The School of Journalism, Media and Communication at Uganda Christian University, with support from the Norwegian government under the NORHED II programme invites applications for the PhD in Journalism, Media and Communication tenable at Uganda Christian University starting 13^th November, 2023.

1.0 Background

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) recently accredited the PhD in Journalism, Media and Communication. The programme is designed to attract both full time and part time candidates, with a duration of 3-4 years for full time candidates and 5-6 years for part time students. The programme will be executed by a faculty team drawn from NORHED Partner universities including NLA University College (Norway), University of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa), University of Rwanda and Uganda Christian University. It will be by coursework and dissertation. Current expertise lies in the following broad areas:

a) Media, democracy and development in Africa; 

(b) Media, gender,representation and participation; 

(c) The media and crisis 

(d)  Science and Health Communication.  

2.0 Criteria to apply at UCU

Eligible candidates shall: 

2.1 Demonstrate capacity and commitment to complete a rigorous PhD course within the stipulated time period (3-4 years for full-time students and 5-6 years for part-time students) under supervision

2.2 Show affinity and passion for teaching in the field of Journalism, Media and Communication

2.3 Prior teaching experience and/or demonstrable industry practice will be added advantages

N.B. Female candidates are encouraged to apply

• Admission Requirements for the PhD in Journalism, Media and Communication

Minimum admission requirements to the PhD in Journalism, Media and Communication degree programme shall be as follows:

1. General Requirements for Admission

a) A Master’s degree in Journalism/Media/Communication or related field, or its equivalent from a higher education institution recognized by NCHE.

N.B. International applicants will be required to provide evidence of accreditation of their relevant degree-awarding institution and academic programme by an equivalent Higher Education authority in the respective country. Additionally, their academic documents may need to be validated by the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).

c) A research concept paper that will be reviewed to establish its clarity, relevance and suitability. 

N.B.  Applicants who hold a professional Masters’ degree and wish to pursue a PhD may be required to prove their suitability for admission with a minimum of two publications in reputable research outlets and shall be subjected to an interview by a panel of experts. The need for this will be determined by the admission panel.

 Candidates from related fields may be required to undertake remedial courses prescribed by the School to address gaps in essential knowledge and skills.

4.0 APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Key documents:

1.  Application form (see https://apply.ucu.ac.ug/)
2.  Two-page motivation letter;

4.3 Current Curriculum Vitae;

4.4 Certified copies of relevant academic papers;

• A five-page synopsis of your PhD concept

4.6 Three reference letters (one academic, one professional, one character).

4.7 Evidence of publications (if relevant)

5.0 SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

All applications must be submitted in hard and soft copy. 

1. Applications (hard copy) should be submitted to the Director, Directorate of  Postgraduate Studies, Uganda Christian University, P.O Box 4, Mukono, Uganda  Electronic copies of the application should be sent to https://apply.ucu.ac.ug/ 

cc. jektondo@gmail.com 

cc. akezaabu@gmail.com

• DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION

Applications must be submitted not later than 4.00 p.m. Tuesday 24^th October, 2023. Shortlisted candidates will receive notification by 31^st October, 2023. These will receive guidelines and be invited to present their PhD research concepts before final selection.  

7.0 INQUIRIES

Inquiries may be directed to the Head of Department, Postgraduate Studies and Research, School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Uganda Christian University, Dr. Annette Kezaabu: 

Email: akezaabu@ucu.ac.ug  

Cc: akezaabu@gmail.com 

OR 

The PhD Coordinator, School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Uganda Christian University

Prof. James Kiwanuka-Tondo

Email: Jkiwanuka-tondo@ucu.ac.ug

Cc: jektondo@gmail.com

OR call _256 312 350 800 EXT 284-Attention Mrs. Proscovia Sempungu (School Administrative Assistant)/Mr. Franklin Adeka (School Assistant Registrar)

By Pauline Luba
If you meet Esther Irene Nantambi on the Uganda Christian University (UCU) main campus, she will most likely be in “kitten” (thin) heels or sneakers. Her unspoken love for creativity reveals itself as she leisurely strolls through stalls during exhibitions by the School of Journalism, Media and Communication or art and design. Her face displays a hint of makeup.  Her demeanor is friendly. 

In the sea of students at UCU, Nantambi would likely be pegged for a career in journalism. She was. She doesn’t appear to be a student of theology or divinity. But she is. The girl who questioned her brother when he expressed interest in the vocation is pursuing it herself.  

Nantambi, a holder of a degree in journalism and communication from Makerere University and a once practicing journalist, is back in school. She is in year one, pursuing a Master of Divinity at UCU. When she completes this course, she will become a reverend. The course equips men and women to preach, evangelize, teach and care for God’s people in knowledge and love of God.

