Category Archives: Students

Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.

UCU alumnus called to the Nigerian bar

COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Law


Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.
Shalom Okeke, a UCU law school alumnus, was on July 29, 2021, called to the bar of Nigeria. Courtesy photo.

By Jimmy Siyasa
Faced with the career paths of music and law, which one would you take to deliver you to glory? 

That is the question Shalom Okeke encountered years ago. He couldn’t choose, so he walked both. Today, Okeke is an accomplished music minister and a barrister.

Okeke achieved part of his childhood dream when he was called to the Nigerian bar on July 29, 2021, at a ceremony in Abuja, Nigeria. The development means the Uganda Christian University (UCU) alumnus will now be able to represent a party in a Nigerian court. 

The news of Okeke’s being called to the largest bar in Africa quickly reached Uganda, with his former dean at the UCU Faculty of Law, Dr. Roselyn Karugonjo Segawa, tweeting: “When one of your best students is called to the bar! Congratulations Shalom Okeke!” 

It is no surprise that Segawa, now the chairperson of the Leadership Code Tribunal in Uganda, still remembers Okeke. Her former student was the second best in the Bachelor of Laws class that graduated in 2019. 

In 2013, upon completing high school at St. Christopher’s Junior Seminary in Onitsha, Nigeria, Okeke and his parents got busy scouting for law schools out of Nigeria, but within Africa. “My parent and I chose UCU, because I wanted to study under an environment where I would not just be built intellectually, but also grow in faith,” Okeke says. 

Okeke (second-right) poses with his father, Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke (second-left) and mother, Mrs. Julie Okeke (First- right) and his sister, on his graduation day, at UCU main in 2019. Courtesy photo.
Okeke (second-right) poses with his father, Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke (second-left) and mother, Mrs. Julie Okeke (First- right) and his sister, on his graduation day, at UCU main in 2019. Courtesy photo.

When the family had decided on UCU, he enrolled at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka in Nigeria for a Diploma in Law course, as he awaited his visa and admission into UCU. Everything went according to plan. Okeke, therefore, had to drop out of the Diploma in Law course at Nnamdi Azikiwe after just half a year of studies. 

“Some of my colleagues (at the time) who didn’t know what was happening thought I had dropped out because the course was too tough,” he says during an interview from Nigeria. In 2014, Okeke set off to Uganda, to pursue his dream course in a country he had never been.

Activities at the Nkoyoyo Hall at UCU were the mainstay of Okeke’s spiritual development and feeding his passion for music. His skills and busy schedules had fashioned him into being one of the revered keyboardists in the university.

Asked how he struck a healthy balance between commitment to music and to the law course, in typical Christian modesty, Okeke attributes it all to God. He believes God guided him through tested strategies for academic achievers, such as relentless revision, knowing one’s best revision time and “learning to love all course units and the respective lecturers.”

Not all was smooth, though. He faced serious challenges as an international student while pursuing his course at UCU.  Three obstacles were the language barrier, unfamiliar food and lack of exposure to Ugandan history.

“Constitutional history needed me to, not just know the native names and cases, but also know Ugandan history. And that is something I had no clue about,” he says.

To aid his academic progress, Okeke began to commit to memorizing some of the cases with Ugandan names. Sometimes, and incorporating his music talent, he says, he often “silently” sang some of the Ugandan names as he headed to the exam room. 

Being a pastor’s child, Okeke got exposed to music and music instruments quite early; he lived within the church’s vicinity. And this granted him almost unlimited access. As a teenager, Okeke also pursued a certificate course in music. 

It is no wonder that besides playing the keyboard meticulously, Okeke also plays a couple of wind instruments, too. He is also an instrumentalist to the congregation shepherded by his father, the Rt. Rev. Henry Okeke, the Bishop of Ideato, one of the Dioceses under the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion. 

He is currently serving his country in the Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), a government program, whose aim is to involve Nigerian graduates in nation building and development.  The ultimate tune is yet to come.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.

UCU Guild President lightens burdens of needy

COVID-19, News, Students, UCU School of Law


Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.
Amponda Kenneth Agaba (2nd left), with Herbert Mukuru (3rd left) visits parents and the administrators of Good Samaritan Primary School.

Story and photos by Eriah Lule
Amponda Kenneth Agaba believes that to rise, one must lift others. True to his belief, he has participated in many charity causes, while effortlessly also rising to positions of leadership at the institutions he has attended. 

One of those recent leadership positions is that of Guild President of Uganda Christian University (UCU). And his most recent charitable cause is the founding of a not-for-profit organization, the Amponda Foundation, a vehicle to boost others.

