to answer my prayer,” she said. Handing me the restless chicken, she proceeded to explain that I had an impact when I delivered a message through a loudspeaker four to five weeks ago. The day those words were delivered through my home village in Kasawo, Mukono District, was May 3.

I recalled that early May speech at my village community radio channel–Kasawo Information Center. I preached a message specific to teens and youth through age 30. I quoted Romans 6:23 which states that “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I talked about the pitfalls of drug abuse and sexual promiscuity that can bring early pregnancy, disease and depression. I spoke about the sin of rape and murder. One National Institute of Health report shows that seven of 10 youth in Uganda have used alcohol and drugs. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, one in four girls are pregnant or have children by age 18.

Among listeners the day I spoke was 23-year-old Joel (full name omitted for confidentiality protection), a school dropout, a drug addict and the son of the lady with the chicken. As the young man embraced drugs for perceived happiness, his parents prayed for his release from them.

“That evening, my son came back home different,” the woman at my door said. “He came and knelt before me saying ‘mama am so sorry’… the Lord answered my prayer.”

It was that morning that I learned Joel was among 12 people who gave their lives to Jesus Christ and turned away from their bad behaviors after May 3. My humble response was to praise God for using me in that way.

With the chicken’s legs held tightly in my right hand, I raised my left hand in prayer.

“Dear God of Israel, we bless your mighty name. Your word is power and healing. That you healed many that day including this woman’s one and only dear son, and Lord as we pour our hearts to you, we pray that you bring total healing to many in Jesus’ name, amen.”

That June evening, I thought about that unexpected impact as I consumed the chicken during dinner with six others. We may not instantly – or maybe ever – know how impacting our words and deeds are in other people’s lives. To God be the glory.

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Charles Ssuuna is a year-two student in the UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication on a scholarship sponsored through a benefactor of Uganda Partners. To support students like Charles as well as UCU programs, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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UCU Kids Day Care Centre offers staff children Godly upbringing

July 21, 2023Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, NewsPatty Huston-Holm

Top class children at the Kids Day Care Centre learning how to write. Enrollees play and learn in an integrated system of basic early learning.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Working parents continue the struggle to find a convenient, safe and responsible child care school that gives them a peace of mind as they do their jobs. For Uganda Christian University (UCU) staff members, the dilemma is less because of a high-quality Kids Care Centre on the Mukono campus.

Deborah Mugawe, the administrator, said the Kids Care Centre offers day care to children of UCU current and former staff and students, those of UCU service providers and those recommended by the above categories. The plan is to expand the school to UCU’s general community members who subscribe to Christian values and principles.

“One can be sure of the child’s safety, good moral and Godly values as well as quality learning,” Mugawe said.

The Centre admits children from 1 to 6 years. They are grouped into Toddler Class (1-2 years); Baby Class (3-4); Middle Class (4-5); and Top Class (5-6). There are currently 23 children studying at the Centre that has a capacity for 60 children. School fees are about $191 for a term.

Mugawe recalled one humorous incident involving a child who submitted his workbook for grading. A young boy named Isaiah had a sentence error. He wrote “My name Isaiah” instead of “My name is Isaiah” because he thought the verb “is” was already embedded in his name.

“I love coming to school to play with my friends, to sing songs like, ‘The Lord is my shepherd’,” said five-year-old student, Nicole Kwikiriza. “I also love to write.”

The Centre incorporates play and education based on an integrated system of Uganda and basic early learning format.

Rev. Alex Kamoga, the assistant chaplain at UCU and a part-time lecturer at Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology (BTSDT), enrolled his son, Kisakye Kamoga, at the Centre last year based on convenience and holistic learning.

Children during break time. The Centre services children ages 1 to 6 grouped into Toddler Class of 1-2 years; Baby Class (3-4); Middle Class (4-5); and Top Class (5-6). In July, there were 23 children at the Centre.

“I shared a fence with the school,” said Kamoga, a resident of Tech Park. “Usually in the morning, we would see my son going to the fence to listen to the children at the school as they read the Bible and sang; that inspired me to take him there.”

Kamoga said his son is now able to count with added confidence because teachers encourage him to express himself.

“I am glad my son has learnt to pray and memorized a few verses,” he said.

The Rev. Can. Rose Ekirunga Muhumuza, a BTSDT lecturer, is a mother of two children under age five at the Kids Care Centre. Muhumuza said it was a necessity for her to take her children there when she joined UCU in 2020 because she had a two-year-old child and no nanny.

“The UCU Kids Care Centre is one of the blessings I found here. When I interacted with the teachers there, I loved the way they look after the children,” she said, adding that having her children in the centre makes her a better lecturer as it “lessons my burden” and allows her fuller concentration on teaching.

