Category Archives: News

UCU Fitness Club empowers minds, bodies, spirits

March 1, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Some participants in the UCU Fitness club

By Bena Nekesa
In the heart of Uganda Christian University (UCU), amidst the bustling academic endeavors and vibrant Mukono campus life, the UCU Fitness Club emerged.

The club visionary is Charles Miti, age 31, a student working toward a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, School of Business. While he struggled with a weight of 94 kilograms (207 pounds), he knew that body image was more than physical fitness. He envisioned a journey of holistic transformation that encompasses mental resilience and spiritual growth not just for himself but others. Since its inception a year ago, the club has become a cornerstone of support and empowerment for its members, touching the lives of students in profound ways.

UCU Fitness Club participant, Joseph Kyeswa, warming up

The story of the UCU Fitness Club began when Charles engaged in a walk of 78.4 kilometers (48.7 miles) from Kampala to Jinja during the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic. The journey garnered others’ attention on social media platforms and further ignited a passion for health and fitness within Charles.

“I was inspired to create a space where others could embark on their own transformative voyages,” he said. “Walking is at the center of what we do, but it’s so much more. Fitness is medicine and is everything. Once you choose the road of fitness, you are cured physically, mentally and spiritually.”

With the support of like-minded individuals such as Edonu Emmanuel, a UCU School of Law student, the club took root, fostering a sense of unity and camaraderie among its members. Charles’s brother, a medical doctor, Joseph Ssebanenya, played crucial roles in the club’s inception. At the 2024 program launch in February, the brother provided insights about health and fitness. Additionally, Charles’s family, including two sisters and their parents, who are retired farmers, formed a supportive foundation for his endeavors.

Through activities like hiking, swimming, and other physical challenges, the club members forged bonds that transcended mere acquaintanceship, evolving into a tight-knit community.

The American Medical Association reports exercise as a top contributor to a healthy and longer life. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the World Health Organization (WHO), regular exercise not only extends lifespan by up to 10 years, but also promotes overall health, reduces the risk of chronic diseases and enhanced cognitive function, leading to improved productivity and quality of life.

For Charles and the 50 other participants, the club represents more than just physical activity; it is a sanctuary of happiness and personal growth. Rejecting the allure of vices like clubbing and substance abuse, Charles and others have found fulfillment in the pursuit of holistic wellness.

“Through prayer, fellowship, and shared experiences, our members discovered the transformative power of nurturing both body and spirit,” he said.

The journey of the UCU Fitness Club has not been without its obstacles. From mobilizing members to overcoming usual college temptations of parties and societal misconceptions about fitness, the club faced its fair share of challenges.

Contrary to perceptions, the pursuit of fitness did not detract from academic pursuits; rather, it complimented them. Members found that physical activity enhanced their cognitive abilities and provided a welcome respite from the rigors of academic life. Discussions during club activities often led to insights that translated into academic success, demonstrating the symbiotic relationship between physical and mental wellness.

As the club gained momentum, it became a beacon of hope. Through support and encouragement, individuals struggling with issues ranging from self-esteem to addiction found solace and strength within the club’s embrace.

“Through collective efforts, we have created a supportive community where individuals thrived, not just academically, but also emotionally and spiritually,” Charles, now weighing 74 kgs (163 lbs.), reflected.

As Charles looks towards the future, he knows that the club’s journey is far from over. With each new member welcomed and each new challenge overcome, the legacy of the UCU Fitness Club should continue to thrive, empowering more minds, bodies, and spirits.

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

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UCU students share internship experiences

February 28, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Education, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Many students from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Main/Mukono Campus and other campuses and constituent colleges are engaged in internships at different places of work. The internships are intended to enable students gain work experience while satisfying requirements for their university qualifications. Pauline Luba talked to some education, business and journalism students currently doing internships to learn their perceptions of this knowledge and training.

Christy Assimwe is an intern at an international school. — Christy Asiimwe is an intern at an international school.

Christy Asiimwe, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, main campus. Intern at Acorns International School.

I am having a good experience. It is great that I get to serve as an intern at an international school. Due to the differences in the curriculum, many national universities will advise one to stick to a school that teaches the national curriculum. However, I like the fact that I will be able to learn about the International Baccalaureate curriculum so that I can see how it fits in our new national curriculum. I also like the exposure and the supportive environment. It has taken me some time to get a feel of what it means to work in the classroom. But I know I will, soon.

Ninsiima Barbra looks forward to improving her accounting skills.

Ninsiima Barbra, Diploma in Business Administration, Second year Bishop Barham University College, Intern at Pride Microfinance, Kabale branch.

I will be spending two months as an intern at this microfinance institution. We are two UCU students here. To get here, I have to travel four kilometers (2.5 miles), which is quite far, but I am determined to make it happen without any challenges. I look forward to improving my accounting skills and understanding the banking system.

Jonathan Okello wishes he could continue working after the internship.

Jonathan Okello, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, main campus. Intern at Mpoma School, Satellite Campus.

I was welcomed to the school well. There are other interns from different other institutions. At such postings, one can easily tell a student from UCU, based on how they dress and conduct themselves. The challenge we sometimes face is that since we have one more semester to study, we have to leave the schools and return to the university yet in some cases, some of the schools would like to retain us as staff. It feels like there will be a gap left when we return to the university. The co-operation and guidance from the other staff members at the school have been exceptional.

Dickson Twecungwire, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, communications department.

My earlier days of internship first proved a challenge because at the university, we were taught the theory regarding public relations, which I am majoring in. Now, here, you have to put what you learned into practice. I like the fact that I get to write articles for the hospital newsletters and press releases. I also like that I get to do graphic design work. I’m currently working hard so that I can impress the management here and get retained as full-time staff.

Ainembabazi Shivan is an intern at her former school.

Ainembabazi Shivan, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at St. Theresa’s Girls School, Kanungu District.

I am an intern at a school where I was a student. And now I get to go back and share my knowledge with the students. The students here are quite friendly, which makes the working environment welcoming. Since this is my last internship before graduation, I hope to gain all the necessary skills and the experience that will enable me to succeed in the world of work.

Aaron Gamushabe has been posting content on the university website.

Aaron Gamushabe, Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication, third year Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

I like the fact that there are people ready to guide me, especially my supervisor. The team is also quite friendly. I have learned many new things, such as posting content on the university website, and writing reports. I hope to get more practical skills and come out as a real professional who is ready for the world of work.

Ainembabazi Annah says the work environment is welcoming.

Ainembabazi Annah, Bachelor of Arts in Education, third year, Bishop Barham University College. Intern at Rwentobo High School.

This is a private school in Ntungamo district, western Uganda. The work environment is welcoming and we are learning quite many things as interns. There are some things that we never imagined in the world of work, but with the internship, we get the real experience of what it means to be in the world of work. For instance, we can only leave the workplace after 5 p.m. Now, that is something I did not expect, but thank God, I am now getting to learn it.

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Medical outreach provides dental relief to rural Ugandan community

February 26, 2024News, Students, UCU School of DentistryPatty Huston-Holm

UCU’s Maria Kabogozza examines one of the children at the outreach.

By Kefa Senoga
How can medical practitioners better serve a transportation and economically challenged community that travels close to 50 kilometers (31 miles) to seek dental services?

That is one question that has been bothering the faculty at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Dentistry (SoD). To get the answers, the faculty partnered with the Christian Medical and Dental Association (CMDA) of the United States, Reach Unreached Needs (RUN) Foundation and the Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) to extend a health camp to the community at Kasiso village in the central Uganda district of Luweero.

Dr. Bill Griffin interacts with some of the UCU dental students at the outreach.

The camp, conducted on February 8, was composed of a team of dental specialists, as well as UCU Bachelor of Dental Surgery students who are currently conducting clinical practice as part of their degree course requirement. The specialists offered free dental services like fillings, teeth cleaning, restorations, extractions and surgeries.

“Today, they brought in a child who had undergone tooth extraction at the main hospital in Kasana,” said Joseph Lubowa Ddiba, the coordinator of Village Health Team (VHT) members in Luweero district. “Unfortunately, the child’s wound became septic. He is one of the people who have received treatment here.”

VHTs is a group of laypeople hired by the Ugandan government to empower people in their communities to take part in making decisions that affect their health.

Dr. Brian Rushaju, a dentist and the director of the RUN Foundation, said they found many cases of tooth decay among the people. Others had swellings and tumors, something he noted is an indication that many people in the community do not have access to dental services.

The nearest health facility which provides dental services is Kasana Hospital. To visit the health facility, Ddiba said one needs sh30,000 (about $8) for transport for a return journey. And many of them cannot afford that.