The life of the 28-year-old seems contradictory with a disconnect between her desires and actions.

“Before theology school, I was living like a typical youth in Kampala; attending live band nights. I would also go for at least one trip a year with my friends,” Nantambi says. “In the same breath, I was spending at least 4-6 hours in fellowship with God daily.”

In addition to salsa dancing, her nights involved an hour reading the Bible, an hour praying and interceding and an hour listening to a Bible lesson every day.

“I would drive to and from work in prayer and have private quiet moments at work, too,” she said.

Additionally, every Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 8 a.m., Nantambi and a group of friends would visit the Mulago Hospital children’s cancer ward to pray with patients and give support. 

Nantambi also is a Sunday School teacher at Kampala’s St. Andrew’s Bukoto Church of Uganda. At a younger age, Nantambi trained to teach the gospel to children, something she thanks her mother for, as she did not have much interest in it. 

“My mother was a Sunday school teacher; she was also a nurse at Mulago Hospital,” Nantambi said. “Once every month, she and her friends would pray for sick people in the hospital. It was a testimony to me that the spiritual and the medical world can work well together.”

Her mother’s death in 2021 only seemed to her like a commissioning to carry on her (mother’s) ministry further. 

When Nantambi chose to pursue a degree in journalism and communication at Makerere University, it was because of her immense love for literature and the hope that the course would improve her writing skills.    

Her breakthrough into the mainstream media came when she participated in an essay writing competition organized by the Media Challenge Initiative. She did not win, but her performance caught the eye of Carol Beyanga, a competition judge and a managing editor at the Daily Monitor, a newspaper in Uganda. 

Several months after her graduation in 2018, when Nantambi showed up for a job interview at the Daily Monitor, Beyanga and her team hired her as a lifestyle and relationships editor in charge of the newspaper’s magazine, My Wedding. It is from that job that she has now moved on to pursue a course in divinity.

Nantambi’s UCU Odyssey

But it was not easy for Nantambi to make the decision for the career change after her call, which she received through a vision in September 2022. At first, Nantambi says she felt like her active prayer life was misleading her, so she ceased all prayers.  

However, missing the intimacy that comes with dwelling in God’s presence, she had a change of heart, and also finally applied for the course at UCU. The school of theology demands that its students are university residents and on a full-time study schedule, forcing many to resign from their jobs. Nantambi thus left her job at the Daily Monitor.

At UCU, she says she has found a wealth of knowledge she did not expect. She also says that she is still in the process of adjusting with her new life.

 “My closet desperately needs an update,” she said. “My office pants or jeans, jumpsuits, any sleeveless dresses or blouses are all inappropriate wear for the course. Simple things, such as the shade of lipstick, matter. Even earrings must be low key.” 

Nantambi explained that she also curb her salsa dancing not for God (because I know God doesn’t mind it) but for the communities that may not understand a dancing religious leader.

Nantambi is the sixth of eight children of Dr. Samuel Muwanga Ntambi. She studied at Ladybird Primary School, Matugga and Mengo Senior School for O’ and A’level. Both schools are in central Uganda. Nantambi says she was raised by a strong ever-present father and a dedicated Christian mother, each having a strong impact in her life.

By John Semakula
A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. 

This is true for Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) School of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMC) whose journey of 22 years has led to the launch of its first PhD program. 

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), a body charged with regulating higher education in Uganda, accredited the advanced degree program on August 21, 2023. The School of JMC then launched the PhD in September. The launch meant advertising, admitting new students and JMC professors initiating a high-quality curriculum. 

In 2002, when  the  UCU Department of Mass Communication started with only one undergraduate degree program, it was not easy to envisage this level of transformation. At that time, 21 years ago, the department had  no academic staff with a PhD.

But today the School of JMC prides itself in having several renowned communication scholars with doctoral degrees. These include Prof. Monica Chibita and Prof. James Kiwanuka Tondo. The PhD accreditation required a detailed consultative needs assessment, which involved industry practitioners, academics, current and prospective students. 

“The assessment established that indeed there was demand for PhD training in communication in Uganda, where only Makerere University was offering a PhD in the field by research,” the statement said.  

Why UCU has introduced the crucial PhD program

Prof. Chibita, the Dean of the School, affirmed the need for the introduction of the PhD. 

“The PhD program seeks to fill a gap in teaching, research and supervision at institutions of higher education in the East African region, using contextual curricular and innovative methods of delivery,” she said. 

She noted that the program is aligned with the University’s strategic vision of growing research, innovations and partnerships. 

