Category Archives: Students

‘Community that gives hope and a smile to vulnerable’

October 3, 2022News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Mwogereze with one of their elderly beneficiaries in Kamuli. Courtesy photo

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Richard Mwogereze’s parents dropped out of school early in life, and so did his siblings. Those two incidents served as learning points for the young Mwogereze. As he grew up, he witnessed first-hand how his parents struggled to meet the basic needs of the family. Seeing them struggle, Mwogereze believed life would have been a little bit better if his parents had completed school. With education, he believed, they would have been able to afford formal employment, and, therefore, fend for the family.

He, therefore, struggled against all odds to keep in school.

“I would make bricks and offer manual labor in sugarcane plantations to earn money for school fees,” says Mwogereze, currently pursuing Masters of Arts in Organizational Leadership and Management at Uganda Christian University (UCU). He says he started paying his tuition and buying his school requirements in Primary Six.

Richard Mwogereze talks about the activities of Vine Uganda

Perhaps, Mwogereze would not have broken all the sweat to look for money for his tuition, had it not been for the life his aunt and her children led, which he says, was an inspiration to him. His cousins were going to school and, to him, the family could afford all the basic necessities they needed in life.

“Plus, they owned cars and houses,” he notes.

He kept his eye on the prize until he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Social Work and Social Administration. Finally, Mwogereze thought he was done. However, he soon learned that it was one thing to get a degree and another to get a job.

After failed attempts to secure himself a job, Mwogereze settled for establishing an organisation, through which he hoped, he would earn a living, as well as helping the less privileged. That is how Butansi Youth Forum, a community-based organisation in Kamuli district, eastern Uganda, was born. Through the organisation, Mwogereze hoped he would empower the youth with life skills. The organization suffered stillbirth as it did not take off. Mwogereze believes he paid the price of inexperience.

“I did not give up,” he says. “I soon got an opportunity to volunteer at a children’s home. Through that work, I got an opportunity to attend a conference, which opened the door of opportunities for me.”

Mwogereze and a colleague with whom he partners in preaching the Gospel.

Two women at the conference got interested in his work, and eventually employed him at their organization, Vine Uganda. The organisation is a non-profit evangelism program that conducts prison ministry and charity simultaneously. It serves up to nine villages in Kamuli district, offering child sponsorship, medical outreach, women’s projects and spiritual outreach. It also runs a pre-school and a babies’ home. Currently, Mwogereze serves as the organisation’s executive director.

Oftentimes, many women are left in dire poverty, struggling to provide food and shelter for their families. Vine Uganda is channeling energies to making life better for such women. It provides training for use of sewing machines, as well as employment. Through a six-month training course by a master seamstress, the women are expected to be able to make shirts, skirts, aprons, and school uniforms by the end of the training. Some of the products are sold in the community, and others like aprons sell in the United States..

“We envision a community that gives hope and a smile to the vulnerable and to those who have lost hope, with Jesus Christ being the centre of joy,” Mwogereze said. “It is an answer to the prayers of many vulnerable people.”

“We have also secured a large water project, an electric borehole.” The project, supported by Water Mission, is meant to help supply water to all units that house the organization’s projects, according to Mwogereze.

The organisation also sponsors up to 500 learners in primary, secondary and vocational levels, as well as community economic empowerment initiatives, where people are trained and given start-up capital to set up businesses that can provide them with income to support their families.

One of the biggest challenges they face, Mwogereze said, is limited funds, which grossly limits the number of people they impact in their programs. He is, nevertheless, hopeful that better days lie ahead.

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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 staff ramps up research focus

September 30, 2022News, SRPGS, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Gerald Den Ouden making a presentation during the August workshop.

By Israel Kisakye
Performance metrics and rankings seem to be the new gold standard for higher institutions of learning. The statistics in the metrics and rankings determine how many students and how much funding a university attracts. With this awareness, the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Directorate of Research, Partnership and Innovation held a strategic planning workshop for staff.

The mid-August workshop that brought together directors, deans and heads of departments from different schools and faculties aimed at fostering appreciation and development of research.

The UCU Director of Research, Partnership and Innovation, Prof. Elizabeth Kizito, said the workshop made it easier for her docket to play the key role in discussing issues of resource mobilization, research grant management and seeking partnerships and collaborations.

We need to have an appreciation for research, says Dr. Elizabeth Kizito

“The directorate is a service center for the university,” she explained, adding, “if we don’t have a goal, we shall fizzle out at some point. We have to develop our research goals, what we want to attain and how we want it.”

Kizito noted that to improve research in the institution, the directorate has to go to the grassroots by engaging the university’s schools and faculties to come up with a clear research plan.

UCU staff members with Gerald Den Ouden after the workshop

The workshop follows close on the heels of a special training launched in May, to skill graduate students to be able to produce publication-worthy research. At the launch of the training in May, the head of research training in post graduate studies at UCU, Dr. Joseph Owor, noted that the seminars will cover both the main campus and the constituent colleges. Academic staff from all the faculties are expected to attend the trainings that are conducted every Wednesday, starting the second week of every semester, for five weeks.

Kizito believes that if energy is expended on research, UCU will get better in the area, as well as improve their position in the continental rankings of universities.

For the August workshop, Gerald Den Ouden, a Belgium trainer and consultant in research and strategic planning, was the facilitator. Ouden has assisted with over 80 research projects in Africa.

“In order to effectively and efficiently implement a plan, all individuals involved must function as a whole or else the plan is destined to fail,” Ouden said, reiterating that research teams need to work as a collective body.

He noted that during strategic planning, every unit within the organization which is involved in research must agree with the plan, its direction and, therefore, implement the specific actions.

Ouden provided new strategic planning tips to different schools and faculty participants, noting that all strategic plans must be flexible and practical.

Expressing gratitude for Ouden’s presentation, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Assoc. Prof. John Kitayimbwa, described it as a student-centered learning approach.

Kitayimbwa encouraged the different schools and faculties to emphasize the same approach to the students.

He said UCU exists to groom students and impact communities. “A good university exists because of research. It is one of our core values…Without research, we can’t have any impact.”

David Bukenya, the UCU librarian, pledged to support researchers at the university to achieve their goals. He said the training had enabled them to further understand the needs of the different faculties, and where they need to give support in both teaching and research.

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UCU launches post-graduate research and writing training

September 27, 2022COVID-19, News, SRPGS, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

The UCU Directorate of Postgraduate Studies team spearheading the virtual research and writing training are (left to right) Dr. Godwin Awio, Dr. Joseph Jakisa Owor, Dr. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, Dickson Tumuramye and Jerome Makumbi.

By Patty Huston-Holm
In the midst of holding a job and raising a family, many a post-graduate student struggles with a blank computer screen destined for the required research paper. Filling that screen in a language – English – that isn’t a first language is an added obstacle for master’s and doctoral students at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Help is on the way. It’s already here, actually.

An initiative called CRAWs, which stands for Centre for Research and Academic Writing Services, offers on-line instruction on the various parts of a dissertation and thesis. Led by a team of five within the UCU Directorate of Postgraduate Studies (DPS), the centerpiece of CRAWs is a virtual training module designed to increase understanding of the dozen sections of a research paper. Presenters are subject matter experts from among UCU’s 11 school and faculty areas.

Dr. Godwin Awio, one of the five DPS staff members spearheading CRAWs, is coordinating the module. The primary focus is on assistance to 300 students in the UCU master’s level pipeline.

“Every student can do this,” Awio said. “That’s our main message.”

The on-line module is based on an in-person training conducted by a team of Americans and Ugandans from September 2015 until Covid hit in March 2020. During Uganda’s two-year lockdown, UCU stepped up on-line learning. When the education shutdown ceased, UCU emerged with a plan to conduct nearly all post-graduate courses on line.

The CRAWs module, available without charge to all enrolled UCU post-graduate students, was launched in May of this year. It is designed to introduce participants to critical research and writing skills required to complete a research degree, diploma, publishable articles and other academic reports.

Learning outcomes are:

Identify features of theoretical paradigms
Undertake a literature review
Apply approaches to writing first draft, editing and proof reading
Apply processes in identifying and responding to publication opportunities
Apply time management strategies

Participants who attend at least 75% of the training and complete an assessment requirement receive a certificate. Those unable to complete a module can re-take portions with the next offering period.

For the first module in the spring, 200 students enrolled, with 50 receiving certificates. Most completions were from the School of Business, School of Education and Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity. The biggest problem expressed by students in this module was how to do problem statements and how to engage methodology.

The second module was slated Sept. 21 through Oct. 19, 2022. Based on UCU’s 73-page research manual, topics to be covered in addition to basics of writing include theory, methodology, questions, objectives and literature review. Awio is hopeful soon to incorporate virtual coaching that was part of the earlier model with a reminder “we won’t do the work for them.”

