By Irene Best Nyapendi
Seven Uganda Christian University (UCU) students have had a resume-building experience during a five-week internship at a university in Tanzania. The students participated in a Community-Based Monitoring (CBM) course at Mzumbe University’s main campus in Morogoro, Tanzania, from March 30 to May 5, 2024. 

CBM is a co-creation course facilitated and co-ordinated by the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) – University of Antwerp, Belgium and Mzumbe University.

The course, which brought together students from the United States, Uganda, Tanzania, Belgium, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, Peru and Indonesia, was aimed at equipping students with skills and knowledge in community-led development and sustainability. It was delivered through theoretical sessions, skills labs and action labs, where students worked directly with local communities to identify development challenges and use evidence to influence designing of alternative interventions by duty bearers.

The UCU team included Amenyo Sarah, Bigala Cathryn, Baraka Peter, Lubega Daniel, Mubeezi Simon and Vincent Manimani, who are students of Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation; and Sagal Macrina, who is pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Monitoring and Evaluation.

The invitation to the UCU School of Social Sciences was based on the collaboration that IOB-University of Antwerp has had with UCU. 

The facilitators were led by Prof. Nathalie Holvoet from the University of Antwerp. Other facilitators included Dr.  Sara Dewachter (IOB-University of Antwerp), Doreen Kyando (Mzumbe University), Dr. Alellie Sobrevinas (De La Salle University), Solomon Mwije (UCU), and Dr. Christina M. Shitima (Mzumbe University)..

Dr. Waiswa Jeremy, the UCU Head of Postgraduate Studies and Research – School of Social Sciences — noted that the students who participated in the program this year formed the inaugural cohort.

According to Waiswa, the course enhances students’ skills and enables them to implement the theories they learn in class.

“While we teach theoretical concepts in the classroom, this program provides students with the opportunity to put their knowledge into practice,” Waiswa said. “This helps our students concretize their understanding and allows them to test theoretical frameworks in real-world scenarios, discerning what works and what doesn’t.”

Solomon, a UCU lecturer, said during the program, they undertook three CBM projects on education, water and food security.

He explained that by working on real-world projects, UCU students developed essential skills in presenting their findings and engaging with the communities. 

He said those who participated are expected to become change agents and share knowledge with colleagues. The students learned about how local communities in Tanzania are addressing issues related to development challenges. They acquired skills in data collection, analysis and community engagement.

What beneficiary UCU students said
Cathryn Bigala, a second-year student pursuing Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation, said her most memorable moment in Tanzania was visiting villages to meet respondents affected by food insecurity and water scarcity. 

The findings revealed that poverty and natural disaster situations like pests, floods, and elephants that destroy crops have devastating effects on locals. 

“This has caused fear among the locals, and as a result, people have abandoned farming for quarrying as an alternative to fend for their families,” Bigala said.

Through the program, Bigala says she acquired practical skills in community data collection and analysis, respondent interviewing, and monitoring development projects at the community level. 

Bigala noted that the program prepared her to think critically about community concerns, be an advocate for the underprivileged, and collaborate with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Sagal Macrina, a finalist pursuing a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Monitoring and Evaluation, says she participated in a CBM water project to test water safety, identify unsafe water sources, and present results to the community. 

“During the water project, we implemented a flag system to indicate safe and unsafe water sources,” Macrina said. “We put green flags to indicate safe water sources and also put up red and orange flags to indicate the unsafe water sources prompting government action, where necessary.”

The program also helped her develop interpersonal and communication skills.

“Through the program, I learned better communication skills as I had to present findings to the community and other stakeholders,” Macrina noted.

She also appreciated the experience of working with peers from diverse cultural backgrounds, which broadened her worldview and helped her appreciate the nuances of working in a multicultural team.

Simon Mubeezi, a second-year student of Master of Development Monitoring and Evaluation, said he acquired skills in research methodology and data analysis.

By engaging directly with the local community through data collection, he says he gained insights into the farmers’ adaptive and coping strategies to climate change and their agricultural practices.