Daphine Okiria Nabimanya, who works at the UCU church relations office, recommended the school to her brother for his son – her nephew who now lives with the aunt.

“When I am busy, the teachers at the Centre look after him for me until I pick him after work,” she said. “Sometimes, I even pick him up at 7 p.m. on days when I have a lot of work.”

Nabimanya said in less than a year, there was a remarkable turnaround in the life of a boy who was shy and didn’t speak English.

“Now, he speaks English and is confident,” she said, adding. “I am happy that my nephew has learnt how to pray.”

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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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Second Dartmouth team enhances UCU solar-powered water system

July 19, 2023Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Dartmouth’s Rujuta Pandit and UCU's Okot Innocent splitting a piece of wood at the site. — Dartmouth’s Rujuta Pandit and UCU’s Okot Innocent splitting a piece of wood at the site.

By Kefa Senoga
In the summer of 2022, a team of three students from Dartmouth College in the USA state of New Hampshire were in Mukono, home of the main campus of Uganda Christian University (UCU), to actualize a solar water heater project designed to help the users save money, improve the health of the kitchen staff and reduce the amount of carbon output to the environment.

The three students, with their team leader, Stephen Doig, an expert in mini-grid development and energy efficiency, were joined by a team of UCU faculty and students to set up the water heating system at the UCU kitchen.

Again, this summer, the Dartmouth team, this time composed of five students, and again with Doig as their leader, was back in Mukono. The team that was at UCU from mid-June to mid-July, did maintenance works on the system they set up last year, as well as double its capacity and make refinements.

The UCU team, led by Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi (front, third-left) with the team from Dartmouth.

Anna Hugney led fellow students Emily Liu, Jack McMahon, Rujuta Pandit and Avery Widen. At UCU, they were joined by Okot Innocent, a UCU final-year student of engineering, to offer domestic expertise.

According to Hugney, they were mainly involved in maintenance of the system.

“Upon arriving at UCU, we realized that the PPR (polypropylene random copolymer plastic) piping at the system was beginning to deteriorate because of the intense sun and heat, and could become dangerous for users and consumers,” Hugney said.

To solve this challenge, the 24-year-old noted that they swapped the PPR in the system with copper piping, which is far more resilient to hot temperatures and can last up to 20 years.

“While installing the new copper piping, we redid the clamp system to hold the pipes up in the shed and insulated each piece of copper,” said Hugney, who, along with her classmates, was visiting Uganda for the very first-time.

A data log-in system that was put in place to monitor temperatures and had broken down was also fixed. Hugney’s colleagues – McMahon and Widen – uploaded the new code to the system designed to monitor the temperature of the water in the tanks, and the system performance, before returning to the United States.

Since the water heater project is a pilot venture, everyone was adjusting and learning, with some even taking lessons from mistakes made. Okot said the system’s performance was affected because the “cooks in the UCU kitchen didn’t learn how to properly use it, resulting in low temperatures and lukewarm water.”

Some successes
Zachariah Owino, the Head Chef at the UCU dining hall, said the system has helped them save on time and the energy required to heat water to the boiling point, especially while preparing breakfast for the students. He said they also now save more than three tons of firewood per semester, meaning that sh450,000 (about $123) worth of firewood is saved.

Before the system was installed, every week, the UCU kitchen was using 10 tons of firewood, which translated to sh1.5million (about $400). In a year, firewood worth sh63million (about $16,700) was being spent on preparing meals. Now with the system, a reduction of over eight metric tons of firewood and 1.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere is expected to be realized.

Such success stories present good news to the global efforts to conserve the environment and mitigate effects of climate change, including the Sustainable Development Goal 7, which calls for the expansion of infrastructure and upgrade of technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries by 2030.

According to Uganda’s environment watchdog, the National Environment Management Authority, from 1990 to 2015, Uganda lost 63% of its forests. The need for wood fuel and charcoal contributed to this rate of destruction of the forest cover.

The UCU-Dartmouth collaboration has been a two-way affair. Hugney said that they got fascinated by the biogas plant at UCU, noting that it is one project they look forward to replicating back at Dartmouth “because the United States has a lot of food waste which can be used for making biogas.” The biogas plant at UCU involves decomposing food waste, which is mostly obtained from the kitchen. The decomposed matter produces methane gas, which is used for cooking.

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USP-sponsored sale raises $1,530 for needy students

July 17, 2023News, Students, USPPatty Huston-Holm

Different stalls at the garage sale in May

By Kefa Senoga
When students in the Uganda Studies Program (USP) at Uganda Christian University (UCU) depart for their homes and colleges in North America, they leave memories, experiences and some of their gently used items.

