Category Archives: Students

‘I am grateful to UCU for its competent dental team’

January 27, 2023News, Students, UCU School of DentistryPatty Huston-Holm

Peter Kabuye removing carious tissue from a patient’s tooth at UCU dental clinic

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The career journey of Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Dentistry student Peter Kabuye started out with bumps. In 2018, Kabuye was staring at a bleak future after missing out on studying dentistry at Makerere University, which he thought was the only institution with the program.

“When I was informed by one colleague of mine about UCU’s plan to start a School of Dentistry, I was extremely positive and happy that I was finally going to pursue a Bachelor of Dental Surgery,” Kabuye says.

Peter Kabuye doing an oral surgery during one of the trainings at Mulago Hospital in Kampala

UCU started the course in August 2018 to fill the gap of dentists in Uganda. Uganda Dental Association estimates that the country has only about 320 dentists licensed to practice in a population of over 45 million – that is a ratio of one dental surgeon for 146,000 people. The recommended dentist-population ratio should be 1:7,500, according to the World Health Organisation.

Kabuye says he ventured into dentistry because he wants to be an agent of change and influence in the oral health care sector globally. He is passionate about promoting oral health and preventing oral diseases in his community.

“There is still much to do in regards to promoting oral health,” he says. “I feel I am destined for greatness and I am inspired by Dr. Martin Aliker, to start up my own dental clinic,”. Dr Aliker is distinguished among Uganda’s first dental surgeons and with the first black-owned private dental practice in East Africa.

UCU’s holistic education
Kabuye is full of praises for the teaching staff of professional doctors that strive to impart medical professionalism at the school. “Dentistry being one of the most expensive programs, I dearly appreciate UCU for providing the clinic, equipment and meeting all the requirements needed to enhance our learning,” Kabuye says.

Kabuye performs a scaling and polishing procedure at UCU dental clinic

Students have a fully-fledged dental clinic where they are able to practice under the supervision of a doctor. “I am so grateful to UCU for its competent and good dental team which gives us skills of the practice that any student would want,” he adds.

It is a blessing to study at UCU because it teaches a complete education that includes spirituality. The staff and students gather for special worship for an hour, twice every week. Kabuye acknowledges that such fellowships have improved his spiritual life as a Christian.

“Every community worship session is a platform for learning. There’s always something to learn – for instance, when they preached about addiction and sexuality, I had a lot to learn during the session,” he recalls.

He says he has learned to be patient and honest, traits that have enabled him to handle patients properly.

Kabuye believes that one needs God in order to be a good dental surgeon. He explains that as dentists, they not only talk to their patients about the physical wellbeing, but also about their spiritual life.

“Some things are beyond human understanding, and one just needs God,” he quips.

Kabuye (second from the left) poses for a photo with colleagues after a community outreach organized by Uganda Dental Association at Makerere Dental School in Kampala

Now, in his final semester of the five-year course, Kabuye is fully motivated to be a dental surgeon that goes beyond making money, to one who serves humanity. He has pledged to sensitize communities about oral health education, especially to the vulnerable through dental outreaches.

Kabuye is a man on a mission inspired by the vision to “see patients leave with a smile on their faces” after attending to them. He will graduate this July a proud first UCU alumnus of the school of dentistry, who saw it blossom from a department under the school of medicine on its inception to morphing into a school in 2021.

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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’s Ddungu narrates journey to School of Medicine

January 25, 2023News, Students, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

Ddungu said his ultimate goal in life is to fulfill God’s purpose for him

By Pauline Luba
Tendo Jethro Ddungu long dreamed of being a doctor. However, it was not until he got to Senior Four that he shared his desires with his father, a specialist in public health. Upon receiving the news of his son’s career passion, Dr. Peter Ddungu did not think twice. He straightaway told his son to choose another career. Dr. Peter’s stand shocked his son, who had imagined his father, whom he looked up to, would be proud of him for choosing to follow in his footsteps.

But Peter had a reason for his stand. He knew medicine was not an easy course to study. Instead, he advised Ddungu to opt for a career in engineering, which the father sensed would be less demanding academically than medicine. However, Ddungu stuck to his guns.

“I understood the weight of the medicine course from an early age,” Ddungu said. “If I felt I was not up to the task, I would not have expressed interest.”

Upon seeing the determination of Ddungu, Dr. Peter eventually respected the wishes of his son. He thus supported him to achieve his dream. Ddungu is now in year four, pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala. He hopes to become a cardiac surgeon — a specialist in surgeries on the heart, lungs and other chest organs, as well as one who diagnoses and treats the same organs.

So far, Ddungu says one of his highlights at the School of Medicine was watching a specialist perform a chest surgery in the theater last year.

“There is a saying that a surgeon needs to know when not to cut,” said Ddungu as he explained his experience in the theater watching firsthand the medical procedure. “The surgeon should also have the heart of a lion (calm, no matter the situation), the eyes of an eagle (alert and strong sight) and the hands of an angel (delicate).”

The 23-year-old says he was able to witness this mantra as he sat through the specialist medical procedure last year.

The ultimate goal in the life of Ddungu is to fulfill God’s purpose for him, whether in family, business or any other area. He believes UCU offers the best place for him to accomplish God’s desires for him. Part of accomplishing God’s call is taking part in leadership in the community, which Ddungu, the eldest of three children of Dr. Peter and Mrs. Elizabeth Ddungu, has participated in, unreservedly. At King’s College Budo, where he had his O’level education, Ddungu was the timekeeper.

From Budo, he headed to Turkish Light Academy, where he studied A’level. During his time at Turkish Light Academy, Ddungu was the head of fellowship, a role he described as “difficult leadership” because the school was predominantly Muslim.

At UCU, the university Ddungu says he joined because it is known for “producing good professionals,” he has been a representative at the Uganda Christian Medical Fellowship. He also plays the guitar during community worship at UCU.

When he is not at school or in church, most likely, you will find Ddungu swimming, reading or hanging out with friends. He believes in the notion that no one can be too busy to participate in the things they love, as long as they set priorities.

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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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Mwesigwa’s loyalty to Christianity led her to UCU SoM

January 23, 2023News, Students, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

Mwesigwa Joy at the UCU SoM in Mengo, Kampala

By Kefa Senoga
Listening to Joy Mwesigwa’s path to pursuing a course in human medicine at Uganda Christian University (UCU), one cannot help but conclude that, indeed, this was a predetermined route for the 21-year-old.

Mwesigwa was mesmerized with the world of medicine as early as age 10 when her parents — Dr. Albert Siminyu and Mrs. Resty Nanziri Siminyu — would take her to a pediatrician. Mwesigwa names one particular pediatrician, Dr Jamil Mugalu, who she says conducted his work with so much ease and admiration that it played a role in motivating her to consider joining the profession. Mugalu is a senior pediatrician at Uganda’s national referral facility, Mulago Hospital.

“I admire doctors who can make a diagnosis with ease and offer treatment that actually works while still being compassionate, kind and are able to listen to the challenges of patients and their families,” says Mwesigwa, a second-year student of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at UCU’s School of Medicine.

Mwesigwa says her heart and mind resonated with a course in medicine and surgery because “it is in line with my passion to help people, regardless of the situation, learn more about the complexities of the human body and give back to society.”

Mwesigwa (standing, third-left) with student colleagues at the UCU SoM

Even at home, she says, her parents supported her choice of career by offering financial and emotional support. “My father sometimes makes medical research in line with the course units I am pursuing at university, in order to have medical conversations with me,” Mwesigwa said from her school campus in Mengo, Kampala, during an interview that was conducted online.

For the two years that Mwesigwa has sat in the classroom at the medical school, she has been able to discover that every patient is unique in their own way, which means that learning never ends.

Because of the complexity and the exciting nature of the human body, Mwesigwa says there are many concepts she has not yet understood, but that the answer lies in her conducting more research.