“This program showed me the importance of integrating local knowledge with academic research to effectively address food security concerns,” Mubeezi noted.

By Kefa Senoga
In 2017, the father of Jean Paul Nageri planted more than 100 acres of bananas in Busia, eastern Uganda. As is usually the norm, towards harvest time, a middleman promised to buy all the bananas at harvest. The harvest time came, but the middleman never showed up. The result? Most of the bananas either got rotten in the garden or were sold at a give-away price.

The pain of that loss was so unbearable for Nageri that the next year, he was in the laboratory, working out a solution to mitigate the gravity of the depletion his father suffered. He suspected there was a solution, but did not know exactly what it was. And the tests in the laboratory led him to something that was more like putting into practice the course he had studied at Uganda Christian University (UCU), where he received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Entrepreneurship. 

Nageri sought to extend the shelf life of many fruits and vegetables by slowing down their rate of spoilage while being kept at room temperature without any form of refrigeration – a move that democratizes food storage and removes barriers to enable everyone to keep food fresh, regardless of whether you have a cold room or not. In Uganda, room temperature is about 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit).

So, how does Nageri’s innovation work?

He explained that using the skins of oranges, mangoes, bananas and other fruits in the lab, he was able to extract compounds, which he later turned into powder. The powder is blended with water, which is then used for coating the fruits and vegetables. The coating, which he has named Ka Fresh and is produced by his firm, Sio Valley Technologies, is edible.

“Most of the knowledge I am applying now is what I obtained in class at the university,” he said. “I am working with other scientists who are also applying the same knowledge in biotechnology.”

For this innovation, Sio Valley Technologies was early this year awarded the Most Innovative Export company at the third annual Uganda/EU Business Summit. Nageri received the award from Uganda’s Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja. The Head of the European Union Delegation to Uganda, Ambassador Jan Sadek, was also present at the awards gala.  

The World Food Program estimates that as of last year, more than 333 million people in the world were facing acute levels of food insecurity; they did not know where their next meal would come. The situation is compounded by the fact that the cost of delivering food assistance was at an all-time high because of the increase in the prices of food and fuel.

Despite the hunger situation, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 30-40% of total food production is lost before it reaches the market. But with the Ka Fresh solution, Nageri aims to overcome this challenge, so that farmers can have more bargaining power over their produce while in the market without fear of it getting rotten while on the shelf.

Some fruits and vegetables that have been coated with Nageri’s solution, he says, are now able to stay fresh for up to three times their natural shelf life. Nageri says tests in the laboratory have indicated that tomatoes that have been coated with Ka Fresh, for example, are able to stay for more than 70 days under room temperature without refrigeration.

UCU’s Nageri Develops Air Freight Solution

Nageri’s innovation should come as good news for exporters who are currently scratching their heads for solutions to the rising cost of air freight. Currently, according to the World Bank, it costs 12 to 16 times more to transport a commodity through air than sea and yet exporters opt for air transport because some commodities cannot last the more than 30 days it takes most of the ships to travel from African ports to Europe.

The journey to the Ka Fresh innovation saw Nageri team up with a friend, Lorna Orubo, to make tomato jam as a student at UCU and then mayonnaise, as his final-year project to meet the requirements for the award of his degree.

 “If you are building the right solution to a challenge, capital will always follow you and the right people will always want to surround themselves with you,” Nageri says, noting that for now, he is more focused on fine-tuning his innovation than looking at what he stands to benefit from it.

By Irene Best Nyapendi

On June 24th, students from Uganda Christian University (UCU) in the Department of Computing and Technology in collaboration with Google, through the UCU Google Student Developers’ Club, paid a visit to Ntare School in Mbarara to inspire secondary students with their impressive innovations.

The Ntare School Robotics Colloquium saw the participation of at least four secondary schools: Bweranyangyi Girls Secondary School, Mbarara Secondary School, Nyamitanga Secondary School, and Kigezi High School.

During the colloquium, UCU students showcased several projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These projects aimed to address various community issues through innovative solutions.