Every May, USP organizes a trade fair within UCU to sell second-hand articles to raise money for financially disadvantaged students. This year, the fair included donations outside of USP. Called a garage sale, the event raised sh5.6million (about $1,530), which was handed over to the university administration.

According to Lydia Wankuma, the administrator at USP, the international students in the USP program donate clothes, electronics, books, shoes, kitchenware, cosmetics and gadgets, among others, which are sold at the fair.

“We always hand over the funds we get from the sale to the scholarships office and they use them at their discretion for whoever they deem fit to receive the support; it goes into the pool for the scholarships office,” Wankuma explained.

She said members of the UCU community, including Uganda Partners and other well-wishers, also are big donors to the sale. In 2023, according to Wankuma, the garage sale partnered with the Just For 10k campaign, another fundraising effort intended to support the education of needy students at UCU. Dorothy Tushemereirwe, the coordinator of the Just for 10K campaign, brought in items that she had mobilized from people to be sold at the fair. Clothes at the fair were priced as low as sh2,500 (about 70 cents) per item.

Dr Jonathan Tumwebaze, a USP staff member and UCU alum who recently earned a PhD in public policy at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, said he is one of the beneficiaries of the UCU scholarship through USP garage sale funds.

Madison Lowe, a USP alum who came back to work as a program assistant and one

A receipt showing the funds that were deposited on the financial aid account.

of the people who donated items that were sold at the fair, said she found satisfaction in giving what she was no longer using, rather than carrying the items back home. She said it felt good to donate to support student colleagues.

Anita Nshakira, the director of UCU Kampala Campus and one of the people who donated items for the sale, said: “I love giving because I know it will make a difference in someone’s life.”

She said for the time she has spent at the university, her interactions with students have given her first-hand experience of the challenges that they go through.

“I have witnessed tears of students who have not been allowed to sit for exams because they have a fees balance; that’s why when an opportunity comes for me to help out, I can’t resist,” she said, adding, “I offered nice clothes which I felt would raise good money for the cause.”

Claire Kiconco, who donated kitchenware, shoes and electronics for the sale, said she did so because she also previously benefited from charity. Kiconco said in addition to donating items for sale in the fair, she also has been donating separately for the Just For 10k campaign.

USP is a study program of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. The US-based Christian higher education consortium is composed of more than 180 institutions around the world, including UCU. Twice a year, in the September and January semesters, the UCU community welcomes 25-30 students from North America. Since it was started 19 years ago, UCU has hosted more than 800 American students in Uganda.

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UCU student dinners offer networking platforms

July 14, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

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.

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UCU Mbale Campus gets new principal

July 12, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

Erisa Kigenyi, the new principal of UCU Mbale University College.

By Pauline Luba
Dr. Erisa Kigenyi Mazaki, the new Principal of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale University College, was twice “acting” in the role over the past five years.

In August 2018, he joined the institution as a full-time staff member. Just four months later, the UCU Vice Chancellor at the time, Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, shocked Kigenyi by appointing him the acting principal of the college. The position holder at the time had retired.

“I was shocked because I thought there were more capable people than I was,” Kigenyi, an ardent teacher, said. “I was wondering why I had been tasked with the responsibility.”

Kigenyi was the acting principal until March 2019, when Mrs. Mary Gichuki Manana joined the college as the substantive head. Again, last year, when the position fell vacant in November, Dr. Kigenyi was appointed in acting capacity.

In June 2023, the month when Kigenyi was celebrating 50 years of age, he received a notification that he had been appointed as the college’s substantive principal.

For now, his eyes will be focused on ventures to improve the state of the infrastructure of the college, located in Mbale city, eastern Uganda. With improved infrastructure, there is hope that the enrollment and welfare of students at the college will improve.

Last year, the college launched a fundraising drive to raise money for the expansion of the institution’s infrastructure. At the event, more than sh240million (over $64,000) was collected in cash and pledges. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who was represented at the function by Mbale Resident District Commissioner, Mr. Ahamada Washaki, pledged sh200million (about $53,000).

Should any challenges surface during Kigenyi’s tenure as principal, he feels assured of victory. He says his armor is Psalm 121:1-3 “I look up to the mountains, does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made Heaven and Earth. He will not let you stumble; the One who watches over you will not slumber.”

To deliver results in his new position, the father of three boys and one girl hopes to rely on his ever-present and supportive wife, Janet Kigenyi, in affairs of the home. Her management of family affairs enables him to have a peace of mind at work.