Agaba packs relief items headed for a donation at the Good Samaritan School.
Agaba packs relief items headed for a donation at the Good Samaritan School.

In 2016, when Agaba joined A’level at Gombe Secondary School in central Uganda, he successfully contested for the position of Scripture Union leader at the school. As a leader, he thought of a signature activity that would leave an indelible mark. At the time, there were brilliant, needy students who could not afford the fees at the school.

Agaba and his colleagues rolled up their sleeves and began a fundraising campaign among students and other members of the school community to help these disadvantaged students. On many occasions, they contributed money to the school’s financial aid purse. From this purse, the school got money to meet the tuition fees of the students in need.

At one point, they collected up to sh700,000 (about $200) from students, for this cause. And that was not all. Agaba also often rallied his fellow students to donate items, such as soap, which they would take to patients at the nearby Gombe Hospital. 

Now a fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws at UCU, and through the Amponda Foundation, Agaba has been pivotal in the lives of students living in distress during the two lockdowns that Uganda has had due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Uganda had a three-month lockdown from March to June in 2020 and for 42 days, from June to July this year.

“We came to the rescue of students, mostly those who were in hostels,” he said, adding that they provided food to students in hostels at Kyambogo University, as well as at UCU. In addition to the food items, Agaba said they gave out money to help students with other survival needs. 

The university students have not been the only beneficiaries of Amponda Foundation. Good Samaritan Primary School, a school in Mukono for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), is one of the most recent beneficiaries of the foundation’s goodwill. The foundation teamed up with the UCU Guild government, students and well-wishers from the Mukono community and mobilized resources, such as scholastic materials, sanitary pads and foodstuffs to help children at the school.

The foundation also donated $225 toward the building of a PWD-accessible shopping center in Mukono. 

While dishing out donations during the Covid-19 lockdown, Agaba’s charity is a victim of

Agaba interacts with disabled pupil at Good Samaritan Primary School.
Agaba interacts with disabled pupil at Good Samaritan Primary School.

the pandemic. He says the closure of education institutions has been a barrier to securing more funds. He cannot collect enough supplies from the university community to donate to the vulnerable.

There are high chances Agaba’s foundation would not be existing had he not met a UCU alumnus, Herbert Mukuru, who also runs a similar charity – Upendo Mikono.

“When I became the Guild President, I met Mukuru, who showed me his projects with PWDs, something which opened my eyes,” Agaba says.

Agaba first met Mukuru at the latter’s restaurant. The next time he met Mukuru, he was in their class, soliciting donations, which they could take to PWDs. 

“When he saw me coming to their class to collect items, he also picked interest,” Mukuru said. “Agaba is an ambitious and optimistic man and I believe that with such an attitude, his foundation will help many people in need.”

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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Adiaka Matthew Ekonekatwaar with colleagues at UCU

UCU theology student journeys from Islam to Christianity

News, Students, UCU Alumni


Adiaka Matthew Ekonekatwaar with colleagues at UCU
Adiaka Matthew Ekonekatwaar with colleagues at UCU

By Joseph Lagen
Adiaka Matthew Ekonekatwaar, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) post-graduate student, is a naturally defiant man. He will defy the status quo if he believes his heart is elsewhere.

At the age of 10 years, Adiaka felt he had had enough of the Islam faith. Without consent from his mother, he started attending Christian praise and worship sessions at a nearby church. Adiaka often took advantage of the time when his mother was away at evening prayers at a mosque in their community. And he often made sure to return before she did. 

Music attracted him to the church, but conviction kept him in the faith. Two years later, the 12-year-old was christened Matthew and confirmed a Christian in the Anglican Church. Adiaka, who had been given the name Yahaya at birth, did not meet much resistance from his mother, Esther Lorimo, as he switched faiths. 

Ordinand Adiaka in front of the Bishop Tucker Building in UCU
Ordinand Adiaka in front of the Bishop Tucker Building in UCU

Lorimo had changed from Christianity to Islam when she got married to Adiaka’s father, Abdi Zirabamuzaale, who was a famous traditional healer in the region. He died when Adiaka was still a toddler, leaving behind nine children.

To show commitment, Adiaka stayed true to his faith, even when he was far from home. While in secondary school at Busoga College Mwiri in eastern Uganda, Adiaka joined the Scripture Union, a club that uses the Bible to inspire people to know more about God. It was at the Scripture Union where he accepted Christ, at 14 years. 

