Uganda Christian University (UCU) students put up a strong performance at the 2026 East African Universities Debate Championship, with both of the University’s debate teams reaching the semi-finals and several students earning recognition.

The championship, held from July 26 to August 1, brought together university students from across East Africa to compete in debate and public speaking.

UCU was represented by Muhammad Raima, Joshua Ssemakula Davis, Imani Mathias Yovani, Betty Takali and Ampaire Catherine.

Raima, an Information Technology student and president of the UCU Truth Debate Union, was one of the University’s top performers, finishing seventh as Best Speaker Overall out of 80 speakers.

She was also recognised among the Top 10 Speakers at the closing ceremony and elected Uganda’s Representative to the East African Universities Debate Council.

“I honestly did not expect to finish seventh among 80 speakers. I went there knowing that I had prepared, but the level of competition was really high. So when my name was called among the Top 10, it was a very good moment for me,” Raima said.

She said her election to the regional council came with a greater responsibility.

“Being elected to the regional debate council also means I now have a bigger responsibility to represent Uganda well,” she said.

Her teammate, Joshua Ssemakula Davis, also finished among the leading speakers, ranking 11th overall out of the 80 participants.

Davis was part of the UCU team with Raima that advanced to the semi-finals.

“The competition was not easy at all. You could prepare for something and then get a motion that makes you rethink everything. But that is what made it exciting,” Davis said.

“Reaching the semi-finals and finishing 11th among 80 speakers showed me that the work we put in was worth it,” he added.

UCU’s second debate team, comprising Imani Mathias Yovani and Betty Takali, also reached the semi-finals, giving the University two teams among the final four.

Yovani also advanced to the quarter-finals of the Public Speaking competition.

“I enjoyed the fact that I was able to do both debate and public speaking. They are different in their own way,” Yovani said.

“Debate makes you really think about your argument, while public speaking is more about how you carry that message to people. Getting to the quarter-finals in public speaking was a good experience for me,” he said.

Takali, a member of the UCU Honours College, said competing against students from different universities exposed her to different ways of thinking.

“For me, the biggest thing was being able to compete with people from different universities and hear how they think. Sometimes you realise that someone can look at the same issue completely differently from you,” she said.

“Reaching the semi-finals was exciting, but I also came back with a lot that I learnt,” Takali added.

The University’s success extended to the Public Speaking Championship, where Catherine, a Health Sciences student, emerged as one of the leading performers.

She was named Best Preliminary Public Speaker, finished as First Runner-Up in the Public Speaking Championship and was recognised as Best Ugandan Public Speaker.

“I was honestly surprised by the results. I went into the competition wanting to do my best, and then I ended up getting these three recognitions,” Catherine said.

She said her background in Health Sciences made the experience particularly meaningful.

“Coming from Health Sciences, public speaking is not something you always get to do in this way, so it was a really good opportunity for me,” she said.

The experience, she added, reminded her that students can discover abilities outside their main areas of study.

“It also reminded me that you can be good at something even if it is outside what you are studying. You just have to give yourself a chance to try,” Catherine said.

The students were supported by Masiga Victo Enoch, a former president of the Truth Debate Union and member of the UCU Honours College, who helped with mobilisation, coordination and coaching.

Enoch said his experience as a former debate leader helped him understand what the students needed.

“I was once in their position, so I know what it feels like. My role was mainly to help them prepare and keep them focused,” he said.

“I was very happy when both teams made it to the semi-finals. It showed me that the students were really putting in the work,” he added.

Mr Dickson Tumuramye, Head of the UCU Honours College, and Ms Enid Ashaba Mugarura, Director of Student Affairs, also supported the delegation during the championship.

The strong showing placed UCU among the Top Four Best Performing Universities at the championship and secured qualification for the Pan-African Universities Debate Championship 2026.