For the two years that she has been studying the course, Mwesigwa says she is already able to debunk some age-old myths that she learned in her community. One of them, for example, is that rain causes malaria. “I have learned that people in my community normally associate most fevers with malaria, which isn’t entirely true.”

And she is well prepared to debunk many more such myths because she believes that part of the social responsibilities of a doctor is to correct the misconceptions that society has about health, medicines and vaccines.

She believes that the spread of an epidemic like the HIV chronic immune system disease in Uganda is exacerbated by the myths and misconceptions that the society is fed on. She says young people protect themselves more from pregnancy than contracting HIV, which should not be the case since HIV has no cure.

Being a devout Christian, when Mwesigwa was making choices on where to pursue her degree course, it was obvious where her choice would be. “The fact that UCU is a university set up on Christian principles, I believed it would offer me the platform to learn to be a good doctor as I also practice my Christian values.”

In UCU, she says she has found a home with reliable friends that support her academically and spiritually. She points out key figures like the Rev. Onen Ocen Walter, the UCU SoM chaplain and lecturers like Dr. Lwanira Catherine and Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, who she says have often offered her advice.

Her choice of UCU is not surprising, given that for her secondary school, she attended Gayaza High School and Seeta High School — schools with a firm foundation on religious doctrine. At Seeta High School, she was the head-girl, president of the school’s Interact Club and the head of the ushers in the school chapel. At UCU, she is the secretary of the Writers’ Society of the university’s School of Medicine and a choir leader in the same school.

The virtues that Mwesigwa says she possesses — honesty, patience, kindness and being a collaborative team player — are vital for her career growth. In fact, she hopes to take advantage of them to see how far they can propel her into achieving a specialty in neurosurgery and a doctorate in medicine.

She also hopes to be able to set up a health facility and extend free medical camps to the underprivileged, with support from donors. And to be able to extend pro bono services to the community, Mwesigwa would desire practicing her profession in Uganda.

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UCU: How we kept Ebola virus at bay

January 13, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

A sample of one poster pinned on the university premises to create awareness about Ebola

By Kefa Senoga
Government authorities in Uganda could have declared the country Ebola-free on January 11, 2023, but the nearly four months of the virus in the country have seen 55 people lose lives — and many medical staff lose confidence in their abilities to comfortably work in the disease’s isolation units.

When the outbreak of the rare and deadly Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) was announced on September 20, 2022, many medical workers, including 10 doctors, offered to work in the isolation unit of the disease. However, there were reports that the number of medical personnel diminished as fears of catching the hemorrhagic fever increased.

And the fears were well-founded. According to the World Health Organisation figures, 19 medical workers contracted the virus, with seven of them losing the battle. A total of 142 cases were confirmed, and 55 of those died. Another 22 deaths were registered among suspected cases of people who died before samples were taken from them.

A letter from the student leadership informing the student community about the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease

Before the 2022 EVD outbreak, Uganda had other outbreaks in 2000, 2014, 2017 and 2018, with the one of 2000 registering the highest number of deaths — 224 — out of 425 cases.

One of the challenges brought about by health emergencies, such as the outbreak of Ebola, is the change of teaching methods in medical schools.

Namayanja Christabel, a medical student at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Medicine, said the outbreak of the virus in September meant that most students could not spend as much time in hospitals as they were accustomed to because it was putting them at risk of contracting the virus. Namayanja says medical student colleagues who had scheduled ward rounds at Uganda’s Mulago National Referral hospital abandoned the plans.

Mwesigwa Joy, another medical student at UCU, said they abandoned plans of working in the wards because of limited protection.

“The main reason is lack of enough protective equipment that can guarantee our safety,” Mwesigwa explained.

She, however, lauds her colleagues at the School of Medicine for promoting awareness about the disease when it broke out in September 2022.

“We had the Writer’s Society of the UCU School of Medicine write articles on Ebola and it raised a lot of awareness among the students,” Mwesigwa said.

She also noted that they always maintained the standard operating procedures, such as washing hands, keeping a social distance and wearing face masks.

Dr. Mulindwa Geoffrey, the Director of Medical Services at UCU, said the university undertook several measures to fight the spread of the disease.

“Sanitizers and hand-washing points were placed at all entry points of the university premises so that people could clean their hands as they are the main vehicle of disease transmission.”

Mulindwa says much of the awareness was passed through posters that they pinned in the different locations of the university.

On the measures that the university undertook to ensure no case of the Ebola virus was registered in the community, Jimmy Siyasa, the Acting Head of Communication and Public Relations at UCU, said: “As an institution of higher learning with over 11,000 enrolled students, we do not take disease outbreaks lightly.”

The successes registered by UCU in keeping the virus at bay are partly due to the national strategic direction that the country took upon the confirmation of the outbreak in September 2022. For instance, on October 15, 2022, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni imposed a three-week lockdown on movement of vehicles in the districts of Kassanda and Mubende — which were the epicenters of the virus. The lockdown also banned the movement of vehicles and motorcycles into and outside of the two districts located in central Uganda. The Uganda government extended the lockdown on two other occasions, eventually lifting it on December 17, 2022.

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Volunteering opens door for UCU alum after job loss

January 11, 2023News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Judith Nabwire is a field officer under the DREAMS project.

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
A Uganda-based thinktank, the Economic Policy Research Center, estimates that 41% of the jobs in the micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises were lost in Uganda as a result of the Covid pandemic. The job of Judith Nabwire, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumna and a social worker, was part of that statistic.

Nabwire squeezed her way through education in Uganda with limited finances. She completed Mbarara Secondary School and, with a sponsored scholarship from a church in Pennsylvania, USA, got a diploma and degree in social work and social administration as well as a certificate in gender training from UCU. She completed an internship with a German-based Off-Tu-Mission nonprofit and breathed a sigh of relief when she got employed with a Christian Non-Governmental Organization, Children Alive Ministry, which works with Mukono-area children, their families, and the church to bring about transformation and holistic wellbeing.

Nabwire at her work station at Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital Community Organisation.

For three years, all was well with Nabwire’s job. However, due to health challenges, in 2020, she got an extended leave of absence. At nearly the same time, Covid and the Uganda government lockdown happened.

“Some people got laid off at Children Alive Ministry, and I was one of them,” Nabwire said. At 34, with a family to look after, losing her job was a hardship.

It was at this point that Nabwire looked back at some of the friendships and connections she had made. Among the people she reached out to was an Ohio USA resident, Patricia Huston-Holm, a friend for about 10 years and the UCU Partners Communications Director. She says Patricia advised her to take up a volunteer opportunity at any organization. She took that advice, and it made the difference.

“I searched around Mukono in central Uganda, until a friend who happened to know someone at Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital referred me there,” she said. “They have a Community Based Organization, with a program called DREAMS, where I worked as a volunteer for the first six months.”

With Dr. Nsingo Simon Peter and others observing Nabwire’s efforts with the DREAMS HIV/AIDS prevention program, she proved her value in half a year. Now, Nabwire, who is married to Kavuma Douglas and has a three-year-old daughter, is officially an employee with the organization as a field officer. She has been paid since November 1, 2022.

Nabwire is among leaders with the DREAMS (determined, resilient, empowered, AIDS-free, mentored, and safe) program, a community-based project with strategies to give age 9-24 girls skills to help them acquire employability and avoid pre-marital sex and HIV/AIDS. She works with girls considered vulnerable because of economic, education and/or early parenting challenges – out of school and at risk of having babies out of wedlock or already teen mothers.

Nabwire’s determination and work ethic are influenced by hard-working, Christian parents who reinforced these values for all five of their children. Her father, John Wabwire, is a pastor for a church in Mbarara. He struggled to pay school fees on his salary.

After completing high school, Nabwire had no hope of continuing her formal learning because she knew her family did not have the means to fund a university education. It was at a Mukono church called Mount Olives that she met visitors from Pennsylvania and Ohio, namely Shirleen Nixon Johnson and Patricia in 2009. After first hearing Judith’s solo voice in the choir and then meeting her, the two women saw value enough to help the young woman further her education and a career. When they couldn’t personally assist, they found others in the United States to provide support.