And his talent in public speech came in handy during evangelism, as well as taking up positions of leadership. Adiaka served as the deputy head of students at Mwiri and as the head of students at central Uganda’s Naalya Senior Secondary School, where he studied A’level. 

Even when Naalya was a predominantly Catholic school, Adiaka and a few Anglican friends often met and prayed regularly. All students in Naalya were expected to attend only Catholic prayers, but, sometimes, Adiaka and his Anglican friends defied. Even if it usually got them into trouble, they still prayed and evangelised in the dormitories. 

In May 2019, Adiaka again shocked his family with his defiance. He turned down an offer for an interview for a government job as the District Inspector of Schools, in preference for a Master of Arts in Theology course at UCU. The District Inspector of Schools is charged with ensuring compliance of education standards by all schools in the district. 

The master’s program, which Adiaka is expected to complete this year, culminates into his ordination as a Reverend – what the 30-year-old has always desired in his life.

The interview whose invitation Adiaka turned down was for a position in Nabilatuk, his home district in northeastern Uganda. 

“My elder brothers and relatives pleaded with me to attend the interview,” Adiaka recalls, saying they even fuelled a car and sent it over 210 miles away, to pick him at UCU, where he had already begun studies for his master’s course. 

Adiaka and Joy on their wedding day
Adiaka and Joy on their wedding day

When he declined to travel for the interview, preferring to pursue his course, his family members cut off ties with him for the next year. 

Adiaka graduated as a professional teacher at Makerere University in 2017. Even if he declined to sit an interview for a job in his home district, Adiaka says he has his affection for his home district. 

“In 2018, I left teaching in schools in Kampala, in preference for a Catholic seminary back home,” Adiaka, the husband of Joy Lomokol, said. The couple has a daughter, named Hallelujah Ajokis. 

“It was while teaching at the seminary that my home church, St. Luke’s Nabilatuk, suggested that I succeed the retiring reverend – they were even willing to contribute to my theology studies, that is how I knew they were serious.”

And that is how Adiaka got sponsorship for his master’s course from his home diocese, as well as the UCU Faculty of Theology. 

He is presently serving at St. Luke’s Nabilatuk as an ordinand. Upon graduation at UCU, Adiaka is expected step in to fill the shoes of one of the five ministers who is scheduled to retire in two years. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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Razak Tibakuno, enrolled by the Uganda Law Council as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda

UCU law ambassador takes ‘pride in service and extending justice to the needy’

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law


Razak Tibakuno, enrolled by the Uganda Law Council as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda
Razak Tibakuno, enrolled by the Uganda Law Council as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda

By Eriah Lule and Jimmy Siyasa
Among the many turning points in the life of Razak Tibakuno is one in 2016. He says he will never forget the opportunity in that year in which he was employed as a development intern and a law teaching assistant in the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business.  Later, Tibakuno became the development assistant. He also was offered an opportunity to teach at the Faculty of Law. 

The salary that Tibakuno earned at the time was not just enough to finance his Master of Law degree course at Makerere University in Uganda. He also used the money to meet the tuition requirements at Uganda’s Law Development Centre. For one to practice law in Uganda, they must acquire a Diploma in Legal Practice at the Law Development Centre. 

Razak Tibakuno
Razak Tibakuno

For all his efforts, the 28-year-old has been rewarded. The Uganda Law Council recently enrolled him as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda and all subordinate courts therein. As an advocate, Tibakuno will be expected to represent clients in court, interpreting the law, rulings and regulations for individuals and lay people as well as present a summary of the case to the judge.

He pursued his Bachelor of Laws degree at UCU. Tibakuno, who currently serves as the academic coordinator at UCU’s Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, opted to change to another university for his master’s course. He chose Makerere University because he wanted a change of environment and different academic exposure. 

At UCU, an academic coordinator handles multiple tasks, including working on academic Memoranda of Understanding between the university and other partners, compliance and correspondences with the National Council for Higher Education, verification of academic documents, organizing and recording senate matters, verifying staff teaching load and coordinating academic activities, among others. 

During his time away from UCU, Tibakuno engages in legal work at Denis Nyombi & Co. Advocates, located in Mukono town. This is where he spends much of his time over the weekends. 

Just like anyone else, he experiences some frustrations about his work.

 “Some cases take too long to be resolved in the courts of law while some people sometimes expect to receive an inducement in order to do what is required of them,” he said.

He noted that some clients who seek legal services get pushed away by the character of the officers who ask for bribes, referring to it as facilitation. 