“The University aims to promote rigorous focused research that leads to improved understanding and innovations to solve specific challenges in Uganda and abroad,” Chibita said, also emphasizing that the PhD will contribute to the University’s goal of recruiting and retaining staff with excellence in teaching and research.

According to the School, the program started off with an 11-strong faculty, comprising four professors, two associate professors, and five senior lecturers drawn from the UCU School of JMC, the University of Kwa Zulu Natal (South Africa), the University of Rwanda; and NLA University College in Norway.  

Chibita said, “The faculty composition reflects strong collaboration between the partner universities, and continued support for capacity development in higher education and research for development by the Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED).” 

The program covers four broad areas: media democracy and development in Africa; media, gender, identity and participation; media and crisis; and health and science communication. There will be a strong emphasis placed on innovative teaching and research methods and on the need to decolonise communication theory, method and curricula.  PhD candidates will undertake coursework, proposal writing and research. They will be encouraged to conduct collaborative research with faculty members and partner universities. 

Full-time students will be expected to complete the program within three to four years while part-time students in five to six years.  The program will accept at least 10 doctoral students for the start. 

By Irene Best Nyapendi
Edrick Bwambale, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumnus, has scooped the African Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Achievers Award for his work connected to training rural farmers best practices. 

Awarded at the four-day, 5th African Youth SDGs Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, in August 2023, his accolade was in the category of  “No poverty,” which derived its name from the SDG 1 – End poverty in all its forms everywhere. 

The 2019 graduate with a Bachelor of Agriculture Science and Entrepreneurship was recognized for his efforts with rural female farmers who are survivors of domestic violence in Kasese district, western Uganda. He was commended for improving the farmers’ profitability by introducing better crop varieties, providing support and creating online marketplaces for their products. 

Bwambale was grateful to the summit for recognizing his efforts and the networking opportunities it opened for him. He said he benefited from sharing with experts who showed him “a whole different perspective of things.” He was sponsored for the conference, got books to help him in his projects and also networked with peers and experts for further correspondence. 

“It is important for us as youth to take part in this because we are leaders of today, not just tomorrow, and our contributions are crucial to making progress in the 17 areas of the SDGs,” he said.

He said the award has motivated him to refine his ideas, opened doors to capacity-building opportunities and given him access to experts.

“The award opened doors for valuable networking with experienced professionals,” Bwanbale said. “And if I use the opportunities and network I made, it would benefit me more.”

Bwambale does the work under his organization, Sustainable Agri Food Initiative (SAFI Uganda), which he founded in 2021. He trains crop farmers using the knowledge he got at UCU and through the practical field experience while working at Mubuku Irrigation Scheme (in Kasese) as a field extension officer for five years.

He expanded the SAFI initiative when leaving his field extension job in April 2022. The SAFI farmer groups with 517 members increase support from financial institutions. 

“I know what kind of seed is planted in what kind of soil, at what time, and I have field experience that I share with farmers,” Bwanbale said.“Banks will not trust individual farmers with money because they don’t see security, but they can trust a group of farmers who are doing something,” 

UCU Alumnus Bwambale’s Agri-mission

During his field work, he realized that farmers needed extra help in accessing agricultural knowledge and training.

“The whole essence of field extension made more sense because I saw how local farmers were being challenged by transport limitations,” he said. “They hardly got the required technical support.”

Bwambale’s mission is “to improve the technical knowledge, farm production and productivity and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in East Africa.”

He achieves this through on-farm field extension services, advising farmers on crop management, pest control, and more. He works with a team of field assistants who are his current and former interns who help him during the field training.

In creating an online marketplace for farmers to access better markets, he seeks to eliminate middlemen who exploit farmers when prices drop after harvest. He also conducts field sessions to empower farmers, allowing them to replicate best practices.

“We meet two days a month in a classroom setting,” he said. “Additionally, once every week, we gather in a garden we call a training site. Here, we focus on practical learning. Farmers replicate what they have learned by practicing it in their gardens.”

Bwambale’s motivation to engage in sustainable development started by recognizing his potential to effect change in his community.

 “I know I can do something,” he said. “I can’t just sit there and watch people suffer when I can contribute to the fight against food insecurity and poverty.”

By Pauline Luba
When Joshua Okoth was asked about his favorite swimming style, he stared into the sky and, without any hesitation, said: “Freestyle.” He explained further, his choice: “It’s for yourself.” 

Okoth was ushered into swimming first as a pastime. He was 12 years old when he went swimming with some of his childhood friends in Entebbe, central Uganda. Initially, Okoth had no intention of getting into the water. However, his friends encouraged him to do so. Once he gave it a try, he did not look back.