UCU School of Dentistry students and staff who participated in the outreach

“For someone who cannot even afford transport to the hospital, how can they pay for medical care?” Ddiba asked rhetorically, indicating that many community members treated the camp as a godsend opportunity.

Juliet Seruyange, a resident of Kasiso village, said she received a comprehensive dental examination at the outreach. A thorough cleaning and washing of her teeth, she said, made a big difference between how she arrived for the camp and how she left.

Dr. David Ciesla, the coordinator of HVO and a pediatric dentistry professor at the Oklahoma University in the United States, said many of the people he attended to had cavity issues.

“What I see here is the need for providers and a combination of lack of health education,” Ciesla said, noting the need for extra training for not only the workforce, but also the patients.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDbMKWweXg&w=100&h=100]

Dr Arabat Kasangaki, a lecturer from the UCU SoD, said where they discovered that some of the teeth were irredeemable, they extracted them or proposed to the patients to go to the UCU School of Dentistry, where he runs a dental clinic for fourth year and fifth year SoD students. Kasangaki said at their clinic, they have dentures for those who don’t have teeth and that they can fabricate sets of teeth for people to improve their life.

Dr. Bill Griffin, the dental director at CMDA, said at such outreach activities, he also takes the advantage to mentor UCU dental students. He noted that he has been conducting online monthly mentorship lectures for the SoD students.

Esther Masaba, Mark Wesonga and Maria Kabogozza – some of the UCU fifth-year SoD students who were part of the people in the camp – said they completed pediatric fillings, cleanings and examinations, noting that the exercise gave them opportunity to obtain more hands-on experience.

Griffin is currently collaborating with the faculty at the UCU SoD and specialists like Ciesla to develop a residency program that will include at least a year of learning about issues such as dental implants and sedation.

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From life of hopelessness, art gives Okello a livelihood

February 23, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Reagan Okello’s art depicting people with animal heads

By Irene Best Nyapendi
One of the reasons Reagan Okello loves art is it gives him the latitude to express himself beyond what the eyes and cameras can see. By doing so, Okello is able to tell a story that is different and “complete.”

Take, for instance, one of the pieces with an imposing presence in Okello’s art gallery. The piece depicts eight people dancing in a nightclub. On a closer look, some of the people have animal heads in place of human heads. This is one example, Okello argues, that art has an edge over the human eye and the camera. No camera could ever capture people with animal heads.

So, what is the story behind the animal heads’ art piece?

Okello's art gallery that doubles as his sitting room — Okello’s art gallery that doubles as his sitting room

Okello says ordinarily, during the day, the actions of many people is something close to purity, which would be represented by white color. However, after nightfall, the same people assume different behavior, which is why each of the people in the art piece is painted wearing a colorful outfit. And because some people partake of intoxicants at night, they become less able to control what they do or say. To Okello, such people then begin to behave like animals. And that is the reason he put animal heads on some of the people.

Currently a final-year student of Bachelor of Industrial Fine Art at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Okello says his dream is to offer a unique service to his clients once he fully joins the world of work. He says he would like to share with his client the passion, the peace and the fulfillment he gets while engrossed in his work. His dream is to offer a service where clients pay him to guide them through the process of drawing, so that they can recreate the same image he would have drawn for them. This way, he argues, clients can also experience the joy and the satisfaction that comes with drawing.

To refine his craft, Okello usually tries out painting using different styles, materials at his disposal and techniques. His love for painting and work with ceramics has endeared Okello to the community at UCU and beyond.

In March last year, Okello participated in an international visual art competition for tertiary institution students from Uganda and the Nigerian community in Uganda and Nigeria.

A cross-cultural competition was held with the theme “My Impression of Nigeria, My Impression of Uganda.” Ugandan students focused on “My Impression of Nigeria.” while Nigerian participants produced artwork based on the theme, “My Impression of Uganda.”

In the competition, Okello was 22nd out of over 300 competitors from Uganda and received a certificate and drawing materials as a reward.

Currently, Okello devotes his Saturdays to teaching children how to draw and paint.

“It’s these children that I hope to employ in my art gallery in the future,” Okello said. “I want to set up the biggest art gallery in Uganda.”

From the sale of his art pieces, Okello uses half of the proceeds to support his single mother who brews alcohol for a living. He lost his father in 2007.

Amidst the challenges of struggling to contend with a life with a peasant mother unable to afford his tuition fees, Okello was on the verge of giving up on education at a young age. However, the turning point came when Watoto, an organization that brings hope and healing to vulnerable women and children in Uganda and South Sudan, offered Okello support for his education. He also was given support for basic needs of life.

Okello says art allows him to tell a “complete” story.

“Watoto became my new family,” he said. “It was there that I found a sense of belonging and discovered my passion for art.”

Initially, Okello did not take art as a serious discipline. In fact, in A’level, his mind was on pursuing physics as a subject, even though he struggled to comprehend the subject matter. Upon discussing his academic struggles with his mentor, Marvin Ayebare, Okello was advised to drop physics and replace it with art. Okello hesitated, but he eventually gave in.

As he stepped into the art class, Okello was amazed by the stunning artwork displayed on the walls. He felt unsure of his own abilities and wondered if he could ever create anything as beautiful. After years of sitting in the art class, Okello’s abilities started to match those of the artists whose works were pinned on the wall at the time he joined the class. For instance, some of his art pieces which were his final year project in A’level fetched him money. His first payment for one of the pieces was sh200,000 (about $52). When he received this payment, Okello says he resolved not to drop art. As such, making a decision for his university course became easy.

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Agricultural sciences students empower farmers at field day

February 21, 2024Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Students use their charts to demonstrate potential symptoms of diseases in plants to agriculture enthusiasts.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
On January 24, farmers around Mukono went to the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus with samples of their crops that were affected by pests and diseases. On any other day, these farmers would not have been welcomed with these damaged crops. However, on this Wednesday, in a collaborative exercise, UCU’s students of agriculture examined diseased crops to establish the different diseases while also offering some tried-and-tested solutions to the farmers.

Students interacting with farmers in the demonstration gardens.

This field day exercise, organized by UCU’s Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, offered a platform where students taught farmers about good management practices at their different demo plots. The plots had crops such as Nakati (solanum Aethiopioum), collard greens, squash, sorghum grass, corn, grain amaranth, spinach and bulb onions.

The Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba, explained that for UCU, working with farmers is more than simply an event; it’s a corporate social obligation.

She noted that farmers are important for the livelihood of UCU because the university depends on the food crops they cultivate.

“If you ate today, it means a farmer grew crops, so farmers are so important to us,” Bulyaba said, noting that agriculture is a practical field, and that students cannot learn everything in class. In the field, they identify emerging diseases and real-life challenges, and come up with solutions.

Last year, third year students of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship participated in outreach activities in the gardens set up at the university’s demonstration plot. At the outreach, 30 farmers from Bugujju turned up for the event that provided a platform for the exchange of ideas between the students and the farmers.

The UCU Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba, addressing farmers.

At UCU, agriculture students are trained to be certified plant doctors so that they can identify what’s wrong with plants by simply looking at them.

One of the highlights of the January 24 field day was the plant clinic, where UCU agriculture students diagnosed diseased crops and made recommendations to the farmers, drawing from classroom knowledge.

Charity Rojo, a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship (BASE), is one of the people who examined samples of sick plants brought in for diagnosis.

“For fungal diseases, we looked for leaf spots with concentric rings, and for bacterial diseases, we looked for wet spots,” Rojo explained.

For pests, she said they looked for holes in the leaves, and that if the stem was affected, they looked for boring on the stem.

According to Rojo, fungal diseases are the most common because they can easily be spread by rain and wind, for example, maize smut which is transported by wind from one maize cob to another.

She advised farmers to maintain good field hygiene and only get seeds for planting from recommended suppliers.

Mildred Julian Nakanwagi, a field technician within the UCU department of agriculture, takes farmers through the best farming practices of growing onions.

Joseph Odongo, a farmer from Kazinga village in Mukono district., said he learned about the option for organic spray for onions, instead of chemicals.

“The students taught me how to make a spray for my onions by mixing ash, red pepper, onions and garlic, and allowing it to ferment,” Odongo explained.

Filda Acan, a small-scale farmer, was happy to discover zucchini, something she said she can grow in her compound. “Today, I saw plants I had never seen in the market. I was excited to learn about zucchini, and I’m, surely, going back to plant it.”