Born in the eastern Uganda district of Bugweri, Tibakuno is the fifth of the eight children of Omar Tibakuno and Monica Naikoba Tibakuno. He says his humble and God-fearing background has impacted who he is today.

 “I take pride in service and extending justice to the needy on either pro bono basis or at a small fee,” he said.

From Namalemba Boarding Primary School in Busembatya, Tibakuno joined Bukoyo Secondary School in the neighbouring Iganga district for O’level. For A’level, he attended Kyambogo College School in Kampala before joining UCU for his bachelor’s degree. In both Kyambogo and UCU, Tibakuno was among the student leaders.

He noted that UCU molded him into a prayerful person and that the institution was able to inculcate in him virtues of time keeping, honesty and stewardship.

Christa K. Oluka, the Director of Admissions and Student Records, says Tibakuno is a cheerful employee who is passionate about his work.

“I believe many people will be accorded justice, now that Tibakuno has been enrolled as an advocate of the High Court of Uganda,” Oluka said.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org. 

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A campaign poster of Gloria Nawanyaga, when she was contesting in a beauty pageant in 2019. Courtesy.

UCU law student, activist and beauty queen says HIV does not define her

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law


A campaign poster of Gloria Nawanyaga, when she was contesting in a beauty pageant in 2019. Courtesy.
A campaign poster of Gloria Nawanyaga, when she was contesting in a beauty pageant in 2019. Courtesy.

By Israel Kisakye and Jimmy Siyasa
How will I deal with stigma and community negativity? What will my life be like with the side effects of taking antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for the rest of my life? These were among the questions Gloria Nawanyaga was confronted with when she discovered that she was HIV-positive. She was 11 years old.

Nawanyaga said that when her mother initially gave her the ARVs, she did not know why she was taking them. When awareness set in that she had HIV, she felt dejected, depressed and hopeless. Her self-esteem was crushed and bitterness grew. Her mother had introduced her to an organization that brings together children living with HIV, but she still suffered self-rejection. 

Gloria Nawanyaga, renowned HIV and Human Rights activist. Courtesy.
Gloria Nawanyaga, renowned HIV and Human Rights activist. Courtesy.

She feared for the worst if her classmates found out the truth. She took the drugs secretly. When it wasn’t possible to take them in hiding, she skipped the medication for that day.  Because of the inconsistency, sometimes her condition got worse.

However, at some point, the adversity served to make Nawanyaga stronger.  She picked up the pieces and used them to build a formidable firewall against her scorners. 

As a result of her rise in popularity, she was elected the head prefect while in secondary school, at St. Charles Lwanga International, Kakiri, located in central Uganda. As a students’ leader, she spearheaded a campaign for freedom of worship that saw Scripture Union established within the Catholic-founded school.

Not long after, Nawanyaga got involved in campaigns against stigma among people living with HIV. And hers is now a face of HIV and human rights advocacy in Kampala. The 23-year-old works as the Communications and Advocacy Officer at Peer-to-Peer Uganda, a not-for-profit organisation that empowers young people in rural Uganda.

To be molded for the advocacy role, Nawanyaga chose to study a Bachelor of Laws at Uganda Christian University (UCU). With her role at Peer-to-Peer, she is able to engage in debates with relevant stakeholders to influence HIV policy.

In June 2021, she was on national television beseeching authorities to prioritize Persons Living with HIV (PLHIV) during the government’s COVID-19 response activities because of their vulnerability.

“We need the Ugandan government to prioritize PLHIVs in the vaccination for COVID-19 because our immune system is already weak,” she said.

In 2019, she competed for the Miss Uganda Beauty Contest. Although she missed the top prize Nawanyaga was crowned the Miss Rising Woman for 2019/2020 at the beauty pageant.

Initially, many people found her participation preposterous and controversial. But she was unrelenting, and her efforts paid off. She walked home with a crown.

“I wanted to inspire fellow PLHIVs,” she said. “I also wanted to reach out to as many people as possible and urge them get to know their HIV status; for those who are negative, to keep themselves safe because it is not easy living with HIV.”

That advocacy has not stopped. Nawanyaga takes advantage of her presence on social media to further the sensitization.

In 2019, she started a music band, Y+, which had 15 youths, all living with HIV. They do community outreaches and also raise funds for the savings group that the band formed. The members can borrow money from their pool of savings to start income-generating activities.

She said she had learned a lesson from an unfortunate incident that happened to her family in 2017. Her father, who had been the bread winner in the family, died. Her mother then had to resort to bank loans, to finance Nawanyaga’s law degree course at UCU.

