UCU School of Law Archives - Uganda Christian University Partners

By Kefa Senoga
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mukono Campus biweekly community worship on Thursday, July 18, 2024, started as usual in Nkoyoyo Hall. But it wasn’t. Oscar Boban Owakubariho, a staff member, gave a unique testimony.

Owakubariho’s words were woven into a powerful story of struggle with addiction and overcoming it.

“At the time I joined UCU as a student, if someone greeted me with the words ‘Praise the Lord,’ I didn’t know what to respond,” Owakubariho, a lecturer at the School of Law, started his confession.

“You students at UCU should not take this institution for granted because the values it teaches you will help you forever,” he added.

At just 15 years of age, Owakubariho said that he had already developed a drinking habit. “Beer was rare back then, so we drank locally brewed alcohol.”

Born on October 14, 1979, Owakubariho’s academic journey took him from Kitante Primary School to St. Henry’s College Kitovu for his O’level, then to Kyambogo College School for his A’level, and finally to UCU, where he pursued a Bachelor of Laws (LLB). All the schools are in central Uganda.

He said the love for the bottle followed him even into adulthood, influencing his choices and ushering him into a world of struggles.

Owakubariho’s father already knew the challenge his son was facing. To further ensure his son continues with spiritual rehabilitation, he made a decision that he would only pay fees if Owakubariho pursued his undergraduate studies at UCU.

“He also gave me two options for courses – either law or education. I chose law.”

But even while at UCU, according to Owakubariho, he spent a significant amount of time in the nearby trading centers drinking. Such drinking sprees often made him get cross with the law enforcers for the chaos his drunkenness caused in the community. It was not unusual to find him in the Police cells because of drinking.

“We had a disco hall in Mukono called Kisumali, and we were ever there,” he said, reflecting on his student days.

The addiction did not only end at UCU. Even when he graduated from UCU in 2004, and proceeded to the Law Development Center to pursue his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, he continued with the practice. Every law graduate in Uganda is mandated to acquire this diploma to be able to practice law in the country.

It wasn’t until 2015, when his body began to fail him that he realized the gravity of his situation. His liver and lungs were severely affected, and he found himself in and out of hospitals, including Uganda’s National Mental Referral Hospital, Butabika.

“I was close to dying,” he admitted. “I later reflected on the advice people had been giving me, and in that moment of desperation, I prayed to God to heal me.”

In 2018, at 39 years of age, he finally broke free from the chains of addiction.

“God gave me a second chance, and I knew I had to change my livelihood,” he said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year, alcohol abuse kills 2.5 million people worldwide. WHO ranks Uganda the second leading consumer of alcohol in Africa and the 28th in the world.

Owakubariho said from his experience, he noticed that most of the people are struggling either with alcohol or drug abuse, but that they are afraid to let people know about it.

“They deceive themselves that a solution will come tomorrow, and tomorrow becomes the next week,” he said.

Owakubariho understood this cycle all too well. He says from around 2011, he was tired of abusing alcohol.

“I had gotten the signals and wanted to stop,” he recalled. “I kept saying, ‘Maybe I will stop on Saturday,’ but I kept postponing.”

Owakubariho highlighted the need to change one’s social circles in order to overcome alcoholism. He was advised to leave the drinking groups, to stop looking at alcohol-related pictures, and to “start engaging with people who feared God.” That advice significantly changed his life, and that’s how he got to understand that “there is another world beyond alcohol.”

Despite having a law degree and a diploma in legal practice, Owakubariho says that he found himself in bars with people who had never had any formal education.

“I used to drink in a bar owned by a man who had only studied up to Primary Two,” he said. “I would borrow money from relatives just to drink. If my money ran out, I would leave my ID or phone behind as collateral.”

Today, Owakubariho stands as a transformed man, dedicated to guiding young minds at UCU, the very institution that once witnessed his battle with addiction. He says his testimony serves as a reminder that no one is beyond redemption and that faith, coupled with the right choices, can lead to a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Through his experiences, Owakubariho urges students to cherish their time at UCU and to embrace the values it instills.

