Tag Archives: UCU students

Bishop Zoreka’s transition from the “bad guy” to a faithful servant of God

January 3, 2025Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU Alumni#News, Bishop Tucker School of Theology and Divinity, Kinkiizi Diocese., UCU Alumni, UCU studentsPatty Huston-Holm

Bishop Zoreka and his wife handing over a bible to President Museveni

Dan Zoreka was the second Bishop of Kinkiizi Anglican Diocese, in southwestern Uganda. He has been the prelate of the diocese for the past 14 years. Recently, our writer, Kefa Senoga, travelled to the diocese and had a chat with the alumnus of Uganda Christian University.

Bishop Dan Zoreka of Kinkiizi Anglican Diocese in Uganda never expected to serve the Lord as a cleric. Throughout his childhood, he admired doctors and wanted to be one. However, financial challenges forced him to change career direction.

In 1977, Zoreka sat his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE), where he earned a First Grade, and an admission into Mbarara High School. However, he could not afford the school fees. He thus had to repeat Primary Seven as he looked for money for his tuition in Senior One. At the time, one was not eligible for admission into Senior One using results more than a year old.

The following year, Zoreka again passed his PLE exams, earning admission into Nyakasura School. Again, he failed to join the school because of lack of tuition.

Zoreka had been paying his own school fees from Primary Three. He says his father was a polygamous man with six wives, so he could not afford fees for all his children.

“I used to vend banana fiber every Friday. I would sell them to the butchers. It is from that money that I would pay my school fees,” Zoreka explained during an interview he granted Uganda Partners at his diocese in southwestern Uganda.

As a result of the failure to meet the financial requirements for secondary school study, he said he even considered giving up on education.

“But in 1979, I decided to repeat for the third time. That’s when my class teacher advised me to opt for teacher training colleges, which offered free education.”

He thus enrolled at St. Augustine’s Teacher Training College in western Uganda to pursue a teaching certificate course. For the four years he studied the course, he returned home only once. Despite studying the course on a bursary, Zoreka needed extra money for upkeep. He thus did menial jobs at the school, and in the community, from which he earned a wage.

“I did work such as cleaning the school compound and harvesting tea in the community; I was a well-known casual laborer in the area.”

After completing his course, Zoreka was employed by the government of Uganda in 1985 as a teacher, but he spent a year without receiving salary. That was the time the country was facing civil strife; hence many public servants were not receiving their salaries.

In 1986, Zoreka was tempted to switch professions. The government was recruiting soldiers, so Zoreka applied to train as one.

“I registered my name and we were instructed to return the next morning at 6:00 a.m. to be transported to another district where the training was to take place. Unfortunately, I drank too much alcohol that night and overslept. By the time I woke up, the team had already left,” he recalls.

In 1987, Bishop Zoreka made another attempt to join the security forces, this time the Uganda Police. However, after presenting his academic certificates, the recruiting officer informed him that the government needed teachers more, so they couldn’t allow him to join the Police.

Still, Zoreka left teaching and started to work as a lumberjack, a job he did for a year, before returning to teaching.

In 1989, when a call for lay readers was announced in their diocese, Zoreka’s mother, a staunch Christian, pressured him to enroll for the course. Though it was against his wishes, he did it to honor his mother’s desire. A lay reader is a person licensed by a bishop to conduct religious services other than the Eucharist.

“I felt like there was no life in the church at the time. I enjoyed nights of dancing, discos, and drinking alcohol,” Zoreka says.

“Even as I sat the interview, I had three cigarettes in my pockets; just the night before, I had spent the evening at the bar drinking. I arrived at the interview with a hangover. If I had been thoroughly checked, probably I would have been disqualified.”

And even after admission, his bad habits followed him. “We would sneak out of the dormitory during our training, to look for alcohol in a nearby town. It was only by God’s grace that we were not caught.”

Bishop Zoreka with the writer, Kefa Senoga

In 1990, Zoreka gave his life to Christ, completely turning his back to smoking and drinking alcohol. He thus became a deacon in 1998 and a priest in 1999.