But Nawanyaga could not just look on. She says she decided to take up a day job, in order to cater for her daily living costs at the university, hence reducing the burden on her mother. From that experience, she learned the importance of belonging to a savings group.

Nawanyaga has shown that when there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can surely do no harm.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Gloria Wanyenze was the best student in Trial Advocacy in the June 2021 LDC graduation. Courtesy photo.

Uganda’s star law student unpacks her secrets to excellence

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law


Gloria Wanyenze was the best student in Trial Advocacy in the June 2021 LDC graduation. Courtesy photo.
Gloria Wanyenze was the best student in Trial Advocacy in the June 2021 LDC graduation. Courtesy photo.

By Jimmy Siyasa
Best Student in Trial Advocacy, read the accolade that Gloria Wanyenze took home on June 6, 2021. Wanyenze hit the target of excellence. 

Wanyenze had graduated from Uganda’s Law Development Centre (LDC), with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. To practice law in Uganda, lawyers must obtain a Diploma in Legal Practice from LDC after the law degree. What was even more special for Wanyenze was that she was part of a student cohort whose members had gritted their teeth and made it through bruising final exams that had a 90% failure rate.

Frank Nigel Othembi, the LDC director, attributed the high failure rate to student newness to on-line study during the Covid-19 lockdown. 

However, he also attributed lack of academic success to the abolition of pre-entry examinations into the centre. Previously, LDC had been conducting pre-entry exams for students who want to pursue the Diploma in Legal Practice, which was not the case with Wanyenze’s class.

And the level of pride that Wanyenze has earned her family, to her, is higher than the accolade she walked home with from LDC. 

“I am the first LLB (Bachelor of Laws degree) graduate in my family,” Wanyenze, who graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree at Uganda Christian University in 2019, remarks. 

She says from the day she informed her family that she wanted to pursue a degree in law, they were supportive. 

“My family encouraged me, guided me and pointed out the areas I needed to be strong in, as well as the areas where I needed growth,” she says, adding: “They supported my decision to study at UCU and funded that choice.”

Wanyenze has always wanted to be identified as a problem-solver. It is an element that gave her an edge in Trial Advocacy, the course unit in which she topped her class. In Trial Advocacy, one learns the skills necessary to make a case for those they represent. It happened that the tests for that particular course unit coincided with another field of law that Wanyeze is passionate about – Corporate Law. 

She believes UCU had a hand in her exceptional performance at the LDC. 

“UCU goes beyond teaching law – or any other profession,” she said. “It adds ethics and a Christian approach to every course of study that not only makes us more well-rounded, but also diligent.”

She says the university instilled in her the requisite skills, helped to trigger the virtue of integrity in her, as well as enhanced her Christian leadership skills.

Wanyenze also attributes her excellence to diligence and commitment. 

“When you are at LDC, there are days you are amazed at your capability and there are days you are questioning it,” she says, adding: “But what will make the difference is your ability to put in the effort required.” 

She says she also ensured she belonged to a discussion group, where they would take turns to talk about cases. 

Now that she has qualified to practice law in Uganda, Wanyenze awaits the Uganda Law Council to enroll her as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda so she can represent clients in court. As she waits to be enrolled, Wanyenze will concentrate on her role as a Legal Assistant at Crystal Advocates, a law firm in Kampala. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

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Sugar

No sugar coating: UCU students learn real-world, green practices

COVID-19, Faculty of Engineering, Design & Technology, Students, UCU School of Business


Sugar
Sugar

By Patty Huston-Holm and Jimmy Siyasa
Sugar – the substance that sweetens food and drink and that Ugandans grow up eating directly from a stripped-open cane – isn’t all goodness and white. 

Douglas Wegulo, UCU student and green entrepreneur
Douglas Wegulo, UCU student and green entrepreneur

To get the granular crystals, there are by-products of yellow and brown. The yellow could be molasses. The brown is carbonation mud used mostly for fertilizer, but also as filler in polymer composites for plastic. The final wastes go back to the sugarcane fields to produce the same raw materials.

The point is not to waste anything. 

Timothy Muwonge, general manager of environment, health and safety at Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL), said the industry is “70 percent of where we would like to be” for maximum profit and “green” standards. 

How Uganda sugar commerce addresses environmental practices was the main focus of a late July Zoom sponsored by the Uganda Christian University (UCU) School of Business. On a Thursday afternoon, roughly three dozen of mostly UCU business students listened in as part of what Vincent Kisenyi, dean of the school, says is an effort to insert more real-world examples into the UCU curriculum. 