“God can use anyone to become anything,” he said. “In the Bible, He used Gideon, who was nothing, to save the Israelites. Likewise, if He could save me, He can save anyone.”

He is now married, but the couple has no child yet.

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To support UCU 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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By Pauline Luba
In Acholi, a local dialect in Uganda, the name Lagen means “the trusted one.” And that is the name that a pastor in Uganda chose for his son 30 years ago. In three decades, there are examples to illustrate that, indeed, Joseph Lagen has earned people’s trust.

One example slightly more than 10 years ago was when his father entrusted him with the duty of heading the youth music department at Life Line Ministries, his father’s church. Five years later, Lagen’s role was to direct the production of music at the church. And this was only possible because Lagen was introduced to the church at quite a young age, hence influencing his way of life.

Lagen cover art picture for Child's praise. — Lagen cover art picture for Child’s praise.

“I loved being in the music department of my father’s church, but sometimes I did it more as something I had to do,” Lagen said. In 2014, Lagen sung a duet with his twin brother, Joshua Olara, in the church choir album.

During his childhood, “while others got a lot of toys,” Lagen says for his family, it was “a lot of church and church visits.” He is grateful to his parents for ensuring they had a proper Christian upbringing, in line with Proverbs 22:6 that says: “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

True to the scripture, even when Lagen grew older, he did not depart from the foundation that his father gave him. As soon as he joined Uganda Christian University (UCU) to pursue a Bachelor of Laws, Lagen connected other music-loving Christian students and, in 2018, formed the inaugural instrumentalist fellowship that happens at the end of every semester at UCU. He also worked with the choir members on larger projects, such as the Christmas and Easter productions.

Jimmy Siyasa, the acting Communications Officer at UCU, who was among the people at the university at the same time with Lagen, said he (Lagen) was instrumental in creating team spirit and a strong bond among the choir members, especially those who played instruments at UCU. Lagen often hosted the instrumentalists for fellowship.

“I met Lagen in the last quarter of 2018, while in my second year,” Siyasa said. “At that time, I was a worship leader in a campus choir called Mustard Seed. He was like a bolt that drew and held together the broad network of both novice and advanced Christian creatives on the campus, and beyond. He is that guy who won’t miss or waste a chance to introduce you to other creatives.”

Lagen tracklist for Child's Praise. — Lagen tracklist for Child’s Praise.

To further cement the fact that Lagen has not departed from the Christian foundation that his father gave him, in April 2024, he released a Christian Afro-Soul album, Child’s Praise. The album has 12 songs, all of which are intended to tell the gospel through a modern East-African aesthetic. The first song, Near Near Here is based on an experience he had as he visited his village in 2015 — a place he had been made to believe was near, was not actually as near because of the poor transport system. The song blends Lagen’s calm vocals with upbeat references to God.

“My art is far from pragmatic,” he said. “It lives to create wonder in the hearts of its listeners and to cause them look at God in wonder.” The title Child’s Praise stems from Psalm 8:2: “From the mouths of children and infants You have ordained praise on account of Your adversaries, to silence the enemy and avenger.”

Born in a family of four children — two boys and two girls — Lagen attended Hillside Primary School and Namilyango College, both in central Uganda. It was while at Namilyango that he developed a love for writing.

“I was enamoured by words and their ability to communicate emotions,” he said. Before and during his undergrad, Lagen worked as a Features writer for the Daily Monitor – Uganda’s largest private daily newspaper. Not too long ago, he was also a freelance contributor for Uganda Partners.

For his bachelor’s award in 2021, Lagen’s law dissertation research area was intellectual property and copyright, particularly in music. Uganda Performing Rights Society, the organization where he carried out the research, immediately offered him a position as legal officer in 2021. It is only recently that he left the position to join an advertising firm as a copywriter.

Lagen is also multi-tasking, working on his second album. What spurs him on is seeing everyday as an opportunity “to show and tell the exceeding beauty of Christ through art.”

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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

Tag Archives: UCU School of Law

Owakubariho: How I overcame alcohol addiction

Lagen: Lawyer with a passion for music