By Eriah Lule “Academic Excellence Award presented to Bwamiki Johnson who attained First Class Honours Bachelor of Public Health.”
These were the words inscribed on the plaque that Bwamiki walked home with on October 22, 2021, after his graduation at Uganda Christian University (UCU).
Bwamiki was part of an elite class of 95 students from among more than 3,000 who got First Class Degrees at UCU’s 22nd graduation. The 24-year-old garnered a 4.4 Cumulative Grade Point Average out of 5.0.
For Bwamiki, this achievement was the icing on the cake. He believes that the good performance is an added attraction for employers, decreasing the burden of his search for a job – if he needs one. Right now, he doesn’t.
Bwamiki is elated because a business he began slightly more than one-and-a-half years ago is showing signs of booming. As the country prepared to enter its first lockdown in March 2020, due to the disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bwamiki bought a second-hand motorcycle. He spent sh1.5m (about $420) to buy the motorcycle, commonly referred to in Uganda as bodaboda, so he could use it to generate extra income to support his living expenses at the university.
That motorcycle turned into a cash cow for Bwamiki as the country entered a lockdown on studies, as well as movements. Those who operated motorcycles for commercial transport were allowed to transport luggage and foodstuffs for people. That is what he did.
From this, he was able to save some money, which enabled him to acquire a second motorcycle months later.
But how did Bwamiki manage to run the motorcycle business as well as concentrate on his studies, with so much precision to enable him walk home with a First Class Degree? He says since he had books to concentrate on, he hired a driver for each of the motorcycles. At the end of the day, each was supposed to deposit sh10,000 (about $2.8) from the earnings they made. The rest of the money was payment for the drivers. With that arrangement, all he did was to wait for his daily deposit.
Allan Kampame, a peer, credits Bwamiki’s thirst for learning and his proactive personality for the entrepreneurial ability.
Bwamiki with his mother and niece
“I wasn’t shocked when he started that business; he is always full of business ideas and he likes to put into practice what he has learnt,” Kampame, who is a UCU alumnus, said of Bwamiki.
His parents, Bwamiki Michael and Namutamba Betty, serve as a clinical officer and a pharmacist, respectively, in Bugiri, eastern Uganda.
“I was inspired by how my parents conducted their work as health workers,” Bwamiki said.
That inspiration is what drew him, in 2018, to apply to study public health at UCU. He said he opted to study at UCU because the institution’s “Christian identity instilled in learners gives them a competitive edge in the job market.”
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.
Two Canons players at the championship in Nairobi in November 2021
By Ian Asabo Uganda Christian University (UCU) has once again shown its dominance in continental sports after the institution’s two teams qualified for this year’s university basketball World Cup.
The UCU Canons, the men’s basketball team, and the Lady Canons, for the women, qualified for the World Cup after winning the 3×3 African Varsity Basketball Championships held in Nairobi, Kenya.
It was the third consecutive time that the Lady Canons were clinching gold at the continental championships, after their feat in 2017 and 2019. The men’s team, on the other hand went into the tournament in Nairobi in November 2021 as the reigning champions, having won gold in 2019, a feat which granted them a slot in that year’s World Cup. However, the World Cup, which had been slated for late 2019 at the Huaqiao University in Xiamen, China, did not take place because it coincided with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The International University Sports Federation (FISU) event, held at Kenya’s United States International University from November 6-7, 2021, attracted 28 teams from six African countries.
In the finals, UCU Canons beat Uganda’s Ndejje University while the Lady Canons defeated the Institut Supérieur d’Entrepreneurship et de Gestion from Senegal, who also were their opponents in the 2019 championship. In 2019, the UCU men’s team defeated the men’s side from the Institut Supérieur d’Entrepreneurship et de Gestion.
The next FISU World Cup will be held October 15-17, 2022.
The UCU teams and the coaching staff with medals at the Afro Varsity games in Nairobi, Kenya, in November 2021
The Canons team was represented in Nairobi by Titus Lual, David Deng Kongor, Fayed Bbaale and Rogers Dauma while the Lady Canons had Rose Akon, Priscilla Abbey, Shakirah Nanvubya and Nandutu Martha. Lual, Kongor and Akon were also part of the victorious team in 2019.
UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi praised the team’s efforts in Nairobi and pledged to support them at the World Cup in China later this year.
“We are so proud of what both teams accomplished in Nairobi,” Mushengyezi said.
Canons captain Titus Lual said they won because of resilience and hard work.
“I want to acknowledge the efforts of both teams; winning all of our games proves our dominance and I can’t wait to play in China,” Lual said.
Head coach Nicholas Natuhereza thanked the Vice Chancellor and the administration for the support they provided to the team.
“The Vice Chancellor and the administration have always prioritized the basketball teams, even during the lockdown; this success is a testament that the faith shown was worth it,” Natuhereza said.
Speaking at the launch of the painting during the lockdown on in-person learning in 2021, Mushengyezi said the project also is intended to uplift the face of the institution, most especially in sports, through talent development.
“When we have the best sports facilities, it gives us an edge over other universities,” Mushengyezi said, adding that the institution has always been known to be a sports powerhouse.
The Director of Student Affairs, Bridget Mugume K. Mugasira, praised the efforts of the coach and the university sports patron, Sam Lukaire.
“Coach Nick and Sam Lukaire have been here for a long time and seen both teams grow,” Mugume said, crediting much of the success of the players to the duo.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
Some recognitions received by Miika, an animated film about a teen girl in Uganda
By Eriah Lule Miika is a 14-year-old fictional character living in northern Uganda. As the story goes, her family had enough of the tyranny of the government forces and she took matters into her hands to save the day.
This 3D short animated film by the same name as the main character, “Miika,” is the darling of international film festivals and written and directed by Uganda Christian University (UCU) alum Shevon Nsiimenta. Already, it has won the Best Animation Film Category at the CineOdyssey Film Festival.
And that is not all. Nsiimenta says her film that lasts a little over five minutes has received a nomination at two other festivals, was a finalist at the Auber International Film Festival and also got an Official Selection at yet another festival – the Flickfair Film Festival.
At the Los Angeles International Film Festival, Nsiimenta was a nominee for the Best First Time Female Director, and her film, “Miika,” got a nomination for the Best Animation Film. All this is happening before the film hits the cinemas. Nsiimenta says it should be released soon.
Shevon Nsiimenta, UCU alum and film maker
The inspiration for Nsiimenta’s storyline is from the experience of watching or hearing about women and children who always end up as the primary victims of war and tyranny. And Uganda has lots of tales to tell about civil strife and tyrannical regimes.
From 1986 to 2006, there was civil war in northern Uganda, orchestrated by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group and terrorist organization. As a result of the war, many women in northern Uganda suffered rape, torture, murder, forced marriages and domestic violence.
The regime of former Ugandan President Idi Amin, which was from 1971 to 1979, has been largely described as tyrannical. It is, therefore, not surprising that Nsiimenta’s film is set in northern Uganda during the reign of Amin.
Since Nsiimenta loves movies, it became the natural medium for her to use to document the haunting tales and offer lessons on how one can easily see the back of the resulting trauma.
Despite the haunting tale of desperation that Miika’s family faced, Nsiimenta explains that she wanted to pass a message that no matter the amount of horrors an individual faces, they can always turn tables on the oppressors.
“I chose a 14-year-old to deliver the family from its horrors because at that age, they are still innocently bold enough to take on the world,” says Nsiimenta, a 25-year-old graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication at UCU.
Miika is a short form for Malaika – a name that means Angel in Uganda.
“Indeed, I wanted Miika to be the angel for her family,” Nsiimenta, a script writer, explains.