“The sugar industry has taken great (environmental) strides,” Muwonge said. “But it’s almost unknown. Environmental activists need to come out and see.” 

The SCOUL manager shared visuals demonstrating waste and products connected to the country’s sugar factories. In addition to the best-known product of granulated sugar, the industry process yields molasses, filler mud, waste water and bagasse (dry pulpy residue left after the extraction of juice from sugar cane). The goal toward zero waste involves a concept of prevention, reduction, reuse, recycling, energy recovery and disposal. 

A little-known fact is that the industry gauges the purity of treated waste water with home-grown fish. 

“We use tilapia,” Muwonge said. “If they survive, it (the water) must be clean.”

Under the title of “Green Cameo Virtual Conference,” other presenters on July 29, 2021, were UCU Engineer Kivumbi David and UCU student Douglas Wegulo. 

Kivumbi shared that a green environment on the UCU Mukono campus involves roads, buildings, clean water and proper disposal of waste water. He showed photos and discussed how planting trees, shrubs and grass and trimming tree limbs improves the environment along with the disposal of aged items, such as old vehicles and furniture. 

According to the UCU engineer, plans call for better UCU electricity conservation by installing lights with automatic on/off switches and more use of bio-gas and solar energy.  Finance, he said, is always a barrier to accomplishing more.

In the third virtual presentation, Douglas Wegulo, a student in the final year of a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, sensitized the audience about the urgent necessity to preserve the ecosystem. He runs an eco-friendly business that produces briquettes as a form of fuel in compressed coal that burns under fire.

The self-described “green entrepreneur” says his product is free of pollutants triggered by charcoal burning. He argues that the advantages of briquettes over charcoal are emission of minimal smoke, longer burning, and half the cost. 

The business that he started in the midst of Uganda’s first lockdown in 2020 supports him and 10 employees, including two other UCU students. Wegulo’s business has grown from production of  9 pounds (4kgs) in a week to an average of two tons of briquettes each week. The main market includes areas neighboring Mukono, such as Katosi, Namawojjolo, Namataba and Namanve.

According to Wegulo the main challenge is scarcity of clients, such as schools, because they remain closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Other challenges include limited capital, space for expansion and machinery for mass production. 

Yet, he finds hope. At the time of the virtual presentation, he was attempting to secure UCU as a client. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Nasasira fixes a board ceiling during a renovation at client's residence

UCU alumnus puts smiles on faces through interior art

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Education


Nasasira fixes a board ceiling during a renovation at client's residence
Nasasira fixes a board ceiling during a renovation at client’s residence

By Emmanuel Kizaale
Kareem Nasasira’s ability to beautifully work with granite, paint, wood, marble and board is striking. He does not just throw his energy willy-nilly. The level of concentration he puts in the art he is developing is usually seen in the quality of work he puts out. 

Perhaps, that explains his choice to concentrate on interior art. Despite his finesse in many fields, gypsum walls and ceilings seem to be his calling. And he creates them with so much ease, giving out exquisite results.

The 24-year-old says he always cultivates a relationship with whatever art he is engaging with. “I have loved art since I was a child. Even when I am on a break, I just love to sit down and draw sketches of things, just anything,” he says.

The idea of venturing into interior design has been in Nasasira’s mind since secondary school at Namirembe Hillside High School in Kampala. His gratification comes from the smiles on people’s faces. 

Little wonder that in 2017, he chose to pursue the Bachelor of Industrial and Fine Art at Uganda Christian University (UCU). He felt it was the only way to give his God-given talent a professional training.

A room designed by Nasasira's interior design company, Nas Interiors
A room designed by Nasasira’s interior design company, Nas Interiors

“When I was still at UCU, we used to go to other universities to attend exhibitions, and I discovered that the kind of art that was being taught in many universities was limited in scope,” Nasasira says. “UCU gives you a variety and it is up to you to choose where your passion lies.” 

According to Nasasira, UCU offered choices in ceramics, sculpture, pottery, fabric and several others. “So, the options gave me an avenue to explore and understand where my strength was,” he says. 

Now that he had chosen interior design, how would he launch himself into the self-employment world without any startup capital? Nasasira was battling with finding answers to that question. It kept him awake at night. 

One particular sleepless night in his second year of studies, he determined to save some of his money he had to live as a student. Since he now had limited time, as well as money to save, Nasasira made a drastic decision to spend only 20% of the pocket money he was given. The rest went into the penny bank.

