By Irene Best Nyapendi

Unlike public universities that get financial support from the central government, private universities in Uganda, in which category Uganda Christian University (UCU) falls, are run on tuition fees paid by students. This places a heavy task on private institutions to source for resources through various avenues including partnerships, projects, fundraising initiatives, among others.

Such was the state of affairs that prompted a resolution by the House of Bishops of the Province of the Church of Uganda, in 2017, to support UCU- the Provincial University- by designating every last Sunday of September as UCU SUNDAY.

On UCU Sunday, which fell on September 29 this year, every church under the church of Uganda took time off to pray for the institution but also mobilize support and resources for various activities at UCU; as well as create awareness about developments at the institution. 

Speaking during the UCU Sunday launch on September 9, 2024, the university Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, shared that the objectives are three-fold. “Our objectives include; praying for UCU; mobilizing financial resources to support UCU projects, especially infrastructural development; and to raise awareness about the university,” Professor Mushengyezi said.

Rev. Canon Eng. Paul Waswa Ssembiro, the University Chaplain, represented the University at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Namirembe, where he delivered a profound message centered on the theme, “Conforming to the truth of God’s word and not the patterns of this world” (Romans 12:1-2). During the service, the UCU Sunday report was presented to the congregation, highlighting the vital work and mission made possible through the UCU Sunday funds.

Mr. David Mugawe, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, also presented UCU at St. Luke’s Church of Uganda Ntinda where he was also the preacher of the day. During the service, he testified about the great impact of UCU Sunday financial contributions toward UCU’s mandate of training clergy.

“Through your UCU Sunday contributions, we have so far supported the education of over 40 children of our clergy until their graduation.” He also mentioned that several infrastructural development projects are ongoing on all UCU campuses, courtesy of church support through UCU Sunday.

UCU is deeply grateful to the members of Church of Uganda for their warm reception, love for the Lord, and generous support to UCU during this year’s UCU Sunday 2024.

UCU also extends gratitude to its dedicated UCU Sunday ambassadors for their tireless efforts in promoting the university’s vision and mission across various churches.

Rev. Dr. Richard Mulindwa, the university head of Church Relations Department on behalf of UCU extended gratitude to all who participated and represented the university in various churches during UCU Sunday.

“We deeply appreciate the time, energy, and funds you invested in making UCU Sunday engagements a success,” Rev. Mulindwa said. “Your efforts have brought immeasurable value to the university and helped create lasting connections with the church.”

This annual event is crucial for UCU’s growth and sustainability.

Collections from the UCU Sunday is used to implement a number of projects at the institution. For instance, 15% of the collection goes to capacity-building programs for clergy, 20%: tuition support for clergy children and 65%: infrastructure development projects at the main campus and our regional colleges.

Through UCU Sunday collections, tuition support has been provided to over 43 clergy children from various dioceses

Here is a breakdown of the 65% contributions from UCU Sunday 2023 allocated towards enhancing infrastructure across Uganda Christian University’s campuses:

• Mbale University College (MUC) received UGX 19,264,180.
• Bishop Barham University College (BBUC) received UGX 31,819,651
• UCU Arua Campus received UGX 12,698,400.

These investments significantly improve the learning environment and facilities for students across the university’s campuses.

Below are UCU Sunday collections from 2017 when UCU Sunday first took place to 2023.

UCU Sunday Donations can be made through;

EQUITY BANK:   Uganda Christian University -UCU Sunday Collections A/C No: 1006201583777 UGX

POST BANK:      UCU Sunday Collections A/C No: 1630037000131 UGX

MTN Money:     *165*80# (A20000)

Airtel Money    *185*6*2*1# (A20000)

Uganda Christian University (UCU) social work students recently benefited from a symposium organized by the university in partnership with the National Association of Social Workers of Uganda (NASWU). The event, tailored for first and second-year students, aimed to enlighten and empower future social workers.

Specifically, the symposium aimed to enhance social work students’ understanding of NASWU, foster discussions on legal aspects of professional social work in Uganda and globally.

The event held on October 3, 2024 also established a networking platform for students and practicing social workers.

John Mary Ssekatte, NASWU National Coordinator, stressed to the students the significance of having interpersonal skills building networks and effective communication.

