Tag Archives: Bishop Barham University College

Dr. Ivan Habaasa Akatwijuka, the BBUC Secretary

Akatwijuka: From school dropout to PhD holder


Dr. Ivan Habaasa Akatwijuka, the BBUC Secretary
Dr. Ivan Habaasa Akatwijuka, the BBUC Secretary

By Irene Best Nyapendi
When storms descend and trials cut off one’s firm grip on life, a natural reaction might be to retreat. To many, that withdrawal may mark the end of the pursuit. To a few, like Ivan Habaasa Akatwijuka, a retreat after a stumble is for purposes of re-organizing oneself in order to bounce back in a bigger way.

That is exactly what happened to Akatwijuka during his younger years as a teen. Akatwijuka is now the College Secretary of Uganda Christian University (UCU) Bishop Barham University College (BBUC) and nearing a doctoral degree.

After excelling as the best pupil in his primary school, Akatwijuka found himself sitting at home for two-and-a-half years before resuming school. The family already struggled to pay fees for Akatwijuka’s elder sister, so they could not meet his requirements as well.

But Akatwijuka did not let the circumstances of the time shape his future. He took matters into his own hands, taking up manual jobs, such as those at construction sites. 

“From the money I made, I became a middleman in the coffee value chain,” he said. “I would buy the crop at a cheaper price from farmers and sell it to processors at a higher price. That’s how I managed to save enough money for my secondary school fees.”

Additionally, the community members who knew Akatwijuka’s  education resolution supported him. During school holidays, many of them would offer him jobs to help him raise money for school fees. 

It was through such small, often under-looked tasks that Akatwijuka learned the value of hard work and determination – lessons he says have guided him in life. And it is this hard work that has seen Akatwijuka attain all the academic successes, with his latest being a PhD. In June, Kabale University will bestow on Akatwijuka a PhD in Business Administration. 

His educational journey began at Nyakariro Primary School from where he joined Nyakagyeme and, later, Bugangari Secondary School for O’level. At A’level, Akatwijuka attended St. Gerald’s Nyakibale Secondary School. All the four schools are in western Uganda.

For his undergraduate study, Akatwijuka attended Kyambogo University in Kampala, where he studied Bachelor of Business Studies with Education, on a Ugandan government bursary. At Uganda Management Institute, he attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management and a Master’s degree in Management Studies. It is at Rukungiri Institute of Management where Akatwijuka was offered his first formal job as an assistant lecturer.  

As the university secretary, a position Akatwijuka has held since 2019, he oversees financial operations, sanctions budgets and handles the payroll, ensuring the institution remains financially sound. In addition to the role of University Secretary, he also teaches human resource and financial management at both bachelor’s and master’s levels.

For the PhD research, Akatwijuka focused on financial management and performance of private universities. He explored the challenges private universities in Uganda face in managing resources and found that many struggle to link proprietors with stakeholders. 

He also found that 90% of private universities rely solely on student tuition, which can be a heavy burden. His research is emphatic on pursuing alternative strategies, such as building strategic partnerships, effective financial management, applying for grants and investing in assets.

Akatwijuka says paying his tuition stretched his resources, leading him to take loans and even sell some of the trees that he was growing. 

During the PhD study, most of the late nights were spent on his dissertation work, often at the expense of his personal and family time. He said the pressure to deliver took a toll on his health, and that he eventually developed high blood pressure as well as weight gain since he often sat for long hours. 

He is grateful to UCU for the 5% tuition support and to his wife, who he says took on extra responsibilities to be able to support on paying some of the family bills. He is grateful to God for he has seen the hand of God throughout this journey.

As Akatwijuka prepares to graduate in June, the 46-year-old married man and father of one reflects on his journey with pride. Through his experience and challenges, he has learned that motivation and hard work, indeed, pay off.

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Dr. Alice Jossy Kyobutungi Tumwesigye, the Principal of UCU-BBUC, in her office.