All members of the DPS staff have advanced degrees with understanding of frustrations and isolation of working on a research paper. Their content expertise is in social science, development studies and business. All have involvement and understanding of the process.

The five-member DPS team is:

Dr. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo – director of the directorate
Dr. Awio – head of publications, coordinating student training and publication of work
Dr. Joseph Jakisa Owor – head of research and training
Dickson Tumuramye – assistant registrar, coordinating writing services and staff research training skills
Jerome Makumbi – assistant registrar, managing post-graduate admissions and training

“We look at the training not just to finish a degree, but to sharpen skills to be used elsewhere and to yield quality papers worthy of being published and used by other researchers,” Awio said. “Analytical skills are valuable in multiple careers.”

Reflecting on his PhD research on employee engagement, Owor noted that beyond his thesis is the realization of the importance of his topic in the corporate world.

“Without involving the whole of your head, heart and hands on something, you cannot succeed or make any difference,” he said. “That’s what I invest in the task of promoting graduate research and training to yield quality output. I always insist on quality and, thereby, step on a few people’s feet.”

Makumbi, who did his master’s research on university employee turnover, said, “Research is knowledge sought for and it is humbling to know you are part of the process of changing the world because it’s through this that new innovation and knowledge is realized.”

Tumuramye, who did his master’s research on women economic empowerment, finds his biggest passion in research that involves children as both subjects and participants of studies, but is able to have compassion and understanding in all academic areas.

Awio said his poverty-surrounded environment and his belief in God drive him to serve students. One favorite scripture is from Colossians 3: 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

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UCU hosts first intercampus sports gala

September 23, 2022News, Sports, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Students competing in basketball during the gala. The Main Campus won the basketball game.

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
The desire to enjoy the experience of competition recently led Uganda Christian University (UCU) students to the institution’s sports arena at the main campus in Mukono. The activities, which were planned as team building exercises between students of the UCU main campus and those from Kampala campus, also offered bonding opportunities.

UCU Bachelor of Law graduates who are currently pursuing a Diploma in Legal Practice at Uganda’s Law Development Centre (LDC), as well as students from the School of Medicine in Mengo, Kampala, were among those who took part in the sports gala that saw students compete in football, basketball, athletics, volleyball, netball and chess.

The gala, which was the first of its kind at the university, was organized by the student leaders of the university’s main campus in Mukono.

The UCU Main Campus team playing volleyball with the Kampala Campus team. The Kampala Campus team took the day in volleyball.

Sarah Adokorach, the Minister of Sports in the current Guild Government at the main campus, said they saw the gala as one of the ways to competitively get the students fit as they physically engaged and had fun.

“I’ve been mobilizing and coordinating the different activities, and encouraging students to come and participate,” Adokorach said, noting that the idea of the sports gala was a hard sale, since they had never participated in one that brought together students from different UCU campuses. The best performers in the competitions were awarded medals at the end of the event.

“At first, we were skeptical that this would not happen the way we had planned, but we were pleasantly surprised it did, in such a successful way,” Adokorach said, noting that not even the light rain in the morning could dampen the mood of the students.

Since there was a lot of communication and exchange of ideas before, during and after the event, Adokorach says the quick benefit they reaped from the gala was the strengthening of the relationship among the leaders and students from the main campus, the School of Medicine, the Kampala campus and the alums pursuing a Diploma in Legal Practice at the LDC.

UCU Mukono campus students compete against the students of UCU Kampala campus at the basketball court during the sports gala.

Owen Masembe, the Guild President of UCU Kampala Campus, welcomed the idea of the gala, noting that oftentimes, students focus only on studies, forgetting about the physical aspects of their lives.

“Kampala campus does not have the different sports facilities that the main campus has,” Masembe noted. “So, the gala offered an opportunity for the students to showcase their sports abilities.”

The Guild President of the LDC main campus in Kampala, Boss John Bruce, in one of the football games, captained his institution’s team of UCU alums to 2-2 draw, after going down 2-0 by half time. “A sports gala is a place where we come to shed off some weight,” he said.

As a student at UCU, Bruce led the institution’s electoral body as the Guild Electoral Commission chairperson. He oversaw the transition from voting for student leaders at UCU using analogue means to an online voting process, e-voting app, the e-Chagua. The e-chagua helped UCU conduct elections even at a time physical presence of students at universities was still restricted, due to the Covid pandemic.

Daphine Kateme, a student at the UCU School of Medicine, who also attended the gala, said one of the fundamental needs for a person’s well-being is the ability to connect with others, noting that she was impressed the gala achieved just that.

“I made many friends from other campuses, just by talking to people, sharing our experiences and playing volleyball, Kateme said, adding: “I’m happy the gala offered me the opportunity to play volleyball again, after many years.”

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

Also, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

Donations sought for UCU (September 25) Sunday

September 22, 2022Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu with members of the clergy and other Church leaders who converged at Uganda Christian University recently for the Provincial Assembly.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
It is that time of the year, again, when representatives of Uganda Christian University (UCU), take time off to spread the gospel about the institution. Named the UCU Sunday, the day, celebrated every last Sunday of September, was set aside by the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, for the province to hold prayers for the church-founded institution.

In addition to the prayers, the UCU Sunday, which will be celebrated on Sunday, September 25, is intended to mobilize support and resources for various activities at UCU, as well as create awareness about developments at the institution.

Speaking about the objective of this year’s UCU Sunday, UCU Chaplain, the Rev. Canon Eng. Paul Wasswa Ssembiro, said it is three-fold.

“Our main objective this year is to pray for the institution, support clergy students through scholarship and also construct the Ordinands Apartment,” Ssembiro said.

UCU is currently working with the 37 dioceses, alumni, the university’s guild government and students in preparation for the day. UCU Sunday first took place in 2017.

The Ordinands Apartments is intended to accommodate clergy students at the university. The apartment is expected to house more than 50 ordinands. An ordinand is a person training to be a priest or a church minister. Richard Mulindwa, the Church Relations Manager at UCU, noted that theology students require a calm environment to focus on God.

“At the moment, the students are residing in the same halls of residence with other students, which is not ideal for their concentration,” Mulindwa said.

UCU Council Chairperson on UCU Sunday

While preaching at a virtual UCU Sunday service last year, UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi explained the reason for the Ordinands Apartments. He said some of the ordinands are married and would wish that their spouses could visit them during weekends. However, that is not possible since they reside with other students.

Last year’s service, which was virtual due to a ban on gatherings to limit the spread of the coronavirus, was celebrated at Namirembe Cathedral in Kampala. That ban on physical gatherings in church has since been lifted due to the waning number of Covid-19 infections globally.

Recently, Mushengyezi said sh400m (about $113,000) had already been secured for the apartments project that is estimated to cost sh8.5b (over $2.2m).

Archbishop Dr. Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, who is also the UCU Chancellor, appealed to Christians to take part in the UCU Sunday. He called upon the flock to support the project under the theme “Arise, let us build the walls” (Nehemiah 2:18). Kaziimba also emphasized that ordinands need a supportive environment while pursuing their dreams of being professional evangelists.

Collections for the past UCU Sunday events have been used to implement a number of projects at the institution. For instance, the sh300million that was collected for the UCU Sunday of 2018 was invested in building the UCU School of Medicine at Mengo in Kampala. Unlike public universities that get financial support from the central government, private universities in Uganda, in which category UCU falls, are run on tuition fees paid by students.

American donations can be made through the Uganda Partners Web site donation button at https://www.ugandapartners.org/donate/. Put “UCU Sunday” in the comment box.

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School of Business becomes UCU’s 4th professional group

September 21, 2022News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Newly elected executive committee of the UCU Business Society

By Kefa Senoga
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business (SoB) has become the fourth of UCU’s 11 schools/faculties to have a formalized professional group for all its programs. For the SoB, it’s called a “society.”

For the School of Law, it’s also a society. For the School of Social Sciences, the name is Social Work Association. For the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, the group is the Media Link Association.

On August 2, 2022, the UCU Business Society, which is now the official fraternity unifying all students under the UCU SoB, was launched after tense elections. These were the first elections conducted by the Business Society and organized to usher in a democratic leadership. Ayebare Phillip Bravo emerged as the winner with 76.35%, with Mujuzi Paul Richard at second with 23.65%.

The founding committee members of the UCU Business Society shaking hands with the new committee.

As with all four groups, the rationale for the Business Society is primarily two-fold: Student sense of belonging, and building of skill sets, relationships and connections beyond the classroom.

Giving his speech at the launch, Ayebare discussed the importance of implementing a four-point program as follows:

Establishing favorable partnerships both in and out of campus, for example, with other associations in the university, in order to intensify student-related programs.
Engaging students in extracurricular and developmental activities (i.e., intensifying sports activities, such as the business league).
Advocating robust academic-oriented programs, such as mentorship and career guidance seminars.
Ensuring student subscription policy, such as a semester-based mode of payment.

Natasha Alinda, the Vice President-elect of the UCU Business Society, says the student body will promote culture and values of UCU, “policies concerning students of business can easily be passed through our association, which is student-oriented.”

(left to right) Ayebare Philip Bravo, President-elect of the UCU Business Society; Ssemakula Musa, founder of the UCU Business Society; and Tayebwa Clinton, a colleague from the Business Society committee.

The SoB Dean, Vincent Kisenyi, says that “through this society, students will be able to do a lot of things as students, build their self-esteem, work on the different activities in the school and build that oneness among themselves, hence enjoying their stay at the university.” Kisenyi adds that one of the important ingredients in the UCU Business Society will be a strong business fellowship that will guide students to understand everything is anchored on God.

Ssemakula Musa, the former guild member of parliament (MP) for the SoB and who spearheaded the formation of the society, says that as he was contesting for the position of MP SoB, he noted in his manifesto that he would pioneer the establishment of a body that unifies all students under the SoB.

“Many students were coming to me, requesting for the formation of an association that brings them together,” Ssemakula said. “They always related to the UCU law society, which had demonstrated its visibility at the campus.”

Ssemakula says that it was important to come up with the UCU Business Society due to the fact that there are so many courses under the SoB, for example, Business Administration, Procurement and Logistics, Accounting and Finance, Tourism and Hospitality.

He adds that besides the Business Society encouraging unity and mutual relationship among the students, it is also meant to establish relationships between the students of the UCU SoB and other external stakeholders.

“We are looking at partnerships from bigger business entities like Stanbic Bank, Uganda Revenue Authority, global companies like Coca-Cola,” Ssemakula said. “Therefore, the Business Society will mediate all these processes, beginning with sourcing for students’ internship opportunities in these big companies.”

Ssemakula adds that another core reason for establishing the business society was to create avenues for financial support for students, for example, “we have plans of introducing the 1k campaign to help, in one way or another, our colleagues who may lack tuition.” This campaign will be in addition to UCU’s recent launch of a “For just 10K, Change a Life” campaign, seeking a small donation of 10,000 shillings per person.

UCU has a process for such groups to be legally recognized by the university. A motion has to be tabled in the house of the students’ guild parliament and if this parliament passes it, then the guild vice-president, who is the guild official in charge of associations, forwards the matter to the Director of Students Affairs, who then presents it to the Vice Chancellor for approval.

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‘God Is the Plug’ for Business first-class degree recipient

September 19, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
“God Is the Plug” is a youth-focused social media hashtag, emblazoned on clothes and used in slang with the meaning that God is the connection to prospering, achieving and succeeding.

Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business graduate, John Baptist Mugabe, says indeed God is his plug. While hard work played a role, God gets the glory for Mugabe’s first-class degree, his internship and more.

“I always made a special prayer at the beginning of the semester for success,” he said. “I also joined the Kigezi Ankole Anglican Youth Missioners fellowship for prayers.”

Mugabe, who graduated July 29, 2022, with a Bachelors of Science in Accounting and Finance and a 4.54 of 5.0 Grade Point Average, said his success is a true representation of the Bible verse in Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “commit your way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will act.”

John Baptist Mugabe narrates his story

Relying on God, Mugabe persevered to graduate with time and technical obstacles – both before and after Covid-restriction challenges. Mugabe says that in his first semester, he could not do his assignments on time due to the fact that he did not have a laptop and a smartphone. He borrowed a laptop from a friend to accomplish the coursework and assignments, but not always on a deadline.

John Baptist Mugabe (left) holding his first-class award on graduation.

Mugabe comes from Kihani III, Kikyenkye Sub County, Ibanda District, in the western part of the country. He is born to Mr. Kamagara Felix and Mrs. Kamabaati Fausta. He joined UCU in September 2018 because, Mugabe says “UCU has a good reputation and students who have passed through it are highly competitive in the job market because of the values that it instills in them.”

Adding to Mugabe’s frustration in 2020 was online learning after the closure of all education institutions in the country due to the outbreak of Covid-19.

“In my home area in Ibanda district, the network was always unstable,” Mugabe narrates, adding that insufficient upkeep was another challenge that became part of his life. He says it affected him because he couldn’t purchase the handouts that contained the notes that were given by the lecturers for revision purposes. However, Mugabe notes that all challenges as they came, motivated him to work harder.

As a Christian, Mugabe believed that God would intervene. And He did.

Mugabe has begun the journey of fulfilling his dream of becoming an accountant. As a UCU intern in the department of accounts, he performs duties such as student accounts management, staff debtors billing, receipt of university incomes and clearing of students. He hopes to be retained as an employee in the finance department at UCU.

Mugabe describes his experience of interning at UCU as one of his best due to the fact that he has got an opportunity to put into practice what he learned in the classroom.

“It has given me an opportunity to interact with important people who have become an incentive to the person I am now and the person I hope to be in the future,” he remarks. Mugabe says that the university has been a source of inspiration to him.

“At UCU, I have found mentors and friends who have inspired me…through the impact that their good work is making in the communities,” he said. “Joel Alfred Kibenge, who is an accountant at UCU, is my greatest role model.”

He adds that his supervisors with expertise in his profession have mentored him with a set of skills and unforgettable experiences. Mugabe says that the uniqueness in his work performance is the emphasis he puts on giving timely, accurate and reliable financial information to clients. Mugabe says that however much the future is hard to predict, he wants to be a Certified Public Accountant in the next 10 years, perhaps heading a finance-related department in a large company in Uganda or in the world.

“I also hope to have a family with a wife and children and also owning multiple businesses that employ at least 20 people,” Mugabe says.

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‘It’s how God made me,’ artist says

September 16, 2022COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Artist Joshua Kabitanya sitting at the base of the mural he created on UCU Mukono campus

By Patty Huston-Holm
On a not-even-a-bit overcast morning and with a student whistling “Jesus paid it all” from Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) nearby business incubation center, Joshua Kabitanya talks about the significance of stickers inside chewing gum wrappers, why a misshapen tree is more interesting than a symmetrical one and details of a mural project on the UCU Mukono campus.

Kabitanya is an artist. He modestly estimates 65% of the mural is his work.

Sitting at the base of the painting that covers a once-gray cylindrical water tank, Kabitanya’s all black attire and subdued demeanor contrast with the bold colors, messages and images of the mural. Just shy of his 32nd birthday, he admits his introversion with people and extroversion with his craft.

“I hear music, I sense nature, I feel God,” Kabitanya said of his artistic process.

Artistic rendition of UCU’s Bishop Tucker building embedded into mural

On this late August day, the sunshine envelopes Kabitanya. When asked what he sees when looking around him, specifically which of two trees in front of the School of Business center he is most drawn to, he picks the misshapen, asymmetrical one.

“It’s the tree that isn’t uniform that’s interesting,” he said.

The mural, sandwiched between student dorms and up a hill from the library and Noll buildings, was the idea of American Mary Chowenhill, a UCU School of Business lecturer and missionary with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (SAMS). She was supported by American Jack Klenk, a long-time UCU supporter and a member of the board for the UCU Partners NGO. Both had previously acquired Kabitanya’s works.

“This is more than just a painting,” Klenk said. “This project was about entrepreneurship, which is the point of the hub (also known as the idea incubator) next door. It’s about how something ugly can be beautiful. What was formerly a gray tank is now a beautiful piece of art.”

Kabitanya, who met Klenk at Eunice Guest House on the campus, was the mural’s lead artist with contributions from Alex Kitonsa, as well as a small portion by UCU Human Resources student, Ruth Ayiyo Ayinza. A couple of students added their hand prints. Being cognizant of the need for Christian infusion, artists were otherwise given free reign for the designs. None had done a mural before.

Components of the artistic story include:

Six rays of light reflective of the work of God and people, omitting the seventh (day of rest);
Colorful rendition of the UCU Bishop Tucker building;
Alpha and Omega reminders that God remains from the beginning to the end of time;
Keyboards modernizing the Old Testament stories of music from other instruments;
Dancing as an expression of gratitude of the Lord; and
African joy in mud-and-wattle huts surrounded by wildlife.

“Some have asked why we didn’t depict our culture in more modern terms,” Kabitanya said, explaining, “Even today, people are more joyful when they go home to visit where they were born.”

Home for Kabitanya is Mukono. He is one of nine children.

Kabitanya’s earliest recollection of others noticing his passion and talent for art was when he was in Primary 3. Chewing gum with stickers of sports stars was all the rage. He took to copying images from those stickers. Other children and teachers were watching.

“I became the one who teachers would ask to draw things on the board during lessons,” he recalled.

Kabitanya identifies himself as quiet and oftentimes distracted by normal conversation while being drawn to his own imagination about his surroundings – traits commonly described by artists. He meditates and creates.

“It’s how God made me,” he said.

While certain of a destiny to art, Kabitanya learned to “hustle” with other work, making bricks and collecting stones for cement to pay for some of his clothing and school needs. At age 24 and with a diploma in electrical engineering from Kyambogo University, he decided to get serious with his artistic passion. Things were moving along, albeit slowly, and then Covid hit.

The term “starving artist” became a reality.

That’s when Chowenhill, Klenk and the leadership at the UCU School of Business stepped in, helping Kabitanya with a business plan as is part of what the incubator does for any who enter the building. While Kabitanya isn’t a UCU alum, he is a member of the surrounding community that UCU serves.

“Everywhere you step, God gives you a lesson,” Kabitanya said.

With Uganda’s two-year lockdown, survival became even harder. For Kabitanya, he reminded himself of the message from Joshua 1:9 to “be strong and courageous” and to not “be frightened or dismayed for your Lord God is with you wherever you go.”

Portraits became more viable than other creations, but even the ability to produce those was minimal with Uganda’s government-ordered lockdown that lasted nearly two years. Kabitanya got his break with the UCU mural commissioning. Klenk, one of many UCU Eunice Guest House visitors Joshua sold paintings to over the years, echoed what other customers have said as follows: “He has the ability to see things other people don’t see.”

Klenk and others secured funding and pushed Joshua to the project.

Three months of eight-hour days yielded a mural unveiled in a May 24 ceremony. As of late August, the paint hadn’t faded.

Kabitanya is modest and humble about compliments, finding hope in many who believe in him, including God, who, the artist says, gets all the glory.

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UCU students dialogue about African brain drain

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

Alan Kasujja engages in the recording session of the masterclass podcast with UCU students.

By Kefa Senoga
Brain drain means the depletion of a country’s best and brightest workers who take their knowledge and skill to another country – usually leaving lower wages in a home country for higher wages in another country.

Such was the topic of discussion among Uganda Christian University (UCU) students and facilitators from BBC Africa Daily. The occasion was a recent masterclass podcast session organized by a BBC Africa Daily team consisting of Alan Kasujja, host of Africa Daily; Janet Ball, producer for Africa Daily; and BBC minute presenter Ria Khatab. The main question was: Would you stay, or would you go?

Alan Kasujja gives advice to UCU students.

According to BBC, a new survey of more than 4,500 age 18-24 people in Africa found that 52% are likely to consider emigrating in the next few years, citing economic hardship and education opportunities as the top reasons. Ms. Ball says Ugandan young people are more optimistic about the future in their home country than youth in Kenya and Nigeria.

Kasujja says that one of the most difficult decisions he had to make in life was accepting a job offer in another country. He appeared both amused and conflicted by the answers he got from the young people at UCU regarding why they want to spend the rest of their lives in Uganda or why they want to leave.

Throughout this discussion, the common justifications from these young people on why they want to leave their countries were three-fold: adventure, better paying jobs and better education opportunities.

Alan Kasujja offers some advice to students at UCU

Kenneth Bananuka, a third-year journalism student playing with the UCU basketball team, says that he wants to play professional basketball at the highest level, which is not in Uganda.

Joshua Bamwike, a UCU School of Medicine student, said the pay for medical workers in Uganda is unfavorable. “As medical students, we put in a lot of effort in research and pay high sums of tuition; then at the end of the day, the salaries we are paid are still discussed while in other better countries, it’s not negotiable for medical workers to get a better pay.” He thinks of moving to Canada, if he got the opportunity after his studies.

“How much money do you want?” Kasujja asked.

“Roughly, I would want 30 million Ugshs a month (about $8,000 dollars),” Bamwike replied. According to statistics, monthly poverty in the USA remained elevated in February 2022, with a 14.4 percent poverty rate for the total US population considering the high cost of living.

However, Rukia Micky Nambwayo, also a medical student at UCU looking forward to being a gynecologist, does not agree with those who wish to leave their country to seek greener pastures. Nambwayo says that it is unfair for some doctors to leave their country and go look for jobs elsewhere.

“They should stay and serve their country such that the people in Uganda also get the opportunity of being treated by the best,” she says.

According to Nambwayo, when you decide to offer medical studies, you should not be looking at the money, but rather at the services and help that you are going to offer to people.

Two journalism students – Christiana Ampeire and Timothy Nsubuga – shared the same view of “going to other countries such that they can be able to learn new skills and knowledge and return to apply them in their countries.” Timothy Nsubuga emphasizes that he is “not looking forward to leaving my country and staying in a foreign country for over 100 years.”

Despite the fact that Ampeire is not looking at completely abandoning her country, she agrees that it is not unusual to hear young people lamenting about leaving their country. She says most of her colleagues share the same view with Bamwike that there is no hope in their country and, therefore, they have to find means of leaving.

Ampeire thinks that the government should listen and act against the reasons that bring such kind of desperateness among the youth. “The youth in these professional fields should be catered for more in the national budget and even given more pay to motivate them,” Ampeire says.

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UCU student’s jewellery creations yield national award

September 7, 2022News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Rosemary Ndyemanya Marion (centre) receives a dummy cheque for her prize money.

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
Making jewellery started out as a pastime for Rosemary Ndyemanya Marion. As a young girl, she learned the activity by helping her mother make necklaces and earrings, which she sold to supplement her monthly salary.

During her Senior Six holidays, she took the activity a notch higher, by starting to make her own jewellery for sale.

“I often went to town with my mother, to buy the beads and threads and all the other products she needed for her jewellery business,” she narrates.

On one of the trips, Ndyemanya asked her mother for money so she could also buy what she would use to make her own products.

“She gave me sh5,000 (about $1.5) and that’s how I started,” said Ndyemanya, a student of Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance in the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business. She is in second year of her study at UCU.

Some of the excitement as Stanbic bank announces the winner

When Ndyemanya sensed that she had learned enough about making jewellery and was able to fly alone, she started a company, Anya Wrist. The year was 2021.

With the business, she has been able to make money. For instance, she says there are months she earns up to sh900,000 ($237) in sales. It is not just the money she is reaping from the business. In July, Ndyemanya won a business start-up challenge in the National Schools Championships that was organised by Stanbic Bank in Uganda. The competition attracted participants from 100 schools.

One of the products that Ndyemanya makes

The award, in a competition where her pitch was the Anya Wrist business, saw her walk home with a prize of sh5million (about $1,300). At the awards gala, a short profile of Ndyemanya’s pitch wowed the event’s chief guest, Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament. In addition to the sh5million, Tayebwa also gave Ndyemanya another sh1million (about $260).

The competition, in its seventh year, was held under the theme “Empowering Job Creators of Tomorrow.” Upon the selection of the applicants in March, they were taken for a boot camp in April, where Ndyemanya learned valuable lessons, which she believes will be able to make her business grow. The knowledge and skills provided were in the areas of how to grow the business, sell and market products and use the numerous opportunities that social media offers to close the physical gap between the producer and the customer.

“I’m not from a financially stable family,” Ndyemanya said. “My mum is a primary school teacher and my dad is a reverend. In order to make ends meet, my mom would make crafts, soap and wine for sale at church after service.” Ndyemanya thanks God for the opportunity that the Stanbic Bank entrepreneurship challenge offered her.

Just like any student running a business, Ndyemanya is not short of obstacles. “When I’m in school, I find it hard to balance both academics and work, so I find myself having to leave out some orders that need delivery in distant places so I can attend my classes,” she said, noting that she has extra roles as a student leader. At school, Ndyemanya is the student custodian of her hall of residence.

“During my holidays, though, I give my all to the business, making up for any losses during the semester.”

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Health Awareness week focuses on mental wellness

September 2, 2022News, Students, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Students at the blood donation tent during the health awareness week

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
First, it was an issue only talked about in hushed tones. Then, the rate of drug abuse increased among students and youth, bringing dialog to the public domain.

Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Trinity Semester (May-August) Health Awareness Week was part of that domain with the issue of mental wellness and drug abuse fast growing among youth in open discussion.

UCU Guild President Racheal Sserwadda Mirembe said they discovered that there were cartels in Mukono that supply youth and students with drugs, leading to substance abuse. The revelation by Mirembe is not surprising. In March 2022, the Police said at least 16 percent of the youth in urban centers in Uganda are under the influence of drugs.

Tinka Zarugaba, the head of Uganda Police’s anti-narcotics department, said abuse of drugs, such as cannabis, heroin and cocaine, was on the rise, especially in urban areas, greatly affecting the youth. Zarugaba’s remarks were made in March 2022, at a function where close to 50kg of narcotic drug exhibits estimated to be over sh770million (about $200,000) were burned in Kampala.