Born in 1973 to Mr. Nsangi Amunoni and Annet Nasiyo, Kigenyi had 10 siblings – three boys and seven girls. He attended North Road Primary School in Mbale city for his primary education and then Bukedi College Kachonga from Senior One to Senior Five. He was unable to return to the school for Senior Six because his father faced financial hardships and could not afford to pay the tuition. Kigenyi was then enrolled at Mbale Progressive School, where he completed Senior Six, emerging as one of the best candidates in the national exams.

The top performance earned Kigenyi a government sponsorship for a Bachelor of Arts with Education at Uganda’s Makerere University. In 1988, Kigenyi graduated as a teacher. Soon after, he teamed up with two colleagues and they started their own school, Mbale Comprehensive High School, where he is still a director. He says teaching and molding students into useful citizens is a satisfying experience.

“Students are the reason teachers like me exist,” he said.

In November 1998, he joined Mbale Secondary School, where he taught until 2012. Here, he was a classroom teacher before being promoted to the position of head of the history department. He was also appointed as the chair of the staff of the Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) and patron of student leaders in a school of over 4,000 students.

In 2005, Kigenyi joined UCU for post-graduate studies, graduating in 2007 with a Master of Science in Human Resource Management in Education. In 2010, he enrolled for a Post-graduate Diploma in Public Administration and Management at Uganda Management Institute, graduating with a first class in 2011. Two years later, Kigenyi went back to school, enrolling for a PhD in Management Science at Mbarara University of Science and Technology. He graduated in 2017.

Before joining UCU as a full-time staff member in 2018, Kigenyi served the university on a part-time basis for seven years, up to July 2018.

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UCU hosts cultural gala for international students

July 10, 2023News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

The Rwandan community in a traditional dance

By Pauline Luba
When one travels to new lands, they always leave a part of them at home. It is that part of them that has a tendency of evoking homesickness. In Yemi Alade’s song, Africa, the Nigerian singer could not have put this feeling of the allure of one’s home clearer than she did in the lyrics:

Anywhere you go
London, USA
Nowhere be like Africa
Nowhere be like home
Anywhere you go
New York, Chicago
Nowhere be like Africa
Nowhere be like home

Uganda Christian University (UCU) is aware of the impact of being away from one’s family members and friends, especially for students whose study means they spend a longer time in a foreign country. Every year, the university organizes the International Students Week to give students a chance to celebrate their culture and heritage.

This year’s celebration, held under the theme “Celebrating Diversity and Unity,” was held in the week leading up to June 25 with June 23 being the day a cultural gala was staged in the UCU Nkoyoyo Hall. The university is home to both national and international students from the region of East Africa and beyond.

In the culture week, organized by the student leaders, in collaboration with the Directorate of Student Affairs, activities such as community outreach, movie night and food exhibition were held. Students with the same heritage prepared their traditional cuisines, something that brought fun out of the activity, as well as to remind them of “home.”

On June 23, the day of the gala, the decorated Nkoyoyo Hall was filled to capacity by 8 p.m., the time the cultural gala started. The students, many of whom wore their cultural attires, cheered on their colleagues during the performances. After the national anthems of the participating countries, different speakers educated the audience about the unique attributes of their countries.

Guild President Timothy Ddumba with UCU students from the international community.

Justus Kashasira, a student from Tanzania, made use of a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the beauty of his country, showcasing the Serengeti National Park, where one can see the “big five” animals – elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard and the lion – and the Kilimanjaro National Park, which has the highest mountain in Africa, Mt. Kilimanjaro.

A student from South Sudan bashed the stereotype of war and famine that others label on her country.

“I’m here to change that and show you what my country really is,” Emmanuella Morris said amidst cheers from the crowd, as she explained the beauty of the family bond that people in her country have, the “stunning food” and the hospitality of the South Sudanese.

The groups also showcased their traditional dances and stunning attire with the crowd cheering the Rwandan students as they gracefully performed the Kinyarwanda dance.

Speaking at the event, the acting Director of Students’ Affairs, Simon Tusubira, expressed the university’s commitment in serving the international students and ensuring that they handle their needs, such as acquisition of visas, accommodation and safety, in order to make their stay at the university a memorable one.

The student leaders in charge of international students at UCU – Precious Kasemire and Moise Kituka – said sh1.5million (about $400) was used to purchase the costumes that the students used for the gala, banners and the food that was cooked for the exhibition, and other expenses incurred in organizing the cultural week.

UCU Guild President Timothy Ddumba said the cultural gala is intended to help build cohesiveness and a stronger association for the international students.

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When Uganda Martyrs sowed the seed of Christian faith in the world

July 8, 2023Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

The altar during prayers at the Namugongo Anglican Martyrs Shrine on June 3.