“I always put my faith in God,” Nabwire said. “I am grateful to so many people for how He put them in my path as I appreciate that God uses me to help others.”

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Karen Drake saves lives through teaching life savers

January 9, 2023Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Dr. Karen Drake, right, with her UCU friend and Tech Park housekeeper, Sylvia Uwera, in August 2022.

By Kefa Senoga
When two-year-old Karen relocated with her parents from the USA to Japan for missionary work, little did she know that that act was an initiation into her future life.

Over the years, she has taught nurses in the USA and Africa on how to save lives. Dr. Karen Drake, a lecturer in the nursing programs at Uganda Christian University (UCU) and Bethel University in Minnesota, USA, has taught in the two institutions for the last two decades.

She describes her experience at UCU, where she has been lecturing since 2005, as marvelous. “I find teaching very rewarding and very fulfilling,” she says, noting that she’s impressed with the progress of some of her former students of the nursing program at UCU.

Throughout Karen’s career as a lecturer, one of the key virtues people always mention is the special bond she has with her former Ugandan students.

In October 2022, when she visited Uganda, her pioneer class at UCU organized a meet-up with her. “I listened to each one of them as they shared how they have progressed,” Karen said, adding: “One of them has completed a PhD and another is working with the Ministry of Health…That was a good day for me to meet and hear them mention how far they have reached with their goals.”

Even though she is a foreigner teaching mostly Ugandan students at UCU, she manages to connect with them academically and culturally.

“I came to UCU with some African experience from Zimbabwe, where I spent 17 years teaching in similar settings like at UCU, so my experience there helped me understand how things are done in Uganda,” she said.

Karen believes that the nursing program at UCU provides a holistic and extensive education to the students, especially since the course is taught from a Christian perspective.

“This helps nurses that have passed through this program to develop a caring spirit for their patients,” she said. “When our students give care, they give care from a Christian perspective exemplified by the love of their patients.”

Before the Covid-19 outbreak, Karen would come to Uganda to teach at UCU three times a year and would spend a couple of weeks on the campus each time. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 disrupted her schedule and everything was put online. Additionally, her caregiver role for an aging parent in Minnesota, USA, has cut visits to UCU shorter. She’s hoping to eventually resume her in-person schedule.

“Today, when I come to Mukono, I no longer spend so much time there because I am taking care of my father who is now 101 years old,” she said. “It is when my brother comes to take care of my father that I come to UCU. I came three times in 2022.”

Karen says she got acquainted with UCU through Bethel University, where she lectures. “I got introduced to UCU because Bethel had developed a strong partnership with them. I took Bethel students to UCU and other parts of Uganda, and some UCU nursing students also came and spent some time at the campus at Bethel.”

Karen says that the UCU community is welcoming. “When I stayed on campus at UCU, I had very good neighbors and friends, besides my nursing colleagues.”

Before coming to UCU, Karen says she stayed in Zimbabwe as a missionary. It is in Zimbabwe where she met her husband, who was also a missionary working as a doctor.

“We were married in Zimbabwe in 1975, and we have two grown children,” she said. “My husband also came to UCU many times before he passed on five years ago.”

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UCU student pushes the gospel of climate change

January 6, 2023News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

On September 3, Charles Lwanga Miti participated as a guest runner in an environment conservation marathon in western Uganda

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
August 20 is the birthday of Charles Lwanga Miti, a year-two student of the Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Miti chose an unconventional way to celebrate his birthday in 2022, by walking 50 miles from Kampala in central Uganda to Jinja in eastern Uganda.

Miti’s walk was in one way a celebration of the ideals that his name stands for in the Luganda dialect. In Luganda, a local language widely spoken in Uganda, Miti means trees. No doubt that Miti’s initiative was to create awareness about climate change. Titled “The Climate Walk,” Miti documented the initiative on his social media pages, with the hope that he would spread his initiative far and wide.

And, yes, he did.

Miti shared information about what CLAN does

Soon after the walk, Save Soil, a global movement, reached out to him to become their youth representative in Uganda. The goal of Save Soil is to show governments across the world that their citizens want policies that revitalize ecology and soil.

Miti at a tea plantation. He says farmers are increasingly finding it difficult to register bumper harvests because of longer dry spells.

Also, as a result of the awareness that Miti created, two weeks later, on September 3, he was invited to participate in a marathon in western Uganda as a guest runner.

But what could have sparked Miti’s interest in environmental conservation? “Through my experience as a farmer, I noticed that farming has been really difficult due to the longer dry spells,” he said.

Miti, who has been farming since 2015, explained that as a result of the recent longer dry spells, the harvests are not as high as previously was the case.

He started farming by growing tomatoes, but later diversified to green pepper, strawberries and watermelon. Later, he also started rearing goats and poultry.

However, because of the need to professionally run his business enterprise, as well as to increase its size and profitability, Miti enrolled for the accounting and finance course at UCU. Being in a community of youth, he started an initiative called the Climate Awareness Network (CLAN). He said he had discovered the need to sensitize the students more on the effects of climate change and what role the learners can play to mitigate them.

“It bothered me that many students believed combating climate change was not their role, but rather of policymakers,” he said.

“I knew that with the country’s largest population being youth, there wouldn’t be a better way to fight climate change without them being involved,” Miti added.

CLAN has partnered with student leaders of UCU to conduct outreaches, sensitizing people about the dangers of polluting the environment. For instance, it partnered with the student leaders to participate in cleaning Bugujju, a community that neighbors UCU.

Miti has learned to use resources at his disposal to amplify his message about the effects of climate change. Writing on the Standard e-platform, Miti makes a case for the need to understand what climate change is and what role one can play to mitigate it.

“Climate change affects us all, and so solving it is everybody’s responsibility, especially you, the youth,” he wrote.

Because Miti feels his is a noble cause, he is pitching to the Director of Student Affairs (DOSA) at UCU the idea of a like-minded club at the university, with the goal of championing environmental conservation and mitigating the effects of climate change.

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New education dean: ‘I see it as a calling from God’

January 4, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

Mary Kagoire (left), the newly appointed Dean of the School of Education at UCU, with Nassaka Olivia Banja, the predecessor of the former.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
When Mary Teophira Kagoire Ocheng applied to pursue a course at Makerere University in Uganda, her score in the national exams earned her the Bachelor of Education course toward a career that was not in her vision. Thus, she initially rejected the offer. However, her contemporaries prevailed upon her, and eventually convinced her to take up the course.

It is the fruits of that course that Kagoire has been benefiting from for more than 30 years. The latest in her line of achievements is the August 2022 appointment to the position of the Dean, School of Education, at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

“I’m excited to be the dean,” Kagoire said. “I see it as a calling from God to do His will.”

She considers her appointment as a great opportunity to contribute to the growth of the School of Education and she plans to do this by transforming the school into an icon of student recruitment, enhancing the quality of teachers being trained, and improving research among the faculty.

“As a school, our teaching focuses on the learner, and we follow it up with a lot of learner support in terms of using rich, student-centered approaches,” Kagoire explained.

Kagoire said she sees her new position of Dean as a calling from God.

She takes over office from the Rev. Canon. Assoc. Prof. Nassaka Olivia Bbanja who was recently appointed Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University, also founded by the Anglican Church in Uganda. Faith Musinguzi replaces Kagoire as UCU’s new Head of the Department of Education.

Before assuming the position of dean, Kagoire was the Head of Department in the School of Education and a coordinator of the PhD in Education Administration program. She also served as an academic mentor to PhD students. She praises UCU’s e-learning services, noting that she wants to see the university become an e-campus that is self-sufficient.

She holds the view that students learn on the job as they are sent out to practice what they are taught, noting that being a teacher enables one to gain confidence because of the constant interaction with the learners.

UCU is uniquely poised compared to other universities, Kagoire says. “The working environment at the institution is conducive, unlike the case in other universities, and the students are creative and empowered.”