A police officer, right, at the health camp

In June, police arrested four people who were accused of selling drug-laced cookies to students of one of the elite secondary schools in Uganda. The Police said the “drug-bust was carried out after the secondary school suspended 10 students who ordered drug-laced cookies, which they consumed at a school party.”

At the Uganda Christian University Health Awareness Week held in July 2022 at the UCU Guild Grounds, the institution’s students were joined by those from other universities – Makerere, Kyambogo and Makerere Business School.

The campaign, which ran under the theme Say No to Drug and Substance Abuse, was part of the Health Awareness week that is dedicated to providing a general understanding and knowledge about health, health care and its services, health needs, diseases and preventive measures.

It is held every semester and organized by Allan Galpin, UCU’s health center, in conjunction with the UCU Guild Government and the counseling department at UCU, the Ruth Nkoyoyo Wellness Center.

Other health services, such as blood screening and donation, free dental screening and optical screening, were offered at the health week.

Listen to the band advocating against drug abuse

Olivia Kamusiime, a year-three student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, thanked the university and the student leaders for the initiative of the health week. She said that so many students face challenges, which could lead them into abusing drugs, but that with campaigns like those held at the health week, she is optimistic a positive change will be registered.

Josephine Achol, a second-year student pursuing Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management, said that she got free eye screening services and realized she had had an underlying eye problem she did not know about.

Ruth Igiraneza, a student of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, said through the health camp, she was able to know her HIV status, as well as get her eyes checked. She said the extension of the health awareness week activities into the Thursday community worship hour enabled her to know the dangers of self-medication.

“For instance,” Igiraneza said: “I did not know paracetamol (also known as the acetaminophen pain killer) has caffeine in it.”

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UCU alum dances way to success with goal of helping vulnerable

August 31, 2022News, Students, UCU School of Social SciencesPatty Huston-Holm

Molly Nantongo and Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, former dean of UCU’s School of Social Sciences and now Director for Postgraduate Studies, in August 2022. “You were my dean, and read my name,” Nantongo recalled of her connection to Kukunda at the 2015 UCU graduation day on the Mukono campus.

By Patty Huston-Holm
When I think of Molly Nantongo, I think of dancing. The tiny gap in her front teeth is one way I pick her out from hundreds of Ugandans I’ve met. Both of those things – dance and space evident when Nantongo smiles – have played an important role in her still unfolding achievement.

On a Saturday morning in August 2022, from a couch in my Uganda Christian University (UCU) Tech Park apartment, Nantongo explained the role. A 2015 UCU alum with a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, she sandwiched in time to talk just five days before her flight to California, USA. Our conversation was punctuated with laughter, hope from despair and bites of chocolate brownies.

Laughter
I met Nantongo in 2016. In addition to the meager salary that she got from performances with a troupe at Uganda’s Ndere Cultural Arts Center, she got some shillings from me for private dance lessons between shrubs and hanging laundry in the side yard of where I lived at UCU. Her young 20-something moves were a sharp contrast to those of her much older but eager-to-learn counterpart.

We laughed then and with Dr. Kukunda Elizabeth Bacwayo, then dean of the UCU School of Research and Post-Graduate Studies, enroute home to Mukono after watching Nantongo dance with Ndere Troupe one Sunday night in Kampala.

Molly Nantongo giving private African dance lesson to Author Patty Huston-Holm

Nantongo was piecing together earnings from three jobs: a professional dancer, an occasional private dance teacher and teaching assistant and tutor for undergraduate students in the university’s foundation courses. At that time and still, she had visited more of USA’s 50 states than me.

“I’ve been in about 95% of the United States,” she said. She got there before age 15.

Hope
In 2002, Nantongo was one of four children living with a single mother, a former Hutu in Rwanda, in the Kampala slum suburb of Kirombe. Missing school and food on the table were an accepted way of life that the then 10-year-old filled with “cracking jokes” and dancing. One such day, she and a girlfriend jumped gleefully onto a political campaign truck filled with music blaring from loud speakers. They laughed and danced, oblivious to those seeing them, before jumping off to make the 35-minute walk from home.

“Mom was bitter,” Nantongo said. “She caned me.”

Nantongo ran away and slept the night on some steps where a sex worker scooped her up, made her tea with milk and, despite the child protests that her mom would “beat me to death,” took her home.

There, she learned that she had been noticed on the truck.

“They were looking for the dancing girl with the gap in her teeth,” she said.

That organization, now known as Undugu Society of Kenya, helped Nantongo finish primary school. Another organization, Empower African Children, got her to the United States as a member of the Spirit of Uganda Various Artists – Spirit of Uganda: 2008 Tour Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic “Because I could dance,” Nantongo explained, adding, “Plus, I had a story to tell.”

Her moves were natural until age 15, when there was formalized instruction to be ready for travel, do shows internationally and raise money for vulnerable children like her. The 2008 USA tour with 11 girls and 11 boys was six months in buses and planes.

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

More Hope
As Nantongo told of her journey, she shared that her siblings weren’t totally left behind as Empower African Children assisted with education. And she never took her support for granted. Working hard as she did in the years after getting her bachelor’s degree was both rewarding and giving back. She helped students understand health and wellness and world views in the UCU undergraduate foundation courses.

Alas, like for many, Covid was a hardship. A degree meant little without a place to teach, and dancing meant little without an audience to dance for. Nantongo started a passion fruit business to support herself and her mom, age 52, who struggles still from a stroke in 2017.

A year into being a street seller, a friend suggested she apply for a scholarship opportunity through the American Embassy. Without much optimism as one of 60 candidates for one slot, she participated in the two-week orientation – raising her hand and smiling a lot. She was chosen for a two-year master’s program in social welfare at the University of California in Berkley.

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

Molly Nantongo, UCU alum studying at the University of California, Berkley, holds a replica of a character from the Flat Stanley children’s book in 2016. This rendition from a Dayton, Ohio, class taught by Huston-Holm’s niece is part of an educational project designed to expose schoolchildren to different people and cultures.

“If we don’t do something now, these girls will end up in prostitution,” Nantongo, turning age 30 in October, said. “I’ve been using the grant here to focus on vocation skills like catering and tailoring, hair dressing and welding for these vulnerable.”

As Nantongo is wrapping up her final year in California in 2023, she has her sights on working for USAID, UNICEF. United Nations or World Bank, with her forever passion to help the poverty vulnerable as she once was.

“I want to start mentoring sessions for children who have been born and raised in the slums to give them hope and connect them to different resources that can help them attain their goals,” she said, smiling to show that gap in her teeth that she doesn’t intend to plug.

More Laughter
As for dancing?
On this Saturday in August, Nantongo pulled up a video on her phone. It shows three students in Berkeley, California. In it, she is dancing with a young man from Kenya and a woman from China. And all three are laughing.

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Nantongo Molly can be reached at Instagram nantongo.maureen |(LinkedIn: NANTONGO MOLLY | ;Twitter: @NantongoMolly | FaceBook: Nantongo Maureen.

Prof. Wangusa hailed for contribution to literature in Uganda

August 26, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of EducationPatty Huston-Holm

Prof. Timothy Wangusa gives a speech during the celebration at Makerere University

By Kefa Senoga
A fountain of knowledge. A man gifted with words. A man who can weave words to create a magical appeal. These were some of the descriptions bestowed on Prof. Timothy Wangusa as the academia gathered on July 8, 2022, to celebrate a man who has contributed to Uganda through the spoken and written word.

The event, whose theme was Celebrating Wangusa@80, was convened by Uganda’s Makerere University as part of activities to celebrate 100 years of the university. It also coincided with a celebration of 80 years of the literary giant. Wangusa, a poet and novelist, was born on May 20, 1942.

UCU lecturer Timothy Wangusa has a birthday that coincides with Makerere University’s centenary. The university applauded his service for literature in the country and region during his 80th birthday celebration and the launch of his four books.

Wangusa also is a name known at Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he played a key role in establishing the department of languages and literature in the School of Education. A research fellow at UCU from 2003 to 2005, he was a research supervisor and was instrumental in developing UCU’s Master of Arts and PhD program in literature.

Prof. Timothy Wangusa receives gifts from Makerere University officials on July 8

At 27 years, Wangusa joined Makerere as an academic. Six years down the road, in 1975, he bagged a PhD in literature, becoming the first person to acquire the qualification at Makerere. Six years later, Wangusa became one of the few African professors at Makerere.

Wangusa jokingly refers to himself as the mean point between Makerere University with it’s 100 years of existence and Uganda with its 60 years of independence this year

“If you add 100 years of Makerere to 60 years of Uganda and divide by 2, you get me,” Wangusa explained to the July 8 audience.

Wangusa, who hails from Manafwa district in eastern Uganda, says throughout his teaching and writing career, he has emphasized the mutual importance of the spoken and the written word.