Kareem Nasasira on duty at a client's residence
Kareem Nasasira on duty at a client’s residence

When he completed his course, Nasasira had his work cut out. He had to buy the essential equipment he needed for the kind of art work he felt he was industrially ready for. That is how Nas Interiors company, the brainchild of Nasasira was born.

The company employs four other youth who work as electrician, painter, carpenter and fixer. He, however, dreams of employing more, when his business portfolio grows.

Nasasira was never afraid to jump in at the deep end as he launched his business. It was around the time when the whole world was shutting down to limit the devastating effects of the Covid-19. 


And businesses were folding as a result of the lockdowns.

But he is grateful to the friends he made as a student. It is through their referrals that he has been able to keep in business. 

“You come to UCU as strangers at the beginning of the course but, at the end, you leave as a family,” he said, as he enumerated the many people who have helped to advertise for him his business. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Mixing work with studies: Muwanguzi scales music heights

News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Muwanguzi during an exclusive interview on Spirit TV
Muwanguzi during an exclusive interview on Spirit TV

(NOTE: This story contains hyperlinks to original music, including one dedicated to God, from a UCU student.)

By Nickie Karitas
Uganda Christian University (UCU) student Enock Muwanguzi is no Henry David Thoreau. In fact, Muwanguzi may not even be aware that Thoreau, an American poet, essayist and philosopher, ever lived. 

However, the way the Ugandan gospel singer has lived his life in the recent past brings to mind Thoreau’s famous quote about music: “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest of times, and to the latest.”

Muwanguzi in a lecture room at UCU.
Muwanguzi in a lecture room at UCU.

Indeed, at one point, Muwanguzi feared no danger because he had heard music. One afternoon, he precariously chose the option of making time to grant a TV interview to a media house in Uganda, instead of sitting a test at UCU. 

“I knew the consequences of my actions, but this was an opportunity to promote myself on a big media house,” the third-year student of Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication says. 

He said he chose the media interview over the class test because in class, there was the option of a retake the next time the course was offered. With the media interview, he was not sure he would ever get another opportunity. 

He felt safe with the decision he had made. Muwanguzi thought he was invulnerable. However, he soon learned his lessons the hard way, after realizing that his actions could throw his grades off balance.

“The retake got me back in line, and I had to prioritize my degree,” the 23-year-old says. From then on, when it came to the business of studies, Muwanguzi had to mean that business. 

With the pile of course work, projects and examinations, Muwanguzi says he sometimes had sleepless nights, trying to make a decision on whether it was worth it to load himself with studies, as well as a music career. 

Handling the two concurrently seemed to take a heavy toll on him. But he quickly found an answer. 

“Trust in God.” He believed that God could not give him a load too heavy for him to carry. 

“It was at this point that I recorded my song, titled Trust,” he narrates. 

Muwanguzi during one of his stage performances.
Muwanguzi during one of his stage performances.

As Thoreau says, Muwanguzi seemed to see no foe when he heard music. During his Senior Six holidays, as he awaited admission into university, Muwanguzi often accompanied gospel artist friends to the studios to record their songs. 

“Each time I was in the studio, I felt I had made it to the stage,” he recalls. 

On one of his journeys to the studio to accompany his friends, he befriended a producer, Sam Ssemwogerere, who eventually gave Muwanguzi a chance to record his first song. He could not believe the opportunity that he had just landed. As a result, Muwanguzi composed a song Nze Ani?  which means Who am I? He dedicated that song to God, for giving him an opportunity to record his maiden song. 

Now that he had recorded songs, Muwanguzi had to promote them. “I had used up all the money for upkeep to solve some financial challenges I had,” Muwanguzi says, noting that, as a result, he could not finance the promotion of his songs. 

However, Ssemwogerere was, once again, to the rescue. He says because Ssemwogerere had seen talent in him, he helped to share his music with people who had platforms to play it, so that Muwanguzi could get recognition. All this, Muwanguzi says, Ssemwogerere did for free. The goodwill that Ssemwogerere exhibited inspired Muwanguzi’s song, Onyambanga, (help me always) beseeching God to always help him.

Muwanguzi has been featured on several media platforms to grant interviews about his career and how he balances books and music.  

Muwanguzi’s friend and classmate, Brian Kintu, attests to his conscientiousness: “The fact that Spid has managed to balance his course and music proves his hard work and passion.”  Muwanguzi’s stage name, Spid, is derived from his amusement by the ‘speed’ at which God attends to his needs. His latest songs – Mukono Gwo and Enjegerre  – are slowly gaining popularity in Uganda.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Emilly Comfort Maractho, new Africa Policy Center Director

UCU’s new Director for Africa Policy Center narrates journey

Faculty, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Emilly Comfort Maractho, new Africa Policy Center Director
Emilly Comfort Maractho, new Africa Policy Center Director

By Yasiri J Kasango
In 2012, two key things happened in the life of Emilly Comfort Maractho. 