Kefa Othieno, a third-year student of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship, explained that he was able to get practical experience by interacting with the farmers.

“Today, I’ve been able to apply the knowledge I learned in the classroom to a real-world setting,” Othieno said.

The students from the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences in the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences also encouraged fellow students and farmers to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Kelly Senoga, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, emphasized that physical size alone doesn’t determine one’s state of health, explaining that both underweight and overweight individuals can face health challenges.

Senoga explained to the students and the farmers that being overweight can lead to obesity, with associated health risks, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.

The students studying Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Technology also presented to the farmers value-added agricultural products, such as bread made from pumpkin. The bread contains 10% pumpkin and is high in vitamins A and C.

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UCU student narrates journey from homeschool to formal education

February 19, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Precious Abangira Nimmusiima says during homeschooling, a morning devotional prayer was always part of the program before the learning began.

By Pauline Luba
For 12 years, Precious Abangira Nimusiima didn’t know what it meant to sit inside a classroom in a formal school setting. From Primary Three until she completed secondary school, Abangira was studying from home under the tutorship of her parents. She has now joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

“I liked the flexibility which came with the homeschooling program.” Abangira, a daughter of missionary parents, said. “If I had to miss for a few days because of trips, it was okay since I didn’t miss school or have the class leave me behind.”

Each morning, Abangira and her brother woke up between 6 and 7 a.m. to do house chores, after which they prepared for class. They would dress up in uniforms and proceed to the section of their home dedicated for classes. The section was equipped with a chalkboard and other essentials necessary in a classroom.

According to the 21-year-old, a morning devotional prayer was always part of the program before the learning began. She said either of the parents would supervise their learning, depending on who was free that day. The curriculum is a learner-centered discovery method of learning.

Part of what Abangira learned included Bible studies, mathematics, English and grammar, science and history for their primary education and subjects such as geography, government, Literature and Economics once they joined secondary school. While the classes did not include extra curricular activities, Abangira often participated in sports and music. In the case of the Christian Liberty Academy homeschooling system, which Abangira was using, the parents of the children supervise them on a day-to-day basis, and then grade their work. The final grading and certification is done at the school campus in the USA.

Abangira was also part of a group for homeschooled children that often met once a week to socialize with other children, especially those in the same program.

Homeschooling has not been a common practice in Uganda. However, it gained popularity during the 2020-2021 lockdown of schools in Uganda, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2011, before many Ugandans got exposed to this form of education, parents of Abangira decided to homeschool their children as a result of their exposure to the system, which to them resonated with the family values they espouse. Francis and Allen Mutatiina, who serve with LIFE Ministry Uganda/, often travel to spread the word of God. Abangira says her parents would travel both within and beyond Uganda.

Kenya and Rwanda are some of the countries the Mutatiinas traveled to as a family. As such, the couple, now married for 23 years, would easily supervise their children’s education everywhere they went.

And the Mutatiinas knew that their homeschooling model was biblical. In addition to increased time parents spent with their children in their formative years, Abangira’s parents also often found justification for homeschooling in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Abangira now says some of the practices they often followed at home have remained ingrained in her way of life. She remembers the family always “sitting together, reading and studying the Bible” as part of the homeschool curriculum. This habit is still very much alive in the family, and in the life of Abangira.

Having accessed, used and taught herself computer-related information from the age of 10, Abangira now hopes to further that knowledge by acquiring a professional qualification as an Artificial Intelligence expert.

Shockingly, during her formative years, a profession in computer technology was not anywhere among her priorities. She desired a course in human medicine. However, a few years ago, one of Abangira’s friends was diagnosed with cancer. As part of the treatment, the patient’s leg had to be amputated. Abangira says witnessing her friend struggle to buy prosthetics for his leg made her rethink the course to pursue at university.

She now hopes that with added computer knowledge, she will be able to contribute to the development of more affordable robotics, especially for people living with disabilities.

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Katoko: From almost missing graduation to UCU staff

February 13, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Judith Katoko with Jonathan Tumwebaze of Uganda Partners during her graduation thanksgiving at Eunice Guest House on the Mukono main campus in 2022.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Judith Katoko was expected to be part of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduation of July 2022. But that was not the case. By the time of the graduation, Katoko had neither written her dissertation nor completed her fees. However, she worked so hard that by the next graduation in October 2022, she had completed all the academic requirements.

Still, she was not on the graduation list.

Katoko had a fees balance of sh8 million (about $2,100). The 24-year-old says she had ruled out asking for money from friends and classmates because it was not her nature. She asked anyway.

When she shared her challenges with one of her cousins, Katoko was given sh3million (about $780). She then approached a UCU staff member and Jonathan Tumwebaze, Partnerships Manager for Uganda Partners. The staff member helped negotiate a sh4million (about $1,050) salary advance to give Katoko. Through Uganda Partners, Katoko got sh600,000 (about $160). The balance of sh400,000 (about $105) came from the savings she had. With this, Katoko cleared the fees balance a day before graduation — and received a Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace, and Humanitarian Intervention.

Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels, who was around UCU at the time, was among participants at Katoko’s thanksgiving feast at Eunice Guest House after her graduation.

“I can surely say a problem shared is a problem half solved,” she said. “I had never heard of Uganda Partners before, but through it, Mark Bartels’ organization gave me money to clear for my graduation.”

Judith Katoko believes that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

After the graduation, UCU hired Katoko as a casual worker in the accommodation section. From April to December 2023, she was a stand-in for the female custodian. In January 2024, the university appointed Katoko as a graduate trainee in charge of Ankrah Foundation Halls of Residence. In the position, she manages issues to do with registration for accommodation, provides counseling services and helps students navigate issues pertaining to their academic programs. Although she may not know much about all the courses, she knows who to contact in case students need assistance in a particular area. The Ankrah Hall, which houses both male and female students, has 96 single rooms.

Katoko believes that people are molded by their early experiences and that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

Ankrah resident Lynn Abaasa, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, describes Katoko as an approachable and consistently present custodian.

“When we have a challenge, we can easily go to Katoko. I recall the night she called the plumber to fix a water problem at night,” Abaasa said, adding: “She also offered me her laptop when I didn’t have one during exam season.”

Reflecting on her experience, Katoko encourages UCU students to embrace challenges. “There are challenges you may face as a student, but I urge you to seek guidance because, from an informed decision, you will have an informed choice,” Katoko said.

In the future, she hopes to become a children’s advocate. She intends to set up an organization dedicated to the promotion of children’s rights, inspired by Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

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‘We’ve been created to be in each other’s lives’

February 9, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Millie Mercy Namikka at the tulip gardens in Appingedam, Netherlands.

(This is the last in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Millie Mercy Namikka is outgoing and composed. Committed to social justice, she often finds herself advocating for the marginalized. This virtue has enabled Namikka to make many friends, both in her community and at school.

“You always find her freely interacting with people in her environment,” Hannington Kikulwe, Namikka’s father, says. “At home, she helps the workers with their chores and also buys them gifts.” Namikka says she learned service and contribution virtues from her parents. Kukulwe was an evangelist, and his wife, a reverend.

Namikka ready to ride her bicycle to her hall of residence during her time in the Netherlands.

It was, therefore, not surprising, when Namikka chose to pursue a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at Uganda Christian University (UCU). And that choice for a course eventually presented an opportunity for Namikka to travel out of the country for her very first time in February 2022. She returned to Uganda in August of the same year.

She was part of the eight students that UCU was sending to Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands for a resume-building exchange program and international exposure. The collaboration between UCU and Hanze is a conduit for cross-cultural exchange, fostering not only academic growth but also personal transformation for both students and lecturers.

Over 30 students have benefitted from this initiative. Dutch students and the faculty also have visited Uganda for field work in agencies in the country.

“I felt so lucky that I was leaving the country and what amazed me was the fact that I did not have to pay any money,” Namikka says, noting that when her friends learned of her imminent trip, they organized a get-together.

Once in the Netherlands, Namikka says it was not easy adjusting to the food and the cost. But she eventually did. With her friends, they pooled resources and started buying food in bulk, sharing costs, and sometimes traveling to Amsterdam to enjoy local food. Her diet also changed from bread sandwiches to pasta, Irish food, and more vegetables. This new way of eating has stuck with her to date.

Namikka in the vintage jacket and boots she bought in the flea market during the King’s Day

One memorable experience for Namikka was attending the King’s Day in the Netherlands. Marked every April 27, the day is a national holiday and celebrates King Willem-Alexander’s birthday with lots of music, dancing, flea markets and fun fair.