Perhaps, the success that “Miika” has so far achieved would not have been possible without the contribution of Kemiyondo Coutinho, a Ugandan playwright, actress and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.
In 2020, Kemiyondo launched an initiative to help up-and-coming Ugandan female filmmakers to bring their stories to life on screen. In a venture that saw her look to raise over $25,000 to be shared among five women to help facilitate the making of a five-minute short film, Kemiyondo reached well-wishers who were able to answer positively to her cause. That is how the production of “Miika” and other four short films got financed.
Nsiimenta is a daughter of the Rt. Rev. Dr. Sheldon Mwesigwa, the Bishop of Ankole Diocese in western Uganda and former Chairperson of UCU University Council. She attended Mbarara Preparatory School in western Uganda, before relocating to central Uganda, where she attended Kampala Parents School, Gayaza High School and, later, UCU. Nsiimenta says UCU instilled in her a sense of discipline, self-respect and smartness, virtues she has found useful in her professional and personal life.
But she also had something to learn from those who taught her. “I also had admirable women to look up to in my faculty. Prof. Monica Chibita and Dr. Emilly Maractho served as wonderful examples to base my image on at the workplace,” she says.
She currently works as the Executive Advertising Assistant at Roofings Uganda Limited, a manufacturer of steel and construction materials in Uganda.
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.
NIRA officials (sitting before computers) serve applicants at UCU recently.
By Derrick Brian Muduku The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has hired some 50 interns from Uganda Christian University (UCU) to help in processing and issuing of the national identity cards (ID) to students and neighbors of the university.
The interns started the assignment with hands-on training for the first two weeks of December 2021 at the old football pitch on the UCU Mukono campus. After the training, the program is expected to run for three months.
Bridget Mugume Mugasira, the Director of Students’ Affairs at UCU, said when NIRA contacted the university for a possible partnership in processing national ID for students, staff and the surrounding community, they seized the opportunity.
Mugume said after striking the deal, NIRA tasked UCU with identifying 50 of its recent graduates to do the job.
“We advertised the slots and received 150 applicants,” she said. “We selected the best, based on their academic qualifications and intention to take up the work.”
Mugume expressed the university’s gratitude to NIRA for the partnership. She said the interns were tasked with the process of replacing lost identity cards, registration of applicants for new IDs, verification of birth certificates, checking on the status of people’s applications for the national IDs and sensitization of the public about activities that NIRA does.
“We are glad to be the pioneer university in implementing this project, which will not only benefit our students, but also learners from neighbouring schools.”
Gilbert Kadilo, the Public Relations and Corporate Affairs Manager at NIRA, said they began with the training in order to equip the interns with the necessary skills before deploying them. Kadilo also revealed that the registration exercise is targeting youth who have never registered or those who did register, but did not get their national identity cards.
Government began to process the national IDs in 2014 under the National Security Information System that later transformed into NIRA in 2015, after the enactment of an Act of Parliament.
Elisha Bruno, a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication and one of the graduate interns working with NIRA, said the opportunity would not only offer him the much-needed experience in the field of work, but also help him to establish connections with some of the staff at the organization.
Sidonia Atto, a third-year student of Bachelor of Education, said there were errors in the spelling of her name and her birthdate and that the presence of officials from NIRA at the university was a godsend opportunity to have the anomalies rectified.
A national ID is almost the solely recognized identification for Ugandan citizens. It is one of the requirements for nationals when opening a bank account, getting a SIM card and getting a Covid jab, among other services.
Pius Mukasa, a first year-student, said when he registered at 16 years, he was only given a National Identification Number and told to wait till when he clocked 18 years to get the national ID.
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.
Racheal Mirembe Sserwadda during guild presidential campaign in November.
By Ivan Tsebeni Racheal Mirembe Sserwadda’s victory to become Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) 24th Guild President was not a surprise to those who know her. The third-year student of Bachelor of Laws has been a school leader since her early primary days.
Sserwadda’s victory in the elections held on November 24, 2021, enter her into the annals of UCU as the institution’s third female Guild President in its 24 years of existence. Blessed Murungi was the first female Guild President in 2014. Two years later, in 2016, the institution got another female Guild President in Prisca Amongin.
Sserwadda, next to UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, swears in as UCU’s 24th Guild President at Nkoyoyo Hall on December 2
“I have lost superlatives to describe how happy I feel,” Sserwadda said while addressing students during her victory speech. “This is your win; this is our victory; let’s keep resilient in the new normal.”
Sserwadda attributed her victory to God.
“From day one, God took the lead in everything I did,” she said “During the campaigns, I got to learn about many challenges that our people face. We shall work together to find solutions.”
Most challenges referenced by the new guild president relate to blended learning obstacles. She assumes office at a time when higher institutions of learning are just opening up for in-person education after almost two years of no physical learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sserwadda was declared winner of the contest by the Director of Students’ Affairs, Bridget Mugume Mugasira, after beating off a stiff challenge from Bravo Phillip Ayebare. Sserwadda polled 55.45% of the votes cast. She takes over the reins from outgoing Guild President Kenneth Agaba Amponda.
UCU Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said the institution had “demonstrated to the world that it is possible to have a peaceful, free and fair election.”
Sserwadda hopes to hinge her leadership on three pillars: Social welfare of students,
Former candidate Ayebare Bravo congratulates Sserwadda after the swearing-in ceremony.
accountability and security. She says her greatest reason for contesting for leadership positions is to positively impact the community in which she lives as she ushers it into the Silver Jubilee of existence of the university in 2022.
“I intend to introduce the use of suggestion boxes, particularly in areas around the university’s dining hall, sports complex and lecture rooms,” Sserwadda told TheStandard online, a publication of the university.
“I am also a sports enthusiast,” she noted, adding: “I will work hand in hand with the sports department at the university to facilitate sports activities. I believe that students should be encouraged to participate in aerobics.”
Born 22 years ago, Sserwadda says she has achieved whatever has come her way because of supportive parents. The first born of three children is a daughter of Sserwadda George William, a businessman in Kampala, and Naomi Nakaziba, a pediatrician.
For her primary education, Sserwadda changed schools three times, eventually completing at St. Lawrence Primary School, Kabowa, near Kampala.
From St. Lawrence, Sserwadda headed to King’s College, Budo, an elite school in Uganda, where she studied for the entire six years of secondary education, before joining UCU.
While in Primary Three at Hormisdallen Primary School in Kampala, Sserwadda was elected the Class Prefect. In Primary Six, Sserwadda was elected the school’s Sanitation Prefect. At King’s College, Budo, she was a student leader in the school’s water and sanitation club and, later, a house prefect of one of the dormitories at Budo.
At UCU, she is the leader of the Mustard Seed Choir. Sserwadda believes that the leadership positions have helped her to attain communication and listening skills – competencies that are critical for any leader to succeed.
“I have learnt that as a students’ leader, it’s good to be flexible. You must also strive to bridge the gap between the students and the school administration,” Sserwadda said, noting that such a move will help the school administrators and the students to co-exist harmoniously.
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.
Greenhill Academy teacher asks a question during the seminar
By Ian Asabo The Uganda Christian University (UCU) e-learning candle is spreading its light to other institutions in the country. Among the recent beneficiaries is Greenhill Academy, a group of Christian-founded primary and secondary schools in Kampala. Leaders from the Academy met with UCU e-learning staff for a virtual learning seminar in December 2021.
During the UCU visit, Greenhill Academy officials gained a better understanding of how UCU accommodated learners virtually during the Covid-19 lockdown when in-person learning was halted in the country. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Uganda has had two lockdowns, with some classes remaining closed to in-person learning from March 2020 to December 2021.