During her free time, Kagoire plays golf. In fact, she served as lady captain at the Uganda Golf Club from 2016 to 2017.

The 61-year-old, who recently retired from Makerere University, after 27 years of service, joined UCU in 2018. She retired from Makerere University at the position of senior lecturer.

“As soon as I joined UCU, I was assigned to facilitate the curriculum review, and it gave me pride as a curriculum specialist to see all the faculties review their curriculum and have it accredited by the National Council for Higher Education within a short time,” said Kagoire, who earned her master’s in education, specializing in curriculum studies and PhD from Makerere University in 1991and 2003, respectively.

Kagoire’s replacement, Musinguzi, said she is pleased with the former’s style of leadership. “Dr. Kagoire is so approachable, kind and hardworking, and she doesn’t sleep over work; it has to be done immediately and she makes sure she doesn’t leave others behind.”

Jonathan Okello, a student leader in the School of Education, says Dr. Kagoire has already started meeting his expectations by helping students who are missing their marks. “I also hope she can at least help students who are unable to sit for exams because of tuition by sourcing scholarships,” he said.

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Partners board member Jack Klenk on his divine calling at UCU

January 2, 2023News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, USPPatty Huston-Holm

Jack Klenk (second-left) during his visit to UCU in May 2022. Second-right is UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi. At right is the Rev. Dr. Larry Adams. At left is Jack’s wife, Linda.

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Healthy rather than destructive competition in business is what Jack Klenk, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) Partners board member, prescribes. In addition to the necessary knowledge and skills, one should follow the “ethics and values” of business to achieve success, he says.

“You do not succeed in business if you are only competing with other people; you have to work together and things come to you voluntarily, including customers,” Jack said recently, during an online interview from his home in the United States. The interview was based on his activities with UCU Partners and UCU.

Jack describes Uganda as a very friendly country

He noted that a good business system is competitive, but not in the sense of hurting other people in order to be successful. So, to do entrepreneurship, you need not only the practical skills, but also the ethics, and that’s where a coach or a mentor comes in handy, he counsels.

“The UCU incubation hub should be an avenue to cross-pollinate business acumen, which is abundant in Uganda, with Christian values, and then entrepreneurship will flourish,” Jack says, referring to the application model under UCU’s School of Business.

“I hope it (the incubation hub) will prepare people with the skills to do well in a competitive environment, and not with the purpose of hurting other people, but rather to do your very best in order to help other people and glorify God.”

Jack’s involvement with the Anglican Church in Uganda dates back to 1964, when he first came to Uganda after an opportunity opened up to study at Makerere University and to be a teacher.

Since then, Jack has visited Uganda countless times, with his latest trip being in October 2022, to be part of the activities to mark UCU’s 25 years of existence.

Growing up in a Christian family, Jack says the virtues he learned had a big influence on his decision to come to Uganda. Since his family was involved in missions, they would have missionaries frequently stay at their home and at their church.

“We would always be hearing about what God was doing in other countries; this was very formative for me growing up,” he said. “When I went to the university, I had other involvements that helped me to understand and appreciate cultures of other countries; I even had a roommate from Uganda.”

He says he knew full well that he was not just an American, but also a Christian who had to be involved with other Christians to serve the Lord, and, therefore, when it was time to visit Uganda, he did not find it difficult to make the decision.

Jack describes Uganda as a “very friendly country” and he says he was overjoyed to discover so many brothers and sisters in Christ in the country.

“When I first came to UCU before Prof. Stephen Noll became the Vice Chancellor, the situation was very different from what it is right now,” he said. “The university has since expanded in numbers, in facilities, and in its impact on the country, and all those things have been wonderful to see.”

Although growth is linked to challenges, Jack says the most important thing is that UCU is centered on God, as the Alpha and the Omega, something which sets the institution apart. He says the institution will remain a special university and continue to make an impact in the country and beyond if it retains that special identity.

Everything we do is a divine calling, and so does Jack consider his involvement with UCU. Although some people are called in a very particular way, for instance, the prophets, he said that he has been called to follow through with his role as a Christian and a servant of God.

Through the members of the UCU Partners board, and the organization’s Executive Director, Mark Bartels, Jack said they are much involved in several activities in the university, and now UCU Partners has even taken on the Uganda Studies Program, where Americans come and study at UCU.

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Banja narrates how UCU prepared her for greatness

December 26, 2022Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

The Rev. Canon Assoc. Prof. Olivia Nassaka Banja is the new Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University in Uganda.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Hard work rarely goes unacknowledged. For the Rev. Can. Assoc. Prof. Olivia Nassaka Banja, the sweat that she has been breaking in the academic sphere has yielded results with her appointment to the apex management position of a university in Uganda.

Banja is the new Vice-Chancellor of Ndejje University. Her appointment makes her the third Vice Chancellor of Ndejje, and the first woman to hold that position in the university. Banja was the Dean of the School of Education at Uganda Christian University (UCU) for about a year prior to her new position.

“I’m grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to serve at UCU, where I have been groomed, shaped, mentored and equipped with skills that I am taking with me to serve and lead in another institution,” said Banja, who was head hunted for the position because of her stellar performance and tested legacy as an administrator at UCU.

Banja became the first female dean of UCU’s Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology in 2008 and served in the position till June 2014, when she became UCU’s Director for Teaching and Learning. It was from this position that she switched to head the UCU School of Education as its dean in September 2021.

Formerly Bishop Tucker Theological College, the school, which started in 1913, gave birth to UCU, in 1997. Looking at Banja’s academic journey before becoming the dean of the UCU’s Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, it was evident she was undergoing formative preparation for the big job. For instance, as early as 1993, she was the curate of St Andrew’s Cathedral Mityana Diocese and was made the acting vicar of the same cathedral the following year.

Banja was part of UCU’s inaugural staff members, serving as a lecturer and also the Female Students’ Warden. In 2004, she was promoted to the position of Senior Lecturer. She was part of the team that developed the first PhD program at UCU, the Doctor of Ministry.

The holder of a bachelor’s degree, three master’s and a PhD was ordained deacon in the Church of Uganda on December 19, 1993. She says that the day she committed her life to God was the day she “saw her path.”

Also in 1993, she was a recipient of a First Class in Bachelor of Divinity at the Bishop Tucker Theological College Mukono. In 1996, she earned a Master of Arts in Religious Studies of Makerere University and added another master’s degree, MA, Mission and Ministry of St John’s College, Nottingham University in the UK, the following year.

And Banja was not done yet, with her master’s degrees. In 2000, she earned her third, Master of Theology by Research of the University of Edinburgh. In the same year, she started her PhD course in the same university, graduating in 2004.

As she leaves UCU, Banja looks back with great pride at the first graduation ceremony of the university in 2000. She remembers typing and printing all of her exams before heading to the nearby Mukono town to photocopy because the university did not have such services at the time.

“After all we had done, seeing the university produce its first graduates was a great joy to me,” she said.

For all that the 55-year-old has achieved, she thanks her parents, James Lwanga and Daisy Ndagire. “My father didn’t have gender stereotypes, and he believed in me to be an achiever at a very young age.”

For her primary education, Banja attended Bat Valley Primary School and Nakasero Secondary School for both her O’level and A’level. Both Bat Valley and Nakasero are located in Kampala.

She married the Rev. Canon Venerable Moses Banja in April 2001. Banja says she spends her free time cooking and reading when not busy with academic or religious work.

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UCU student leaders donate to less-privileged children

December 21, 2022StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Some items that were given to children at the Rwambogo Refugee Camp

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Student leaders at Uganda Christian University (UCU) have carried out a community outreach – this time taking their philanthropy to the eastern Uganda district of Jinja.

Sixty students and student leaders recently journeyed to Rwambogo Refugee camp to donate school supplies, beddings, sanitary towels, clothes, shoes and food. The outreach, carried out in September, was the second by the outgoing UCU Student Guild, which serves as a link between students and administration at UCU. In November, UCU conducted elections for new guild leaders who will assume office sometime in December 2022.