“Two days before and after the actual day, it felt like a big holiday. People sold things from their homes at reduced prices, and the streets were full of parties,” she said. “I was shocked, seeing everyone wearing orange, and others selling their items. But I used that opportunity to buy vintage boots and a lot of vintage clothes and items for friends at the flea markets.”

For her classes at Hanze University, they didn’t just stick to theories; they dived into real-life situations. One of her favorite courses was creating and sharing happiness and positive coaching techniques. Every day, they would talk about their day — what went well, what didn’t. It was like a daily life check-in.

This made her realize that life is a mix of little moments. Now, she shares this wisdom with people in her shared workspace. She tells them to live the moment, be aware of how they feel, and focus on their journey of recovery, not the past.

Namikka during one of her outreach programs at Teens Challenge Uganda

Kasule Kibirige, the UCU head of department of Social Works and Social Administration, said the partnership between UCU and Hanze has been immensely valuable for both students and faculty.

“They promote cross-cultural knowledge and skills sharing, and contribute to individual teaching and learning improvement,” he explained. He added that this collaboration fosters the development of academic networks through regular meetings during guest lecture exchanges.

Namikka currently works with Teen Challenge Uganda, a Christian rehabilitation facility. Here, her responsibilities include reaching out to children, schools, those in brothels and slums, creating support groups and offering counseling, therapy, discipleship, Bible study and awareness on addiction.

Her desire to mend broken hearts and help people learn from their experiences fuels her ambition to become a counseling psychologist. She hopes to return to school to pursue a master’s degree in that field.

“We’ve been created to be in each other’s lives, and sometimes when we are in each other’s lives, we hurt each other and we don’t know how to mend the broken hearts,” Namikka says. The 24-year-old envisions building a career in helping individuals triumph over trauma, grief, and life’s challenges, witnessing them thrive and embrace the joys of life.

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Asiimwe: Our parents inspired us to work hard

February 8, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Asiimwe Ruth waiting at a bus stop in the Netherlands.

(This is the fourth in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Pauline Luba
Love. Service. Prayer. Hard work. These four are virtues that Ugandan parents Gideon and Charity Rutaremwa instilled in their children, with the hope that they would become useful citizens later in life. In addition to drumming up those virtues, the children say they further learned a lot more, just by observing how their parents conducted themselves.

“I am always inspired by the way my mother interacts with people,” said Asiimwe Ruth, a student of Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Asiimwe chatting with other students in the exchange program.

Perhaps, it was this inspiration that drove Asiimwe into choosing Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU. Asiimwe’s mother, now in retirement, was a social worker, and worked at Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development.

Asiimwe attended Kampala Junior Academy for her primary education and Mengo Senior Secondary School for her Senior One. She was then taken to World of Life International School for the remainder of her high school education.

After World of Life International School, she had intended to pursue undergraduate studies from a university abroad. That did not work. When she opted for UCU, her heart was with a Bachelor of Laws. That, too, did not work. By the time she applied, UCU had already admitted its law quota for the semester. Asiimwe picked herself up and accepted the offer of Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration as she set out to follow in the footsteps of her mother.

Asiimwe says she will not leave the classroom until she has earned a PhD in social work.

In 2018, an opportunity to travel to the Netherlands was presented to her. She embraced it right away. UCU was implementing a collaborative venture that it had signed with the Hanze University of Applied Science, Groningen, Netherlands. The partnership involves having an exchange program for the students and faculty of the two universities.

The trip to the Netherlands for a six-month stay had been scheduled for August 2018. Kasule Kibirige, the head of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU, made the announcement to Asiimwe’s class, indicating that all applicants had to have a minimum of 4.0 of a 5.0 Grade Point Average. The applicants also were expected to have access to funds to help them sort out any emergencies. Asiimwe applied and was successful.

“It was my first time traveling alone and the trip was a process of self-discovery,” she said.

However, this was not Asiimwe’s first trip abroad. She had spent her childhood years in Philadelphia, Pa., USA, during the time her father was pursuing a PhD course.

“I was excited to finally travel,” she said of the Netherlands opportunity. “The disappointment for not traveling for my undergrad studies had really affected me.”

In the Netherlands, many ride bicycles as a means of transport. And that was the case with Asiimwe’s colleagues. However, Asiimwe often preferred the bus because she did not know how to ride a bicycle.

At the end of the six months, the students on the exchange program, hailing from several countries, including Turkey and United States, gathered on an emotional last night in the Netherlands to toast to the friendship that the 18 women and one man had created out of the program.

Asiimwe celebrated Christmas in the Netherlands.

Over 30 students have benefitted from this initiative. Dutch students and the faculty also have visited Uganda for field work in agencies in the country.

Kasule said the partnership between UCU and Hanze has been immensely valuable for both students and faculty.

“They promote cross-cultural knowledge and skills sharing, and contribute to individual teaching and learning improvement,” he explained.

In 2019, Asiimwe was a recipient of the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration of UCU. In 2020, she was back at UCU, to pursue a Master of Social Work. And she says she will not leave the classroom, until she has earned a PhD in social work.

For the virtue of hard work that the Rutaremwas instilled in their children, they have been able to reap some benefits. Asiimwe is a social worker, her elder sister is a medical doctor and her younger brother is about to complete his degree in mechanical engineering at a university in Ohio, USA.

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Elotu: How I coped with life in a foreign country

February 7, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

(This is the third in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian University students/alum who have had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Kefa Senoga
Once Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Elotu Mercy set foot in the Netherlands, one of the first things she did was locate a church where she could pray during her five-month stay in the European country. She got the church — Vineyard Church — as well as acquaintances who would become instrumental in her social and spiritual life in the new country.

In the church, Elotu met three Nigerian ladies, one of whom had received a Bachelor of Laws degree from UCU. The three Nigerians, Elotu and another UCU student, Milly Mercy, formed a quintet that for the next five months took time off their studies to tour the Schengen region.

Elotu Mercy with a friend from the Netherlands

Elotu, Mercy and three other UCU students were in the Netherlands in 2021 for a resume-building exchange program between UCU and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences. The exchange program is part of a collaboration that started between the two institutions of higher learning in 2017.

So far, more than 30 students have participated in the collaborative, with eight Ugandan social work students studying at Hanze University of Applied Sciences, and their Dutch counterparts also coming to UCU to carry out field work training in Ugandan agencies. Also, since 2018, annually, two UCU faculty have been invited to offer guest lectures in social work at Hanze, and the same has happened with Hanze faculty at UCU.

Elotu said her Nigerian friends advised that to enjoy touring other European countries, she needed to work so that she could save money for trips. Two months into her stay in the Netherlands, through an agency that employs international students, Elotu got a housekeeping job, where she worked for 16 hours a week. In the Netherlands, work permits for international students do not allow them to exceed 16 hours per week.

“We would work for two to three hours per day during weekdays. On Saturdays, we had opportunities to work in hotels, which was usually six hours,” says Elotu, the eldest of the five children of Joseph and Anne Grace Elotu. Her parents are both community workers.

Once the pay came in, Elotu and her student colleagues took advantage of their off-days from school to tour. In one of the trips, they spent four days in Paris, France, and a couple of hours in Belgium. Most of the trips were made possible by a less-demanding school schedule. In a week, Elotu says they had up to three classes at school.

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she struggled to adjust to the food.

“In Uganda, we have three heavy hot meals in a day. However, while in the Netherlands, we only had one hot meal in the evening. Our lunch in the Netherlands was usually bread and soup, even in most of the homes that we visited,” narrated Elotu, the most senior member in the group that traveled for the program.

Elotu, currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at the UCU main campus in Mukono, was the only post-graduate student in the team that traveled. As an undergraduate student, Elotu had been selected to benefit from the exchange program, but the visits were canceled because of the lockdowns at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. So, Elotu missed the opportunity. When the visits were resumed, Kasule Kibirige, the head of UCU’s social work department, encouraged her to re-apply.

While in the Netherlands, Elotu says she continued her Ugandan master’s classes online. For the course she undertook in the Netherlands, Elotu returned with a Diploma in Applied Positive Psychology of Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

Participating in the exchange program broadens the worldviews of students, and many of them gain broader insights into professional practice, according to Kasule. He said participants report greater interest in personal exploration and increased professional growth.

“More academic networks have developed through regular meetings between faculty members during guest lectures,” Kasule elaborates.

Elotu is currently working in the eastern Uganda district of Soroti, with Destiny Community Development Initiative, a non-governmental organization.

Before joining UCU, Elotu attended Joy Christian Primary School in eastern Uganda for his primary education, and then St. Joseph’s SS Naggalama for O’level and Nabisunsa Girls School for A’level. Naggalama and Nabisunsa are found in central Uganda.