One of his inspirations for the “economy of words,” Wangusa narrates, is when, at the age of 10, he attended Sunday school in the eastern Uganda region of Bugisu, his native area. He says the preacher summed up his message in four words: “Always love one another.” To Wangusa, if anyone practiced the love for one another, they will have obeyed all the Ten Commandments.

As a teacher, he says he found it difficult to teach what he calls the most difficult doctrine to comprehend, the doctrine of the Trinity. He says, in his wisdom, he attempted to define God to his students, by coming up with the Trinity Tree, which he described in a 15-word poem:

The father in the root

The son in the shoot

The spirit in the fruit

Wangusa says that his discovery of the significance of the economy of words has informed his career and he testifies that he has been inspired by words which have guided his humanness of character and style of writing.

“My first novel – Upon This Mountain – could have been four times longer if I had been an expansionist, but I am a ‘compactionist’,” he said. The novel, which is 116 pages, is part of the literature syllabus for many secondary schools in Uganda.

The event at Makerere University also was used to launch Wangusa’s latest books – I Love You, You Beast, a book where he shares reflections on faith and literature from 1969 to 2009; Pathfinders’ Footprints in Modern African Poetry, a collection of poems; Lost in Wonder, his autobiography; and Niyanga Nilaliila, a translated autobiography in Lumasaaba, his native language.

Arthur Gakwandi, a novelist, short story writer, diplomat and Makerere lecturer, said Wangusa creates “cryptic communication, packed with meaning and difficult to comprehend.”

“He can find meaning in simple things,” Gakwandi said. “He can see the supernatural in ordinary things, a tree or object, which most people ignore. He then finds a word to communicate that momentary insight.”

Dr. Susan Kiguli, a poet and senior lecturer of literature at Makerere, said she always thought that great writers were only dead people. So, when she came across poems and novels by Wangusa in secondary school, she had no reason to believe that the professor was still alive.

“However, when I joined Makerere University, I was shocked to learn that Wangusa was one of our lecturers,” Kiguli said. “Being a man of small stature, he did not tower over us. But when he began to speak, he was larger than life. He is small, but carries a mountain of achievements.”

Peter Mugume, a lecturer at UCU, says he first met Wangusa as his undergraduate teacher at Makerere University. He says he later got the opportunity to work with Wangusa as a colleague lecturer in the department of literature at UCU.

Wangusa attended Nabumali High School from 1958 to 1961 for O’level, before joining King’s College, Budo for A’level from 1962 to 1963. From Budo, he joined Makerere University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English course, and then to the UK’s University of Leeds for a master’s degree in literature.

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UCU revolutionizes accommodations after Covid lockdown

August 22, 2022COVID-19, News, StudentsPatty Huston-Holm

Students register online to access accommodations at UCU

By Israel Kisakye
The Covid-19 pandemic left much of the world on its knees. For others, it was an elevation opportunity. One such area related to the latter is the registration of resident students at Uganda Christian University (UCU). The university rolled out an online registration method to alleviate physical contact as the institution tried to keep up with the standard operating procedures against the spread of coronavirus.

“Students who have paid their full accommodation fees and 45% of the tuition fees are able to register online,” the Rev. Simon Peter Ddamba, the UCU warden for Nsibambi Hall, said. The development, according to Ddamba, has eased the registration process for both the students and the university.

However, some students who did not want their names to go on record do not agree. They say the online system sometimes locks them out, keeping them from completing the registration.

When Uganda Partners put this challenge to Bridget Mugume, the Director of Student Affairs at UCU, she said some of the students facing obstacles are those who have not met the requirements for online registration – paying full boarding fees and 45% of the accommodation fees. (At the time of writing this story, our writer attempted to register online, and he confirmed that the system was working well.)

Mugume noted that the new system has enabled the capture of students’ data from the time they report for studies.

“All the information is in the database, where it can be easily be tracked,” she said.

In a promotion video recorded in 2021, Ddamba said the halls of residence are equipped with computer laboratories and internet hotspots to enable students do research.

The university also has reduced the number of residents in a room from four, before Covid-19, to two.

Racheal Birungi, a student of Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, who resides in Sabiti Hall, says they are having the best time of their lives in the halls due to a reduction in the number of occupants in a room.

“We no longer share wardrobes; this has created comfort and enough space in the rooms,” Birungi says.

UCU has two halls of residence – Sabiti for female students and Nsibambi for male students. The reduction in the number of occupants per room means less students will be accommodated than before. However, to cover some of the gap that has been created, the university in February 2022 acquired the Ankrah Foundation premises. UCU is currently using the facility for a resource centre, as well as accommodation for students, among others.

The interior view of a lounge at the Ankrah Foundation hostel

The Kodwo and Maxine hostel at Ankrah Foundation has 142 rooms, with each room accommodating two students. At least 116 students are currently residing at the hostel, with the number expected to increase. Innocent Owora, the Kodwo and Maxine hostel Residential Assistant, said with two students occupying each room, incidences of theft will be greatly reduced.

Ddamba said to augment the security, plans are underway to install security cameras at the students’ halls of residence.

There also are plans to establish single-rooms at the Kodwo and Maxine hostel. Mugume said there are 100 single-rooms that are being renovated into accommodation facilities at the Ankrah Foundation.

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UCU holds first total in-person graduation in more than two years

August 20, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Some graduates pose after the UCU ceremony on July 29

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
On January 7, 2020, Uganda Christian University (UCU) awarded semester scholarships to 10 students in appreciation of their outstanding academic performance. While handing out the Vice Chancellor’s Awards to the students, former Vice Chancellor John Senyonyi said the gesture was a motivation for excellence at the university.

Overall Best Student Mugagga Leslie Lubowa receives his award from UCU Bishop Alfred Olwa at the ceremony on July 29. Centre is Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi.

True to the intention of the award, two students did not take their feet off the pedal. Mugagga Leslie Lubowa and Hajara Nanziri – who were among the recipients of the scholarships in 2020 – on July 29, 2022, emerged top at UCU’s first part of the 23rd graduation.

Lubowa, a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics with a First Class, walked home with three accolades. His Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.91 out of 5 earned him the accolade of Best Male Student, Best Science Student and Overall Best Student.

Another recipient of the 2020 award, Hajara Nanziri, emerged the Best Arts Student at the July graduation. Nanziri, who attained a First Class with a CGPA of 4.72, graduated with a Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management.

The top university administrators and chief guest during the graduation

The best overall female student at the graduation, Cynthia Birungi Muhumuza, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Economics and Statistics, garnered a CGPA of 4.76. Birungi’s life has been a true defiance of the phrase “a jack of all trades and a master of none.” While at UCU, she did not just belong to the elite class of the Honors College. She was a leader at the college, as its Prime Minister. Before joining UCU, Birungi was the head girl at Seroma Christian School, where she attended secondary education. She was also the school’s basketball team captain.

Mugagga, Nanziri and Birungi were among the 55 students who attained academic excellence at the July graduation, garnering First Class and, thus, walked home with plaques.

Boreen Natamba, who got a First Class in Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance, was full of praises to her parents and lecturers. “Without them, I wouldn’t have graduated today,” Natamba said at the event, where 2106 students graduated. Of these, 55% were female.

“The endless discussions have finally paid off,” Natamba said. “I’m optimistic that with the skills and values we’ve acquired, the future is bright,”

The graduation ceremony, in a year when UCU marks 25 years of existence, was the institution’s first total in-person ceremony since the outbreak of Covid-19 more than two years ago. The previous two graduation ceremonies — on December 18, 2020, and October 22, 2021 — were virtual, in line with the Uganda Government’s policy of observing the Covid-19 Standard Operating Procedures.

The graduating students were also coming from some of UCU’s constituent colleges – Bishop Barham and Mbale University College; and the Arua Campus.

Unpacking the sendoff package of nuggets of wisdom for the graduates, chief guest Bishop Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa emphasized the virtues of truthfulness, trustworthiness and timeliness as some of what will determine how much the graduates achieve in the field of work.

He said deception has become the modern way of life in a world where the dividing line between the truth and lies gets blurred each passing day. Mwesigwa, a former Chairperson of the UCU Council, therefore, urged the graduates to be “ambassadors of truth, and not messengers of lies and deception.”

The Chancellor of UCU, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, hinged his message to the graduates on integrity.

“You have a duty to uphold the flag of UCU, while remaining men and women of integrity, guided by humility and discipline, because it is through these attributes that you will remain useful to your families and community,” Kaziimba, who is the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Uganda, said.

He reminded the graduates that the virtues of diligence, servanthood and stewardship should be their guiding compass in life.

Students and guests who attended the graduation ceremony walked home with printed souvenir copies of Ebenezer, a graduation publication produced in collaboration with Uganda Partners, UCU Department of Communications and Public Relations and the Standard under the School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC).

