Keeping hope alive at UCU Tuition Run

By Christine Mirembe

To some students at Uganda Christian University (UCU), the annual Guild Tuition Run is a sporting event. To others, it’s a lifeline. Launched in 2020, the initiative was designed to help students struggling to pay their tuition. Over the years, it has grown into a powerful symbol of hope, bringing together sponsors, alumni, and students to keep education for the less privileged within reach.

This year’s run, set for October 18, 2025, is intended to raise sh500million (about $143,000) to help students complete their education. The organization of the run is led by the Omega Scholarship Fund in partnership with three banks – Stanbic Bank, Housing Finance Bank and Tropical Bank – as well as the UCU Honours College, UCU Guild Government and the UCU Alumni Association.

Rotary District 9213 Governor Geoffrey Martin Kitakule is expected to be the chief runner. At only sh30,000 (about $8) for T-shirts and sh25,000 (about $7) for bibs one could change the trajectory of a student’s future.

Deborah Nakaddu: From laundry work to renewed hope

In her second year at UCU, Deborah Nakaddu, now a third-year nursing student, almost gave up on her dream. The daughter of a once-stable family of four, she had grown up with few worries until the pandemic hit.

When COVID-19 struck, her father lost his job, and everything changed from then on.

Joshua Kisakye, one of the beneficiaries of the UCU Guild Run

Nakaddu’s education journey began at Seeta Boarding Primary School, later continuing to Nabisunsa Girls’ School and Mt. St. Henry’s High School Mukono. But financial hardship forced constant adjustments, and by the time she joined UCU in 2022 for a Higher Education Certificate (HEC), affording tuition was tough.

“When I completed the certificate course, I wanted to pursue a course in medicine or dental surgery, but I was instead given nursing, a course I had listed as a backup in my application form,” Nakaddu said. 

But her challenges didn’t end there. In her first year of nursing school, Nakaddu missed several exams because she couldn’t clear tuition in time. In her second year, she began doing people’s laundry for a small fee, with the determination to stay in school.

That’s when she met Winnie from the UCU scholarships office, who introduced her to Dickson Tumuramye, one of the coordinators of the Tuition Run. They encouraged her to join the campaign by helping sell kits and raising awareness.

“So, I started marketing the kits and sending flyers about the run to friends,” she says. Her enthusiasm paid off — weeks later, she received a call informing her that 80% of her tuition had been covered through the tuition run proceeds. Her parents managed the remaining balance of sh600,000 ($165), allowing her to sit for the exams she had missed earlier.

Now, Nakaddu looks to the future with hope. “I want to help students who are struggling with tuition, just like I was,” she says. “When people buy kits, they’re not just running, they’re helping another student stay in school.”

Joshua Kisakye: A journey of faith 

When you meet Joshua Kisakye, a fourth-year law student at UCU, his calm demeanor belies a story of struggles.

The firstborn in a family of five, Kisakye’s early education at Buganda Road Primary School and Busoga College Mwiri was relatively smooth. But things took a difficult turn in Senior Five when his mother fell ill, and his father could no longer sustain the family’s expenses.

“I remember my dad telling me he couldn’t support my education anymore,” Kisakye says.

Determined to continue, he spent two years working at a local restaurant in Jinja, a city in eastern Uganda, saving every shilling he could. His perseverance paid off in 2021 when he finally joined UCU to study law.

For the first year, his uncle supported him financially, but that help soon ran out. “He retired and had his own family to care for,” Joshua explains. He thus had to find his own way.

Just as he was about to give up, a friend, Dickson Tumuramye, introduced him to the Guild Tuition Run. It was a turning point. At that time, Kisakye had no money, yet exams were coming up. However, his tuition was cleared using proceeds from the run. 

In 2023, Joshua had to take a dead year after his mother’s heart condition worsened as all the available resources were channelled towards her survival. By God’s grace, she’s alive today.

Now back in school and on track to graduate in July 2026, Kisakye is filled with gratitude, and even a stronger desire to give back. He’ll be running this year not just as a beneficiary, but to support someone else. 

Stories like Deborah’s and Joshua’s are a constant reminder that every step a runner will take on October 18 will be proof that when people come together, whether through buying a kit, sponsoring a friend, or spreading the word, education becomes more accessible, and dreams remain alive.

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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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