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Journey of learning, networking and compassion beyond borders

February 6, 2024News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Racheal Drateru, studying in the UCU school of Social Sciences, is among students chosen for a semester of international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

(This is the second in a series of five stories profiling Uganda Christian students/alum who had experience in international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.)

By Bena Nekesa
“Just as plants need sun, water and good soil to thrive, people need love, work and a connection to something larger.” So says American social psychologist and author, Jonathan David Haidt.

This epitomizes the vision of Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Racheal Drateru. She wants to establish an orphanage, fueled by the poignant scenes of suffering children witnessed during her family travels. The images of malnourished babies, tiny girls carrying jerrycans of water, boys toiling in the fields and malaria infection without medicine or mosquito protection inspire this deeper calling.

Racheal Drateru, right, with a student in her international studies cohort in Holland in 2023.

The desire to help such communities is reinforced by her studies in the UCU school of Social Sciences and part of who she is, including her 2023 international studies at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. While there, she also got the chance of traveling to other cities and countries such as Paris in France, Copenhagen in Denmark and Hamburg in Germany.

Racheal Drateru found herself at the crossroads of a life-altering opportunity when her department head, Kasule Solomon Kibirige, introduced the possibility of a study exchange program to the Netherlands. On February 2, 2023, Racheal ,accompanied by two other students, embarked on a six-month journey to the country in northwestern Europe.

Despite initial hesitations, Racheal stood as a lucky student among the 15 applicants for the study exchange program which embraced her chance to broaden horizons. The excitement of this venture prompted Racheal to share the news with her father, Moses Draza, a Christian and a social worker, whose character influenced his daughter. Racheal is also blessed with a mother and step-mother, both business ladies supporting her dreams. She choose UCU through the influence of her parents and a match with her Christian character.

Racheal on her bicycle – the regular mode of transportation in the Netherlands.

Navigating the Dutch culture proved challenging for Racheal as she grappled with the emphasis on punctuality and the persistent cold weather. Yet, she maintained a positive mindset, focusing on the primary objectives of networking, making enduring friendships, and academic growth. Racheal’s time in the Netherlands fostered an openness to diverse perspectives, encouraging her fellow students to embrace opportunities for cross-cultural exploration.

Beyond the academic benefits, Racheal’s journey abroad served to further crystalize her vision to help others. Instead of starting an orphanage, she realized the value of first working with a child-based NGO.

“Students at Hanze were open-minded and free,” she said. “I thought more freely and clearer about how to accomplish my vision. I started thinking, too, about how I could work with refugees.” Racheal’s advice to others engaged in international study is: “Learn to be open minded and embrace cross-cultural communication.”

Expressing heartfelt gratitude to her lecturers for guidance, Racheal age 22, continues to be committed to a personal project aimed at aiding the vulnerable in her community.

As Rachael Drateru returned to Uganda in July 26, 2023, her journey became a testimony to the transformative power of education, cultural immersion, and the unwavering support of family. “Beyond Borders” became a rallying cry for students to seize opportunities, embrace diversity, and wield education as a potent tool for positive change in their communities, Racheal’s indomitable spirit of learning, networking, and compassion.

Racheal hails from Arua city, a Lugbara by tribe from Ayivu. In addition to her parents, she has eight siblings. She obtained her secondary education from St. Mary’s boarding secondary school, a school that in 2020 led her to UCU, working toward a bachelor’s degree in social work.

“My advice for the rest of the students is never take an opportunity for granted because it’s a blessing since not everyone is able to attain it,” she said. “This enables one to travel across borders and network with others from other countries, including learning new things that are not in your country.”

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UCU students advised to safeguard personal information online

February 1, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Science and Technology, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
It is not uncommon for people to post on the Internet, informing their followers on social media about an impending trip, and where they will be going. However, such actions, according to an online safety expert, could jeopardize one’s security.

Baker Birikujja, the Manager for Compliance and Investigations at the Ugandan Government’s Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO), said when people use social media to share their locations and upload photos of their travels on a regular basis, it makes it easy for people with bad intentions to harm them.

Baker Birikujja, Manager for Compliance and Investigations at the Ugandan Government’s Personal Data Protection Office, addressed students during the sensitization talk.

Making a case for data privacy and security at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Birikujja urged the students to pay more attention about the kind of information they share on the internet and with whom they share what information.

“Only share information with people you trust, anything you upload on the internet can be stored and used against you,” Birikujja told students during an address on January 24. The event was organized by the Computing Sciences and Engineering Students’ Association in the UCU Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology.

“You may not have something to hide, but there are people who value your data and they could use it for not-good intentions,” Birikujja counseled.

His call came as part of activities to preach the importance of personal information, as the world marked the International Data Privacy Week, January 21 to 26. The International Data Privacy Day is celebrated every January 28.

Birikujja, a lawyer, also referred to the risk associated with downloading some mobile applications (apps). He said some apps collect sensitive information about the phones on which they have been installed, as well as the digital profiles of the users.

In a study conducted from 2018 to 2020, Privacy International, a global agency that works to promote the human right to privacy, reported it was discovered that some menstruation-related applications were sharing certain sensitive information with companies such as Facebook, without user knowledge.

UCU students attending the data privacy awareness campaign at Ankrah Hill on the main campus

“Out of the 36 apps we tested, we found that 61% automatically transfer data to Facebook the moment a user opens the app. This happens whether the user has a Facebook account or not, and whether they are logged into Facebook or not,” Privacy International wrote on their site.

It added: “We also found that some of those apps routinely send Facebook incredibly detailed and sometimes sensitive personal data. Again, it didn’t matter if people were logged out of Facebook or didn’t have an account.”

However, in a response, Facebook said: “Developers can receive analytics that allow them to understand what the audience of their app enjoys and improve their apps over time. Developers may also use Facebook services to monetise their apps through Facebook Audience Network.”

Ddumba Timothy, the interim chairperson of the UCU Cyber Security Chapter, said they intend to organize more awareness campaigns to teach people how to keep their data private. Ddumba said they distributed fliers with information on data privacy, such as teaching readers how to safeguard their passwords, for instance, by changing them frequently.

In 2019, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni assented to the Data Protection and Privacy Bill, making it law. The Data Protection and Privacy Act, 2019 protects the privacy of an individual and personal data by regulating the collection and processing of personal information. The Act also provides for the rights of the persons whose data is collected and the obligations of data collectors, data processors and data controllers as well as regulates the use or disclosure of personal information and for related matters.

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Students share how UCU helps build their faith

January 30, 2024News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Schools like Uganda Christian University (UCU) provide a platform for students to develop a religious identity, with the view that such a move will enable them to deepen the understanding of their faith. Such schools often also offer an environment that allows the cultivation of a sense of belonging among students. Pauline Luba recently talked to UCU students to better understand how the university has helped them develop their faith.

Isaiah Tom Opio, Bachelor of Business Administration, Year 1

My educational journey has taken me through different communities and settings. And that has meant that I had to adapt to the different cultures in which I found myself. Each time I found myself in a new environment, I have had to reassess and re-establish myself in a way that allows me to fit in.

In a way, God has always been using me to bless those around me. I learned this as I grew older and got deeper in life and began to understand my identity in Christ and who I was in the presence of God. That helped me understand and see the bigger picture of what God was doing in my life. So, I’ve been able to build better relationships and learned to connect on a personal level with the people around me. One of the safest and most productive places for growth is the community in which someone is living. Uganda Christian University provides a community that allows people to express themselves in a spiritual way in the understanding of Christ.

Amayo Samantha Aleni, Bachelor of Journalism and Communication, Year 2

I think God is using me to bring healing to the cities and the nations through ministry. I’m quite passionate about ministry, so I volunteer my creative skills to the youth and young adults’ ministry at Watoto Church in Uganda. This way, I can impact broken and disheartened youth by showing them God’s unconditional love through my works. I believe the continuous fellowships at Uganda Christian University help reinforce my value of Christianity. Whether it is community worship or fellowship with fellow coursemates, it helps me remain accountable to God as I’m always surrounded by His presence, an atmosphere UCU doesn’t fail to create.

Hilda Marianne Asio, Bachelor of Laws, Year 2

I’ve grown to learn that one’s relationship with God should not stem from the perspectives other people have but rather from one’s own experiences with God. I’ve had several encounters with people who have never experienced God’s presence in their lives, or so they say. All I say to them is pray to God so that they can receive His blessings before the time is too late for them to give their lives to Christ. In other words, I feel like God is using me to help others discover Him in their unique ways rather than “indoctrinating” them. When I joined UCU, I found my Christian family, and that has helped grow my spirituality.