Greenhill Academy Rector Joy Veronica Maraka led the Academy’s staff who attended the seminar. The head of the UCU Online Distance Learning Department, the Rev. Jessica Hughes, provided insight into how classes are taught on the platforms, highlighting how the switch to online classes has improved her work. She said students prefer having small assessments, which makes it easier to track their progress during the semester.
“Online classes have provided flexibility in the way lectures are conducted because they can evaluate students through small quizzes and assignments, which enables critical thinking,” she told the delegation from Greenhill Academy.
The Rev. Dr. Hughesproposed the evaluation of students on a “more regular basis through videos, quizzes and questions that allow for more critical thinking to eliminate the aspect of cramming.”
During UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021, Uganda’s First Lady and education minister, Mrs. Janet Museveni, said she was impressed by UCU’s “robust online education programme” and encouraged the university to share best practices with other institutions.
UCU’s Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, the Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, who also attended the seminar, said the university was ready to partner with Greenhill Academy.
“This is a great opportunity to find ways of changing the way teaching is conducted,” Kitayimbwa said, encouraging Greenhill Academy to take the lead and show other schools that online learning is the way to go, and that with it, “the possibilities of learning are endless.”
Kitayimbwa said the university has invested a lot in the networking, IT department and library database, which work in unison to provide a seamless experience for students. The university has invested about sh1.4b ($395,000) on e-learning, management information systems and networking, Kitayimbwa said.
Recently, UCU Partners donated $50,000 (about sh170m) to the university to help it expand the e-learning platform. Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, said the organization contributed the funds following a call by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, for external funders to support the eLearning infrastructure.
Greenhill Academy Rector Joy Veronica Maraka thanked UCU for hosting them, stating that they will “pick ideas from the session and follow in the footsteps of UCU in evolving education in Uganda.”
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.
UCU Faculty members and Mukono local government officials after the meeting
By Dalton Mujuni Koome Island, which is among the largest of 84 Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria, has fishing possibilities, stunning sunsets and more. What the Koome archipelago of 17 islands lacks for its 20,000 residents is technology. Until now.
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has partnered with a German university, Hochshule Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (HNU), to provide solar energy to the islands. The development is a boost to Koome students who have struggled to participate in e-learning that was accelerated necessarily in the Covid pandemic. They faced challenges of access to electricity to power mobile phones, computers, radios and televisions.
Ugandan schools were in a lockdown for one year, from March 2020. When they were opened for in-person learning in March 2021, it lasted only three months, before they were shut down again in the first week of June 2021 due to a rise in the Covid-19 infection rates. Universities and other higher institutions of learning have since opened, with the rest of the schools expected to be opened in January 2022.
Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, Dean for the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (right), explains relevance of the project to stakeholders
A recent Uganda Bureau of Statistics household survey shows that the rate of access to the national electricity has increased to 57%, of which 19% are on-grid and 38% off-grid connections.
The solar power project, named the “Implementation of Solar Mini-Grids for Digital Learning Models in the rural areas of Uganda” was launched at the UCU’s eLearning lab at the main campus in Mukono, central Uganda. The event attracted stakeholders from the Electricity Regulatory Authority as well as members from UCU faculties to harmonize strategies for the project’s implementation.
The project aims to install solar panels on poor households on the island to foster digital learning. The implementation of the project will unfold as a multi-disciplinary initiative involving all the faculties at UCU since each has a role to play in the transformation of communities.
Speaking at a press conference, Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at UCU, stressed that all the institution’s faculties are relevant in this project due to its diverse nature.
The agricultural officer in charge of Koome island, Obed Nsubuga, commended UCU and HNU for spearheading the project on the island.
Participants during closing prayer
Dr. Stephen Kyakulumbye, the team leader of Online Distance Learning at UCU, expounded on the modalities of the Distance Learning model intended to be introduced in Koome. He noted that if appreciated by learners, the model will improve diversity in learning, since teachers who are hesitant to cross Lake Victoria to the island will be brought closer to the islanders virtually.
The project is expected to be funded by HNU, to the tune ofEuros 1m. ($1.15 million), according to Inken Hoeck, the HNU Africa Institute representative at the conference. He said the project has already registered success in the southern African country of Namibia.
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.
Technicians connect solar panels on Nsibambi Lane.
By Ivan Tsebeni The Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus has installed solar-powered lights as part of a movement to promote a green lifestyle.
The solar-powered lights were bought with support from Uganda President Yoweri Museveni. In February 2020, Museveni donated sh30m (about $8,400) and pledged another sh50m (about $14,000) towards the activities of the UCU students’ guild government during the year’s UCU Guild Run. The President’s contribution was especially welcomed in 2021 as the guild’s plans to conduct a run virtually vs. in-person struggled in a Covid-restricted environment.
“I’ll put in sh80m towards the cause, but I came with sh30m,” Museveni said. “I will pay the sh50m later.”
The President also pledged to help UCU on installing security lights on the Bishop Tucker Road.
One solar light installed at the new pitch at UCU main campus.
During the university’s 22nd graduation ceremony on October 22, 2021, Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi announced that Museveni fulfilled his promise of sh50m in August 2021.
Former UCU guild president Timothy Kadaga’s administration initiated the solar light project and dedicated part of the proceeds of the year’s guild run towards the cause. The annual UCU guild run is organized, in part, to raise funds for tuition support to needy students, and to set up security lights around hostels established near the university.
At the guild run event on February 22, 2020, Kadaga also made a request to the Ugandan Government to tarmac the Bishop Tucker Road from Mukono town to the university campus. The President agreed to help with the road paving in his remarks at the UCU October 2015 graduation.
Technicians offload solar panels from a truck near Nsibambi Hall of residence.
UCU director of projects Eng. David Kivumbi said that under phase one, 13 solar-powered lights are installed in three Mukono campus locations: on five poles along Ankrah Rise; on four poles on Nsibambi Lane; and on four poles in the university’s new soccer pitch.
Kivumbi said that after the guild government’s spearheaded first phase, a partnership with Mukono Municipal Council will enable phase two with solar lights fixed on Bishop Tucker Road from Mukono town to the main campus.
“If you move around the university, you will realize that the solar lights are working,” Kivumbi said. “Students have been taking selfies near the poles with the solar-powered lights.”
The UCU Guild Vice President for 2019-2020, Ezra Ambasiize Rwashande, noted that the idea of installing solar lights by Kadaga’s government was something that should inspire future student leaders to think of projects that improve the image of the university.
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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.
Jonathan Mbabazi at the UCU main campus on the day he picked up his academic regalia before the graduation
By Yasiri J. Kasango A business degree was not Jonathan Mbabazi’s first choice for his post-secondary studies. He had his eyes on medicine, envisioning a career of restoring health to patients.
However, when preparing to apply for the course at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in 2017, Mbabazi discovered that he did not have the financial resources to sustain paying the tuition for the five years he would be studying for the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
He opted for Bachelor of Business Administration, whose tuition was comparatively cheaper and for fewer years. However, even with business courses, the 29-year-old had no stable source of income for the tuition. He established two enterprises – piggery and charcoal-selling – to help pay his bills.
Mbabazi usually had 10-15 pigs, whose piglets he sold at a profit. The married father of two says it was difficult for him to multitask in running his business, looking after his family and concentrating on class work. However, he says that God enabled him to surmount the challenge.
On many occasions, he lacked money to buy classwork handouts, something he says many of his classmates found affordable.
The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent education shutdowns in 2020 increased Mbabazi’s worries about school. First, when physical learning was stopped in March 2020, to reduce concentration centres that would accelerate the spread of the coronavirus, Mbabazi resigned to fate, thinking he would not graduate on schedule. He also started making plans for how to get more money to cater for a longer stay in the course.