By Pauline Luba
When King Mwanga, a former Ugandan traditional leader, ordered the killing of fresh Christian converts more than a century ago, he might not have known that his actions would lead to the sowing of the seed of Christianity in the country. Now, 137 years down the road, the death of the Uganda Martyrs is a reference point to the special grace that God bestowed on the 45 converts who chose death over renouncing the faith they had received.

The converts, who were pages in the palace of King Mwanga of Buganda, having learned about God, put their loyalty first before the Almighty and denounced the time’s unchristian practices such as polygamy. Mwanga was a polygamous man. However, the shift of allegiance from the king to God, the King of Kings, enraged Mwanga. He thus ordered the execution of those who did not renounce the new faith.

Every June 3 is a public holiday in Uganda, to allow a pilgrimage to Namugongo, near Kampala, to pray in remembrance of the martyrs who were killed for their faith.

Pilgrims traveled from far and wide to attend the celebrations. In the foreground is an artist’s depiction of how the converts were killed under the orders of Mwanga

At Uganda Christian University (UCU), the theme of the week preceding June 3 is most times centered around faith, endurance and grace, taking the example of the action of the Uganda Martyrs.

“The Martyrs help build our faith,” said the Rev. Capt. Esther Wabulo, the UCU Church Relations Officer. “And since UCU is a key center for the building of faith in our community and students, celebration of the day is important.”

She also emphasized that as a Christian university, propagating the Gospel is its main aim hence they derive inspiration from the courageous act of the Uganda Martyrs.

Many members of the UCU community often participate in the activities of the day at the Uganda Martyrs Shrine on June 3. For instance, for this year’s event, Wabulo, Bishop Joel Obetia, Dr. Isabirye Moses, the Rev. Richard Mulindwa and the entire Church Relations Department joined the organizers at Namugongo. Theology students at UCU served as ushers at the prayers.

The Anglican Church organized this year’s prayers under the theme “United for Service and Growth.” Dr. Foley Beach, the archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, who was the day’s guest preacher, lauded the church for sticking to the word of God. “Do not allow the devil to tempt us and lose faith,” Beach told the pilgrims, urging church leaders to “prepare people to do ministry everywhere.”

The pilgrims such as these attendees were urged to stick to the word of God, and not to allow the devil to tempt them.

In UCU’s 25 years of existence, the Anglican church in Uganda has on two occasions bestowed the responsibility of organizing the Martyrs Day prayers on the institution – in 2004 and 2013 – an opportunity the university maximizes to advertise its programs to the world. In 2013, there was a double celebration for the institution as the Bishop Tucker Theological College was celebrating a century of existence.

The Rev. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, the UCU Chaplain, said in the spirit of the faith whose seed the Uganda Martyrs sowed with their blood more than a century ago, students should follow Revelations 2:10: “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life.”

Ssembiro said faith is not a casual affair, and that, therefore, one must be willing to show resilience, no matter the test.

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Ubuntu Leadership Centre strengthens ties with UCU

June 30, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

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”)

Online donations: Use GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/needy-university-students)

Direct cash deposits on Stanbic bank: Account name: Uganda Christian University. Account Number: 9030005916673.

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Story of 600: Mentoring students to launch

June 28, 2023News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Margaret Noblin with some of her mentored students making brownies in the kitchen of the Kingdom View Ministry House, Mukono, Uganda

By Margaret Noblin
Like most Christ-centered, higher education entities, Uganda Christian University (UCU) exposes students to the Bible, God and Jesus along with rigorous curriculum in a choice of study and extracurricular opportunities.

But how do these things come together helping them to know themselves and launch successful careers? Being an accomplished student nearing graduation is a scary proposition. Being a star on campus does not translate to being a professional success.

Margaret helping students with the CV part of mentoring

A very bright student in social work came to me years ago. She had tremendous empathy along with strong fiscal skills but hadn’t considered a career in finance. After understanding her skills, she got her first job as a bank teller in a small city. There, she was promoted and finally ended up in a well-respected position at the main office in Kampala. She helped entrepreneurs get loans and was a creative problem-solver. When the bank restructured, they sent her to an international conference in Paris.

She transitioned to another finance job continuing to help small businesses. Along the way human resources asked her if she would like to mentor high school students on how to manage money and open bank accounts. The bottom line, she is using all her God-given skills, including social work and business.

This UCU graduate is one of about 600 students God placed in my path to mentor. Over 80% of the students that complete the process I designed get jobs they enjoy, and some even break the cycle of poverty in their families. These career professionals are becoming the middle-class of Uganda and changing the country one person at a time. They build houses for their moms, pay school fees for their siblings and become role models and impactful disciples.