“It is not just about book knowledge; interpersonal skills are the game-changers in social work. Learning to network, communicate effectively, and listen actively will set you apart and make a lasting impact,” Ssekatte said.

He also urged them to prioritize their self-care and mental well-being.

Gerald Okiria, UCU alumnus, Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work (COSW) Board Member, and NASWU representative, shared invaluable lessons.

He emphasized the importance of integrity in protecting client information and maintaining confidentiality.

Okiria also encouraged the students to register with professional bodies such as NASWU for networking and growth.

UCU students expressed gratitude for the enlightening session:

Judith Alum Ogwal, a first-year Bachelor of Social Work and Administration student, expressed her gratitude and enthusiasm after the symposium.

“We are thankful to have learned from experienced professionals whose insights have made social work more appealing, and I am now more determined to pursue this profession,” Alum said.

Her key takeaways for the symposium included the importance of belonging to a social work body, referrals in complex situations and embracing social work values.

Kim Ceasar Lemukol a first-year Bachelor of Social Work and Administration student also appreciated Mr. Sekate’s emphasis on internalizing social work values, such as promoting inherent human dignity.

“I have learnt and embraced the need to have the values of social work on my fingertips and the need to belong to a body of professional social workers,” Lemukol said.

Additionally, he valued the provided resources and links to stay updated in the field and build professional networks.

Doreen Kukugiza, a social work lecturer at UCU, emphasized the beauty of the profession, encouraging her students to apply the learned principles.

By: Irene Best Nyapendi

Edited By: Harriet Adong, Director Communication and Public Relations (Vice Chancellor’s Office)

By Andrew Bugembe

More than 25 student groups from Uganda Christian University (UCU) Participated in UCU Student Innovation Challenge (UCU-SIC), organized by the university’s Directorate of Research, Partnerships, and Innovations (DRPI). The challenge, part of the UCU-Research Fund (UCU-RF), aims to empower students to develop projects that address real-world problems.

Up to 10 winning teams will each receive $1,000 to bring their innovative ideas to life over six months. Dr. Elizabeth Kizito, Director of Research, Partnerships, and Innovation, stressed the need for continued support for students beyond the competition. “These brilliant students should be kept and offered much training at the incubation hub,” she said. She also highlighted UCU’s efforts to foster research through well-structured coordination systems.

The competition is open to all fully registered UCU students, whether pursuing diplomas, undergraduate, or postgraduate degrees, across all campuses. The focus is on student-led projects that align with UCU’s research goals in fields like agriculture, food and nutrition, engineering, ICT, health, and other applied sciences.

Dr. Gerald Tumusiime, Dean of the School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of securing funds for students to unleash their potential. “They secure funding to develop products and identify teammates to work with,” he said.

Vincent Kisenyi, Dean of the UCU School of Business, also encouraged students to participate, saying, “These are free and open opportunities for young minds. It teaches the students to think and come up with solutions in various fields, even in business.” The UCU-SIC is designed to inspire a culture of innovation, providing a platform for students to turn their ideas into prototypes and commercial products.

The challenge equips participants with both financial and technical support to scale up their innovations, acting as a launchpad for entrepreneurial ventures.

One of the standout participants, Gabrielle Lukyamuzi Angel, leads a group called She Funds, which is developing a crowdfunding platform to support children and young women from underprivileged communities.

 “We saw the need in our communities,” she explained. “You find single mothers struggling to meet their needs.”

Although she admitted that $1,000 wouldn’t cover all their project costs, she expressed optimism, calling it “a good start for us.”

Another promising project came from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, where Norah Akaba’s team is working on producing cowpea leaf vegetable soup. She emphasized the importance of using traditional foods and reducing post-harvest losses. Her teammate, Sonko Alpha, expressed excitement about continuing the project for his final year research.

Kakande Hanington’s team is working on an innovative project to produce unfired clay bricks using ceramic waste powder and sisal fiber. “I participated to win the $1,000 so I can implement the project,” he said, adding that this innovation challenge introduced him to new ideas and opportunities.

In another project aimed at addressing the water crisis in Kotido, Gaspher Alil Ageno, a fourth-year civil engineering student, proposed a solution to use solar and wind energy to pump water for irrigation and domestic use minimizing the available wind and sunshine in this dry region.