Upon being ordained a deacon, Zoreka was posted to the cathedral/diocesan headquarters as a curate. Following his priesting in 1999, the bishop at the time, John Ntegyerize, assigned him to the Nyarugunda Parish in Kinkiizi diocese, southwestern Uganda, where he served for one year as the parish priest. It was during his time there that he met Florah Arinaitwe, whom he married the following year.

“We got married on Wednesday August 30, and I reported to UCU to pursue a degree course the following week, on Monday, with my wife.”

At UCU, there was a designated area for married theology students. Unfortunately, when he arrived, all the houses were already occupied.

As a result, Zoreka and his wife occupied the garage of the Rev. Prof Olivia Nasaka Bbanja, who was a lecturer at the Bishop Tucker Theological College at the time. Banja is now the Vice Chancellor of Ndejje University. The garage was the couple’s honeymoon venue, after which Florah returned to their home in Kanungu.

Zoreka served the church in various capacities, eventually being elected the second Bishop of Kinkiizi Anglican Diocese in 2015. He hopes to retire from active service in two years. Anglican bishops in Uganda retire from service when they clock 65 years.

As a bishop, Zoreka has earned a reputation as a developmental leader. The Rev. Bob Mbabazi, the head of communications at Kinkiizi Diocese, said the bishop has focused on building and enhancing infrastructure for various church projects, such as the clergy residence, schools, hospitals, and commercial buildings, including one in Kampala city.

According to Mbabazi, the bishop has lobbied for partnerships with various stakeholders, including Compassion International, which has established six child development centers across the diocese, all overseen by the church.

Florah and Zoreka have four children — the firstborn, is pursuing a degree course at UCU and the second born, is in secondary school at Mengo SS. The third born, is in Primary Four while the youngest, is in Primary Three, at Kabale Primary School.

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Lewis defies resource constraint challenge to become BBUC Guild President

January 1, 2025News, Students, UCU Bishop Barham University College#News, Bishop Barham University College, UCU studentsPatty Huston-Holm

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.

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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Want to study at a university in the U.S? Prof. Deans shows how to find the opportunities

December 30, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni#News, UCU Alumni, UCU students, Writing CenterPatty Huston-Holm

By Kefa Senoga
What does it mean to apply for university education in the USA? What processes are involved in the application? These and more are some of the questions that Tom Deans, a Professor of English and the Director of the Writing Centre of the University of Connecticut (UConn), had to answer recently as he addressed students, staff, and alumni of Uganda Christian University (UCU).

The late November talk, delivered in the Principal’s Hall at the Main Campus was intended to guide possible applicants for particularly US scholarships on how to navigate the systems and procedures.

Prof Tom Deans with the UCU community that attended his session

According to Deans, applying for an undergraduate degree in the U.S. is relatively straightforward, as there is typically a single set of admission requirements. In contrast, graduate applications can be more complex because students usually apply directly to departments or schools within a university, depending on the program’s structure.

“Even within the same institution, admissions and funding processes may differ by department or school at the graduate level,” he said during that talk that was organized by the UCU Writing Centre.

The writing center, opened on October 20, 2022, was set up under the guidance of Deans, who was a Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Uganda at the time, on a teaching and research award. The center was set up to help students improve their writing skills.

Undergraduate applicants, Deans explained, generally follow a uniform process: They complete the same application form, submit their high school transcripts, write a general essay, and take standardized tests, regardless of their intended field of study. In contrast, graduate programs often have unique requirements for each department or school. This means applicants must customize their application to align with the specific expectations and criteria of their chosen program.

Using the example of applying for graduate studies in law and medicine at most universities in the U.S., Deans noted that one uses the standard process articulated on the webpage of the schools or departments that they are applying to.

He, however, explained that when applying for programs in the category of sciences or engineering, the process often involves identifying a lab or professor whose research aligns with the interests of the applicants.

“You would reach out to them for potential sponsorship, and admission to the program typically depends on securing their approval and support.”