However, UCU quickly introduced online learning, to ensure studies were not interrupted.
“I thank God that UCU continued teaching during the lockdown. We managed to do coursework and also write our exams through the online platforms,” says Mbabazi, who studied at the Kabalega College Masindi, one of the affiliate institutions of UCU, located in western Uganda.
However, he says the online learning, though convenient for the circumstances, also offered a fair share of challenges.
“It was tough because one had to do a lot of research on their own, but I managed to complete my final semester,” he adds. Mbabazi was able to graduate on October 22, 2021, with a First-Class Degree.
He says he could not have had a better choice of an institution for his undergraduate studies. At UCU, Mbabazi says, Christian faith is extended to students through certain course units, such as World View, New and Old Testament. He believes this has enabled him to become more grounded in his spiritual life.
With the knowledge he has gained at UCU, Mbabazi intends to expand his business enterprises, and even establish more, in order to be able to provide employment to some youth in his community.
Background Mbabazi is the third born of 11 children. His parents – Moses Byaruhanga and Jackline Kugonza – live in Buliisa, western Uganda.
Before he joined UCU, Mbabazi pursued a diploma in business, specializing in accounting, from Uganda College of Commerce, where he, again, excelled with a First Class Diploma.
He attended Kibengeya Primary School from 1999 to 2005 and then Mukitale Development Foundation Secondary School from 2006-2009 for O’level. For A’level, Mbabazi attended Premier Secondary School Hoima from 2010 to 2011. All the schools are found in western Uganda.
Mbabazi is married to Charity Jovia Kobusingye, with whom he has two daughters – Smiles and Shanice.
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.
Boss John Bruce is the new Guild President for the Uganda Law Development Centre.
By Ivan Tsebeni Boss John Bruce, an alumnus of Uganda Christian University (UCU), has been elected the Guild President of Uganda’s Law Development Centre (LDC). In the elections held on November 8, Bruce garnered 69% of the votes cast, beating off a challenge from Mubarak Kalungi, who polled 31% of the votes.
LDC offers a postgraduate bar course, the Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, a mandatory course for all lawyers intending to practice law in Uganda. LDC is the only institution that offers such a course in Uganda.
Bruce, a former UCU Guild Electoral Commission chairperson, says that the latest electoral victory is the biggest political milestone in his life.
During his one-year term of office at LDC, Bruce has promised to set up a hotline which students can use for giving feedback to the body’s management and student leaders. He also hopes to create strategic partnerships and alliances with organizations, to enable LDC to extend its brand reach.
“We are looking forward to utilizing the student leadership structures so that we can receive your concerns and the same will be passed on to the administration in a timely manner,” he told the students during campaigns.
Bruce joins former student colleagues at UCU who have in the recent past achieved victory in elections. Ezra Ambasiize, currently a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws at UCU, was recently voted the speaker of the fourth National Youth Parliament of Uganda. Immediate past UCU Guild President Agaba Kenneth Amponda also was recently elected the Speaker of the Uganda National Students Association, an umbrella body of student leaders in the country.
Bruce says the latest electoral victory is the biggest political milestone in his life.
Bruce’s triumph at LDC elicited celebrations at UCU. “The Guild Government, together with the entire students’ community, take this opportunity to congratulate @Bossjohnbruce upon being elected Guild President Law Development Center (K’la Campus). Bruce is a former Guild EC Chairperson,” the UCU guild government tweeted.
“Congratulations to UCU’s former Guild Chairperson Electoral Commission, Boss John Bruce, for being elected LDC Guild President,” read one of the posts on UCU’s Facebook page.
UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs Dr. John Kitayimbwa said: “As a university, we are blessed to have our alumnus triumph in the LDC elections. Glory back to God.”
At UCU, Bruce will be remembered for overseeing an online voting process, as the university’s elections boss. The e-voting app, code-named e-Chagua, helped UCU, for the first time, in 2020, to change its student leaders even when the university was not fully functioning. Uganda had imposed a lockdown on in-person learning in schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Out of that process,
Agaba Kenneth Amponda became the university’s new guild president in November 2020. In November 2021, Sserwadda Rachael became the second Guild President of UCU to be voted using the e-Chagua platform.
Bruce was born to Bernard Betambira and Beatrice Ndagano, of Ibanda district in western Uganda. It is in the same region where Bruce had his education before joining UCU in 2016, to pursue a Bachelor of Laws course.
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.
Jimmy Siyasa, pictured with his mom, was among the graduates at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony.
By Nickie Karitas Recent Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduate Jimmy Siyasa didn’t wait to have a degree in hand before applying what he learned in his journalism program. And it has paid off – in experience and money to support his next level of master’s degree studies.
On October 22, 2021, Jimmy Siyasa was among the more than 3,000 students who graduated at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony. He bagged a Second-Class Upper Division, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 4.38 out of 5.0. A First Class starts at 4.40.
In December 2021, he is enrolled in a UCU post-graduate degree path in Strategic Communication (MA). At the same time, he has been helping the UCU Partners NGO by producing videos and print stories for several months and is a writer in the UCU Office of Communications and Public Relations. He gets stipends for each.
Before all this, here’s his story.
Siyasa attended Mbuya Church of Uganda for primary education and St. Kizito SS Bugolobi for O’level. For his A’level, Siyasa attended Bishop Cypriano Kihangire Secondary School. All three schools are in Kampala.
UCU and Partners e-lab communications team member, Jimmy Siyasa, playing guitar in UCU’s Nykoyoyo Hall in 2017.
Jimmy Siyasa never dreamed of studying at UCU. In fact, he knew little about the institution as he thought about studies after high school. In Senior Six, while making choices for courses to study at a university, he opted for the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Bachelor of Arts in Education, in that order, at Makerere University.
In 2017, Makerere admitted him for his second choice, the Bachelor of Arts in Education, specializing in English and Literature in English. Siyasa’s father, Robert Waiga, insisted that his son live on campus for added security that an outside hostel wouldn’t provide. Siyasa was admitted to Mitchell Hall where, because of high demand for slots, students were asked to pay accommodation fees for the first semester in advance.
The lodging payment was the first of the many hurdles for the second born of the three children of Waiga and Celine Ayikoru. The family did not have the money to secure the slot. This setback caused Siyasa to ask himself whether he really should pursue a course in education, where he did not have much passion anyway.
One of the members of the church band that Siyasa was in suggested he consider applying at UCU. Siyasa did and was offered studies toward the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication.
“I heard of UCU from my friends at church,” the 24-year-old Siyasa said. “I also discovered that friends from my former school were already there. . . but I feared the expenses associated with private universities in Uganda.”
University fees in private institutions in Uganda tend to be higher than public institutions, largely because of no funding support from the government.
Now, Siyasa’s younger sister, Peace Asara, is the one trying to ensure that she graduates in the course her brother did not pursue at Makerere University. Asara, who wants to become a teacher of English and Literature in English at an institution of higher learning, is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree at Kyambogo University in Uganda.
As Siyasa was getting ready for his second semester in first year at UCU, Waiga’s contract at his workplace ended, and it was not renewed. That meant one thing – Siyasa had no tuition to continue with his studies. His father advised him to take a “dead semester” as he tried to find more solid financial footing.
When Siyasa shared his challenges with some friends he had made at UCU, they were against the dead semester. They mobilized funds and paid his tuition. For the second-year first semester, Siyasa’s friend, Rick Kagoro, and his father, Ivan Lumala, met the tuition requirements. The two are based in Washington State, USA. Rick, whose family is acquainted with former UCU Vice-Chancellor, John Senyonyi, had come to Uganda for a visit. He resided at UCU for a while, and at some point visited Jimmy’s class as a Teaching Assistant for a foundational course unit- Elements of Math.