Esther Kabwe, Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Year 3

It feels different when you’re within a space where people are not ashamed of the gospel. It’s a relief knowing that I can greet a random person by the phrase “Praise Jesus” and they won’t judge me because I am in a Christian setting.

One time, a friend received sad news and she was crestfallen. To lift her up, I invited her to a prayer in the open. It then hit us that we didn’t have to hide for fear that people would think praying was weird. I advise others to have a group of friends that you can share matters about faith with, people who can send you scriptures, invite you to church, and be ready to pray for and with you.

Sifa Kubalezaga Nadège, Bachelors of Business Administration, Year 2

As a choir member, I believe God used me to preach to His people through songs of adoration and worship. God is the center of my life; He has been there for me and is still walking with me. To me, worshiping God is not because it is an obligation, but, rather, a sign of appreciation towards the many good things He does in my life. UCU contributes to the development of my Christian life through activities such as community worship and family fellowship, where we get time to meet as a community and speak to God. We also use the opportunity to share with Him our burdens. Sunday services enable me to fulfill the commandment of the respect for the Sabbath.

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Education, experience propel alum to serve humanity

January 26, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Paul Ssenyonga (holding microphone) during one of the activities of his non-governmental organization, Save A Youth.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Paul Ssenyonga, a recipient of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, is using his education and real-world experiences to make a difference.

One part of his story involves his help to pregnant and parenting teens because of his first-hand observation when living with a teenage relative who impregnated a 16-year-old girl. Ssenyonga saw lack of financial livelihood, community shunning and fear of hospitals as among the challenges of this early, unwed pregnancy. Still a student himself, Ssenyonga offered emotional support, reinforcement of the importance of antenatal care and chipped in what little money he had to help the young boy and girl.

Ssenyonga speaks to youths on mindset change during a skilling workshop in Kampala.

Ssenyonga, 27, says the obstacles the girl faced opened his eyes to the trials of other teenage mothers.

Amidst the challenges, Ssenyonga saw an opportunity to empower teen mothers, first, starting with the 16-year-old who was carrying the baby. Together, with the soon-to-be-father, they empowered 17 youths to make paper bags and liquid soap with the hope that a skill like that would support the livelihood of the teens, a majority of whom had dropped out of school.

The success of that first venture inspired Ssenyonga to register Save A Youth, a non-profit organization, in 2019. His intention was for the organization to help more people, beyond just teenage mothers.

Ssenyonga speaks during a Rotaract function.

In 2020, Ssenyonga says he found out that many young people were struggling with challenges related to drug addiction and sexual promiscuity, something he says presented an opportunity for him to continue making a difference in the community.

Fortunately, he had taken an addiction therapy course, which he used to his advantage while interacting with the young people.

In addition to his work with the non-profit, Ssenyonga also serves humanity as a Rotaractor, aligning with his belief that generosity begets positive response from nature. Serving as the President of the Rotaract Club of Mukono from July 2022 to June 2023, Ssenyonga supported Mukono General Hospital to acquire a fully-equipped teen mother facility through the Mukono Rotary Club.

The commissioning of the zebra pedestrian crossing at Jinja Road next to the general hospital in Mukono.

He also mobilized the painting of a zebra crossing (pedestrian crosswalk) on a road near Mukono General Hospital.

And that’s not all.

Ssenyonga also offers voluntary service to Buganda, Uganda’s biggest traditional kingdom. In Buganda, he is in charge of publicity in Kyaggwe county, one of the divisions of the kingdom.

“Serving the king isn’t a paid assignment because we are responsible for the wellbeing of our king,” Ssenyonga, who is a master of ceremonies, said. He says his devotion to the kingdom is the most fulfilling experience of his life. It’s not just a job for him, it’s a calling that goes beyond financial compensation.

Born to Nathan Kigongo and Catherine Namutebi of Mukono district, Ssenyonga is the first of five siblings. He attended Little Cranes Primary School, Kanjuki Secondary School, and Paul Mukasa Senior School. All the three schools are found in central Uganda.

Despite his parents’ initial desire for him to study law, Ssenyonga chose social work at UCU.

“I chose UCU for its clearly defined values-based system,” Ssenyonga said. “I pursued social work to impact the community, inspired by my transformation from a stubborn high school student. I aspired to assist someone like the past me, bringing a professional touch to school talks.”

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Alum journey from teacher to refugee researcher

January 24, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

John Vianney Ahumuza, UCU alum working on his doctorate degree research focused on Uganda refugees, wears a traditional Ghanaian shirt. His PhD course is at the University of Ghana.

By Pauline Luba
Beyond imparting academic knowledge, John Vianney Ahumuza has been a teacher espousing a lot of both life and school values. It’s a calling he gleaned from his parents, Joseph and Mary Bagambe — both primary school teachers — who ensured their three children loved learning just like they loved teaching.

“He was a brilliant and inquisitive boy,” Mary says of her now 43-year-old son. “As a child, Ahumuza used to ask many questions, even though he studied in rural schools. We once saw a beautiful bird that was singing, and he asked if that was the preacher of all the other birds.”

In 2004, Ahumuza made history in his village in the western Uganda district of Rukungiri by becoming the fourth person to acquire a degree. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Education at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Initially, Ahumuza had hoped to pursue a course in law. However, he says the marks he garnered in Senior Six national examinations and his parents teaching salaries could not guarantee him an opportunity in that field. A course in education became the natural choice.

“I love teaching and, along the way, I discovered that reading gives one a lot of opportunities. From childhood, academics were always instilled in us,” Ahumuza explained.

He attended Kishonga Primary School, which was 2km (1.2 miles) away from his home. From Kishonga, Ahumuza went to St. Gerald’s High School, also in Rukungiri, and then St. Mary’s College Rushoroza, in Kabale district, south-western Uganda, before joining UCU, where he was one of the student leaders. In 2012, he enrolled for a Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies at Makerere University.

From that foundation, Ahumuza has scaled the education ladder, and is currently winding up with his research for a PhD course he is pursuing at the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, which hosts over 50,000 students, with 7,500 of those graduate students. The scholarship, which seeks to develop 30 PhDs in Africa, is offered at three universities in the continent — the University of Ghana, Makerere University in Uganda and a university in South Africa.

With his topic “The Refugee Question in Ugandan History, 1942-2010,” Ahumuza believes his research will, in addition to contributing to the body of knowledge on the subject, also help to harvest indigenous knowledge to enable the creation of appropriate policies to help in the response to refugee-related issues.

Ahumuza’s choice of the subject of refugees in Uganda is not by accident. For many years, the country has hosted refugees and asylum-seekers from more than 10 countries, such as Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Many of the refugees and asylum-seekers run away from conflicts in their countries.

As of December 31, 2023, Uganda had 1,615,162 refugees and asylum-seekers, according to statistics by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Of these, over 1.5 million were refugees, with South Sudan responsible for over 900,000 of that number. The Democratic Republic of Congo contributed over 500,000 of the number.

Ahumuza, who is currently in Uganda completing his data collection before returning to Ghana to complete his studies, is married, and a father of four girls. While in Ghana he regularly holds online conversations with his family, to ensure his absence is not felt that much. He thanks his wife, Nyangoma Patience Ahumuza, who he says has been able to run the family in his absence. During his free time, Ahumuza likes reading for pleasure, listening to music and sport fishing.

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Lawyer who escaped Kony insurgency wins elite South African scholarship

January 22, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Frank Mike Ogwang Uche joined UCU to study for a Bachelor of Laws in 2016. He said he made the decision to study law in Senior Six.

By Pauline Luba
Frank Mike Ogwang Uche grew up in a life of scarcity, sometimes hiding from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) extremist group and intermittently being inspired by adults who worked as a driver and another as a teacher.

Schoolmates often bullied him for the things he lacked, mocking his poverty. For instance, while in secondary school, Ogwang says he was teased for owning only one pair of underwear. Though he tried to develop a thick skin, there were times he was overwhelmed to the point of contemplating suicide.

Indeed, the world is a better place with Ogwang in it – something recognized by many.

At UCU, Ogwang graduated with a second-class upper degree.

Now a lawyer, Ogwang managed to squeeze his way through the narrow passage of education, with his most recent academic achievement being admission to South Africa’s University of Cape Town under the Mandela Rhodes School scholarship. At the University of Cape Town, Ogwang will pursue a master’s degree in environment and energy law.