He further explained that in many graduate programs for sciences and engineering, especially for research degrees like Ph.D., students don’t just apply to the university, they need to find a professor (often called a principal investigator) who will supervise their work and possibly fund their research through grants. Professors often run labs and have specific research projects, so they look for students whose skills and interests match their needs.

Many departments in USA universities have people who are in charge of graduate studies. Such people are often an invaluable point of contact for guidance during the application process.

“You can email or set up a Zoom call with them and they will respond because it’s their job to respond,” Deans said.

For graduate students, the admissions process often coincides with applying for funding. “When submitting your application, look for an option to indicate your interest in funding; selecting this option allows you to be considered for opportunities, such as a graduate assistantship, teaching assistantship, or, in some institutions, a fellowship,” Deans said.

Graduate Assistantship is a type of financial and professional support offered to graduate students, typically in exchange for part-time work at a university while Teaching Assistantship is a role offered to graduate students and sometimes upper-level undergraduates in which they assist faculty members with teaching-related responsibilities.

According to Deans, securing external funding can significantly improve an applicant’s chances of being accepted by institutions. Opportunities like the Fulbright Program scholarship, while highly competitive and with strict eligibility criteria, are excellent options. If awarded, such opportunities provide generous funding, making American universities more likely to offer admission since one comes in with financial support.

However, he advocates consulting with key stakeholders, such as alumni, professors, and other academic professionals, as they can provide valuable insights and guidance throughout the application process.

On why there are more funding opportunities for PhD programs than for master’s, Deans said: “Ph.D. programs help universities build their reputation, and these institutions assume that people may struggle to afford Ph.D. programs, whereas many can afford the cost of a master’s program.”

Richard Ranger, a missionary lecturer in Business and Law at Uganda Christian University (UCU) and an alumnus of Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, emphasized during the session that university and departmental websites serve as crucial sources of authentic information. He highlighted the importance of utilizing them because they are more reliable and are updated.

Lwanga Huzaifa, a former student of UCU, acknowledged that graduate studies can be quite costly, making the opportunity to study on a scholarship highly desirable for him.

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New dawn as UCU School of Medicine gets UK accreditation

December 26, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Medicine#News, International Medical Accreditation, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Medicine, UCU studentsPatty Huston-Holm

By Pauline Luba
The General Medical Council (GMC) of the United Kingdom has officially recognized the Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) of Uganda Christian University. The development, which follows a comprehensive assessment and evaluation process, paves the way for the institution’s medical graduates to pursue further careers in the UK and beyond, without many hurdles. The news of the recognition came to light in November 2024.

In addition to regulating medical education and healthcare professionals, GMC also oversees the medical register and ensures that doctors possess the training, the expertise and the experience needed to practice safely and effectively.

The certification means that graduates of UCU can now sit for the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) exams, a mandatory gateway for international doctors hoping to practice in the UK. The PLAB test is a requirement for doctors from outside of the UK, EU, and Switzerland. The test is intended to ensure that the student has the same clinical knowledge and skills as a UK doctor starting their second year of the Foundation Programme.

Last year, Uganda Christian University (UCU) celebrated the graduation of its first cohort of the pioneer students of its School of Medicine. The students were drawn from the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, and Bachelor of Dental Surgery.

Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, the Dean of the UCU School of Medicine, said graduates from the UCU School of Medicine who wish to practice in the UK can now take the required exams. And that when they pass the exams, they are eligible to receive a permit to practice medicine.

According to Tumusiime, PLAB examinations are separated into two parts: a written exam that tests medical knowledge with multiple-choice questions, and a practical exam that evaluates a candidate’s clinical skills and the ability to interact with patients in simulated situations. He points out that both tests cover basic sciences and clinical sciences.

Before an institution is accredited by the GMC, an evaluation process is carried out to determine its eligibility. “When they assessed our curriculum, they found that it meets the requirements for accreditation,” Tumusiime explained.

He noted that the GMC also places emphasis on clock hours, which refers to the required time students must dedicate to each course unit or subject. “The fact that we meet the recommended hours confirms that we give students enough content matter for the course.”

Dr. Tumusiime further explains that they also evaluate students’ exposure to patients, to assess and understand their experience with patients.