By the next semester, Waiga (Jimmy’s father) had found financial stability, having been recalled to his former workplace, the U.S Embassy in Iraq.
Fast forward to December 2021.
“Siyasa is a brilliant, and dependable young man,” Frank Obonyo, UCU’s communications manager, said. “He is a valuable addition to our great team as we can already see his contribution.’’
The platform that offered Siyasa the opportunity to cut his professional teeth months ago is the USA-based UCU Partners.
This happened because his lecturer, John Semakula, now head of UCU’s journalism department, asked if he could write an article about dental challenges that students face at UCU. He says that story ushered him into writing for the non-profit’s Web site, an opportunity that helped him turn classroom knowledge into real-life practice.
Stephanie Gloria, who studied with Siyasa, says he has worked his way to the top.
“His hard work and integrity cannot go unnoticed,” Gloria says of Siyasa, adding: “His greatest happiness is not in having everything he wants in life, but in appreciating the little or whatever that is available.”
In the next five years, Siyasa hopes to have his master’s degree as well as a Ph.D. in a media-related field. At the same time, he is engaged in music. He has some original songs, including this one he has recorded here: (https://soundcloud.com/siyasa-jimmy/workingfromhome)
Johnson Mayamba, UCU alum and human rights activist
By Patty Huston-Holm Be careful little eyes what you see…ears what you hear…tongue what you say…hands what you do…
This children’s song based on Mark 4:24-25, popular in America today and written in 1956, likely wasn’t known in Uganda when Johnson Mayamba was growing up. Nevertheless, the words ring true for the now 33-year-old who was abandoned by a father who had eight children by four women, was chased away by relatives unwilling to help a single mom feed a hungry boy and was mocked for his ignorance by teachers and classmates in school.
The most stinging memory was planted by a science teacher at a primary school in Abaita Ababiri village near Entebbe. She publicly shamed Mayamba. When he didn’t have the correct answer to a question, she mocked him with words and laughter and allowed students to do the same. After one exam he failed with a 50%, the teacher brought out a cane to issue 50 strikes to the 12-year-old’s buttocks and thighs – one for each missed point. The teacher stopped somewhere after 40 because the boy was flattened out and unable to take more.
“I wasn’t stupid,” Mayamba said. “I was simply in a new environment, having been transferred from a poorly facilitated village school to the one in the city.”
Unbeknownst at the time, Mayamba’s “little” eyes, ears, and body encounter that the teacher used that day to remind him he wasn’t good enough were molding his future as an advocate against mistreatment. Today, he understands it, researches it, writes about it and teaches it.
Mayamba volunteering at St. Mary’s Food Bank in Arizona
With a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Uganda Christian University (UCU) and experience as a journalist, he moved on to get a Master of Philosophy in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He’s affiliated with the Canadian-based Journalists for Human Rights organization with a role of helping 20 Ugandan members of the press to be voices for unrepresented people. These include print and broadcast human rights stories related to the economically poor, the mentally and physically handicapped and others.
While mentoring Ugandan journalists, Mayamba continues his own learning as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication,
Arizona State University, USA. He was among just over 200 who applied for the fellowship from Uganda and was the only Ugandan chosen for the 10-month journalism-focused program that ends in June 2022.
“I never thought I would come to the United States,” he said, speaking from his dormitory room in Phoenix, Ariz. “All the glory goes to God.”
Mayamba had a strong upbringing in the Catholic church, but says his relationship with God strengthened while he studied at UCU. In his studies, as well as engagement in the UCU chapel choir and as a guild and public debate leader, he realized that with God, obstacles and accomplishments have meaning.
“When you give 100% to God and trust Him, you can overcome,” he said.
Human rights advocacy and Christianity blend together well, especially guided by the Matthew 7:12 “do unto others” scripture, according to Mayamba. As a working journalist, he often prayed with and for those he interviewed for stories. For the journalists he mentors now, he suggests the same along with the urging to be sensitive when writing about people subjected to discrimination. He also cautions reporters about their own safety when covering topics that have opposition from government officials, high-profile opinion leaders and even media houses themselves.
“Have the facts,” he said. “That’s the best protection to mitigate risk.”
At 9,000 miles away from his home in Uganda and on the day of this interview in December 2021, Mayamba is in the state of Arizona, closely watching another timely human rights issue – the coronavirus pandemic. He recently published a paper entitled “Low Supply and Public Mistrust Hinder Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in Africa.” He writes that in November 2021, only 4% of the world’s vaccinated people live in developing countries like Uganda.
“Developed countries that aren’t sharing enough of the vaccine are partially to blame,” Mayamba said. “Misinformation or lack of information breeding distrust by media in all countries bears the rest of the responsibility.”
Social media and traditional media are accountable for honest story telling, Mayamba says. His master’s research focused on media freedom, specifically in Uganda. Reporters Without Borders ranks Uganda among the lowest in the world when it comes to press freedom. While Uganda’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression with “on paper” protection of human rights, there are radio, TV and print limitations and restrictions related to reporting on certain topics and persons, according to Mayamba’s experience and research.
While the United States press is freer and human rights more respected than in Uganda, “it’s not as rosy here as I thought,” he said. “In this land of the free, there needs to be more and louder voices for homeless people, immigrants. . . and on racial injustice and gun violence.”
From his dorm room window in Phoenix, Mayamba daily observes nearly two dozen homeless people living on a square of land. During a visit to New York City and looking past the amazing buildings, he saw men and women living in parks and on the streets. In his brief time in Washington, D.C., he observed first-hand the massive police response and multiple phone video recordings of the arrest of a black man accused of stealing a small item from a store. He watches, hears and reads the news about arrests, trials and confusion about wrongful deaths on American soil and about Mexican families camped at the USA border in hopes of obtaining asylum from terrorism in their country.
“Telling these stories honestly and fairly is the role of a journalist,” he said. “Human rights stories are lacking everywhere.”
One such story he hopes to learn more about is that of a middle-aged white man living under the stars outside his residence in Arizona. In the midst of book studies, computer research, and service projects, such as preparing food in boxes for people like this man, he wants to “learn his story and tell him mine.” So far, the man appears educated but without a home because he lost his job.
Looking ahead to his life a decade from now, Mayamba doesn’t see himself reporting the news in a country such as his, where the pay is too low to support a family. But he does see himself continuing to train others to “amplify the voices” of those less represented and understood in his native Uganda. In three years, he hopes to embark on his PhD studies and be teaching journalism with an emphasis of human rights reporting.
For now, he’s navigating the American culture that includes daily converting temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius and distances in miles vs. kilometers. He appreciates a winter in the warmth of Arizona instead of living in a state with cold and snow. He soaks up knowledge in a school named after Walter Cronkite, a late veteran broadcaster that he never knew. He learns alongside 13 other journalists from 13 countries, including South Korea, Russia, Hungary, and Palestine.
He thinks about his mother who died of cervical cancer in September 2014, leaving behind her two sons – Johnson Mayamba and the younger Titus Bulega – as a legacy. He also thinks about that childhood teacher who meted that early punishment that was illegal then, but exists still and about the mocking classmates.
“At the end of the day, I moved ahead of them,” he said. “And I learned to stand up for myself and for others.”
(The author of this article, Patty Huston-Holm, who is the Uganda Partners communications director, first met Johnson Mayamba when he was an intern at the UCU Standard newspaper in 2013. Among stories they worked on together at that time were the suicide of a student and conditions at a women’s prison in Jinja, Uganda.)