Kyobutungi’s journey to first female principal at BBUC


Dr. Alice Jossy Kyobutungi Tumwesigye, the Principal of UCU-BBUC, in her office.
Dr. Alice Jossy Kyobutungi Tumwesigye, the Principal of UCU-BBUC, in her office.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
In September 2021, Dr. Alice Jossy Kyobutungi Tumwesigye stumbled on an advertisement that attracted her attention in the newspapers. The advertisement was seeking a person to fill the position of Principal of Uganda Christian University (UCU) Bishop Barham University College (BBUC). 

“My husband told me to apply for that job, saying it was mine.  I could also see that if I applied for the job, I would surely get it,” Kyobutungi said.

Kyobutungi, indeed, applied for the job. After several rounds of interviews, she was selected to lead the institution, thus becoming the first female principal of UCU-BBUC. A principal’s role is to oversee and manage all aspects of the university college’s operations.

The first thing that Kyobutungi did when she walked into her office after her appointment as principal was to pray to God and ask Him to walk with her on this journey. She even pinned up a prayer on her office wall, which she says every morning. According to Kyobutungi, her time at UCU has improved her spirituality, enabling her to put God at the center of her work.

From day one, when Dr. Kyobutungi joined UCU- BBUC, she was struck by the muddy road from the gate into the university. 

The writer conducting an interview with Dr. Kyobutungi in her UCU-BBUC office.
The writer conducting an interview with Dr. Kyobutungi in her UCU-BBUC office.

“An institution of higher learning should look better than a secondary school,” she said.

Although she was told that the budget for that year had already been approved, she did not give up on her quest to pave the road. With her team’s consent, Kyobutungi used the money that had been earmarked to procure a vehicle and instead obtained the car on hire purchase. In addition, they set up retainer walls and renovated the institution’s multi-purpose building. Other than the paving of the road, the other developments were achieved using the collections from the UCU Sunday. 

In 2017, the House of Bishops of the Province of the Church of Uganda resolved to designate the last Sunday of September as a UCU Sunday. UCU Sunday was established to mobilize financial resources to support the university’s projects, especially infrastructure and to raise awareness about the institution. This tradition spans across Uganda, with every Anglican Church in Uganda participating.

As the principal, Kyobutungi is committed to ensuring that the academic standards at the institution are upheld, particularly in terms of qualification among the faculty. 

One of her major achievements has been enforcing strict policies in tuition payments. On many occasions, students used to complete their studies without paying their fees, something which generated financial instability. 

She established a policy where students had to pay at least 45% of the tuition fee before sitting tests and allowed leniency for only one semester. She believes that unless the fees are paid on time, the university will never be able to meet its costs promptly.

“I have worked at several universities, but I can say that UCU is special,” she said. “At UCU-BBUC, we groom the students both morally and intellectually.”

A new face for UCU- BBUC.
A new face for UCU- BBUC.

Currently, BBUC has books but owns no library structure. It rents library space at the cathedral. But Kyobutungi has plans to resolve that. Five years from now, she hopes that the institution will have its own library. 

Kyobutungi is the ninth of 10 children, although most of her siblings have passed away. Only her family’s fifth-born, a brother, is still alive. Because of this, she grew up as the apple of everyone’s eye.

She is well-known for her passion of reading and writing. The love for reading, she says, was first lit in her Primary Three when she was asked to recite a folk tale before her class. She did not share any because she had none. However, when she returned home, she asked the wife of her brother to narrate folktales to her. 

It’s then that she learned that stories dwelled in books. From that moment, she dived into literature and read everything, from novel series to Bible stories. 

In primary school, she read all the books in their small library. By Primary Seven, she says, her teacher saw her as a candidate with immense potential after she scored 99% in essay writing. 

“If I can write a good essay, then I can write,” she told herself. 

After primary school, she joined Bweranyangi Girls’ Secondary School in western Uganda. Unlike her primary school, Bweranyangi had a large library. Here, they held class reading sessions, where books were brought in a box, and each student would pick one to read. 

At the end of the week, each student would discuss what they read. If a student completed reading the book, they qualified to receive another one. This motivated her to complete her books so she could continue to explore new ones. And that is how her love for literature was awakened.