Sharon Pearl Kisaakye, one of the students in the UCU School of Medicine, said: “For someone like me who dreams of gaining international experience in medicine, the accreditation opens doors to a world of opportunities for training and employment in some of the best healthcare systems.”

Joseph Kali, a student in the School of Medicine, said: “This accreditation broadens the scope of learning, allowing our students to engage with world leaders in medicine. It also gives them the tools to return and implement new perspectives, attract grants, and contribute to Uganda’s healthcare system.”

UCU is currently also undergoing evaluation by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates of the United States. Certification will allow UCU graduates to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examinations, and those who pass may have the opportunity to practice in the USA.

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UCU basketballer crowned best defensive player of the year

November 8, 2024News, Sports, Students, UCU Alumni#Basketball, #News, UCU Alumni, UCU Sports, UCU studentsEdwin Byarugaba

Bridget Aber, a student in the UCU School of Business, on court

By Pauline Luba
Bridget Aber’s introduction to basketball came from an unexpected route – through her passion for traveling first, the sport second. She quenched her travel thirst in high school when she discovered that members of the school’s basketball team often traveled out of the school to play.

Aber, therefore, hatched a plan to start playing basketball, so she, too, could get travel opportunities. When she got to the basketball court, the game became too enticing for her to leave, thanks largely to coach Koma Hendrix Iverson. The year was 2019.

All the sweat that Aber has broken since then has now earned her a national accolade – the country’s best defensive player for 2024 in Uganda’s national basketball league, named by the Federation of Uganda Basketball Association.

Aber, a standout basketball player for the Uganda Christian University (UCU) women team, the Lady Canons, feels recognitions like what she’s just earned, push her to grow stronger and to improve in the game. Uganda’s basketball season is usually a long one, typically lasting anything from nine to ten months. During all that time, Aber and her teammates competed against 11 teams from both universities and clubs.

Despite the challenges of balancing her academics and sports responsibilities, Aber is determined to excel in both areas. She acknowledges the difficulty of managing time, especially when traveling for games, but remains committed to prioritizing her studies and training.

At UCU, Aber is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Mentally, Aber has grown significantly since she first started playing basketball. In the early days, she would panic or get frustrated easily, but over time, she has learned to stay calm and focused. Understanding that not every game can be won, she has developed the ability to handle losses with grace, as they keep pushing for more wins.

Just like it is the case with many athletes, injuries are part of the trade. For Aber, they have been a significant challenge in her basketball journey. She has experienced several, including an ankle injury that took her a month for recovery and a healing knee injury she sustained not long ago.

Aber credits her growth in sports to the guidance from the athlete’s siblings around her. Her two brothers — Phillip Wokorach and Gwokto Thomas Innocent — are always available for inspiration. Wokorach plays for Uganda’s national rugby team and also plays professional club rugby in France with Club Orléans. Gwokto plays rugby for a Ugandan club, the Heathens.

Additionally, she says the UCU basketball coach, Nick Natuhereza, has played a significant role in her development as a basketball player.

Bridget Aber recently was named Uganda’s best defensive player for 2024 in Uganda's national basketball league. — Bridget Aber recently was named Uganda’s best defensive player for 2024 in Uganda’s national basketball league.

Aber is the youngest of seven siblings. She grew up under the care of a single mom in Kampala. Despite the challenges she faced following the loss of her father while in Primary Seven, she has been resilient to life’s obstacles. This resilience, she says, was implanted in her by her mother, Ayot Lillian Rose. Aber’s late father, George Ojok Gwokto, worked as a salesperson at an insurance company.

Aber attributes much of her strength to the valuable life lessons her mother imparted in her. From Ayot, Aber learned to be kind, God-fearing, and generous without expecting anything in return. These lessons shaped the person she is today, both on and off the court.

Aber encourages young girls to remain prayerful, focused, and passionate about the game while avoiding distractions that could derail their progress. For her, the journey in basketball has just begun. With passion, determination and faith, she says the sky’s the limit.