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.
This is what Alexis Mugabe Munyakazi commonly told his parents whenever he saw workers at a road construction site.
That desire drove Mugabe from his country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Uganda Christian University (UCU) for an undergraduate course in engineering.
In 2016, Mugabe was among the students who started the journey to attain a degree. That journey came to an end on October 22, 2021, when the 27-year-old and 66 other colleagues received a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UCU.
Making the decision to pursue his undergraduate course from Uganda was not without anticipated challenges. In DR Congo, the national language is French. Mugabe, therefore, had to undergo a mandatory pre-year program at UCU, to enable him learn English, since it is the language of instruction in Ugandan institutions.
He learned English, but it was not sufficient enough for him to communicate.
“I could not express myself well in English,” Mugabe recalls. “The lecturers could teach, but I hardly picked anything, except from one course unit, Engineering Mathematics.”
Alexis Mugabe Munyakazi
Despite the challenges, Mugabe soldiered on with the course. With persistence and camaraderie, he, eventually, caught up.
Mugabe says the Christian orientation of UCU was key to his nudge to study in Uganda. When he eventually joined the institution, he says he was not disappointed.
“What I found unique about UCU were the Christian values they teach their students and they always practice what they teach,” he said.
Mugabe was actively involved in Christian ministry at UCU and held various positions of leadership, including minister of religious affairs at the UCU Honors College and chaplain of the UCU International Students’ Association.
Tough financial times Mugabe is one of the students whom the economic impacts of the Covid-19 hit especially hard at both the personal and family level. He got stranded in Uganda when a lockdown was declared in March 2020. While some of his colleagues managed to go home, Mugabe could not because he did not have the resources to transport him. He is grateful that the university continuously housed and fed him and a few other international students who were in his shoes, throughout the lockdown.
In order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, Uganda imposed a lockdown on movement of people from March to June 2020 and on schools from March to October 2020, when it was opened only for in-person classes for final year students as they prepared for their exams.
The pandemic also did not spare the jobs of Mugabe’s parents – Munyakazi Matthew and Nyambo Angel – who were employed in DR Congo, leaving their son with a huge tuition bill.
“I was frustrated since I could not raise that big amount of money on my own,” Mugabe says.
It was at that point that Mugabe got wind of an opportunity – the UCU Financial Aid Office had made a call for applications for financial relief. UCU Partners was willing to make tuition top-ups for students who were due for graduation, but were financially stuck. Mugabe was among the fortunate few who got that financial relief.
“The financial aid helped me to understand that, indeed, there are generous people out there who are ready to help you to achieve your dreams, even when they do not know you,” Mugabe says.
“May God bless them abundantly.”
Now with the bachelor’s degree, Mugabe says he is leaving UCU with not only a transcript, but also with friends from diverse worlds, including America, because of his relationships with students in the UCU Uganda Studies Program.
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.
Agaba at his work place at the Next Media Services.
By Derrick Muduku To many, being the Guild President at Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Kampala campus and doing comedy at the same time is mutually exclusive. That was not the case for Mark Agaba. In 2019, Agaba, a famous figure in the entertainment circles, won the contest to become the campus’ top student leader.
The stand-up comedian, who goes by the stage name Uncle Mark, ably executed the two roles of comedy and student leadership.
Agaba on stage during a stand-up comedy show
His role as a student leader played a great part in Agaba scooping his most recent job as Public Relations Protocol Executive at Next Media Services, a media company in Uganda. Next Media Services owns NBS TV, Next Radio, news site Nile Post and Sanyuka TV.
“As Public Relations Protocol Executive, I am tasked with writing press releases, and reaching out to people who are engaging with our media outlets,” Agaba said. “This opportunity means a lot to me. I’m also expected to co-ordinate activities of Next Media Services with partner international media organizations, such as CNN and BBC.”
“I discovered my funny side during conversations with my friends,” he said. “Whenever I was around my peers, my comments would always leave them in stiches.” Agaba said that is what propelled him to take comedy more seriously and nurture the talent.
Agaba credits the virtues he learned at UCU for carving him into the person he is today.
“It is the virtues of Christ-centeredness, diligence, integrity and stewardship that I honor in every field of my life,” he said. “I have not found any better waves of transformation than these.”
Just how did Agaba manage to balance books, comedy and leadership?
“I endeavored to make the time for books, since I believed in leading, even in academics,” Agaba says. “I also have to give credit to the competent team with whom I served during my tenure as Guild President. I am grateful to my Vice President of the Guild leadership, Jemimah Jehopio, and the different heads of departments for their diligent service. They made my work a lot lighter and enjoyable.”
Phoebe Namujehe, the immediate past Guild President of UCU Kampala Campus, said Agaba, who was her predecessor, was a tolerant, humble, hardworking and committed leader.
Namujehe said Agaba often lit up the mood at the campus with his comedy. “Even as he read his manifesto, he was comical,” she said of the son of Jane Agaba and the late Godfrey Agaba from Kabale district in southwestern Uganda.
Before joining UCU, Agaba acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Makerere University. At UCU, he studied in the Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration program.
Now that he has found his way onto the staff list of a major broadcaster in Uganda, Agaba says he will use the opportunity to further nurture his love for communication.
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.
UCU journalism students and recent graduates, joined by Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels (fifth-right), cut cake to celebrate the October graduation of some writers for the NGO’s e-lab that was launched in January 2021.
By Ivan Tsebeni A newsroom at the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono campus has been hosting some of the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communications students as they put into practice their classroom knowledge.
That newsroom was a convergence point for recent graduates in October 2020 to celebrate the completion of their Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication. The students graduated on October 22. To crown the get-together, the students cut cake that was offered by Mark Bartels, the Executive Director of the UCU Partners, an organization that raises public awareness about UCU in the United States.
In a meeting chaired by John Semakula, the UCU Partners e-lab Communications Coordinator head of the UCU journalism and media studies department, expressed gratitude to the UCU Partners for offering them a platform to hone their skills in journalism.
“I never imagined becoming a writer,” Eria Lule, one of the graduating writers, said. “I picked the inspiration from Mr. Semakula who always kept urging me to try it out.”
“I have acquired a lot of knowledge from the trainings I have undergone in the e-lab program. I will live to remember the project,” he added.
The e-lab project, rolled out in January 2021, was designed to offer an opportunity for UCU journalism students to get real-world experience. Sixteen students under the programme were part of the more than 3,000 who graduated at UCU on October 22.
Patty Huston-Holm, Partners communications director, designed the UCU/Uganda Partners e-lab model that is aligned with the university’s mission to prepare students for both continued learning and the world of work.
For the one year that the program has been running, emphasis has been put on writing and still photography, as well as video and audio products.
Nicolette Nampijja, one of the students who has been producing podcasts, said the training had greatly sharpened her skills in creating podcasts.
“I had always wanted to produce podcasts, but I didn’t know how to go about it,” she said. “This is an opportunity for me to start out as a podcaster.”
Posing at the Partners e-lab, end-of-year celebration with students and recent graduates are Mark Bartels (fifth-left); Partners e-lab coordinator, John Semakula (seventh-left); UCU communications manager, Frank Obonyo (on Semakula’s left); and podcast mentor and UCU academic, Geoffrey Ssenoga (fourth from right, front row).
As of late November, UCU student-generated podcast episodes had aired on the topics of mainstream media, racial discrimination, fake pastors, sickle cell anemia, the life of Simon Peter and hate speech.