“We wanted to share what we have with the less privileged in society,” said UCU Guild President Racheal Sserwadda. Making remarks with her vice president, Jonathan Kivuna, at her side, she added, “Basically, we are spreading love to those around us.”

Mwonyo’s Heart, a giving-back, charity group that was started by Kivuna, collected items from individuals throughout the UCU community.

The UCU student contingency cooked food, sang worship songs and played games with children during a day designed to bring hope within the settlement.

“Being here, and being able to minister to the children reminds me of my life as a young man,” Kivuna said. “I, too, grew up in a child development organization that was supported by a charity, Compassion International.”

Children at Rwambogo receive sweets from UCU students. (Photos by Vanessa Kyalimpa)

Jorem Edonu, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Laws, said his aim is provide optimism for the children to enable them dream big, and help them know they can achieve their dreams.

Elisha Muwanguzi, a projects officer at Eli Agape Givers International, the organisation that runs the camp, said many of the children in the camp have lost hope for a better life.

“They are used to a life of no fees, no food, or even visitors,” Muwanguzi said. He noted that the outreach by the students brought joy to the children.

Muwanguzi said Rwambogo Refugee Camp was initially started for the casual workers of Kakira, a sugar plantation in Jinja district, who came from various East Africa far countries. The workers have since married and have children living in the camp.

On May 21, 2022, the student leaders carried out a similar outreach to a school in Mukono, Good Samaritan Inclusive Day and boarding Primary School.

“Many of the pupils here have physical disabilities and struggle to lead normal lives,” Sserwadda said during their visit to the school in May. “It is really emotional to realize how brave these people are. They need our help.”

The outgoing Guild President reinforced the importance of supporting vulnerable people.

“We came up with this program to reach out to the struggling communities around us,” she said. “We feel the need to put a smile on the faces of those facing a lot of difficulties.”

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UCU sports men and women shine at October graduation

December 19, 2022News, Sports, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

UCU sports women pause with their medals during their graduation. Left to right: Basketballers Rose Akon, Agatha Kamwada, Sera Precious Yaweh and Aziida Nabayunga.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
A large number of Uganda Christian University (UCU) sports personalities exchanged their football and basketball jerseys for caps and gowns at UCU’s 23^rd graduation ceremony – a reminder that education and athletics can go hand in hand.

Samuel Lukaire, the Sports Administrator at UCU, said the university develops talent by recruiting young players who have shown potential to grow in their sports discipline. Along with attending classes, the players are trained and exposed to competitive games as UCU also has hosted major national sports events, often selected as the venue because of the Mukono campus modern sports facilities. Among the competitions that have been hosted at the UCU main campus in Mukono are the Inter University Games Uganda in 2007 and 2013, the East African University Games in 2014, and the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization in 2017.

UCU athletes share graduation thoughts

“The university engages in as many sports disciplines as are available in the university competitions,” Lukaire said, noting that they have teams for basketball, volleyball, rugby, football and netball. Other sports disciplines that UCU participates in are athletics, badminton, chess, wood ball, karate, taekwondo, handball, swimming and lawn tennis.

Some of the sports graduates at the October 28, 2022, ceremony, which also was an event marking 25 years of UCU’s existence, talked to our reporter.

**Rodgers Kukundakwe, Bachelor of Business Administration.**

“As players, we’ve been able to study, play, and eventually graduate.” Kukundakwe, a football center back, said, adding a reminder that for one to achieve success at university, they have to manage their time well. He thanks God for the successes registered as a player, including being on the team winning the University Football League in 2019 and the Association of Uganda University Sports games the same year. Kukundakwe is grateful to the university for meeting the costs of his tuition, meals, and accommodation throughout his stay at UCU.

**Francis Jurua, Bachelor of Business Administration.**

“At UCU, much as you are on a sports scholarship, education is given priority,” Jurua, a footballer, said. He adds that the university’s emphasis on education helped him balance both studies and games.

Sera Precious Yaweh, Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication
While studying at UCU, Yaweh played for A1 Challenge, a basketball team in Uganda. She attributes her victory of completing studies and graduation to God. She says that she had to go to school during the day and attend training twice a week in Kampala, about 15 miles away from school. And, as a student, she dedicated most of her weekends to playing basketball for her team. Some of the games would be played late in the night, and, as a member of the team, she had to be available for them. With such a schedule, Yaweh says she had to sacrifice several hours of sleep to read books at night and participate in group discussions with her colleagues.

**Muhammad Lubega, Diploma in Business Administration**

“It was not easy to balance books and football, but I pray we go out there and make history,” Lubega said. He also expressed gratitude to UCU and his family for all the assistance he got during his three years of study at the institution.

**Geoffrey Gaganga, Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics**

Gaganga was the captain of the UCU football team. Gaganga, who played in the midfield position, explains that it wasn’t hard for him to balance books and games because it’s something he has done since secondary school. He encourages fellow players to put as much effort in their academics as they do in sports because their profession will come to their rescue once they retire from professional sports.

**Rose Akon, Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance.**

Akon emerged as the best defensive player, rebounder, and most valuable player of the year, after her team won the 2022 National Basketball Association Women’s Championship. She attributes her achievement to being able to manage time well.

“While at university, I rarely got the time to relax and have fun,” said Akon, noting that her life rotated around the basketball court and class. Her greatest inspiration, she says, has been her family. During school, Akon says she discovered another side of her – laziness. However, she said the fact that she understood herself well enough gave her the opportunity to push herself beyond comfortable limits, in order to register success.

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UCU Partners donates electronics equipment to UCU

December 14, 2022Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Mark Bartels handing over the equipment to Justine Mukalere

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Department of Computing and Technology is the latest beneficiary of the generosity of the benefactors of the USA-based, UCU Partners nonprofit. In October 2022, the department received electronics equipment worth $6,304 (about sh23,570,000) from the Uganda Partners executive director, Mark Bartels.

The donation of a flash forge 3D printer, an advanced virtual reality headset, a smart robot vehicle kit, a computer kit, a digital oscilloscope with a four-channel standard decoder and a triple output power supply, among others, comes at a time when the department has just introduced courses in robotics, mechatronics, electronics engineering and data science. It is hoped that the items will further enhance the learning and teaching of the courses.

Members of the Department of Computing and Technology after receiving the donation

Justin Mukalere, a lecturer in the department, said the equipment will go a long way in seeing that their projects achieve the intended results.

Bartels said the donors expect the equipment to facilitate the expansion of the department, as well as improve its output.

“People who are interested in information technology and computer science in the USA have funded these goods in order to support and promote the expansion of the departments at UCU,” Bartels said during the handover ceremony at the UCU main campus in Mukono on October 31.

He noted that UCU Partners seeks to provide opportunities for the teaching staff and the leadership of the departments to go to the US, if only they can develop partnerships with universities there, to exchange experiences and ideas, as well as continue to grow and encourage one another.

Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels talks about donation for new IT equipment

Terhemba Michael-Ahile, the coordinator of the Bachelor of Data Science at UCU, said that the program had been embedded in other course units in the institution, but noted that soon, it will be a fully fledged course of its own among the bachelor’s and master’s students.

“From the onset of our program, we want the students to appreciate its application and that can only happen if they have the hands-on experience, so this equipment will enable us achieve that,” Terhemba said, noting that there is deliberate effort to make the programme as practical as possible.

Anei Agany, a year-three computer science student at UCU, expressed excitement about the additional equipment, saying they will provide him the much needed opportunity to get hands-on experience for the many robotics projects he has been working on.

The Department of Computing and Technology at UCU is quickly expanding and looking out for learning and training opportunities for its students. Among the partnerships that have been secured is with tech giant Google, from which students will acquire certification for their work.