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UCU launches PhD in business management

November 6, 2024News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business#News, PhD, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU studentsPatty Huston-Holm

The pioneer students of the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Management program with some School of Business administrators

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Uganda Christian University (UCU) has introduced a new PhD program — the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Management. The program, which is the first PhD in the UCU School of Business, started with four modules. The module leaders are professors carefully sourced from some of the world’s best universities.

By benchmarking against world-class universities worldwide, such as the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and the University of Agder in Norway, UCU aims to generate a new model of PhD training and elevate the standard of PhD education in the East African region.

Rev. Assoc. Prof. John M. Kitayimbwa, the UCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs, addresses the pioneer PhD students during orientation.

The Rev. Dr. John Kitayimbwa, the UCU Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, commended the Dean and the administration of the School of Business for developing the program, noting that the university conducted extensive research and market analysis, which revealed the need for innovative business education.

Kitayimbwa explained that unlike historical PhD training models, where African scholars are often paired with retiring professors, limiting exposure to cutting-edge ideas, this program brings together experienced and young professors.

“Traditional PhD models tie scholars to retiring professors, limiting them to outdated ideas,” Kitayimbwa said. “Pairing students with seasoned and young professors ensures they receive up-to-date research training to tackle challenges and provide relevant solutions for the next 30-40 years.”

This unique approach ensures research relevance, fostering innovative ideas. The ultimate goal is to unlock research potential for sustainable development and prosperity across the continent.

Kitayimbwa urged the pioneer students to strive for excellence and aspire to do work that can appear in well-respected journals.

“The PhD is as short or as long as the quality of the student,” Kitayimbwa said. “The students are given a maximum of seven years to complete the PhD, but you can also complete it in two-and-a-half years.”

Dr. Henry Mugisha, the Head of the Department of Post-Graduate Programs in the School of Business, led the team that developed the program. He said that the program was inspired by the need to initiate a new way of PhD training that focuses on generation or research content worthy of publication in well-respected academic journals during the training. This is a shift from the monograph PhD model that characterizes PhD training, at least in Uganda at the moment.

(From left to right) Professor Danson Kimani from the University of Sheffield;Dr. Henry Mugisha, the Head of the Department for Postgraduate Programmes; Mrs Elsie Mirembe Nsiyona, the Associate Dean of the School of Business; and Winnie Thakker Kasujja, one of the pioneer students. — (From left to right) Professor Danson Kimani from the University of Sheffield;
Dr. Henry Mugisha, the Head of the Department for Postgraduate Programmes; Mrs Elsie Mirembe Nsiyona, the Associate Dean of the School of Business; and Winnie Thakker Kasujja, one of the pioneer students.

He noticed that the School of Business did not have a PhD program, yet UCU needed to engage in and contribute to knowledge creation in business at an advanced level.

Mugisha said his inspiration was to debunk the misconception in Uganda that you cannot have a PhD if you are not subjected to periodic sit-in examinations. This makes this PhD unique because the mode of delivery is new in the country.

“We are using a practice-relevant approach, focusing on writing, disseminating research findings, and solving societal problems,” Mugisha explained. “Unlike traditional coursework and examination methods, our program yields a paper addressing a specific concern at the end of each module.”

This program aims to generate knowledge, address business-related problems, and equip students with first-class research, writing and dissertation writing skills.

The first cohort was welcomed with an October 10, 2024, orientation session. With 30 enrolled students, the first class commenced on October 19, 2024

The program has specialized tracks in Finance, Strategic Management, Procurement and Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, International Business, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Accounting — all of which are critical areas for driving positive change in business ecosystems in Africa and beyond.

Participants in the program are expected to benefit from a collaborative learning environment that offers mentorship. Students will have the opportunity to work closely with distinguished faculty on research projects, publications, and teaching opportunities.

The program has two options to accommodate the candidates’ backgrounds and goals. First, there is a PhD in Management by Coursework and Research, and a PhD in Management by Publications.

The PhD in Management by Publications is a tailored program that examines the foundational principles and evolutionary dynamics of the management field, alongside key catalysts driving change within the discipline. It requires a minimum of three years and a maximum of seven years to complete.

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