Jimmy Siyasa, one of the students and recent graduates, urged his colleagues to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge available under the e-lab project to hone writing skills. Siyasa, who got himself a job at the university’s communications department ahead of his graduation, noted that without the skills he learned from the e-lab, he would not have been considered for the job.
Siyasa’s colleagues in the e-lab program – Nickie Karitas and Dalton Mujuni – have been hired by New Vision, Uganda’s leading daily newspaper, for a further mentorship program as they hone their journalism skills.
Bartels congratulated the students upon reaching their convocation, saying it positions them for great job opportunities.
“It feels good to hear that you are graduating, but it feels much better to hear that you have learned and we have contributed to the same,” he said.
“As you prepare to join your career world, ours is to pray that God will open doors for you,” Bartels added. “We look forward to continuing with this project and we will feel happy to see it grow.”
Semakula said that the idea to organize a cake-cutting party for the graduands came from Bartels, based in Pennsylvania, and Huston-Holm, who resides in the state of Ohio USA.
To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
UCU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi (right), receives UCU’s Certificate of Recognition as Best Exhibitor under the Public and Private Chartered Universities Category from Prof. Mary Okwakol, the Executive Director of NCHE.
Story by Yasiri J. Kasango, Photos by Jimmy Siyasa Uganda Christian University (UCU) has won the first ever virtual exhibition for higher education institutions in Uganda. The three-day virtual contest that took place in November was organised by the regulator of higher education in Uganda, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).
A total of 50 institutions of higher learning – both private and public – took part in the exhibition that saw Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a government aided institution, emerging second.
The first-place win is the third straight one for UCU, having emerged the best exhibitor at the 2018 and 2019 fairs. Due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no exhibition in 2020. This year’s fair has been virtual because the Ugandan government imposed a ban on large gatherings, limiting the number to 200, to reduce chances of spreading the coronavirus.
On October 22, Janet Museveni, Uganda’s First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, who was the chief guest at UCU’s 22nd graduation ceremony, acknowledged the strides the university has made in virtual infrastructure, noting that the institution has a “robust online education program” and encouraged the facility to “share best practices with other institutions.”
In the November fair, institutions of higher learning exhibited their e-learning services that reflected the programs taught and their capacity to admit and facilitate learning for students. They also displayed the technological innovations to overcome the challenges caused by Covid-19.
Certificate given to UCU
UCU’s Communications Manager, Frank Obonyo, said that the university exhibited its capacity in conducting online admissions, pre-entry exams for students who want to pursue courses in law and medicine, virtual elections for student leaders, e-library, online classes and online exams.
“The judges found UCU’s virtual stall attractive and in line with the event’s theme, Innovation for Current and Emerging Challenges and Opportunities under the COVID-19,” Obonyo added.
The lead judge, Denis Omvia, said: “UCU displayed a stall that resonated well with the theme. UCU’s booth also showed a high level of organisation and preparation.”
Omvia added that the UCU booth had video uploads and it was easy to navigate and download content for anyone who visited the site. Among the visuals in the UCU display was a UCU Prospectus, developed by UCU Partners communications team members, Patty Huston-Holm and Constantine Odongo.
During the exhibition’s opening ceremony, Mrs. Museveni said the COVID-19 pandemic was a wakeup call for institutions to shift from face-to-face learning to online.
Christa K. Oluka, UCU’s Director of Admissions and Student Records, said the win was a vote of confidence by their regulator in the university’s level of innovation.
“It is special whenever your regulator recognises something good about the institution,” Oluka said, adding: “This motivates us to keep working harder and finding new and better ways of doing things.”
When universities were closed during the lockdown on education institutions as a result of Covid-19, UCU embraced online learning that saw the institution’s students continue with learning, uninterrupted.
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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.
By Vanessa Babirye Gloria Studying a course in law was not Fiona Kemigisha’s first choice, but it was the choice of her parents. In pursuing the course, she intended to fulfill their dream while trying to put a finger on her own desires that edged toward digital media.
In 2013, Kemigisha graduated from the Uganda Christian University (UCU) Law program. She immediately headed to Kenya, where she did her internship in Nairobi. She later enrolled in a post-graduate diploma in legal practice at the Kenya School of Law. To practice law in Uganda and Kenya, one must attain a diploma in legal practice.
She is grateful for the four years she spent pursuing a Bachelor of Laws course at UCU because she says it provided her a platform to keep the right company and meet friends who have remained invaluable in her life.
Kemigisha, at right, and her friend, Nyonyozi, also a digital content creator
Upon her return to Uganda, she was employed at the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, where Kemigisha put her professional learning into action. Her initial intention was to spend five years in this job and then switch to something else. And she almost hit her target. She left the agency just after four years.
While practicing law at the immigration department was rewarding, she felt her heart belonged somewhere else. That place was digital content. She had a side job of creating digital content, which she sold to clients, and hopes of full-time work there.
The force with which the covid-related lockdown came in 2020 was the push that Kemigisha needed for her to throw in the towel at the immigration directorate. Uganda imposed a lockdown last year, from March to June, where movement was only permitted to staff it considered essential workers.
Being home more for Kemigisha meant more acquired skills in creating digital content.
“I got to a point where I realized that I needed to do something that didn’t just make other people happy, but myself,” the 31-year-old says.
Under the digital platform business name of Fiona Kemi, Kemigisha shares everything from natural hair care tutorials to her own journey with her hair. She started her journey on a WordPress blog, where she shared about alopecia (hair loss) and hair care.
Eventually, when her content gained traffic on social media, she began sharing videos not just about natural hair, but about a complete lifestyle. She uses YouTube channels and Instagram to engage with her followers. She helps clients find the necessary hair tools, products and designing a customized hair care regimen to help them grow healthy hair.
Nyonyozi Murungi, a content creator and a friend of Kemigisha, said when her friend told her about quitting her formal job, she got concerned.
“I was afraid about her life outside work, but Kemigisha is a creative woman; you can’t help admiring how her brain thinks,” she said. “She’s unstoppable. I love how her content has helped all of us nurture our hair and relationships.”
Though her parents were concerned when she was quitting her job, they supported her in her new venture. Kemigisha says: “They let me be when I chose and that was all the support I needed from them.”
The ball is now in Kemigisha’s court to turn her passion more fully into finances to support herself.
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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Steven Kyakulumbye is a senior lecturer in the UCU School of Business.
By Eriah Lule In 2013, Steven Kyakulumbye had a vision about the critical role of virtual learning in knowledge transfer. When he thought it was time to put his dream into practice, Kyakulumbye wrote a proposal for the initiation of virtual learning within Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Faculty of Business Administration.
Impressed by the proposal, then UCU Vice Chancellor, the Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, tasked him with writing a virtual learning plan for the entire university. Senyonyi hoped to present it to the University Council for approval.
When the proposal was approved, Kyakulumbye was asked to design the eLearning policies and guidelines. By 2015, the UCU eLearning center was under construction. The university needed to get someone to manage the center. When the vacancy was advertised, Kyakulumbye applied and was hired for the position. However, he was not able to assume the role.
“I didn’t step into my office because, around the same time, I got a scholarship from the UCU staff scholarship committee to pursue my PhD course,” the 47-year-old said. “And so, I had to make the difficult decision.”
Kyakulumbye left in 2016 to attend his Pre-PhD program at the University of Pretoria and, later, in 2017, he headed to the University of Western Cape in South Africa, to pursue a doctorate in information systems. However, he maintained a seat on the eLearning committee that had been formed to oversee virtual learning programs.
Kyakulumbye’s stay in South Africa challenged him to test his own initiative.
“I used to teach my master’s students online,” he says. With the exposure acquired from South Africa, in 2019, the Vice Chancellor asked him to present to the academic management of UCU insights into how they could integrate eLearning in the Alpha app, an application students use to check academic results at the university.