Humbly, I didn’t choose this mentorship role for my life. God did. When a youthful undergraduate at the University of Missouri, I didn’t see this coming. My husband, Mark, and I got the calling to Uganda roughly two decades ago with a belief we were to be fishers of men to teach men and women to fish. The form that would take for me became a mentorship to university students. As we now reside in Dallas, Texas, it brings me great joy to see UCU students and alum practically empowered to be all God wants them to be.

Students need to know their God-given practical skills to gain the confidence to be successful.

Mentoring from a Biblical perspective is discipleship, and helps the mentee talk through the issues of life and how they fit the pieces together. There is fear of what is ahead. Most have high parental expectations that as they say “puts them on pressure.” What is ahead after university? Will I look foolish in new situations? What do I believe about the world around me? How do I live out my faith in Jesus with all the corruption and ungodly things around me? How do I handle carpet interviews (sex for jobs) or harassment? These are just a few things that have come out from years of listening to students.

As with listening to and talking to God, the same is true for those around us on earth. Most college students don’t have that as an integral part of their education.

As a follower of Jesus, my approach is holistic and Biblical. First, we need to understand our Biblical worldview to have a “true north” for God’s best for us. Then we need to comprehend how God wired our brains when we were created.

A process of writing short stories reflecting things the students loved doing, that were easy for them to do and eyewitnesses telling them “You are great at this,” lets me know the heart of the student. The revelation is fascinating to the students that complete the process. They are shown with evidence throughout their life of why they are secure, unique, significant and loved by God.

As their God-given practical skills are revealed and labeled, they begin to see the puzzle pieces fitting together.

The next step is developing their CVs(resumes), so it paints a picture of who they are on one page. It is like an interview on paper. They have shared, “I wasn’t scared in the interview. I was able to explain why I loved doing certain things.”

The best opportunities in Uganda are companies that do business internationally. They pay their employees on time, have international standards of behavior and generally pay better salaries and benefits.

Part of the process that God led me to create is viewing two presentations I take them through. One is about the basics of who you are and understanding your identity in Christ and the other deals with what industries in Uganda have lots of jobs. Most students are totally shocked when they see the industry presentation showing pictures of different large businesses. Comments range from, “I thought I had to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer, doctor, nurse, or teacher. I had no idea…” to “This is really cool. No one ever told me this stuff.”

I love “aha” moments when I see the lightbulb of opportunity go on. But then fear sets in. It takes time to refine the CVs, even though the evidence is there. They see the proof of who they are as career professionals.

Another challenging issue involves their self-image. Many of the students on their first visit still think of themselves as high school students, not career professionals. At this point, I have to have what one of our employees called “the talk” pertaining to becoming a serious adult and professional. How you dress, present yourself and your expectation of who you are and who you want to be is key. It is a reality check so they can make the transition.

I explain to them that I will help them, but they have to be willing to do the work and put in the time. I have found if they don’t, they don’t get good jobs.

Discipleship is developing a holistic intentional relationship between the two people. When I first started in 2008, I mainly listened and tried to get to know the person. As a believer in Jesus, I explained to them my starting point and thanked them for opening up their minds to share our perspectives about life. As things have changed with how we communicate, WhatsApp, text and email have been valuable tools. WhatsApp has been my favorite for sharing pdf presentations, audio explanations and making video calls to have a more personal connection. Praying together, explaining challenging situations and inquiring of the Lord can be done online.

In the past, our organization had a scholarship program, built a clinic, and started four homes for orphans. Through it all, we came to realize that mentoring youth was the most important work.

We saw more positive change from the university students and how they changed the lives of others spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Each time another student gets a job they hoped for, I feel like jumping for joy. And the credit and glory go to God.

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Margaret Noblin was a missionary to Uganda from 2003-2022 and continues to disciple UCU students virtually from the United States. Along with her husband, Mark, they led The Rock Outreach non-profit that funded the establishment of Kingdom View Ministry House and Pavilion donated to UCU in late 2022. More about the Texas-based Outreach can be accessed at www.rockoutreach.org.

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UCU’s Kitayimbwa appointed chairperson of a not-for-profit organization

June 26, 2023News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

The Rev. Prof John Kitayimbwa is the second UCU administrator to head the RENU board

By Kefa Senoga
The Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs at Uganda Christian University (UCU), has been appointed the chairperson of a Ugandan not-for-profit organization that facilitates research and education networking. The appointment of Kitayimbwa to the apex position of the board of the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU) happened during a recent retreat for the board of directors of the organization.

At the same retreat, Prof. Janice Desire Busingye, the Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration at Kampala International University, was appointed to the position of Deputy Chairperson of the RENU board.

The member-based organization founded in 2006 was established to end the extreme isolation of Uganda’s researchers and higher education practitioners from their national, regional and global peers, through the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.