 “The main problem in Kotido is the lack of water, which causes food insecurity, insecurity, and underdevelopment,” Ageno explained. His project seeks to harness renewable energy to improve life in the region.

Also, Jeremy Rukundo, a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery student from the UCU School of Medicine, passionately presented his idea of creating an automated irrigation system.

Based on nutrition and moisture sensors, this system aims to reduce food insecurity in parts of Uganda affected by unpredictable weather conditions due to climate change. “I am working on an automated irrigation system, based on nutrition and moisture sensors, to help reduce food insecurity in some parts of Uganda caused by unpredictable weather conditions,” he said.

He also emphasized that opportunities like this are important because they broaden his thinking and allow him to present his ideas to a panel of professionals. “Such initiatives are important as they give young people a chance to express their ideas,” he added.

Such a competition shows the university’s willingness to creating an environment where students can develop entrepreneurial ventures. “At UCU, we have made several efforts towards creating an enabling environment for research,” said Dr. Kizito Martin the head of partnerships and grants at the UCU DRPI.

With support from DRPI, students are encouraged to push the boundaries of innovation, turning their ideas into impactful solutions for Uganda and beyond.

The UCU Student Innovation Challenge will be held annually to continue inspiring and nurturing student-driven projects, that will make them great men and women in the future.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Waste was once defined only as something with no purpose, but this is no longer the case.  The definition of waste as something useless is not accurate among a growing number of Uganda Christian University (UCU) students and staff who are informed and involved in various resource recovery initiatives. 

Most recently, the Faculty of Engineering, Design, and Technology (FEDT) at UCU invited at least 12 farmers from within the Mukono area to learn what the institution is doing to recover resources from waste. On September 11, a training session for the dozen farmers introduced them to organic waste management approaches, biogas technology, occupational health and safety measures and application of bioslurry in agriculture. The training was facilitated by a team that included Ass. Prof. Eleanor Wozei, Ass. Prof. Sarah Kizza-Nkambwe, Mr. Arnold Mugisha, Mr. Okot Innocent, Mr. Eddy Ojara and Dr. Miria Agunyo. Agunyo is the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Design and Technology and the principal investigator of the project.

Farmers walked away having learned how biogas, a renewable energy fuel, is produced from biodegradation of organic waste streams, including food and animal waste. They also learned how the bio-slurry can be used as fertilizer for their crops. Through this technology, greenhouse gas emissions, such as of methane, are prevented, as well as the pollution of soil and water by the waste from landfills. The training took place at the UCU Biogas Plant, which was constructed and commissioned in September 2023, with support from Bingo Projektförderung (project funding) in Germany.

Under this project, Dr. Agunyo said UCU is working hand in hand with the Artefact Centre in Germany to train people how to make simple biogas digester systems while promoting the use of other by-products, such as bioslurry. 

She added: “We want biogas technology to be something an ordinary person can do with very little support.”

Through the Bingo project grant funding of 30,000 Euros ($33,478), UCU installed a 12-cubic-meter digester tank that converts waste into biogas at the UCU water treatment plant and serves as a teaching tool for waste management and construction of digesters. Artefact Centre is doing the same in Germany, demonstrating simple do-it-yourself systems, enabling young people to appreciate the technology through traineeships.

“Recently, we fabricated our own digesters using plastic containers, which has helped us explain how simple biogas technology can be, from construction to operation,” Dr. Agunyo said. 

“The biogas we produce is used in the UCU kitchen, and the bioslurry is used as fertilizer in our demonstration gardens and this component was carried out by our colleagues from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, led by Dr. Rosemary Bulyaba.”

The Bingo Project aimed to demonstrate that as a university, we can sustainably manage the organic waste streams generated from within UCU and use the biogas produced to substitute firewood use at the UCU kitchen, hence promoting the use of clean cooking fuels and enhancing farming through the use of bioslurry.

Farmers Eager to Implement Change

Some of the participants who attended the training indicated their interest to make changes.  

“I’m tired of using charcoal, and I am excited to use waste to make biogas because it’s clean and will help me prepare meals faster,” said Prossy Birungi, one of the farmers who attended the training.  “Biogas is a double blessing; I hope to use it for cooking and the residue as manure.”

She commended UCU for the hands-on training, which demystified biogas technology. 

“I used to hear rumors about biogas on TV, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn how to make and use it,” Birungi said. 