The graduation ceremony was preceded by two events – a public lecture held on July 27 and the commissioning ceremony of the graduands. Doug Fountain, a former UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and External Relations, now living in Maryland, USA, gave the public lecture on the topic, “The Strongest Asset for Building Resilient Local Health Systems.”

At the commissioning service held in Nkoyoyo Hall on July 28, the guest preacher, Canon Edward Gaamuwa, urged the students to always wait on God because “He has the right timing for every person.”

“God has a definite plan and purpose for your life. He will go with you and be with you in every step of your life,” Gaamuwa said.

At the graduation, two students – Owen Alleluya of Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship and Alex Khauka, of Diploma in Information Technology – received their awards posthumously. Alleluya died after his final exams while Khauka and his father, Siraj Gidudu, died in a motor accident on their way to the graduation.

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UCU reboots to boost freshmen class in post-pandemic era

August 17, 2022Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, News, Students, UCU AlumniPatty Huston-Holm

Jonathan Ahurira Kivuna, UCU Guild Vice President, interacts with learners at Kisowera Secondary School.

By Israel Kisakye
Uganda Christian University (UCU) is the best postsecondary choice in East Africa for its emphasis on character, academics, real-world relevancy and more.

Under the leadership of UCU Church Relations, that’s the message being delivered to Ugandan secondary schools with an outreach goal to touch roughly 2,000 of the 3,000 sites with an emphasis on those with Anglican Church connections. In the aftermath of Uganda’s Covid-related, education shutdown, it is hoped that visits to church-founded/church-sponsored secondary schools will sway students into applying for courses that the university offers when they complete Senior Six. Because of very few Senior Six graduates due to the shutdown, Ugandan university first-year classes in September 2022 are sparse.

One recent visit in the UCU post-pandemic reboot was to Kisowera Secondary School in Mukono district. The Rev. Richard Mulindwa, manager, UCU Church Relations, led the team to the school.

Dinah Grace Nakabuye (left), headmistress of Kisowera Secondary School, during the career guidance sessions at the school.

“One of our main objectives is to popularize UCU to schools under the Church,” the Church Relations manager said. Mulindwa, a former student of Kisowera Secondary School, where he studied A’level from 2007-2008, used the visit to encourage students to work hard if they want to succeed in their professional life. He added, “With education, you can be everything you want in life.”

During the interaction, a couple university students shared career nuggets of wisdom with the secondary school students.

Ecora Faith Akile, a student of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship, shared information on how agricultural production can be improved through innovations, especially to benefit commercial farmers.

“The days of using a hoe to dig have long ended,” she said. “Today, there are new innovations in farming that must be used to speed up production.”

The students and teachers of Kisowera told the UCU team that they were honored to have hosted the UCU team.

The Rev. Richard Mulindwa, manager, UCU Church Relations, discusses the value of UCU

Deborah Nantume, the school’s head girl, said the interaction inspired her to work hard so she can meet the academic requirements to pursue her desired course at UCU.

Dinah Grace Nakabuye, the school’s head teacher, explained that the visit had paved the way for them to know that they are much valued by UCU and also establish a relationship between the two institutions.

Mulindwa said that UCU will engage other secondary schools in a move to inspire more students to join them.

“We have been to other different church-founded schools, including Makerere College and Mengo Senior School in Kampala; many others will be reached,” Mulindwa said. The Church Relations Office is mandated to link the Province of the Church of Uganda to the university.

The move to drive sensitisation activities in secondary schools comes ahead of the annual UCU Sunday, where each and every congregation in the province receives a representative of UCU who is given time to speak about the university. Congregations are given time and opportunity for prayer and financial support to the university.

On the UCU Sunday, every Anglican church is expected to make financial collections to help in the running of the Church-founded institution. This year’s UCU Sunday will be celebrated on September 25.

Some of the collections that were made at last year’s UCU Sunday went towards the funding of the construction of an apartment section for the ordinands and the clergy who will be resident students at the university. UCU Vice Chancellor Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said last year that sh400m (about $113,000) had already been secured for the project that is estimated to cost sh1.5b (about $424,000).

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Media experts urge UCU students to uphold journalism ethics

August 15, 2022News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and CommunicationPatty Huston-Holm

Some UCU students who attended the dinner.

By Kefa Senoga
To earn respect, journalists should be able to produce believable, accurate and impactful stories. It is such stories, veteran journalist John Kakande explained, that will influence policy and bring the desired positive change in society.

“If you go to cover an event and, at the end of the day, you ask the spokesperson of the organisation to give you transport facilitation, they will not respect you again,” Kakande, a former editor of Uganda’s New Vision newspaper, told students of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Journalism, Media and Communication. He said journalists who ask for facilitation from events organizers will be taken as “mercenaries for hire.”

Kakande, who retired in 2021 from 27 years with New Vision, made the remarks as chief guest at an annual media dinner organized by the students at a hotel in Kampala. Held under the theme “Media Ethics under Attack,” the dinner hosted students, UCU alumni, and media and public relations practitioners.

Tabu Butagira, the Managing Editor of Daily Monitor, a newspaper in Uganda, urged the students to look at ethics as their “personal value system.” He described the UCU students who have had their internship at the Daily Monitor as hardworking.

Kakande said a majority of those who had their internship at New Vision were retained as staff because “we found them well disciplined and respectful.”

John Kakande a veteran journalist who worked with New Vision and chief guest at UCU media dinner, speaks at event in Kampala.

Citing an example of emphasis on ethics and team work, the Dean of the School of JMC, Prof. Monica Chibita, referred to a video production of a news bulletin by the students that was shown at the dinner.

Veteran Ugandan journalist John Kakande speaks at dinner.

Chibita said the production was a result of team work between the students and the staff. She lauded John Semakula, who is the head of the undergraduate studies in the UCU School of JMC, for showing an “incredible commitment in leading the team of students that was able to exhibit their TV production.”

Chibita said UCU has been deliberate in focusing on hands-on training to enable their graduates be able to compete favorably in the job market.

“Unlike the previous years, we now even have first-year students actually reading bulletins; that means we are getting better in terms of practical training,” Chibita said at the dinner that was held after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The head of communications at power distributor Umeme, Peter Kaujju, encouraged students to be truthful because the profession they are pursuing comes with the responsibility of being the eyes of the public. He also encouraged students to be resilient and determined if they are to pursue good stories. He said his organisation, Umeme, is ready to offer internship placements for the students, as well as giving career guidance tips.

Hellen Mukiibi, an editor at New Vision, lauded the journalism students for the practical work they exhibited. The production was made under the auspices of the UCU Media Link Association. Mukiibi encouraged the students to develop skills in print, broadcast and online, noting that they are the new demands in a current newsroom.

“You also need to be ready, strong and tough. Prepare for everything, as a journalist. You should be knowledgeable about the subject you’re covering, which means you will need to do a lot of research,” Mukiibi urged the students.

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Professors from Netherlands equip UCU with student-centered learning skills

August 10, 2022News, Students, UCU School of BusinessPatty Huston-Holm

Johan Henjik and Jaap Mannes make a presentation to the UCU School of Business.

By Israel Kisakye
Professors from Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands, have shared teaching and learning skills with their counterparts and students of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Business.

Johan Henjik and Jaap Mannes from the School of Business, Marketing and Finance at Hanze recently introduced the strategy of student-centered learning, which aims at developing the learners’ autonomy and independence. The student-centered learning approach offers students the chance to choose what they learn and how they learn it, thereby becoming decision-makers in the learning process.

“That approach can have prolific impact on the students’ knowledge and experience,” Jaap said. “There’s a big difference between theory and practice, so there is need to close the gap.”

Hanze University professors talk about student skill building

Jaap, who is Hanze University’s Director of Internationalization Committee at the School of Business Marketing and Finance, added that under the approach, companies and organisations learn from the students just as the students learn from them.

The Hanze representatives also emphasized the importance of students applying their classroom-acquired knowledge to create projects for themselves.

Vincent Kisenyi, Dean of the School of Business, gives remarks.

Johan said that he was interested in Hanze University students interacting with those of UCU. One benefit is cultural since many of the Netherlands students “don’t know much about Africa.”

The duos late June 2022 visit to UCU was courtesy of a partnership that the two universities signed in 2021 to support one another in research, teaching and learning. The agreement reinforces the value of both academic and cultural infusion into university teaching and learning. In mid-April 2022, UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi visited Hanze University, where he interacted with some UCU students who early this year traveled to the Dutch institution for a six-month exchange program related to the Diploma in International Marketing Management.

Both UCU staff and students were impressed by the approach of student-centered learning and believe it will help the students connect directly with the industry.

