On March 13th through 14th, 2024, Uganda Christian University (UCU) hosted a team from St. Paul’s University (SPU), Kenya, led by Rev. Prof. James Kombo, the Vice-Chancellor. The visit was marked by warmth and excitement as both institutions shared experiences and further explored potential collaborations.
While at UCU, the visitors had an opportunity to tour UCU premises including the School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, the Archbishop’s Palace at Namirembe Hill, UCU Kampala Campus, and UCU main campus in Mukono (a few minutes away drive from Kampala – Uganda’s Capital City and central business center). It was a chance for them to learn more about UCU’s history, culture and operations.
Associate Professor Aaron Mushengyezi, UCU’s Vice Chancellor, expressed happiness at hosting the Kenyan counterparts, highlighting the similarities between the two universities. Assoc. Prof. Mushengyezi while addressing the team from SPU said “You are all warmly welcome to Uganda – the Pearl of Africa and specifically to Uganda Christian University. It is fulfilling that both UCU and SPU share similar values, teaching approaches in addition to being Christian founded and run institutions”.
“We are privileged to host you. When we share about our institutions, what we do, how we do it including the teaching approached and what we believe in all presents the institutions more like twins” Assoc. Prof. Mushengyezi added.
Rev. Prof. James Kombo, SPU’s Vice Chancellor thanked the UCU team for the warm welcome. “This was a planned trip, we were all eagerly looking forward to it. We thank God that two days ago we arrived safely in Uganda and you have all accorded us a high level warm welcome” Prof. Kombo said. He also extended and invitation to the UCU team to visit their university in Nairobi soon.
Michael Mungai, Head of Corporate Affairs at SPU, also expressed gratitude for the hospitality shown by the UCU team. He reechoed the longstanding partnership between the two universities and thanked UCU for their fellowship. “I am greatly honored to be at UCU. I feel at home and I thank God that you (UCU) are standing on the faith of Jesus Christ.”
This visit and engagement are not only geared towards strengthening the bond between UCU and SPU but also provided opportunity for potentially transformative future collaborations between the institutions while also engaging institutional partners. Both institutions look forward to working together for the betterment of service delivery and receipt in the education sector especially as we continue to contribute to community development.
Some of the focus areas for both universities
The two universities have resolved to explore and implement the partnership agreement in the following areas:
- Cultural exchange, which involves reciprocal hosting of delegations on the campuses of the respective universities
- Joint conference
- Capacity-building opportunities for staff
- Student internships, among others
Details about the previous visit: https://ucu.ac.ug/ucu-strikes-up-partnership-with-st-pauls-university/
Compiled by Irene Best Nyapendi and Jimmy Siyasa
Edited By: Harriet Adong, Consultant at UCU’s Communication and Public Relations Department