Kyobutungi has held various positions, spanning from head of the English Department at Mbarara High School and, later, at Rutooma Senior Secondary School. Both schools are located in western Uganda. During her higher education teaching career at Mbarara High School, the students loved her so much that they gifted her a heifer when she graduated with a PhD.

She then graduated to the position of Head of the Languages and Literature Department at Bishop Stuart University and later became the Dean of the Faculty of Education. 

Kyobutungi has over 15 publications, including the poetry collection Dance of the Intellect, Building the Nation: A Romance, Gender and Rural Transformation: A Post-Modernist Perspective, Fireplace Experience in Ankole, Henry Barlow’s Poetry a Romanticist Reading Science and Development: Bridging the Gender Gap in Rural Communities of selected Countries of East Africa, The Hidden Princess, Wondering and Wandering of Hearts, Poems from Uganda among others.

Kyobutungi holds a BA Lit/Lin and Dip Educ. from Makerere University, and a Master of Arts (Lit) Makerere University and a PhD in Language Culture and Society (LCS) (Literature bias) from Bishop Stuart 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.

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Lewis with his supporters during the campaigns

Lewis defies resource constraint challenge to become BBUC Guild President


Lewis with his supporters during the campaigns
Lewis with his supporters during the campaigns

By Kefa Senoga
The new Guild President of Bishop Barham University College (BBUC), a constituent college of Uganda Christian University (UCU), is a lucky man. 

Take for instance what happened to him when he was in Primary Three. The family had made a decision that Usher Bennets Lewis drops out of school. Their justification was that there was no money to pay Bennet’s school fees. However, he was lucky enough that that decision did not come to pass. His aunt took him from his village district of Rukungiri in western Uganda to Kampala, in central Uganda, to continue with his studies at Joy Primary School in Kitintale. It is at this school where he completed his primary education.

At the time, it was Lewis’ grandmother, a peasant, who had been meeting his school requirements. Born in 1999, Lewis did not have the opportunity to stay long enough with his parents. They both died before he began school.

Lewis’s campaign poster
Lewis’s campaign poster

The decision of Lewis’ aunt to take him to study in Kampala, has in enabled BBUC to have him as their Guild President for the 2024-2025 term. The 25-year-old recently won a contest for the next Guild President of BBUC, beating his closest challenger, Derrick Akampa, by a slim margin of 14 votes.

Just as the rest of Lewis’ education journey has been, completion of his campaigns for the university’s top student leadership position was nothing short of a miracle. During his campaigns, Lewis notes that one of the major challenges his team faced was the lack of financial resources.

“Compared to my opponents, I lacked the resources; all I could offer my supporters were ideas. I was campaigning on foot, whereas my opponents had cars and motorcades,” explains Lewis, who says he developed a liking for UCU when he was still in primary school.

He is currently pursuing a degree in Social Work and Social Administration. Those who have been close to Lewis know that a life of financial hardships is not anything new to him. Even in the university, he has experienced financial challenges, particularly when he first joined. However, he was able to work hard and mobilize resources, part of which he has used to meet his obligation for tuition, rent, and other necessities.

Now that Lewis has assumed office, his main goal, he says, is to work closely with the administration, to enhance the university’s academic growth. Additionally, he commits to advocating improved security to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.

Despite having minimal resources throughout his educational journey, Lewis has never shied away from pursuing leadership positions at school.  And he prays that even after school, he is able to pursue higher political positions. 

From his early school days in both primary and secondary school, Lewis has been a student leader, taking up positions such as head monitor, health prefect, entertainment prefect, and assistant head prefect.

He attended O’level at Blessed Parents High School, and A’level at Kyamakanda Secondary School. Both schools are in western Uganda. In order to be able to meet the financial needs at school, Lewis says he took up several odd jobs, within the community where he lived. He did these things knowing full well that luck is not chance, it’s a toil.

“I grew up working on people’s farms, often seeking opportunities to look after their cattle in exchange for food and a little money, which I used for my school fees.”

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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 X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook