By Irene Best Nyapendi
Judith Katoko was expected to be part of the Uganda Christian University (UCU) graduation of July 2022. But that was not the case. By the time of the graduation, Katoko had neither written her dissertation nor completed her fees. However, she worked so hard that by the next graduation in October 2022, she had completed all the academic requirements. 

Still, she was not on the graduation list. 

Katoko had a fees balance of sh8 million (about $2,100). The 24-year-old says she had ruled out asking for money from friends and classmates because it was not her nature. She asked anyway.

When she shared her challenges with one of her cousins, Katoko was given sh3million (about $780). She then approached a UCU staff member and Jonathan Tumwebaze, Partnerships Manager for Uganda Partners. The staff member helped negotiate a sh4million (about $1,050) salary advance to give Katoko. Through Uganda Partners, Katoko got sh600,000 (about $160). The balance of sh400,000 (about $105) came from the savings she had. With this, Katoko cleared the fees balance a day before graduation — and received a Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace, and Humanitarian Intervention. 

Uganda Partners Executive Director Mark Bartels, who was around UCU at the time, was among participants at Katoko’s thanksgiving feast at Eunice Guest House after her graduation.

“I can surely say a problem shared is a problem half solved,” she said. “I had never heard of Uganda Partners before, but through it, Mark Bartels’ organization gave me money to clear for my graduation.”

After the graduation, UCU hired Katoko as a casual worker in the accommodation section. From April to December 2023, she was a stand-in for the female custodian. In January 2024, the university appointed Katoko as a graduate trainee in charge of Ankrah Foundation Halls of Residence. In the position, she manages issues to do with registration for accommodation, provides counseling services and helps students navigate issues pertaining to their academic programs. Although she may not know much about all the courses, she knows who to contact in case students need assistance in a particular area. The Ankrah Hall, which houses both male and female students, has 96 single rooms.

Katoko Advocates for Students Rights at UCU, inspired by Proverbs 31: 8

Katoko believes that people are molded by their early experiences and that if she provides students with the best experience while at UCU, they will grow into responsible citizens.

Ankrah resident Lynn Abaasa, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Nursing Science, describes Katoko as an approachable and consistently present custodian.

“When we have a challenge, we can easily go to Katoko. I recall the night she called the plumber to fix a water problem at night,” Abaasa said, adding: “She also offered me her laptop when I didn’t have one during exam season.”

Reflecting on her experience, Katoko encourages UCU students to embrace challenges. “There are challenges you may face as a student, but I urge you to seek guidance because, from an informed decision, you will have an informed choice,” Katoko said. 

In the future, she hopes to become a children’s advocate. She intends to set up an organization dedicated to the promotion of children’s rights, inspired by Proverbs 31:8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Paul Ssenyonga, a recipient of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, is using his education and real-world experiences to make a difference.

One part of his story involves his help to pregnant and parenting teens because of his first-hand observation when living with a teenage relative who impregnated a 16-year-old girl. Ssenyonga saw lack of financial livelihood, community shunning and fear of hospitals as among the challenges of this early, unwed pregnancy. Still a student himself, Ssenyonga offered emotional support, reinforcement of the importance of antenatal care and chipped in what little money he had to help the young boy and girl.

Ssenyonga, 27, says the obstacles the girl faced opened his eyes to the trials of other teenage mothers.

Amidst the challenges, Ssenyonga saw an opportunity to empower teen mothers, first, starting with the 16-year-old who was carrying the baby. Together, with the soon-to-be-father, they empowered 17 youths to make paper bags and liquid soap with the hope that a skill like that would support the livelihood of the teens, a majority of whom had dropped out of school.

The success of that first venture inspired Ssenyonga to register Save A Youth, a non-profit organization, in 2019. His intention was for the organization to help more people, beyond just teenage mothers.

In 2020, Ssenyonga says he found out that many young people were struggling with challenges related to drug addiction and sexual promiscuity, something he says presented an opportunity for him to continue making a difference in the community.

Fortunately, he had taken an addiction therapy course, which he used to his advantage while interacting with the young people.

In addition to his work with the non-profit, Ssenyonga also serves humanity as a Rotaractor, aligning with his belief that generosity begets positive response from nature. Serving as the President of the Rotaract Club of Mukono from July 2022 to June 2023, Ssenyonga supported Mukono General Hospital to acquire a fully-equipped teen mother facility through the Mukono Rotary Club. 

He also mobilized the painting of a zebra crossing (pedestrian crosswalk) on a road near Mukono General Hospital.

And that’s not all.

Ssenyonga also offers voluntary service to Buganda, Uganda’s biggest traditional kingdom. In Buganda, he is in charge of publicity in Kyaggwe county, one of the divisions of the kingdom.

“Serving the king isn’t a paid assignment because we are responsible for the wellbeing of our king,” Ssenyonga, who is a master of ceremonies, said. He says his devotion to the kingdom is the most fulfilling experience of his life. It’s not just a job for him, it’s a calling that goes beyond financial compensation.

Born to Nathan Kigongo and Catherine Namutebi of Mukono district, Ssenyonga is the first of five siblings. He attended Little Cranes Primary School, Kanjuki Secondary School, and Paul Mukasa Senior School. All the three schools are found in central Uganda.

Ssenyonga’s Journey from Law to Social Work at UCU

Despite his parents’ initial desire for him to study law, Ssenyonga chose social work at UCU. 

“I chose UCU for its clearly defined values-based system,” Ssenyonga said. “I pursued social work to impact the community, inspired by my transformation from a stubborn high school student. I aspired to assist someone like the past me, bringing a professional touch to school talks.”

By Kefa Senoga
Any meeting of alums is often a convergence of memories of school days gone by. Sometimes, the sharing at such an event includes reliving the mischief committed during the younger years as students try to find a footing in the world as young adults.

All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero, in the heart of Kampala, Uganda, hosted one such Uganda Christian University (UCU) Alumni Association breakfast meeting in December. In addition to the usual catching up and reliving memories of their time as students at UCU, the event, according to the alumni association, was to provide a space for prayer and reflection, acknowledging that individuals may seek spiritual guidance and solace in their personal and professional lives. 

UCU Alumni Eyes Annual Gatherings for Spiritual Renewal

The Rev. Moses Senyonyi, Secretary Religious Affairs at the UCU Alumni Association, said events like such gatherings promote friendship among the alums, in addition to strengthening their bond as they seek spiritual renewal. According to Senyonyi, the alumni association is looking forward to organizing such a reunion every year.

At the December event, UCU staff members such as Prof. Elizabeth Balyejusa Kizito, the Director of Partnership, Innovation and Research, and Mrs. Bridget Mugume, the former UCU Director of Students Affairs, were present. Mugume led the “intercession” during the prayer time.

The Rev. Richard Mulindwa, the manager in charge of UCU Church Relations, represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi. He thanked the alumni for what he referred to as “marketing the university”and urged alums to partner with the university administrators in order to develop their alma mater.  

In 2021, UCU alumni launched a project in Mukono district, where members can buy land and settle in the same area. Twenty-seven members of an association of older students of the UCU Faculty of Engineering, Technology and Design bought 4.25 acres of land 20 miles away from Mukono town in central Uganda for the purpose of establishing settlement. 

That launch was followed by a similar one in Budaka district, eastern Uganda, where the association bought more than three acres that were subdivided for members to acquire smaller plots of 50 feet by 100 feet at a cost of sh1.5million (about $406). The grand vision of the project is to turn the area into an estate, with all the social services that the residents would need. Initiatives like these have helped to market the university before the community. 

Giving a keynote address at the December event, Dr. Charles Kahigiriza, the chairperson of the Anglican Church of Uganda Heads of Education Institutions Association, demonstrated the relevance of alumni in the growth and development of their alma mater.

“As alumni, we should align ourselves with the university’s master plan and strategic plan in terms of development,” Kahigiriza beseeched the people present.

He suggested collaboration with the administration in capital projects, research, and grants to improve the university’s ranking. Kahigiriza also tasked the alumni with organizing occasional career mentorship and guidance sessions for all students, participate in community engagement and advocacy on behalf of the alumni association.

In response to Kahigiriza’s request, Emmanuel Wabwire, the president of the UCU Alumni Association, said they would take the lead in organizing support for the UCU sports department. A total of 10 million shillings ($2,631) was pledged to kick start the cause.

The Rev. Canon Dr. Rebecca Nyegenye, the provost of All Saints Cathedral who gave a sermon at the reunion, based her message on a passage in Psalm 86: “Revive us, oh Lord.” She encouraged the UCU alums to embody their alma mater’s identity in every aspect of their lives, urging them to live as missionaries, upholding a standard of ethics and integrity that sets them apart from others in the job market.

By Kefa Ssenoga
When you sit down for a conversation with Caleb Ndishakiye, he does not need to mention his love for literature. His diction validates that. And if you sit with him for a longer time, you also will discover that he has a deep passion for communication, the promotion of literacy and sharing knowledge. 

Ndishakiye has been fortunate to earn a living from his passion. His first attempt at teaching was in 2011 during his long holidays after writing his end of Senior Six national exams. An unlicensed teacher, he nevertheless taught literature at Seseme Girls Secondary School and Mutorele Boys Secondary School. Both schools are in Ndishakiye’s native area of Kisoro, southwestern Uganda.

Despite the passion of sharing knowledge, Ndishakiye did not envisage a career in teaching. Early in his secondary education, he developed a love for law, which he applied to study  at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

“I wanted to pursue a course in law when I joined UCU, but interestingly, I was admitted for education,” he said. “I decided to pursue it and still be excellent at it!”

He has never regretted the idea of pursuing a bachelor’s degree in education. He acknowledges that this move has had a significant impact on who he is now. Ndishakiye began his studies at UCU in 2012 and graduated in 2015. While at UCU, He was in the Honors College.

Barely a year after graduation, Ndishakiye was hired as a teaching assistant in the UCU foundations department. He was primarily teaching writing and study skills, and occasionally teaching in the literature department, particularly course units like the Bible as literature and other English language short courses.

His teaching journey at UCU began in 2016 after returning from a one-year mission and a leadership development program at Nairobi Chapel, Kenya, courtesy of the UCU chaplaincy and the community as a whole. 

“UCU, particularly the Thornycroft Chapel, had a partnership with Nairobi Chapel in Kenya, where two missionaries were sent for a program. I was one of the two,” Ndishakiye says.

He was attached to the Teens’ church, which also is famously known as Club Expressions, an experience he says exposed them to an international perspective to life. 

In 2018, after two years of teaching at UCU, Ndishakiye got a one-year opportunity to teach English language and Literature in English at Seroma Christian High School in Mukono. He needed more time to attend to his newly found passion for literacy programming and children’s literature through Glow-Lit Uganda, an organization he founded earlier that year.  With UCU, he continued to serve until 2020 when Uganda closed schools due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

UCU Ndishakiye Promotes Literacy in Uganda Through Children’s Literature

In August 2020, the Reading Association of Uganda invited Ndishakiye to work on a project that was opening up in Uganda. 

“I was invited as the Programs Specialist to support the national technical portfolio of the association, and support the development of storybooks in Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga,” he said.

He noted that in the role, his other tasks were “establishing libraries in Government primary schools and supporting their management and use, training of teachers and developing materials to support the lower primary school teaching of reading Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga.” 

The Room to Read Uganda project at the Reading Association of Uganda is sponsored by Room to Read, an organization that, according to their website, envisions a world in which “all children can pursue a quality education that prepares them to lead fulfilled lives and make positive change — in their families, communities and the world.” 

Working closely with the Ministry of Education and Sports, the project has developed 154 storybook titles, two learner books, and two teachers’ guides in Luganda and Runyankore-Rukiga. It also involves training with teachers, government, publishers, and book value-chain players to build writing, illustration, design, and editing capacity, especially for children’s literature.

Ndishakiye argues that the Ugandan book market has not given sufficient focus to children’s literature. He is now an advocate for quality children’s literature production, distribution and use. 

Ndishakiye is the third born of eight children of Richard and Lydia Ndishakiye. He completed his primary education at Muganza Primary School in Kisoro district. He studied O’level at Chahi Seed Senior Secondary School and A’level at Trinity College Kabale. Compassion International, an international charity organization, paid part of his school fees in primary and secondary school. At the university, he says, the charity paid all the school fees. 

He is married to Patricia and the couple has a son, Jordan, age two. 

By Kefa Senoga
As a son of an Anglican priest, Barnabas Tibaijuka was expected to lead a God-fearing life. And that’s exactly what he did at home.  His was the perfect illustration of living a double life — humble, obedient, and God-fearing son at home and rebellious and party-loving boy away from home.

Narrating his life’s journey on the Church of Uganda Family Television, Tibaijuka said while in secondary school, he joined peer groups that introduced him to sins like fornication.

“I would deceive my parents by telling them about non-existent demands at school, so that I could get money to facilitate my girlfriends,” Tibaijuka said.

He noted that he mastered the skill of living the double life so well that whenever he was with his father, he would criticize people who engaged in the same things that he did while away from home, to erode parental suspicion of the kind of life he led away from home.

However, he soon realized that the life of pretense would not take him far. He gave  his life to Jesus in 1994, while in Senior Four. This began his journey to the pulpit.

UCU Alum Consecrated as First Bishop of West Ruwenzori Anglican Diocese

The former student of Uganda Christian University (UCU) was on August 27 consecrated and installed as the first bishop of West Ruwenzori Anglican Diocese in western Uganda.

He did not travel his journey to the seat of the bishop without hurdles. First, after his Senior Four examinations, Tibaijuka applied to train as a lay reader in church, but his application was not successful. He was not given reasons for the rejection. He thus abandoned the journey to priesthood altogether, opting for a vocation in teaching. A lay reader is a layperson licensed to preach and conduct some religious services, but not to celebrate the Eucharist.

In 1998, he graduated with a certificate as a primary school teacher. Four years later, he had risen through the ranks, becoming a caretaker headteacher at Kuka Primary School in western Uganda. He then pursued a diploma in education at the National Teachers College in Mubende, central Uganda, which he acquired in 2005. However, he still felt he had not yet quenched his thirst for knowledge.

By 2008, Tibaijuka was back at school, this time at UCU, to pursue a Bachelor of Divinity course. He was eventually ordained a priest in 2011. However, he did not abandon his teaching job. He continued with teaching alongside ministry work. By 2014, Tibaijuka was back at school, this time to Mountains of the Moon University in western Uganda, to pursue Masters of Education Leadership and Policy Studies. 

At this point, he had to choose one of the two paths — ministry or teaching. 

“As a priest and teacher, I realized I wouldn’t be effective on either side, so I opted to leave teaching and concentrate on the church ministry,”  he said.

After nine years of full-time church ministry, Tibaijuka was on April 3 this year elected as the founding bishop of West Ruwenzori Diocese. At the time of his election, he was serving as parish priest at Buganikere Church. 

As the bishop, Tibaijuka plans to expand the administrative units in the diocese by creating new archdeaconries, parishes and building the capacity of the clergy.

“I am also thinking of protecting our environment due to the fact that Bundibugyo is prone to landslides, which are largely influenced by environmental degradation.”

Tibaijuka was born on May 8, 1975, in Bundinjongya, Bundibugyo district in western Uganda. His father, the Rev. Timoseo Wediime, was at that time serving in a remote parish in Rwebisengo. Tibaijuka is the ninth child and lastborn in their family.

Tibaijuka completed his primary education at Bubandi Primary School before enrolling for secondary school at Semuliki High School in Bundibugyo. He is married to Alice Tibaijuka since 2005 and the couple has seven children – Gloria, Agnes, Jolly, Mary, Timothy, Edith and Barnabas.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
In a world where specialization often reigns supreme, Melanie Owomugisha’s journey at Uganda Christian University (UCU) demonstrates the power of embracing diverse skills. Her story is one of mentorship and commitment to both Information Technology (IT) and communications.

Owomugisha joined UCU in 2020 and received a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology in July 2023. Her decision to delve into the world of IT was driven by her determination to break gender stereotypes. 

“Actually, I wanted to do things men do; that’s the reason why I wanted to do IT,” she said.

In high school, she had realized that it was mostly the male students who were interested in computers; girls showed little or no interest. Owomugisha also envisioned a world that was going to be highly digitalized, so she saw a future in studying IT.

While she was deeply passionate about IT, her journey at UCU introduced her to the realm of media. As a recent graduate, she has applied for IT work in several companies. But just before she could walk out of the university, a different opportunity came her way. 

In May 2023, the head of the Department of Computing and Technology called Owomugisha. She was hired and  assigned to a mentor, Jimmy Siyasa, the Acting UCU Communications Officer, with the directive to train her in communications, public relations and management of  the department’s social media.

“After I completed my IT studies, the department introduced me to the world of communication,” Owomugisha said. “I learned communication skills and took on responsibilities like managing social media, photography and videography.”

She said her new role as a journalist was rewarding and fulfilling. She made simple videos on “how to apply to UCU” that prospective students and online audiences found useful. Her tasks included making phone calls to hundreds of freshmen to clarify the UCU registration processes.

“Helping applicants (both undergraduate and postgraduate applicants) and making those calls gave me immense satisfaction,” she said.

Owomugisha excelled at being a content creator for the department. She captured videos of students narrating their experiences at the university and the memories they created, as well as curating profiles of graduates. 

She was the lead on student engagement in department activities, including outreaches such as innovation hubs, career talks and ideation sessions. She mobilized the students in the Computing and Technology department. 

She fell in love with the field of communication, and is now pivoting to studying a course in strategic communications. She views her move into media as part and parcel of expanding her skill set and effectively growing in the two careers. She believes the world today is looking for individuals who have more than one skill.

“The job market today requires more than one skill, and I believe having IT and media skills will make me stand out wherever I go,” Owomugisha said.

Owomugisha said she applied a lot of technical skills in her media work, particularly her ability to adapt to various software. She credited her IT background for making her versatile and enabled her to learn new software quickly, which was needed in her daily tasks.

As a student of media and an IT professional, she discovered that both fields require effective communication. She is now better in IT because of the ability to communicate IT concepts simply.

“In IT, people often lack communication skills,” she said. “They can develop great software, but struggle to present it. With my IT background and communication skills, I can bridge that gap and explain software effectively.”

Owomugisha fondly recalls one working trip to Ntare School in Mbarara western Uganda and how she covered UCU’s online audience. She was proud of the job she did during the outreach and found joy in communicating the information in real-time.

UCU lecturer applauds Owomugisha’s progress

Emmanuel Isabirye, a lecturer and mentor, said he was impressed by Owomugisha’s transition from a meticulous observer to an effective communicator. 

“Melanie is a fast learner who goes against the odds to add a new skill set to her already promising collection,” he said. “She’s hungry for growth as evidenced in her willingness to sojourn in the communications department.” 

Isabirybe said applicants appreciated her work with feedback from some that UCU was a “university of first choice boosted by Melanie’s courteous and informed phone calls.” 

Owomugisha is committed to evolving in her media career and expressed gratitude to UCU for the rare opportunity to work as a communications person at the Computing and Technology department.

“I am excited about the future as I plan to continue my journey in the media,” she said. “I am grateful to UCU for giving me a platform to learn and grow. I appreciate everyone in the Communications and IT Department for their guidance.”