The exhibition not only allowed the UCU students to demonstrate their practical skills but also provided a valuable learning experience for the Ntare School students.

Students’ Thoughts on the innovation expo

Rachel Mbeiza Isooba, a student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, was thrilled to participate in the exhibition and inspire her fellow students. She shared, “Being able to showcase our projects to the Ntare School students and witness their enthusiasm was incredibly rewarding. I hope it encourages them to explore their own innovative ideas.”

Joseph Miiro Luutu, another UCU student specializing in artificial intelligence and robotics, recognized the impact of such events on students’ growth. He stated, “It was an honour to be part of the exhibition and share my knowledge with the Ntare School students. By introducing them to robotics and technology, we hope to inspire them to pursue their passions and make a difference in their community.”

The Ntare School students were captivated by the innovative projects presented by the UCU students. The practical demonstrations left a lasting impression, igniting their curiosity and motivating them to delve deeper into the world of robotics. With the guidance and support from innovation-driven institutions like UCU, the students are poised to unleash their creativity and drive positive change through technology and innovation.

Other voices

Martin Kubona, a tutor in the Department of Computing and Technology, explained that their participation in the exhibition was intended to inspire young people to leverage innovation in solving problems within their communities.

He emphasized the significance of exposing their students to different communities across the country, allowing them to gain a broader perspective on various issues. He stated, “At the department, we emphasize project-based learning, allowing our students to put what they learn in class into practice and exhibit their work to the community.”

The event served as an enlightening experience for their students, as they witnessed how other young individuals were tackling problems through innovative projects. “Inspiring the younger generation aligns with our department’s goals. When secondary students observe UCU students exhibiting their projects, they are motivated to explore and see if they can achieve similar or even better outcomes,” said Kubona.

He further highlighted the uniqueness of the exhibition, specifically how secondary students aligned their projects with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He noted that while many people come up with projects, often those projects fail to address any specific problem.

Wilson Ndeze, the Deputy Head Teacher of Ntare School, expressed gratitude to UCU for providing hands-on technical knowledge to his students. He explained that since the government transitioned from a knowledge-based to a competency-based curriculum, the UCU team’s involvement in skilling young innovators held immense significance.

“We are extremely grateful to UCU for sharing practical knowledge with our students and inspiring them to embrace innovation as a means to solve problems within their community,” Ndeze said. He emphasized that these learners reside in societies facing numerous challenges, and exhibitions like these help open their minds to innovative solutions.

Joseph Twinomugisha, a senior three student from Ntare School was inspired and motivated by the UCU team to embark on his own projects. “Today I’ve learnt from the UCU team that if you have an idea, you need to involve other people so that they can advise and finance you to grow your project,” Twinomugisha said.

He adds that he is so grateful to UCU because robotics has been a silent element of endeavour in the study of sciences, at their school. “We appreciate UCU for bringing us samples of their work and helping us get ideas of projects to work on,” Twinomugisha said.

By Irene Best Nyapendi
A personal, grim reality inspired Uganda Christian University (UCU) student, Anei Agany Mabui, to invent a robot to curb road crashes. 

Students explain “why” the innovation

“One time I took a patient to Mulago hospital, and I couldn’t get a bed for him because most of the beds were occupied by patients from motorcycle accidents,” said Mabui, a South Sudanese student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. “I decided that I needed to do something to think of a solution to reduce the risks of road accidents.”

With the help of two coursemates, Mabui developed the model robot to alleviate collisions at traffic junctions. Mabui, Marvin Kauta and Gary Mathew Nkuraija developed the prototype with equipment that UCU Partners donated to the university’s robotics laboratory.

According to Dr. Olivia Kobusingye, an accident and emergency surgeon, more than 40 per cent of the financial budget allocated to the hospital’s trauma center is spent on treating victims of motorcycle crashes. 

“Our aim is to reduce motorcycle accidents at traffic light junctions in Uganda,” Mabui said.