The October donation of equipment is the latest among several that the university has received from UCU Partners. In November 2021, Partners donated $50,000 (about sh170million) to the university for upgrading its elearning platform following the increase in the need to beef up its virtual learning infrastructure. The emergence of the Covid pandemic made virtual learning one of the alternatives if learning was ever to continue, especially during the pandemic-induced lockdowns.

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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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‘I will succeed as a video producer’

December 12, 2022News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Andrew is fond of carrying tripods and cameras around campus

By Enock Wanderema
When Andrew Bugembe put up his hand in class, there were indications he could not process his lecturer’s statement that for one to be a successful media professional, one has to be a good writer.

“Yes, Andrew,” the lecturer beckoned, as he called him out to speak. The class was silent. Andrew rarely engages in arguments — especially before lecturers.

“Sir, what would you say about me, who is good at camera work, and editing videos? Writing is not my passion. I have tried to master it, but I have not been successful,” Andrew stated.

“Well, it would serve you better if you practiced writing as well; it can save you somehow,” the lecturer responded.

After class, Andrew told me: “You can’t be good at everything, I know my passion, and I will succeed as a video producer.”

Such a rebellious and decisive thought can only come from someone who is confident of their skills, someone who is a leader. As a new student at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2019, Andrew contested for the position of class representative and won. In fact, the only vote his competitor got was his own.

“Can you imagine my dad wanted me to pursue a course in law?” Andrew asked rhetorically, as he recalled how he ended up pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication.

Asked why his dad wanted him to pursue a course in law, he said it was not really because he wanted his son to be a lawyer. Andrew said his dad assumed that the intense curriculum in a law school would distract his son from the passion he had for music. Andrew’s dad was concerned about future earnings with his belief that musicians are generally “not taken seriously” by society.

It is this passion that saw Andrew take up a leadership position, and also radiated his abilities to potential professional networks.

“I found Andrew to be a focused, determined, disciplined and no-nonsense student,” said Frank Obonyo, a lecturer in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication at UCU. Obonyo previously supervised Andrew at UCU’s Department of Communication and Public Relations, where Obonyo was the head. He is currently the Senior Public Relations Officer at the Law Development Centre in Uganda.

“We took him up as an intern in our office because he is a good listener, creative, and has an insatiable thirst for improvement, especially in video production.”

Whenever Andrew finds it challenging to creatively manipulate a video project, he always seeks help.

“He consults the Internet, people, and other online sources whenever he is stuck,” Obonyo observed. “This is a strong spirit that any supervisor would like to have around.”

Another attribute about Andrew is that he never says never. He is a “yes man,” a trait which sometimes has him biting off more than he can chew.

He adapts easily to situations and gets along with people effortlessly. Possibly, it is this attribute that has enabled him to take some videos for Uganda Partners, a non-profit charitable organisation based in the USA, that has rewarded him with a partial scholarship to cover a tuition balance during a financially difficult semester. One such video that Andrew produced was of Mwikoyo Rachael, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science at UCU. Mwikoyo is one of the beneficiaries of the charity of the Uganda Partners NGO.

Additionally, Andrew was part of UCU’s inaugural podcast team where, at its inception, he was the producer, a role he was learning on the job.

Andrew, often seen carrying tripods and cameras around campus, is an example of finding strengths in a true passion outside of normal expectations.

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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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Alumni unwind at UCU homecoming

December 10, 2022News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Alumni who were recognized holding their certificates of appreciation. Sixth-right is Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, second-left is Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) John Kitayimbwa and third-left is David Mugawe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

By Irene Best Nyapendi
When Uganda Christian University (UCU) recently announced a homecoming event, the institution promised its alumni an opportunity to interact among themselves, as well as with their vice chancellors. And, true to their word, all three vice chancellors – the current, Aaron Mushengyezi, and the past, the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll and his successor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi – were present to interact with the people they helped to nurture while administrators.

UCU’s first Vice Chancellor, Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll (left), shares a light moment with his immediate successor, Dr John Senyonyi.

Noll, the first vice chancellor of UCU who led from 2000 to 2010, flew into Uganda with his wife, Peggy, from Pennsylvania where they live, to attend activities in the week of October 23-28, to celebrate 25 years of the institution.

At the alumni homecoming event on October 25, former students and the vice chancellors shared testimonies of how God had enabled the former to successfully complete education at UCU and for the latter, how God helped them make decisions for the betterment of UCU. The event began with a community worship in Nkoyoyo Hall and led by Mukono Bishop James William Ssebaggala, himself an alumnus. Ssebaggala thanked the university for educating children of the clergy.

Gilbert Olanya, a legislator who is serving his third term in the Ugandan Parliament, narrated how Uganda Partners came to his rescue when he had lost hope of continuing with education.

Olanya, who joined Parliament in 2011, said just after his first semester at UCU, he stared at a possibility of not continuing with education. His father, a farmer in Pader, northern Uganda, was forced into a settlement camp for internally displaced people due to the insecurity caused by the atrocities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) terrorist group. LRA caused insecurity in northern Uganda from 1987 to 2006, with violence peaking in some years during that period. One such period was in the early 2000s, when Olanya’s family joined the camps, from where the government forces would offer them security.

Ugandan legislator, Gilbert Olanya (foreground, right), with Prof. Noll at the alumni homecoming. Olanya was a beneficiary of a scholarship courtesy of Uganda Partners

The legislator said his father would use the proceeds from agriculture to pay tuition for him, but that when they were sent into camps, agriculture, too, stopped. However, a ray of hope came when the vice chancellor at the time, Stephen Noll, asked students who were not financially stable to fill out forms for scholarships. As Olanya headed for the holidays, he knew he had no other source of money for his tuition, and, therefore, he was seeing the last of his time in a university. However, just before the holidays ended, Olanya says he received a message from the university, announcing that he had been among the successful applicants for the scholarship, courtesy of the USA-based nonprofit called Uganda Partners.

“I must tell you, I was extremely happy. I studied for two-and-a-half years with the help of UCU Partners,” Olanya, who graduated in 2002, told The Standard website.

For the entire time he studied under the scholarship, Olanya says he kept receiving letters from his sponsor. “He (the sponsor) told me ‘Gilbert Olanya, we are supporting you, but we want nothing from you. What we need is for you to help others if you succeed in life’.”

Olanya told The Standard that he has so far sponsored 48 students who have completed university and is still supporting another 282 students in secondary schools, a perfect representation of the theme of the homecoming, Witnessing Through Kindness, picked off Luke 10:25-37.

Noll noted that being an alum of UCU is not just a one day event, urging former students to always concern themselves with matters of UCU. “For as long as we are alive, Peggy and I will hold you dear in our hearts,” Noll said, before explaining the relationship between a university and its former students.

““When you graduate, you become part of a larger family of the alumni. (During my time) As vice chancellor, I had to teach the students some of the Latin words, like alma mater, which means dear mother. UCU is the dear mother and the alum is the adopted son or daughter.”

Senyonyi, who was vice chancellor from 2010 to 2020, urged the former students to mobilize themselves and form UCU alumni chapters in their professions and careers, both in Uganda and beyond, to be able to help take the university to greater heights.

In response to the appeal made by Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, the President of the UCU Alumni Association, Emmanuel Wabwire, asked the alumni to think of something which they can offer in support of the university. Wabwire was UCU Guild President in 2012.

Ten alumni were recognized for their contribution in making the society a better place. Among them were the Rev. Rebecca Nyegenye, the Provost of All Saints Cathedral Kampala and the chairperson of the board of Directors of Church Missionary Society Africa, as well as Bernard Oundo, the President of Uganda Law Society. The others were Dr. Elizabeth Nakawombe, Frank Walusimbi, Steven Asiimwe, Jimmy Enabi Ndyabahika and Arnaud Gahimbare.

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UCU’s top two graduates choose teaching careers

December 5, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

Some UCU graduates after receiving their degrees.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) top two graduates in October 2022 have a commonality in struggles and interest.