The organization, which now has over 500 campuses connected to its network, is Uganda’s National Research and Education Network, and supports the needs of the research and education communities. Among the member organizations of RENU are schools, tertiary institutions, universities and research organizations.

Kitayimbwa said connectivity through RENU has afforded the agency access to vast information and resources, facilitated communication and collaboration and enabled the use of online education and research tools. He also mentioned the opportunity to share education and research infrastructure across Ugandan institutions, and facilitating the easier dissemination of education materials and research findings as some of the other benefits the member organizations have realized.

Kitayimbwa, a computational biologist, replaces Ugandan technologist Eng. Dr. Dorothy Okello, who held the position from 2020 to 2023. During the same period, Kitayimbwa was Okello’s deputy on the RENU board. Okello is the Dean of Makerere University’s School of Engineering.

Kitayimbwa, a highly qualified professional in education and research, now becomes the second administrator from UCU to hold the position at RENU. Former Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, was RENU chairperson from 2008 to 2011. Other past RENU board chairpersons are Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba (2011-2014) and Prof. Michel Lejeune (2014-2020).

According to Kitayimbwa, who is a priest in the Anglican church in Uganda, when Vice Chancellors of universities and Chief Executive Officers of research institutions formed RENU in 2006, the initial but very important challenge that they sought to address was the provision of reliable and affordable connectivity to research and education institutions in Uganda.

And it seems some progress has been made. “In addition to the reliable connectivity, RENU has also ensured that the bandwidth unit price drops and becomes more affordable. From a bandwidth unit cost of approximately $630 ($/Mbps/Month) in 2013, RENU has ensured a steady drop in pricing as more members have joined the network,” Kitayimbwa wrote in his message to member organizations following his appointment.

He explained further: “Today, the bandwidth unit cost is only 6% of what it was in 2013. This means that if an institution spends exactly the same amount of money that they were spending in 2013 on connectivity and bandwidth, it is able to enjoy a service that is 16 times better than what it was in 2013 for the same cost.”

Kitayimbwa holds a PhD in Computational Biology, an MPhil in Computational Biology, a Master’s in Mathematical Sciences and a BSc in Science with Education. For the more than 17 years that Kitayimbwa has worked as a university lecturer and administrator, he says he has developed passion for the development of science, technology and innovation.

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UCU students reap rewards from Google Developer Student Club

June 21, 2023Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Science and Technology, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Patience Ankunda, who started the Google Developer Student Club at UCU and became the first woman to hold such a position in Uganda

By Pauline Luba
It was a simple request. Patience Ankunda was asked to help start a tech club at Uganda Christian University (UCU). At the time, she was a second-year student of Bachelor of Science in Architecture at Uganda’s Makerere University. She went to UCU and didn’t look back as she became a new UCU student, enrolling for a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

Ankunda abandoned her Makerere, government-sponsored course, which she had already studied for two of the four years, for a privately-sponsored one at UCU. And she was at peace with the decision.

“I saw computer science creating different opportunities for me in the future, which it is already doing now,” Ankunda, who graduated in 2021 with a First Class degree in computer science, told Uganda Partners during an interview last year.

For her switch of programs, she says many people branded her a failure because they thought she was substituting a more prestigious course for a lesser one. And many more people prophesied that she would not go far in life with a career in computer science.

Looking back, Ankunda believes the real spark of her love for computer science was her joining the Google Developer Student Club (GDSC) at Makerere University. She says the club helped her realize her love for technology.

“I was able to learn more about tech before I started to study it,” Ankunda said in late May 2023. “I got a number of opportunities and that boosted my confidence.”

Google Developer Student Clubs are university-based community groups for students who are interested in technology and cutting their professional teeth in developing applications. In the GDSC clubs, the learning is usually peer-to-peer, with emphasis on creating local solutions for local challenges. There are more than 1,900 college and university chapters across more than 100 countries in the world.

When Ankunda completed her switch from Makerere to UCU, she helped to found the GDSC in the latter university and later headed it, becoming the first woman to hold such a position in Uganda. Considered the most successful story of the club at UCU, Ankunda is already implementing the knowledge she gathered from both the classroom and her peer-to-peer interaction in the club. She likely will always be found at the intersection where technology meets business, finance and fitness.

She has co-founded Culipa, a financial technology company offering digital payment solutions for individuals and businesses of all sizes. With Culipa, Ankunda believes she is keeping the GDSC slogan of innovate, inspire, and ignite alive. Culipa has a mobile application that enables individuals and businesses to send and receive money – something that Ankunda believes is helping to make the lives of people better.

As part of its recruitment drive, on May 26, the GDSC UCU chapter held a sensitisation meeting, targeting the university’s fresh entrants.

Jasper Ashaba, the current club lead at UCU, urged first-year students to join the club, giving himself as an example of a beneficiary of serious membership in the club. Ashaba says a Ugandan transport and tracking company hired him to build for them and help them to manage their networks. From gigs like these, Ashaba says he is able to pay for his amenities at the university. Just like it is expected for any working student, there are times when the work has clashed with Ashaba’s time for class work.

“Every night, I pray to God to give me wisdom to be able to properly manage my time well,” Ashaba says.

Arthur Yawe, a first-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, said the session with freshers on May 26 gave him the opportunity to appreciate more the influence of technology in people’s lives.

Hassan Bahati, a member of the club, communicating to new students

“I will join the club,” Yawe said. “I want to learn new skills and get opportunities.”

Hassan Bahati, a member of the club, currently in his final year at the university and a student of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, said the club offers opportunities for a diverse array of talents.

“I’m in my third year, and I’m grateful for all I have learned from this club, as well as the opportunities that have come my way,” said Nabirye Joan, a student of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. “I advise others to join it.”

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Janitor plays role in UCU alum’s academic success

June 19, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social Sciences, USPPatty Huston-Holm

The University of Pretoria has offered Jonathan Tumwebaze a placement for post-doctoral research

By Pauline Luba
Janitorial work increased the chances of a university getting at least one student. That’s part of the story of Dr. Jonathan Tumwebaze, who shared the role of a building custodian in his enrollment at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Tumwebaze’s father, Kaganda Bbala, was looking for a university where his son could pursue undergraduate studies, and UCU was among those on the list. During the university tour with his father in 2011, Tumwebaze said that as his dad walked into the bathrooms in the Mukono campus Nsibambi Hall, he remarked that if custodians could do their job so diligently without close supervision, then there was something special about UCU.

The university journey that Tumwebaze started 12 years ago has seen him recently earning a PhD in a record two-and-a-half years. The course usually takes up to five years. The 31-year-old received his doctorate in public policy from the University of Pretoria in South Africa on March 21, 2023.

Titled “A Framework for Child Participation in Child-focused Policy Design in Uganda,” Tumwebaze’s research focused on inclusion of children’s voices in child-focused, policy decision-making processes. He describes a developing paradigm of thought in Uganda’s child-focused research literature.

Tumwebaze with Patty Huston-Holm, Uganda Partners communications director, when they worked together to conduct post-graduate writing and research clinics.

Tumwebaze has a unique passion for cross-disciplinary learning and knowledge systems, and has a breadth of experience working with students. Serving as the Interim Global Health Coordinator for Uganda Studies Program and Christian University Partnerships Manager, Tumwebaze’s doctorate meant he was the first student to graduate under the Partnership for African Social and Governance Research. The partnership is a collaborative venture in public policy and is currently offered in three universities in Africa – the University of Pretoria, University of Nairobi in Kenya and the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. In 2015, Tumwebaze worked as an intern for a new UCU postgraduate thesis-assistance program.

Tumwebaze and four others enrolled for the program as full-time PhD resident fellows in February 2020 at the University of Pretoria. Even though Covid-19 affected many education systems, Tumwebaze’s PhD journey was never interrupted, which is something he attributed to the robust nature of the University of Pretoria’s academic programs. He benefited from the financial support of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the University of Pretoria Doctoral Research Scholarship. The university has offered Tumwebaze a placement for post-doctoral research, an academic mentorship journey he will be embarking on soon.

Initially, he did not want to pursue a B.A. in Development Studies at UCU. He also had been accepted for the Bachelor of Laws degree, which is where his heart was. However, upon the advice of his father that the tuition fee for the law course was too expensive, Tumwebaze switched to Development Studies.

“The first month at university was hard,” Tumwebaze recalled. “I saw myself as a lawyer and kept wondering what I was doing in another class.”

Agatha Ninsiima, a friend and an honors student, noticed Tumwebaze’s lack of ambition and encouraged him to avoid wasting three undergraduate years – to put zeal and energy into his development study. And Tumwebaze did just that.

Soon, his attitude shifted to positive and, since then, he topped his class until he completed the course. He was not just a member, but also the chairperson of the UCU Honors College, which is an interdisciplinary Christian leadership and mentorship program that empowers highly motivated and talented students to think critically and creatively about how their Christian faith influences their academic and professional goals.

Tumwebaze is the third born of Bbala and Adyeeri Kaganda. He attended St. Jude Primary School Kyegobe in Fort Portal, western Uganda and Mengo Senior Secondary in central Uganda for his secondary school education. While at Mengo, Tumwebaze got an opportunity to spend some time in Norway as part of an exchange student program.

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