He observed that at the traffic lights junction, accidents are a result of the mad dash after the lights have turned green for the motorists to go. “There are three colours on the traffic lights, whereby red signifies stop, orange means get ready to move and green signifies move. When the green lights go on, it allows both motorcycles and vehicles to move at the same time, but because of the huge volume, it causes collisions.”

The students reasoned the solution to avoid collisions was adding a fourth traffic light, which is the blue light. “So, when the blue light goes on, it signifies that only motorcycles can move, to avoid congestion of both cars and motorcycles moving at once,” Mabui said.

The project gives a basic idea of how to reduce traffic accidents on major roads and road junctions with traffic lights. The Uganda annual police crime report 2022, registered 20,394 cases of road accidents. Of those, 4,534 died, 15,227 had serious injuries and 1,712 sustained minor other injuries.

The students also derived inspiration for the project from the 11th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) set by the United Nations to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Emmanuel Isabirye, the students’ instructor in charge of innovation, said UCU has a dedicated practical training program and research laboratory for robotics, data science, artificial intelligence and mechatronics. 

“I am so proud and happy to see my students innovate and create an impact in the community,” Isabirye said. He said Mabui, Kauta and Nkurajja hit two birds with one stone: that is the 9th and 11th SDG. The 9th SDG aims at building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation.

“We appreciate Uganda Partners for their timely intervention through the donation of equipment,” Isabirye said. “The students have been wanting to experiment with their ideas, but they didn’t have the equipment to make the prototypes”. Isabirye hopes innovations will become a culture for university students before they graduate.

Student innovators are grateful to UCU Partners

UCU Partners donated an assortment of items including sensors like infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensors, led bulbs, batteries, Arduino boards, breadboards, jumper wires, glue and servo motors. The project was entirely a brainchild of the Department of Computing and Technology students. 

“We are implementing what we learnt last semester and through that knowledge, we have come up with something impactful,” Kauta said.

Nkuraija said during their study, they looked at the Kampala-Jinja Road as their case study because of the high number of accidents on the carriageway. During heavy traffic, cars and motorcycles follow each other so closely, many times resulting in accidents. He said with automation, it is possible to ensure a certain level of safety on the road.

“We are basing on improving the traffic light system through using automation to reduce stampedes and accidents on the road,” Nkuraija said.

He called on motorists to embrace the project once it is offered to them, so that the road is safer for them, their passengers and other road users.

The student solution to end fatal crashes on the road is a significant step towards the integration of technology and electronics in pursuit of optimizing limited resources.

By Jimmy Siyasa

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has always been at the forefront of technology and innovation. The latest development from the Department of Computing and Technology has students and faculty excited about the potential impact it will have on the environment and agriculture industry. A team of students from the department has developed a robot prototype that tests soil temperature and soil samples’ humidity with accuracy.

This innovation is a result of a long-term project that aimed to create a device that would address the increasingly urgent issue of climate change. The device is equipped with sensors that detect the amount of water in the soil and send the data to a central database, which can then be accessed by farmers in the region. This data can be used to determine the appropriate amount of water that crops need, thereby reducing the amount of water that is wasted in irrigation.

The lead developer of the robot, Felix Kennedy Akorimo, who is now a Teaching Assistant, explains how the device works in a video posted on the UCU YouTube channel. The robot moves on wheels, with a metal arm that extends into the ground to take measurements of the soil humidity. The device is powered by a rechargeable battery, making it easy to use in remote locations.

One of the most significant benefits of the soil humidity robot is its potential impact on the agricultural industry in Uganda. Farmers in the region struggle with water scarcity, and the high cost of irrigation systems often make it difficult for them to keep their crops hydrated. With the robot, farmers can make more informed decisions about the amount of water their crops require, reducing water wastage and maximizing their yields.

In conclusion, the soil humidity robot developed by UCU students is a significant breakthrough in technology that has the potential to address the challenges that farmers face in Uganda. As the device is continually improved for efficiency, it is anticipated that it will become an essential tool in the fight against climate change and in promoting sustainable agriculture. UCU remains committed to driving innovation in technology and nurturing the next generation of leaders in the field.