To make ends meet for her family, Candiru Zainab, studying at UCU’s Arua campus, taught at a nearby school, Najah Muslim Secondary School in the northern Uganda district of Arua. To have more chances of getting better-paying jobs, the mother of four children worked toward a Bachelor of Education degree, which she was awarded at the UCU main campus in Mukono on October 28. Candiru was among the 1,570 graduates that day.

Candiru Zainab and Robert Cadribo, the best students.

With a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.75 out of 5.0, Candiru was the Best Female Student at the graduation. To her, this feat is nothing short of a miracle, seeing how far the Lord has brought her and with obstacles. In 2009, Candiru lost her husband and father of her first two children to appendicitis, a tragedy with recovery she felt would never come. However, two years later, she thought she found love again. Sadly, that relationship, which yielded her other two children, did not last; it ended in 2016.

During her undergraduate studies, Candiru says she lacked the basic necessities, including 2lst century learning tools. She could neither afford a smartphone nor a laptop. She could neither easily type coursework nor benefit from online reading materials.

Obstacles are likewise part of the story of Robert Cadribo, UCU’s Overall Best Student, who also received a Bachelor of Education degree at the October 28 graduation. Cadribo, who graduated with a 4.86 GPA, says he was financially incapacitated to the extent that he could not afford to photocopy the handouts that lecturers gave out. However, he had plan B. He resorted to borrowing handouts and writing down whatever he considered valuable, before returning them to the owners.

Graduands dressed in newly branded gowns.

Just like Candiru, Cadribo has been earning a living through teaching. As a teacher of Biology and Agriculture at Koboko Town College located in the northern Uganda district of Koboko, Cadribo says he has been earning sh250,000 (about $66) per month.

“The biggest challenge I faced was my family and my studies struggled for the same resources,” he said. “Oftentimes, I gave priority to my studies.”

Candiru and Cadribo were among the 36 students who graduated with First Class at the October 28 ceremony, which was also the apex activity for the silver jubilee anniversary of UCU. Before the graduation, other key activities were held at UCU as part of the celebrations. There was a thanksgiving service on October 23, an alumni homecoming on October 25 and a public lecture on the history of UCU, held on October 26. The public lecture was delivered by former vice-chancellors the Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll and his successor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony that had 828 female graduates of the 1,570, Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi narrated the history and the success story of UCU in the last 25 years.

“We are forever indebted to the men and women who conceived the UCU vision and those who made it happen, we celebrate you,” he said. “I look at UCU and the institution that preceded it from St. Paul’s imagery of a seed in 1 Corinthians: 3:6-8.”

This year, the university acquired land and a teaching facility at Besania Hill, acquired an official home for the UCU Kampala Campus, constructed a parking lot at Kivengere Building on the main campus and improved walkways around Kivengere and Maari blocks. Mushengyezi also named Prof. Monica Chibita, Dr. Angella Napakol, Dr. Miriam Mutabazi and Dr. Emilly Maractho as some of the UCU academics who either wrote books, published papers or won grants.

The Chancellor, Archbishop Dr. Stephen Kaziimba, urged the graduates to be passionate about what they choose to do.

“If you have a great idea, work at it, don’t give up. The world is currently ablaze with start-ups, which have been initiated by young people,” Kaziimba said, before adding: “Your success shall be measured by the vibrancy and dynamism of your individual ideas.”

The University Council chairperson, the Rev. Prof. Alfred Olwa, reminded the graduates that a graduation ceremony is the “starting point for further achievements,” urging them not to rest on their laurels.

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Miss UCU to represent Uganda at World Miss University pageant

December 2, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Miss UCU, Charity Achan Bongomin, attending a youth symposium in Kampala, Uganda.

By Asenath Were
Miss Uganda Christian University (UCU) is representing Uganda at the World Miss University competitions scheduled for December in Seoul, South Korea.

Charity Achan Bongomin, a UCU School of Business student, was selected following the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions that were held June 9-11 at the International University of East Africa (IUEA) in Uganda.

“After the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions, the coordinator asked four of us to submit studio photos that were later sent to the people who had reached out to Uganda and asked for a delegate to represent the country in the world competitions,” Bongomin explained how she got on the list of the participants for the December 2022 pageant.

Charity Achan Bongomin talking about the Miss University competitions.

At the Miss University Africa Uganda competitions held in June, Makerere University’s Elizabeth Atwesigye, a second-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Music, was the eventual winner.

Miss UCU, Charity Achan Bongomin, posing for a picture.

Bongomin, who won the inaugural Miss UCU pageant on April 9, 2022, says the chance to participate in the World Miss University competitions means a lot to her. “It will give me a platform to meet important people at the world stage to whom I can bring forth ideas about the different issues that affect youth globally.”

The World Miss University is a global beauty contest that started in 1986. Every year, about 70 contestants participate in the pageant.

Bongomin, who is currently in year three at UCU, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, says she grew up being called a model in her family, especially by her aunts who said they admired her tall height. The nickname “Model,” she says, stuck in her mind. She now contemplates venturing into modeling on a commercial basis after completing school.

Bongomin commended the UCU community for all the support she has been given ever since the university’s beauty pageant in April.

“I will do everything within my powers to market UCU so that people see the kind of products that the university produces,” she said in April after being crowned Miss UCU.

She also lauded her parents – Benjamin Lanekeny Bongomin and Gloria Awor – for “supporting and encouraging” her.

Bongomin attended St. John’s Day and Boarding Primary School in Entebbe, Bishop Cipriano Kihangire Senior Secondary School Luzira and St. Mary’s College Lugazi for O’level. Mount of Olives College Kakiri in Wakiso district is where she studied her A’level. All the four schools are found in central Uganda.

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Adversity built UCU alumnus Nsobya into author

November 30, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Paddy Nsobya has practiced journalism for 15 years

By Kefa Senoga
In May 2012, Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum Paddy Nsobya was among four journalists who were beaten at a Pentecostal church in Mukono, central Uganda. Nsobya and his three colleagues had gone to the church to interview the controversial lead pastor, Samuel Landasa. Since they arrived during the service, they waited at a nearby shop, opposite the church. Aware of the contention of the pastor, some members of the church attacked the journalists.

Four church members “pounced on me; one of them started strangling me as the others pulled my video camera, until I surrendered it to them, along with its electronic charger and other recorded materials,” Ronald Kalumba, a television journalist who was part of the group, told IFEX, an agency that promotes and defends freedom of expression.

Nsobya, a New Vision journalist, said that in the attack, he was slapped several times, and got bruised. Pastor Landasa had expelled some critical members of his church, who had accused him of conducting marriages illegally, as well as changing the land title of the church into his names.

And this incident is not a one-off. In 2011, Nsobya was assaulted as he covered a story. Court later fined the woman for the assault. Events like these have been part of the life of the 41-year-old who has practiced journalism for 15 years, mainly writing for New Vision’s Bukedde newspaper that publishes in Luganda, a vernacular language.

Nsobya, a graduate of journalism and mass communication at UCU, has now written a book, State of the Media, on the subject of press freedom, hoping that it will be a campaign tool against the injustices committed against journalists. He says that when journalists are mistreated in the line of duty, it scares off the younger generation who may want to pursue a career in the profession.

“Any profession which is cut off from the younger generation has no future, because when people grow old, the young are expected to take over from them,” Nsobya explains.

And mistreatment is not the only challenge that journalists in Uganda face. Nsobya says many media houses in the country pay their journalists peanuts in salary and, in many cases, even the little pay does not come on time. Circumstances like these force journalists, especially those who are not well grounded in integrity and moral ethics – virtues Nsobya said he attained at UCU – to depend on news sources for their daily survival. These and many more are some of the issues that Nsobya has detailed in his book, expected to be launched on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2023.

State of the Media will be Nsobya’s seventh book in nine years. He made his entry into the book writing world in 2014, with Akaabate, a book written in Luganda, a local dialect in Uganda. Nsobya later translated that book into English, calling it Agony. The book talks about the challenges that young men and women face in the contemporary world.