This 3.5-minute video, produced by UCU alum, Chris Mutch, shows Okoth in the pool.

For many who know about Okoth’s life history, seeing him as a swimmer is nothing short of a miracle. At eight years of age, one leg was amputated. Okoth was involved in an accident and the only way for his life to continue was to have the leg removed. When that was done, to many, they thought his life would be confined to a wheelchair. But Okoth had other thoughts. With the help of an artificial limb today, he goes about most of his duties.

When he learned how to swim in 2012, it took Okoth another eight years for him to consider taking it up as a competitive sport. He was a student at Nabumali High School in eastern Uganda, when the school opened its swimming pool. 

The 23-year-old remembers being part of the congregation at Nabumali High School when one of the coaches recognized him and asked if he would like to join the swimming team. As expected, he was at first hesitant about the invitation. It took a lot of convincing before he decided to give it a shot. When he did, it took him three weeks to overcome the phobia. Okoth was assigned a special coach who guided him through the basics of swimming in a competition.

And now he is a proud swimmer.

 “I don’t think of anything when I get into the water,” Okoth said, adding: “It’s a game I enjoy.” 

UCU Okoth Aims to Inspire Others Through His Journey

He is constantly inspired by his parents whom he says he wants to make proud, as well as his friends, especially USA acquaintances who keep encouraging him in his pursuit. Okoth says he is who he is because of God’s love. 

“I want someone in my condition to know that everything is possible. I dream about a world where the underprivileged are not discriminated against,” says Okoth, a year-one student of Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance. 

He had initially wanted to study to become a pilot, but Okoth says the high fees for the course turned him away from his earlier dream. He now hopes to qualify as an accountant, so he can practice accountancy in the airlines sector. 

Okoth’s life goal is to see more support offered for people, and, indeed, athletes with disabilities. While growing up, Okoth says he faced many challenges, given his physical disability. Getting to school was hard, he said, because he had to use a wheelchair, yet his family was also in a state of financial instability. Okoth now is an advocate for schools to provide facilitation for students with physical challenges like his, who can bring glory to the institution through sports.

Okoth is the third born of six children of Emmanuel Onyango, a commercial driver, and Aidah Nabulo, a housewife. He attended Vision Nursery and Primary School, Manjasi High School for O’level and Nabumali High School for A’level. All the three schools are in eastern Uganda.

By Yasiri J. Kasango
Wilson Wanyama, an alumnus of Uganda Christian University (UCU), has long had a desire to be a social entrepreneur. In 2021, when he learned of an undergraduate program known as Bachelor of Development and Social Entrepreneurship, he saw a chance to bump up his dream.

After Bukede College Kachonga for his Ordinary and Advanced Level, Wilson joined Nkumba University for a degree in Business Administration. When attaining his second degree in Development and Social Entrepreneurship at UCU in July, he not only improved his chances of being a successful entrepreneur,  but he excelled above all faculty/school male graduates.  

Wilson Wanyama is the top male student of more than 1,000 of the July 2023 graduating class – the 24th graduation, part 1, at UCU. 

Wilson was already working to elevate Kabale communities in the Kigezi sub-region where he lived. He participated in organizing communities for development.

“All I have been doing was in development circles, supporting communities to develop, caring for the needy, running and managing organizations, mobilizing communities to better themselves,” said Wanyama.

As a result, he thought that his business administration degree did not equip him with the abilities required in his intended sector of community development, and that what he was doing in his community was unrelated.

Wilson had a passion to serve and make change, but lacked certain skills to better  his community. He said he “needed  specific skills in this area of development.” He found those skills in the UCU curriculum within Development and Social Entrepreneurship in the School of Social Sciences. 

“I always wanted to be a social entrepreneur,” said Wanyama. Social entrepreneurship is the process by which individuals, startups and entrepreneurs develop and fund solutions that directly address social issues.

Wanyama’s Journey of Success at UCU

At the July 28 graduation on the UCU Mukono campus, Wanyama was the only degree recipient from the program of Development and Social Entrepreneurship. In five years, he hopes to have his PhD.  

Employed in a private sector position, he balanced work and studies, never missing a single lecture or even coming late for his lectures.

“It’s a personal effort in preparing for what the university was putting before us, receiving what the university had to give us, being attentive to what we required to listen in and also once required to be available,” said Wanyama.

“I had a portion time for work and studies and avail myself whenever I was needed,” Wanyama said. “Therefore, planning was key in achieving success in both areas.”

Wanyama says UCU lived up to its stellar reputation for quality learning and job marketability. He applauded UCU for the institution’s values and culture, validating his choice to enroll and encouraging others to do the same.