“When they (scholarship foundation) called, I was freaked out,” he said. “It was quite emotional, knowing that everything I believed in as a child was coming true.”

Pursuing a master’s degree in law at one of Africa’s elite universities is a dream come true for the sixth born in a family of 12 whose childhood life is one he wants to erase from his memories.

Ogwang, who was born in Soroti and raised in Lira, a district in northern Uganda, slept in the bush on many occasions as his family kept away from the atrocities committed by Uganda’s rebel leader Joseph Kony and his rebel group, the LRA. From 1986 and for 20 years, the LRA waged an armed struggle against the people of northern Uganda.

Since Ogwang’s peasant father — Atum Richard — had other families, it became difficult for him to provide the basic necessities for Ogwang and his siblings. As such, his mother — Akao Hellen — had to take over the full responsibility of caring for the family that often struggled to get food, clothing and school requirements.

When he joined Rehoboth Integrated High School in Jinja district, Ogwang met an American benefactor who sponsored his education up to the end of Senior Five. From university up to when he completed his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre, Ogwang’s tuition and other basic needs were being met by a Canadian family.

In 2016, Ogwang joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) to study for a Bachelor of Laws. He said law was never his dream. In their neighborhood, there was a man who earned a living as a driver. That man, Ogwang says, inspired him to be a driver when he grew up. However, priorities later changed. His literature teacher in secondary school was so kind and inspirational that Ogwang almost got lured into a career in teaching.

However, each time as he looked at his past, what reflected back were the injustices due to the bullying he met because he did not have as much as his other schoolmates, as well as the injustices his family and the people in northern Uganda faced at the height of the insurgency caused by the LRA rebels. As such, Ogwang found a career in law.

“A child’s biggest asset is to have peace, and be able to play,” Ogwang said, adding: “I didn’t have that. We were always either running, sleeping in the bush, or hearing of abductions and violence.”

“I wanted to fix the injustices caused by the insurgency in northern Uganda. I wanted to find a way to help my community,” said Ogwang, who is a program Associate at Uganda National NGO Forum and currently a teaching assistant at UCU’s Kampala campus. He made the decision to pursue a career in law in Senior Six.

Once he set foot at UCU, Ogwang ignited his passion for leadership, serving as one of the student leaders, as well as in clubs he felt would help improve his social skills. For instance, he joined the International Justice Commission, as well as Para Counseling and the Africa Youth Leadership program, where he was able to groom social skills, meet several people and build his character.

“Frank is intelligent and creative,” Richard Agaba, a tax lawyer in Kampala, said. “For the time I have known him, he has grown more confident from a rather shy personality.” Agaba and Ogwang were students at UCU.

“I have never doubted his determination and I knew that from an early age,” Ogwang’s mom said, adding: “He is an ambitious man. He has overcome many obstacles to reach where he is. I am proud of him. This scholarship has come because he is always aiming higher, and it is a reward for that.”

At UCU, Ogwang graduated with a second-class upper degree and also set up businesses, such as salons, around the campus, to help supplement his income. The salons are still operational to date.

As Ogwang begins his postgraduate studies in South Africa, he hopes to use the knowledge he will acquire to support the transition to clean energy and offer environmental consultancy on the green economy.

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Pamela Tumwebaze: From UCU student to Director of Student Affairs

January 18, 2024Faculty, Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Pamela Tumwebaze addressing people in Nkoyoyo Hall.

By Kefa Senoga
When Pamela Tumwebaze joined the three-year-old Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2000 as an undergraduate student, neither she nor the institution envisioned that it was the start of what would become nearly two decades of a symbiotic relationship.

In the 21 years since Tumwebaze completed her undergraduate course at UCU in 2003, she has worked both for UCU and other organizations beyond the university. The farther she moved away from UCU, however, the harder her heart beat for her to return to her alma mater.

When she left the country for a teaching job in Rwanda, she was there for just two years. When she went farther to Tanzania for yet another teaching job, it was not for more than one year.

Tumwebaze during one of the Honors College mentorship programs.

Tumwebaze eventually returned home, but was still hesitant to return to UCU. As such, she got a job in a non-governmental organization, but that was not for long, until she returned to her home, UCU. Today, she is the university’s new Director of Students Affairs (DOSA).

Tumwebaze recalls that in 2003, after attaining her Bachelor of Arts with Education from UCU, she took a job as a tutorial assistant in the Faculty of Education. Thereafter, she pursued a Master of Arts in Literature at UCU. She is currently completing another master’s degree, MA Strategic Communication at UCU.

At the university, she has served in the positions of teaching assistant, administrative assistant, Executive Assistant to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic Affairs, Executive Officer to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Finance and Administration and the Head of the Honors College, a role she currently juggles with being DOSA, a position she has held for three months now.

As DOSA, Tumwebaze says she has to serve all the students in the university, as opposed to the job at Honors College, where it’s just a select few of the university’s top students. The Honors College, whose concept is borrowed from the Dutch and American universities, admits only the institution’s crème de la crème students from the different faculties.

Applicants must have at least a 4.0 Cumulative Grade-Point Average out of 5.0 to be enrolled to the college that offers talented students the opportunity to tap on their mettle through an extra certificate-program, alongside the regular bachelor’s degree course.

Tumwebaze says she enjoys working and guiding young people who are still going through formation. “I love to see them become adults, I also love the chaos that comes with being young because I guess it says much about them,” she notes.

“Being DOSA means looking at probably a 20-year-old troublesome young adult. But five or more years from now, that 20-year-old may be a CEO or a big-name journalist; so, what can we do now to make sure that they become that?” Tumwebaze asks.

As a mother, Tumwebaze views students as children, she understands that each child has weaknesses and uniquenesses and that there is something about each of them that needs to be groomed into something better. She is a mother of two boys and is married to Alexander Matsiko whom she met at UCU.

“As the older generation, we have the burden of putting things into perspective for the younger generation; if we don’t focus on that then we could lose the next generation,” Tumwebaze warns.

She notes that her job as DOSA requires a skill set that comes with having an open mind because “everyday has its own shocks.”

Tumwebaze comes from a large family in Mbarara, a district in western Uganda. She attended St. Helens Primary School Mbarara for her primary education and Kyeizooba Girls Secondary School in Bushenyi district for her secondary education. From Kyeizooba, she joined UCU for her undergraduate course.

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Green economy project leaves mark in four East Africa universities

January 16, 2024Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

UCU DALILA project coordinators share their experiences. Left to right: Dr. Miria Agunyo, Dorcas Magoba, Sempungu Godfrey, Rodgers Tayebwa, and Pascal Mulosi.

By Kefa Senoga
As a project established to foster a green economy in Africa closes at four universities in East Africa, the institutions are counting the benefits they have accrued from the multi-institutional venture that has been running for three years.

The DALILA project, a collaborative venture, sought to increase awareness about clean energy, climate change, the green economy, and global emission targets. To achieve this goal, the project, courtesy of a 99,993,700 Euros ($117.8 million American) grant, was supposed to lead to the creation of new academic curricula on sustainable energies and green economy in Africa, as well as the installation of green laboratories at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Uganda Martyrs University, and two Tanzanian institutions — the University of Dodoma and the State University of Zanzibar. The Education, Audio-Visual and Culture Executive Agency of the European Union provided the grant for the project.

UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration), David Mugawe, at the closure of the DALILA conference in December.

The Swahili origin of DALILA means delicate and gentle. Since 2020 and connected to UCU, it refers to the Development of Academic Curricula on Sustainable Energies and Green Economy in Africa. It’s a capacity-building project funded by the Education, Audio-Visual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Union.

The courses were rolled out at the four universities, as were the green laboratories. For instance, Uganda Martyrs University developed and implemented the undergraduate course on the green economy in Uganda, while UCU created the curriculum for a related post-graduate diploma course.

When Uganda’s supervisory body for curricula in higher institutions of learning, the National Council for Higher Education, gave the nod for the rollout of the course at UCU, the first cohort was admitted in 2022. That group was among the 986 students who graduated at UCU’s October 13, 2023, graduation, according to UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Rev. Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa. The nine students received the Post-Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Business and Renewable Energy from UCU.

Pioneer graduates share their internship experiences in Europe and Africa at the closure of the DALILA conference in December.

At a seminar held in December 2023 to mark the closure of the project at UCU, the university’s Director of Academic Affairs, Vincent Kisenyi, underscored the project’s unique approach, emphasising that the integration of classroom learning with hands-on, practical experiences enables the learners to participate in renewable energy businesses while simultaneously contributing to environmental conservation.

