Schools like Uganda Christian University (UCU) provide a platform for students to develop a religious identity, with the view that such a move will enable them to deepen the understanding of their faith. Such schools often also offer an environment that allows the cultivation of a sense of belonging among students. Pauline Luba recently talked to UCU students to better understand how the university has helped them develop their faith.

Isaiah Tom Opio, UCU Bachelor of Business Administration, Year 1

My educational journey has taken me through different communities and settings. And that has meant that I had to adapt to the different cultures in which I found myself. Each time I found myself in a new environment, I have had to reassess and re-establish myself in a way that allows me to fit in. 

In a way, God has always been using me to bless those around me. I learned this as I grew older and got deeper in life and began to understand my identity in Christ and who I was in the presence of God. That helped me understand and see the bigger picture of what God was doing in my life. So, I’ve been able to build better relationships and learned to connect on a personal level with the people around me. One of the safest and most productive places for growth is the community in which someone is living. Uganda Christian University provides a community that allows people to express themselves in a spiritual way in the understanding of Christ.

Amayo Samantha Aleni, Bachelor of Journalism and Communication, Year 2

I think God is using me to bring healing to the cities and the nations through ministry. I’m quite passionate about ministry, so I volunteer my creative skills to the youth and young adults’ ministry at Watoto Church in Uganda. This way, I can impact broken and disheartened youth by showing them God’s unconditional love through my works. I believe the continuous fellowships at Uganda Christian University help reinforce my value of Christianity. Whether it is community worship or fellowship with fellow coursemates, it helps me remain accountable to God as I’m always surrounded by His presence, an atmosphere UCU doesn’t fail to create.

Hilda Marianne Asio, Bachelor of Laws, Year 2

I’ve grown to learn that one’s relationship with God should not stem from the perspectives other people have but rather from one’s own experiences with God. I’ve had several encounters with people who have never experienced God’s presence in their lives, or so they say. All I say to them is pray to God so that they can receive His blessings before the time is too late for them to give their lives to Christ. In other words, I feel like God is using me to help others discover Him in their unique ways rather than “indoctrinating” them. When I joined UCU, I found my Christian family, and that has helped grow my spirituality.

Esther Kabwe, Bachelor of Journalism and Mass Communication, Year 3

It feels different when you’re within a space where people are not ashamed of the gospel. It’s a relief knowing that I can greet a random person by the phrase “Praise Jesus” and they won’t judge me because I am in a Christian setting. 

One time, a friend received sad news and she was crestfallen. To lift her up, I invited her to a prayer in the open. It then hit us that we didn’t have to hide for fear that people would think praying was weird. I advise others to have a group of friends that you can share matters about faith with, people who can send you scriptures, invite you to church, and be ready to pray for and with you.

Sifa Kubalezaga Nadège, Bachelors of Business Administration, Year 2

As a choir member, I believe God used me to preach to His people through songs of adoration and worship. God is the center of my life; He has been there for me and is still walking with me. To me, worshiping God is not because it is an obligation, but, rather, a sign of appreciation towards the many good things He does in my life. UCU contributes to the development of my Christian life through activities such as community worship and family fellowship, where we get time to meet as a community and speak to God. We also use the opportunity to share with Him our burdens. Sunday services enable me to fulfill the commandment of the respect for the Sabbath.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
The 11 undergraduate programs offered at Uganda Christian University (UCU) have classroom and hands-on learning opportunities. Students are especially encouraged to apply for internships that may be paid or unpaid and year-round or during the one of three semesters each year that students do not have classroom lectures.  These experiences reinforce the meaning of studies and make graduates more employable.   

Merick Wandera, BBA student

Merick Wandera, a UCU Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) student interning with the Uganda Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development, is among students reaping the advantages of applying his education in the context of the work world. He also recently was named the best intern among student workers at this government site.

“I am so glad that my internship was fruitful because after I emerged as the best intern student,” he said. “They advised me to consider going back there after graduation so that I can join their team.”

Wandera said he had a great internship experience and got new knowledge about governance and finance. He learned that the first role of the government is to provide services to the citizens and not to make profits.

“I used to wonder why the government continues to fund projects that didn’t produce any profit, but during my internship, I learnt that the government is after offering services and not making profits,” Wandera said.

As a result of the internship, he is  more conversant with the process of formulating sound economic policies and accountability for public resources aimed at achieving a sustained economic growth and development for the country.

Kefa Senoga, Journalism student

Kefa Senoga, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, applauded one UCU lecturer for preparing him for his two internships – one with the New Vision newspaper and one with Uganda Partners. 

“I am so grateful to Mr. John Semakula, the lecturer, who taught us how to shape and write an article with a capturing introduction, good middle and end, which made me stand out amidst other intern students at New Vision,” Senoga said, adding that his writing skill was reinforced during an Economics and Business Journalism class.

At New Vision, Uganda’s biggest media house, Senoga learned more than honing his writing skill. His biggest lesson was in time management. He discovered that at school, students are given ample time to write an article, yet in the newsroom, completion deadlines were shorter.

“At campus, we were given three weeks to submit our work, but at New Vision, I was given the same article and asked to hand it in in two hours. I had to be at New Vision at 8:00 a.m. every morning, dressed professionally and ready to take on assignments,” Senoga said.

Both for Uganda Partners and New Vision, Senoga learned to apply the rules of accuracy, balance, truth and objectivity. He discovered that not all stories written are published, but was fortunate and inspired that all of his did appear in the New Vision print newspaper during his internship.

To Sarah Thon Nyanachiek, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration, a paid internship at Smile Again Africa Development Organization in Juba, South Sudan, gave her an added opportunity to build her career skills. She said she frequently applied the theoretical knowledge she learned from class, gained a clearer view of what it meant to be in the professional world and realized the importance of teamwork. 

“I improved my communication skills by engaging with people from different walks of life since my profession is all about working with different communities,” Nyanachiek said. “During my internship,  students and staff members from the agency worked together in the implementation of the project, and this increased our productivity,” she said. Where there was no cooperation, she suffered with heavy workloads as a result of others not delivering the tasks in time as required by the supervisor. 

Doreen Nyakato, a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration, gained more skills on strategic planning and managing an organization’s finances during her internship with Ahumuza Child Development Center. Among her applied skills were putting vouchers in the system and paying fees using checks for this organization under the Bunyoro Kitara Diocese that looks after the vulnerable members of the community such as orphans and widows.

“Every day was a learning experience for me,” she said. “However, my major take away was the lessons I got from my office supervisor who taught me to better align an organization’s financial status to their goals and objectives.”

By Kefa Senoga
The Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business (SoB) has become the fourth of UCU’s 11 schools/faculties to have a formalized professional group for all its programs. For the SoB, it’s called a “society.”

For the School of Law, it’s also a society. For the School of Social Sciences, the name is Social Work Association. For the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, the group is the Media Link Association.

On August 2, 2022, the UCU Business Society, which is now the official fraternity unifying all students under the UCU SoB, was launched after tense elections. These were the first elections conducted by the Business Society and organized to usher in a democratic leadership. Ayebare Phillip Bravo emerged as the winner with 76.35%, with Mujuzi Paul Richard at second with 23.65%.

The founding committee members of the UCU Business Society shaking hands with the new committee.

As with all four groups, the rationale for the Business Society is primarily two-fold: Student sense of belonging, and building of skill sets, relationships and connections beyond the classroom.

Giving his speech at the launch, Ayebare discussed the importance of implementing a four-point program as follows:

1. Establishing favorable partnerships both in and out of campus, for example, with other associations in the university, in order to intensify student-related programs.
2. Engaging students in extracurricular and developmental activities (i.e., intensifying sports activities, such as the business league).
3. Advocating robust academic-oriented programs, such as mentorship and career guidance seminars.
4. Ensuring student subscription policy, such as a semester-based mode of payment.

Natasha Alinda, the Vice President-elect of the UCU Business Society, says the student body will promote culture and values of UCU, “policies concerning students of business can easily be passed through our association, which is student-oriented.”

The SoB Dean, Vincent Kisenyi, says that “through this society, students will be able to do a lot of things as students, build their self-esteem, work on the different activities in the school and build that oneness among themselves, hence enjoying their stay at the university.” Kisenyi adds that one of the important ingredients in the UCU Business Society will be a strong business fellowship that will guide students to understand everything is anchored on God.

Ssemakula Musa, the former guild member of parliament (MP) for the SoB and who spearheaded the formation of the society, says that as he was contesting for the position of MP SoB, he noted in his manifesto that he would pioneer the establishment of a body that unifies all students under the SoB.

“Many students were coming to me, requesting for the formation of an association that brings them together,” Ssemakula said. “They always related to the UCU law society, which had demonstrated its visibility at the campus.”

Ssemakula says that it was important to come up with the UCU Business Society due to the fact that there are so many courses under the SoB, for example, Business Administration, Procurement and Logistics, Accounting and Finance, Tourism and Hospitality.

He adds that besides the Business Society encouraging unity and mutual relationship among the students, it is also meant to establish relationships between the students of the UCU SoB and other external stakeholders.

“We are looking at partnerships from bigger business entities like Stanbic Bank, Uganda Revenue Authority, global companies like Coca-Cola,” Ssemakula said. “Therefore, the Business Society will mediate all these processes, beginning with sourcing for students’ internship opportunities in these big companies.”

Ssemakula adds that another core reason for establishing the business society was to create avenues for financial support for students, for example, “we have plans of introducing the 1k campaign to help, in one way or another, our colleagues who may lack tuition.” This campaign will be in addition to UCU’s recent launch of a “For just 10K, Change a Life” campaign, seeking a small donation of 10,000 shillings per person. 

UCU has a process for such groups to be legally recognized by the university. A motion has to be tabled in the house of the students’ guild parliament and if this parliament passes it, then the guild vice-president, who is the guild official in charge of associations, forwards the matter to the Director of Students Affairs, who then presents it to the Vice Chancellor for approval.

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