In April 2021, Nsobya launched another book, this time on agriculture, also written in Luganda, under the title Essanyu Lyomulimi. He later translated it into English, calling it News on the Farm. In April 2022, he launched yet another book, titled Kyosiga, which he has also translated into English, calling it Sowing.

Seeing the book titles that Nsobya has produced would blind one into thinking that all has been rosy for him. No. Before his first book in 2014, Nsobya, a father and husband who graduated from UCU in 2006, says he attempted to write a book seven times, each time giving up along the way, most especially because he encountered a writer’s block.

The resident of Mukono town studied at Masanafu Church of Uganda Primary School, where he wrote his final exams in 1995. From Masanafu, Nsobya, a son of Dan Kyaligamba and Eva Namubiru, joined Victory Secondary School, where he sat Senior Four exams in 1999. For the two years in A’level, Nsobya studied at Kaggulwe Secondary School. All the three schools are located in central Uganda.

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UCU community thanks God for 25 years of existence

November 29, 2022News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Prof. Stephen Noll makes remarks during the thanksgiving service. At right is Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi.

By Kefa Senoga
In the South African Zulu gospel song, Siyabonga Jesu (Wahamba Nathi), singer Solly Mahlangu sings praises for Jesus, whom he refers to as the Lion of Heaven. Mahlangu’s praises for the son of God are on the basis that Jesus has never abandoned him, even during the time when he “walked through the valley of death.”

That is the song that the members of senior management of Uganda Christian University (UCU) sang as they took to the stage on October 23, 2022, in the Nkoyoyo Hall at the main campus in Mukono, to give thanks to God in praise and worship. The managers, led by Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi, were thanking God for keeping UCU alive and blossoming for 25 years, in line with the celebration slogan of Ebenezer, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12).

UCU, which transitioned from a theological college, started in 1997. Today, with five campuses and nearly 13,000 students, it has become an education brand and a household name in higher education in the region.

Stephen Noll and his wife, Peggy, during the thanksgiving service

Members of UCU’s senior management chose to pray from the same place with an identical start time of 9:30 a.m. on October 23, 2022. The members, and, indeed, most of the congregants, chose this service because it was intended for a special thanksgiving as the community drew closer to the apex celebrations of UCU’s silver jubilee. The anniversary week, which kicked off on October 23 with the thanksgiving service, climaxed with a ceremony on October 28, where 1,570 students graduated.

Among those in the congregation during the service was a guest couple, whose names many students could recognise, but not their faces. The Rev. Prof. Stephen Noll, the university’s first vice chancellor, and his wife, Peggy, had flown into Uganda from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, where they currently reside, for the silver jubilee activities.

At the start of the service, the MC, Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa, who is the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), introduced the Nolls whose presence took many congregants by surprise. When Stephen Noll, who was sitting next to Peggy in the second row in the hall, was invited to “greet the people” at the end of the service, the opportunity gave the congregants a better view of his immaculate dressing – a black trouser, a black clerical shirt and a blue jacket, complete with a UCU lapel pin.

He held the microphone with his left hand and freed the right to gesture, as he spoke with the confidence of a father speaking to his children. In the under five minutes that Noll spoke, he asked the congregants and, indeed, the UCU alumni, to turn up for the alumni homecoming on October 25 and a public lecture on October 26.

Members of UCU senior management at the service on October 23, 2022

Peggy Noll was asked to pray for the children who were present, whom Kitayimbwa referred to as the future staff of UCU. Peggy is remembered for having a special attachment with children as she established a children’s library at the main campus, which was equipped with children and Christian literature.

The preacher at the thanksgiving service, retired bishop of Madi and West Nile Diocese Dr Joel Obetia, commended UCU for keeping a Christian outlook both in name and character. The Christian character of UCU is not by accident as this was one of the conditions Noll gave former archbishop of Church of Uganda Livingstone Nkoyoyo as the former pursued the latter to relocate to Uganda to head the newly founded UCU as its first vice chancellor.

UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi noted that the institution has continued to maintain a positive image and a good representation of its graduates on the job market. He said the university continues to reap from the sports complex that Noll built at the main campus in 2007. The UCU sports complex has a running track, and basketball, volleyball and tennis courts.

He also mentioned the prominence of UCU in the national sports, which has been maintained since the time of Noll as vice chancellor.

“We continue to win sports accolades and, as a matter of fact, our women’s basketball team, the Lady Canons, recently won the national women’s basketball competitions,” Mushengyezi noted.

Because of its modern sports facilities, the institution has hosted the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation in 2017, the Inter–University Games Uganda in 2013, and in 2007, as well as the East African University Games in 2014.

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UCU officially opens writing centre

November 28, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

Prof. Mushengyezi cuts a ribbon to officially launch the UCU Writing Centre. (Photos by Joel Muhuza)

By Nyapendi Best Irene
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has officially launched its writing center, the first of its kind in any Ugandan higher institution of learning. Intended to improve the writing skills of both students and staff, as well as improve the collaboration between writers and tutors, the center, launched on October 10, 2022, is housed at the UCU Hamu Mukasa Library, Mukono.

UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said the center is expected to support all genres of writing. He summed up the latest addition to the 25-year-old UCU as “as a place where you should go to workshop your ideas; to be assisted to improve your draft; and not to edit your work, but rather guide you through the process of revision until you get your work perfected.”

According to Mushengyezi, a student who cannot write well cannot thrive. Writing centers may offer one-on-one scheduled tutorial appointments, group tutoring, or writing workshops. They are maintained by universities or created as part of the writing program to help students find their writing voice and tackle any writing challenge.

The launch of the center, a brain child of Prof. Thomas Deans from the University of Connecticut in the USA, is a dream come true for many creative arts enthusiasts, including Mushengyezi, who hopes to build it further to the level of other writing centers in renowned universities. The center, whose proposal was the centerpiece of Dean’s Fulbright application, has been open and operational since April 2022. A “soft launch” happened on two separate days in August and September 2022 with presentations by American journalists and authors, Alan Johnson and Patty Huston-Holm.

Deans, who was an American Fulbright Scholar in Uganda from August 2021 to February 2022, and Mushengyezi share an affiliation with the University of Connecticut, where Deans is a professor and the director of the writing centre, and Mushengyezi earned his PhD in English. When Mushengyezi first met Deans, the former was an academic at Makerere University.

In Deans, UCU could not have asked for a better person to help them set up the centre. Before joining the University of Connecticut, Deans played a pivotal role in steering a college writing program. He was the Director of College Writing at the Haverford College in Pennsylvania. No doubt he is fully aware of the benefits an institution can reap from a center designed to enhance writing skills. In a November 2021 article, Deans said “students won’t grow as researchers unless they are writing papers that involve sustained research.”

Mushengyezi speaks during the official launch of the writing center in October 2022

He believes that writing is a craft that needs to be exercised. Drawing lessons from his experience at the University of Connecticut, Deans said: “Writing is not something you graduate from; it’s a skill you constantly practice and build.” In a February 2022 podcast, Deans explained the significance of writing centers in higher institutions of learning.

During the launch of the centre in October, Mushengyezi extended an invitation to all interested undergraduate students to participate in an essay writing competition due February 29.

The guest speaker at the event, Hilda Twongeirwe, the Executive Director of Femrite Publications, commended UCU for establishing the center and urged both students and staff to make use of it.

“You cannot be a prolific writer if you are not a prolific reader,” she said. Femrite donated over 100 books to the UCU Writing Center.

Dr. James Busimba, the Head of UCU’s Department of Languages and Literature, where the center falls, said for now, the center is a learning facility and that any ventures to generate revenue for the establishment will be thought about in future.

During the launch, students performed two poems, including How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam. The university has committed $10,000 for one financial year to support the writing center, according to Mushengyezi. The Muriel Lile Trust of Fenton, Michigan, USA donated $10,000 to the establishment of the center through the Uganda Partners non-governmental organisation.

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