In 2020, the UCU School of Business, set up an eLearning committee to design virtual programs for students, and the ripple effect was felt across all faculties.
By the time schools were closed in March of 2020, to limit the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda, UCU was well ahead of many higher institutions of learning as far as eLearning is concerned. In fact, UCU Vice Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi has invited institutions that wish to learn from the best practices of online learning at UCU not to hesitate.
“We have invested in our infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions and in case of any help, we are around to give a hand,” Mushengyezi said at a recent online conference convened to discuss the disruptive effects of Covid-19 on the education sector in Uganda.
Now eight years since Kyakulumbye’s first proposal rooting for eLearning, lots of changes have happened. He is now a proud holder of a doctorate degree and is a senior lecturer in the University. The Faculty of Business Administration is now the UCU School of Business. And, thanks to Covid, eLearning was fast tracked and implemented across the entire University.
Kyakulumbye did not just bump into the computer world. He’s highly qualified to be there.
He holds a master’s in project management and a post-graduate diploma (both aligned to ICT) from the Uganda Management Institute. His bachelor’s degree, attained at Nkumba University in Uganda, was in computing education.
He is a registered Graduate Educator by Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports. A well-published scholar, Kyakulumbye chairs the UCU Research Ethics Committee, a body that plays the oversight of research involving humans as research participants in Uganda.
For 20 years, Kyakulumbye has been married to Agnes Nansubuga; the couple has five children. He is a son of Lubowa Joseph and Ann Mary Namuddu of Buikwe in central Uganda. Kyakulumbye loves music and enjoys playing traditional instruments like flutes.
When he completes his tour of duty at UCU, Kyakulumbye wants to engage in consultancy in information technology.
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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.
Professor Thomas Deans in his office within the main campus post-graduate block
By Eriah Lule An American Fulbright Scholar is in Uganda with a goal of helping Uganda Christian University (UCU) establish a writing center.
Thomas A. Deans, a Professor of English, began working in late August with UCU’s Department of Languages as a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Uganda on a teaching and research award. The proposal of a writing center at UCU, Deans says, was the centerpiece of his Fulbright application.
And it is not by accident that Deans is pushing for a writing center at UCU. He is currently the Director of the University Writing Center at the University of Connecticut, a position he has held since 2005 when he joined the institution.
Tom Deans interacting with a student in his office at UCU
In fact, even before joining the University of Connecticut, Deans played a pivotal role in steering a college writing program. He was the Director of College Writing at the Haverford College in Pennsylvania. No doubt he is fully aware of the benefits an institution can reap from a center designed to enhance writing skills.
Writing centers are places for collaboration between writers and their tutors. Writing centers may offer one-on-one scheduled tutorial appointments, group tutoring, and writing workshops. They are maintained by universities or created as part of the writing program to help students find their writing voice and tackle any writing challenge.
From August 2021 to the end of February 2022, the duration of the scholarship, Deans is teaching two courses and conducting a research project on undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics writers.
The 54-year-old also has been using the six months to help review UCU’s Department of Languages’ graduate curriculum for master’s students and work closely with the writing and study skills department.
He also is extending his more than 30 years of professional experience to Makerere University in Uganda, where he will be offering faculty development workshops through that University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Support.
“For most Fulbright scholar awards, a letter of invitation is recommended or required, and that can leave applicants who don’t already have established relationships with a potential host institution feeling at a loss,” Deans says.
Initially, Deans had contemplated Finland as his host country for the Fulbright. But that was not to be as his request for a letter of invitation was not granted.
The cold shoulder he got from Finland was a blessing in disguise for UCU. When Deans thought of the warm encounter he had had with Ugandan scholars, he re-established contact with Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, whom he had met while the latter was pursuing his PhD at the University of Connecticut. Mushengyezi did not hesitate to invite Deans to UCU. When Mushengyezi first met Deans, the former was an academic at Makerere University.
According to Dr. Taabu James Busimba, the newly appointed Head of the Department of Languages, Prof. Deans is laying a firm foundation by establishing the center. Busimba believes the center will not only offer a head start for more scholars to go to UCU, but also open doors for them to win grants and sponsorships for the department.
Exams are among the activities which give students goosebumps at school. No wonder, Katusiime Gift, a master’s student in the Department of Languages at UCU, is excited at one proposition by Tom Deans to replace exams for some master’s students in preference for research and presenting of papers.
“I am so excited to have a Fulbright scholar in our department,” Katusiime said.
While exams are an option to research papers in many United States post-graduate programs, Tom Deans asserts that “MA students won’t grow as researchers unless they are writing seminar papers that involve sustained research.” A substantial paper or literature review (completed in several drafts, with feedback and revision) could help build theresearch and writing experience and could be preferable over a test.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program awards more than 800 fellowships annually to scholars at all career levels who take up teaching, research, and professional projects in more than 135 countries. Deans won the award under the theme “Cultivating Writing Centers and Writing across the Disciplines in Ugandan Universities; UCU /Makerere University.”
He is married to Jill Deans and they have two sons – Griffin, 21, and Elliot, 18 years. Griffin and Elliot are expected to join their parents for the Christmas holidays in Uganda.
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.
UCU Guild President Kenneth Amponda Agaba (blue shirt, holding microphone) during an online conference hosted in the eLearning lab at UCU
By Yasiri J. Kasango Efforts by Uganda Christian University (UCU) to upgrade its eLearning platforms have gained momentum after Good Samaritans donated funds to assist.
UCU Partners has donated $50,000 (over sh170m) to the university to expand the platform. Mark Bartels, UCU Partners executive director, said the organization contributed the funds following a call by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, for external funders to support the eLearning infrastructure.
“The idea to support eLearning came from UCU,” Bartels said. “In all of the support that UCU Partners offers to UCU, we seek to meet the most important needs of the university. When the Vice Chancellor communicated this need to us, we were glad that we had some funds available to donate to UCU towards achieving its goal.”
Bartels added that given the restrictions in Uganda due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the significant increase in eLearning needs, it was a natural place for UCU Partners to make a contribution.
Students attend virtual conference in eLearning lab.
“We know that these funds will make a difference for so many students, even after the Covid-19 restrictions are eased,” he said “We have been so impressed with the way UCU has led universities in Uganda in terms of eLearning.”
“It is always exciting to support a project that has shown promise with few resources, knowing that additional resources will make a big difference,” Bartels added.
At a recent virtual dialogue to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on education institutions, Mushengyezi advised government and schools to follow the online learning path that his institution has taken in order to reduce effects of Covid-related lockdowns on studies.
In March 2020, when the government of Uganda imposed a total lockdown on academic institutions in the country as precaution to limit the spread of Covid-19, UCU embraced eLearning and it is one of the few universities in Uganda teaching during the lockdown.
“We have invested in infrastructure of electronic learning and have something to share with other institutions,” Mushengyezi said at the dialogue, adding that such a move will not only keep students from lagging behind because of the pandemic, but also enable them to continue studying on their own time.
UCU Partners is a US-based non-profit charitable organization committed to raising public awareness about UCU by seeking material and spiritual support for students and other projects in the university.
The University ICT Services (UIS) technical manager, Rebecca Kangabe, said the contribution from UCU Partners will go a long way towards purchasing cooling equipment for the servers. “The funds will also go towards improving the internet service capacity of the university and the PS link from 1GB to 10GB,” she said.
The increase in the PS link is expected to boost the communication at UCU, making the internal emailing system faster and also simplifying the teaching on the Big Blue Button.
Kangabe commended UCU Partners for the generous contribution.
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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