The Dean of the UCU Business School, Vincent Kisenyi, noted that the approach was more appropriate in the fight against unemployment among university graduates.

“I can’t wait for us to implement it and test its efficiency,” Kisenyi said.

Elsie Nsiyona, the Assoc. Dean of the School of Business, said she was excited about the new approach and could not wait to see the results.

Jonathan Kivuna, a year-three student pursuing Bachelor of Business Administration, said he was already excited about the student-centered approach.

“There is a lot of practice involved; I think it’s going to benefit students’ business projects,” Kivuna said.

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Equipment informs future doctors about evidence-based patient care

August 1, 2022COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Dentistry, UCU School of MedicinePatty Huston-Holm

UCU School of Medicine students Alituha Constance, Melodie Munyakai, and Kasule Steven engage in microscopic learning. — UCU School of Medicine students Alituha Constance, Melodie Munyakazi, and Kasule Steven engage in microscopic learning.

Story By Patty Huston-Holm with Photos and Podcast by Vanessa Kyalimpa
Within five minutes of the first time that Vanessa Kyalimpa and I met Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, he was casually lifting and touching cleaned bones extracted from donated cadavers. Vanessa, a student in the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Journalism, Media and Communication, captured photographs while I took notes.

I wondered why this rubber-gloved dean for the UCU School of Medicine (SoM) was so attentive to the skeletal part of the human body.

SoM Dean, Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, uses human body parts, including this brain, as part of his teaching

Later, I got my answer. I discovered Dr. Tumusiime’s two bone-related pieces of research – both within the last year and concentrated on femur (thigh) bones of East African men. In brief and not doing justice to the studies by the esteemed doctor, senior lecturer and dean, I summarized his research on the 333 African men were about:

External opening of femur bones to make a correlation between whether the opening that enables blood flow necessary for healing after surgery is inherited or acquired (International Journal of Anatomy and Research, India); and
Size and shape of femur bones as this relates to assessing fracture risk and stability of hip joints and design of implants for hip replacement (Austin, Texas, Journal of Anatomy).

Whether serving in his role as researcher, teacher or practicing doctor, Dr. Tumusiime epitomizes excellence in the field of medicine. His passion for lifelong learning and elevating UCU SoM student knowledge and skill were clear on April 5, 2022, as he showed us around with a focus on how equipment informs evidence-based patient care. Much of what we saw in three different buildings, including where the UCU School of Dentistry (SoD) is housed, was donated a year ago by MedShare and Midmark through the non-profit Uganda Partners organization.

dical training, including the value of Christian faith integration.

Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, Dean, UCU School of Medicine, gives a historical, current and future perspective of medical training, including the value of Christian faith integration.

“Biomedical equipment promotes holistic and evidence-based patient care,” Dr. Tumusiime said. “While we teach that patient history and physical exams contribute over 80% to an accurate diagnostic, the equipment donated through the United States in 2021 is extremely valuable in shaping our future doctors into evidence-based, health care practitioners.”

Year two SoM student, Nalujja Chloe Immuaculate, engages in studies in the Gross Anatomy lab

The donated equipment and consumables contributed to the accreditation and licensure of UCU’s SoM and SoD by the Ugandan regulators, as well as the continuity of teaching and learning during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The equipment boosted the schools’ ability to be accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education. Such tools supplement learning in the UCU biomedical laboratories in gross anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, histology and microbiology and immunology.

The UCU equipment for the SoM, mostly donated in the past two years, and brief descriptions include:

Microscopes (providing the “Gold standard” for tissue diagnosis) – Magnify what the human eye can’t see, such as cells indicating diseases, such as sickle cell
Centrifuge – Separate, purify and isolate cells, proteins and viruses for further observation
Vortex mixer – Combine vials of liquid to study enzymes and DNA
Incubator – Maintain temperature, humidity and gas content to grow or maintain cells
Bunsen burner – Used for heating samples and sterilization
Safety cabinets – Protect researchers and others from potentially infectious materials
Medical waste bins – Add safety from biomedical waste and sharp instruments
Medical refrigerator and freezer – Protect and extend shelf life of bio-specimens, reagents, drugs and vaccines
Protective gear (aprons, face masks, face shields, goggles, gloves) – Support safety in teaching and learning, research and patient care
Assorted clinical diagnostic equipment – Promote the quality of patient diagnosis and research

The SoM Dean expressed appreciation for the donations that, despite a year of Covid-related distance learning, have boosted the holistic, evidence-based capabilities of UCU’s 230 students in the SoM and SoD as each completes a five-year program.

“There are many examples of how technology equips us to improve Uganda’s health care,” Dr. Tumusiime said. “For instance, in dealing with malnutrition among children, we are able to help by analyzing blood samples to guide nutritional interventions and monitor progress. In all age groups, we screen and diagnose non-communicable diseases like sickle cell anaemia, cardiovascular diseases, cancers and metabolic disorders that are currently on the rise in Africa.”

Dr. Tumusiime said that the need for more laboratory tools is ongoing, and singled out the equipment that is urgently needed to enhance teaching and learning, research and community service. In 2022, these necessities and their roles are:

Biological teaching microscope – Enables the instructor to demonstrate to the learners in real time
Hematology analyzers – Allow study of blood disorders and expanded understanding of human immune response
Chemistry analyzers – Enable testing of 100 different components, including urine for detection of various infections, kidney disease and diabetes
Blood gas/electrolyte analyzer – Measure blood sample parameters, such as oxygen concentration

“I appreciate that in a resource-limited setting, some of these equipment may not be readily available,” he said. “But it’s critical to the profession that they know they exist and know how to use them.”

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UCU student champions fight against HIV

July 21, 2022COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of LawPatty Huston-Holm

Brendan Katushabe and musician Joanita Kawalya (right) at the launch of activities of Own Your Future (OYF) in January 2022 at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall.

By Vanessa Kyalimpa
At last year’s World AIDS Day on December 1, UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed optimism that it is still possible to end the epidemic by 2030. However, Guterres emphasized that for that to happen there would be a need for “stepped up action and greater solidarity.”

UCU Law student Brendan Katushabe says many university students in Uganda are ignorant about sexual and reproductive health

In a direct response to Guterres call for “stepped up action,” Brendan Katushabe, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) student, has taken matters into her own hands, to champion advocacy about the danger that still exists with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

She says there is usually more hype about the epidemic during the commemoration of the World AIDS Day and noticeable silence for the rest of the year. The year-four student of Bachelor of Laws says she is aiming towards change by taking action to better empower communities with information on sexual and reproductive health – namely HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Her vehicle is an advocacy initiative called Own Your Future (OYF), which she founded in early 2022.

Katushabe says many university students in Uganda are ignorant about sexual and reproductive health, which makes them prone to contracting Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD). Through the OYF initiative, she holds sensitisation campaigns in a more structured manner. One such activity was in January 2022 at UCU’s Nkoyoyo Hall.

Under the theme, “Combat STDs once and for all, advocating for a free, healthy Uganda,” the event attracted information seekers as well as other promoters of sexual and reproductive health.

At the January campaign, Joanita Kawalya, a vocalist with Uganda’s Afrigo Band and activist on health and reproductive health, thanked Katushabe for organizing such a platform and encouraged students to take advantage of initiatives like those to inform themselves.

The activity, which included a free medical camp, was attended by students from UCU, Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Nkumba University and Kampala International University.

After testing the waters with her initiative, Katushabe was back again at UCU in March 2022, this time to launch her program. At the launch, Katushabe had the backing of Reproductive Health Uganda, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), and Uganda’s Ministry of Health.

“We need to put emphasis on the health of the young people for the next 10 years,” Dr. Richard Mugahi, the assistant commissioner in charge of reproductive and infant health at Ministry of Health, said at the launch of OYF in March. He added: “We have the capacity to do all it takes if all partners harmonize their approaches and strategies.”

A screenshot of a OYF Twitter Space event held in May 2022

The president of the UCU Debate Club, Suzan Owomugisha, said that many young people had forgotten about the importance of paying attention to their sexual health.

“Ever since the start of Covid-19, people have been minding more about the pandemic than any other disease,” Owomugisha said, noting that the information that was shared during the OYF activities will help reduce the prevalence of teenage pregnancies and HIV among young people.

Edbert (full name concealed), who is living with HIV, urges the community to restore hope among people living with HIV, instead of stigmatizing against them.

“Stigma is one of the biggest challenges affecting most people living with HIV,” Edbert said, emphasizing that with concerted efforts from the community, negative perceptions and shame can be eradicated.

HIV stigma was among the topics of discussion in a May 2022 OYF-hosted Twitter Spaces event, where the chief panelist was Emily Katarikawe, the Uganda Country Director of jhpiego, an NGO that advocates saving lives and improving health. Katushabe says more such engagements have been lined up to promote health advocacy.

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