Another farmer, Allan Kakembo, from Bugujju in Mukono, noted that manure and animal feed have been costly. He is hopeful that the bio-slurry used in his banana and maize plantation will improve production while reducing expenses.  

“Waste has been a challenge to me, and I am glad I can now benefit from it,” Kakembo said. “I look forward to using waste from my kitchen and animal waste to make biogas, instead of dumping it.”

By Pauline Luba
Mark Seeti didn’t like farming. 

Though his mother tried her best to nudge him into an agriculture career, he remained adamant against it. When Seeti stopped thinking of education after completing Senior Six (grade 12 or the senior year in American high schools), and following months of cajoling, the then 19-year-old gave in to his mother’s request. 

“We used to visit the farm together,” the now 29-year-old student at Uganda Christian University (UCU) said. “Although I wasn’t initially interested, my mother’s persistence paid off.”

Born and raised in Kampala, Seeti grew up in a small family with one other sibling. His father, a lawyer and a retired lecturer at Makerere University, separated from his mother during his formative years.

Seeti’s turning point toward agriculture came when his single mother introduced him to the commercial aspects of farming on land that she had bought in the Mukono district. Starting with five cows that were producing 20 liters of milk a day, Seeti’s farm, Maps Premium Fresh Dairy, has grown to 30 cows that produce about 150 liters of milk per day –  a testament to Seeti’s hard work and strategic planning. 

In addition to the dairy farm, Seeti rears chickens on a commercial scale, practices fish farming and owns donkeys that people hire for labor. From his farm, Seeti earns about sh300,000 ($81.60) per day.

When the farm business bloomed and at his mom’s urging, Seeti returned to school. 

One decade after finishing his secondary education, Seetti is pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration at UCU. At first, Seeti says he was worried that he would neither fit in with the younger students nor understand what is being taught in class. However, he says he soon discovered that that was not the case.

One of the reasons he went back to school, he says, is to improve his academic status to compete for a political office. The minimum qualification for one to compete for the position of Member of Parliament in Uganda is Senior Six certificate. 

“Social work and social administration align with my passion for leadership, especially because it has a course unit in political science,” Seeti said.

Managing a dairy farm while pursuing studies is no small feat. Seeti’s day starts at 5 a.m. to oversee the milking process, as well as other morning routines at the farm before heading to the university. 

Seeti’s farm has positively impacted people who live near it.  He occasionally employs workers to provide labor. There are others who have been inspired, with some setting up their own farms in the neighborhood. 

Currently, Seeti’s focus is on increasing the value of the milk by venturing into the production of cheese, yogurt and ice-cream. He also hopes to improve the breeds of his cows on the farm to give more milk.  

Senti’s journey has not been without challenges. The biggest hurdle he has faced was dealing with middlemen who take farmer’s produce at lower prices. He found a solution of establishing contacts with market vendors, so that they could get milk and other products direct from the farm. 

At the UCU Main Campus, Seeti says he supplies the Joy Canteen with some of the products from his farm. 

It is that time of the year, again, when representatives of Uganda Christian University (UCU), take time off to celebrate the UCU Sunday.

Today, Thursday, September 9, 2024, Uganda Christian University (UCU) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, has officially launched its annual UCU Sunday.

UCU Sunday, celebrated every last Sunday of September, was set aside by the House of Bishops of the Church of Uganda, for the province to hold prayers for the church-founded institution.

In addition to the prayers, the UCU Sunday, which will be celebrated on Sunday, September 29, is intended to mobilize support and resources for various activities at UCU, as well as create awareness about developments at the institution. 

Sharing the 2024 UCU Sunday objectives, Professor Mushengyezi, said it is three-fold. 

“Our objectives include; praying for UCU; mobilizing financial resources to support UCU projects, especially infrastructural development; and to raise awareness about the university,” Professor Mushengyezi said.

He empowered the congregation and encouraged them to be ambassadors of UCU and take part in UCU Sunday.

Pledge cards were given out, and you can obtain one for yourself from the UCU Church Relations Office in Mukono, Uganda. We look forward to meeting you at your church on Sunday, September 29, 2024.

Compiled By: Irene Best Nyapendi

Edited by: Harriet Adong, UCU Director Communication and Public Relations (Vice Chancellor’s Division)