One of the main objectives of the project was “transferring both theoretical and practical skills, identifying and bringing together stakeholders, creating links and synergies between companies and those who will be the professionals of tomorrow, and preparing them to be the driving force of positive change.”

The green laboratories established at each of the four project-implementing universities in East Africa were equipped to enable the students to achieve skills in converting sunlight into electric energy using photovoltaic panels. At the State University of Zanzibar, the green laboratory was equipped with solar simulators, lab computers, sputtering units, photovoltaic panels, DC voltmeters, and DC ammeters, among others.

Partners outside Africa in the European Union three-year funded project through the Erasmus+ Programme were Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, the University of Cadiz in Spain, and professional agencies, such as Sahara Ventures in Tanzania, Asud in Italy, and a renewable energy organisation called INOMA Renovables in Spain.

The Director of Research, Partnerships, and Innovation at UCU, Assoc. Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, said the project has taught them how to respond to climate-related issues by educating them on how to improve the world and how to take advantage of business opportunities that arise from the different life challenges.

During a seminar to close the project at UCU, Eng. Simon Sekitoleko, the Assistant Commissioner for Renewable Energy in Uganda’s energy ministry, said: “As the nation embraces cleaner energy sources, UCU’s role in offering a postgraduate diploma in sustainable business and renewable energy is recognised as a crucial step in building capacity and turning graduates into job creators.”

David Mugawe, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Finance and Administration, said that the project’s combined focus on business and renewable energy not only gave participants real-world skills but also sparked a collective response to urgent climate issues.

Sharon Longora, Agatha Ankunda, and Ronald Mayanja, who were part of the pioneer class of the PostGraduate Diploma in Sustainable Business and Renewable Energy at UCU early last year, travelled to Spain and Italy for a resume-building internship that included visiting solar and hydropower plants, doing hands-on experiments, and getting exposed to sustainable waste management research.

During an interview with Uganda Partners last year, Amos Mangeni, who was also part of the UCU team that travelled to Europe, said: “I visited a 100kw solar PV grid connected plant at the University of Cadiz faculty of business in Spain. This PV plant supplies energy to the faculty, and the surplus is connected to the grid for sale, especially during the day.”

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UCU alums urged to support their alma mater

January 12, 2024Faculty, News, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Former UCU guild presidents who were present at the prayer breakfast, from left to right: Kenneth Amponda (2020-2021), Prisca Amongin (2016-2017), Emmanuel Wabwire (2012-2013) and Timothy Kadaga (2019-2020).

By Kefa Senoga
Any meeting of alums is often a convergence of memories of school days gone by. Sometimes, the sharing at such an event includes reliving the mischief committed during the younger years as students try to find a footing in the world as young adults.

All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero, in the heart of Kampala, Uganda, hosted one such Uganda Christian University (UCU) Alumni Association breakfast meeting in December. In addition to the usual catching up and reliving memories of their time as students at UCU, the event, according to the alumni association, was to provide a space for prayer and reflection, acknowledging that individuals may seek spiritual guidance and solace in their personal and professional lives.

Alums Jimmy Siyasa, Auma Shivan and Eriah Lule.

The Rev. Moses Senyonyi, Secretary Religious Affairs at the UCU Alumni Association, said events like such gatherings promote friendship among the alums, in addition to strengthening their bond as they seek spiritual renewal. According to Senyonyi, the alumni association is looking forward to organizing such a reunion every year.

At the December event, UCU staff members such as Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Director of Partnership, Innovation and Research, and Mrs. Bridget Mugume, the former UCU Director of Students Affairs, were present. Mugume led the “intercession” during the prayer time.

The Rev. Richard Mulindwa, the manager in charge of UCU Church Relations, represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi. He thanked the alumni for what he referred to as “marketing the university”and urged alums to partner with the university administrators in order to develop their alma mater.

In 2021, UCU alumni launched a project in Mukono district, where members can buy land and settle in the same area. Twenty-seven members of an association of older students of the UCU Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Design bought 4.25 acres of land 20 miles away from Mukono town in central Uganda for the purpose of establishing settlement.

That launch was followed by a similar one in Budaka district, eastern Uganda, where the association bought more than three acres that were subdivided for members to acquire smaller plots of 50 feet by 100 feet at a cost of sh1.5million (about $406). The grand vision of the project is to turn the area into an estate, with all the social services that the residents would need. Initiatives like these have helped to market the university before the community.

Giving a keynote address at the December event, Dr. Charles Kahigiriza, the chairperson of the Anglican Church of Uganda Heads of Education Institutions Association, demonstrated the relevance of alumni in the growth and development of their alma mater.

“As alumni, we should align ourselves with the university’s master plan and strategic plan in terms of development,” Kahigiriza beseeched the people present.

He suggested collaboration with the administration in capital projects, research, and grants to improve the university’s ranking. Kahigiriza also tasked the alumni with organizing occasional career mentorship and guidance sessions for all students, participate in community engagement and advocacy on behalf of the alumni association.

In response to Kahigiriza’s request, Emmanuel Wabwire, the president of the UCU Alumni Association, said they would take the lead in organizing support for the UCU sports department. A total of 10 million shillings ($2,631) was pledged to kick start the cause.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, the provost of All Saints Cathedral who gave a sermon at the reunion, based her message on a passage in Psalm 86: “Revive us, oh Lord.” She encouraged the UCU alums to embody their alma mater’s identity in every aspect of their lives, urging them to live as missionaries, upholding a standard of ethics and integrity that sets them apart from others in the job market.

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Waiswa defies odds to become UCU Kampala guild president

January 10, 2024News, Students, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
Were it not for charity, Waiswa Moses might not have made it to university studies. His twin sister, Namukose Babirye, temporarily put a halt to education after sitting her Senior Four exams because their single mother, Namugabu Jaliat, a market vendor, could not afford the school fees.

Many familiar with Waiswa’s background did not approve of his desire to contest for the highest office of student leadership at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Kampala Campus. And their disapproval is not because they begrudged him the position of Guild President of the institution. They knew fully well the financial requirements to campaign. Even Waiswa knew he did not have the financial muscle to pull off a successful campaign.

But somehow, his mother, friends and students helped him to pool resources for his triumphant campaign. In December 2023, the third-year student of Bachelor of Laws was sworn in as the campus’ next Guild President, after he defeated his challenger, Molly Kebirungi.

The 22-year-old takes over power from Zedekkia Ssekyonda, a student in the School of Medicine who was the first medical student to lead the UCU Kampala guild presidency.

Waiswa and Mr. David Mugawe, the UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

In Ugandan politics, it is rare for people to fully fund one’s political campaigns of someone running for an electoral office. In most cases, it is the contestant who bears all the financial needs of running the campaigns for an electoral office, including facilitating the campaign agents.

Waiswa said in addition to providing the money, his friends also provided the vehicles he used for his campaigns. The money is usually used for fueling the cars, printing campaign fliers and posters and hiring a public address system and music to attract students to the campaign rallies.

In appreciation for the help he got from students and friends, Waiswa has aptly christened his leadership as the People’s Government. In his manifesto, Waiswa promised to “improve the academics, accountability, advocacy and level of sociability at the campus.”

Waiswa’s education has largely been courtesy of bursaries. Even currently, his tuition needs are being met by charity.

Waiswa joined Compassion International Uganda, a non-governmental organization, for leadership training, after completing his Senior Six. At the organization, Waiswa is a participant in the Leadership Development Initiative, a program that nurtures outstanding students into the leaders of tomorrow. The program empowers youth to become devoted disciples of Christ, unlocking their inherent potential and positively impacting their communities.

When Compassion International Uganda learned of the success of Waiswa in the elections, they congratulated him: “Through the Leadership Development Initiative, we focus on key outcomes such as growth in Christ, wellbeing, youth agency and self-sufficiency. We’re proud to see Hon. Waiswa Moses embodies these principles and we’re confident he will continue to make a meaningful difference in his role as guild President.”

Among the people watching keenly for Waiswa to complete his law degree are some of his five siblings, who are expecting that he will offer financial relief to them. His twin sister, Nakato, who hopes to become a nurse, says is soon joining a nursing and midwifery school to realize her dream.

Besides academics, Waiswa is also an enthusiastic scout. In 2018, he represented his school, Jinja Senior School located in eastern Uganda, at a scouts camp at the famous Ransburg Scout Reservation on the banks of Lake Monroe in Indiana, USA. At Jinja Secondary School, Waiswa was a student leader — the Head Boy from 2017 to 2018 and Head Prefect from 2019 to 2020.

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