One, she realised she was not going to benefit much from a master’s course she had enrolled into. Her sixth sense told her to change courses. She obliged.

The second thing to happen was that Maractho received communication from someone she had never met. Prof. Monica Chibita of Uganda Christian University (UCU) was convincing her to take up a PhD scholarship opportunity after completing a master’s course she was pursuing in Kenya. This communication was followed by Chibita’s physical visit to Maractho. 

When she met Chibita in Kenya, Maractho had only one option – to give the greenlight. Her positive response on both occasions have a bearing on who Maractho is today. The holder of a PhD in Journalism and Communication from South Africa’s University of KwaZulu-Natal is UCU’s newly appointed Director for the Africa Policy Center (APC). The APC, initiated by American Lawrence Adams, is the university’s center that grooms policy researchers and political thinkers and provides a platform for learning and discussion of modern-day issues. 

Maractho’s switch from MA in development communication to MA in development journalism at Kenya’s Daystar University in 2012 was premised on the belief that she was not learning anything new in the communication course. This was her second master’s degree course. Five years before, she had attained Master of Arts in Development Studies at the Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi.

After bagging her second master’s at Daystar University, Maractho headed to the University of KwaZulu-Natal for her doctorate, sponsored by UCU, under a capacity building scheme for staff.

No sooner had she graduated with a PhD than she was, in 2018, named the head of UCU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies, replacing Chibita, who had been promoted to the position of Dean in the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication, which had just been created. 

For 13 years, Dr. Maractho has lectured at UCU, starting out with teaching development studies before switching to journalism. And she says she is not about to call it quits. 

Maractho is not a sleeping scholar. The result of her efforts was the introduction of new course units in the department, such as Journalism and Political Communication, Economics and Business Journalism, Media, Gender and Social Justice. The new curriculum that Maractho masterminded was a direct response to the requirement by government regulator, the National Council for Higher Education, that institutions review their curriculum after every three years. 

She also often participates in debate and writes on public and social issues afflicting society. One such platform is the Daily Monitor newspaper, where she currently has a weekly column. In one of her recent articles, Maractho made a case for a national policy on public-private partnerships in the health sector, so as to ensure they complement public service.

Maractho hopes that the Africa Policy Centre will grow into a center that public policy actors will look to for alternative policy positions and still serve the university community. “My plan is to expand the centre’s reach and increase its relevance in research and policy engagement,” she notes.

Family background
Maractho was raised in Nebbi district in northern Uganda. She says in her community, education is not highly valued. Therefore, she did not have many people to look up to for inspiration. 

Maractho studied at Muni Girls Secondary School and Mvara Secondary School, both in north-western Uganda. At Mvara, where she had her A’level, the headteacher had tried to convince Maractho to study science subjects but she was not one you could easily dissuade from her goal – she wanted to be a communicator, so the natural choice were arts subjects.  

Maractho overlooked many challenges on her way to academic achievement, including financial constraints in the family and being raised by a single mother – Philemona Kapacho who was a civil servant. 

Maractho had intended to pursue either a Bachelor’s of Law or Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication, but the funds to meet the tuition requirements were not available. As such, she settled for Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies at Makerere University. 

She would later become the first woman in her family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, to the joy of Kapacho. 

“My degree was disheartening because I was the first girl to graduate from my community, yet there are families where everyone has graduated with a doctorate,” she says. 

After her university education, Maractho worked briefly with The West Niler, a local newspaper based in north-western Uganda. She was later employed by the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) as a billing officer while still keeping her job at the West Niler. 

In 2004, when she was persuaded to teach at Makerere University, Maractho dropped the West Niler job, but maintained the one at UEDCL. In 2007, she resigned from UEDCL to fully concentrate on sharing knowledge at Makerere University, before later switching to UCU. 

We wait to see how Maractho’s innovative mind will lead the university’s Africa Policy Centre.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org.

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.

UCU chaplaincy donates food to hostel-stranded students

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, COVID-19, News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Law


Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.
Students carry food packs donated by the UCU Chaplaincy.

By Yasiri J. Kasango
The office of the chaplain at Uganda Christian University (UCU) recently donated food to students that the latest government-order covid lockdown has stranded in hostels around the institution.

Each student received a food pack containing beans, sugar, maize flour, salt and soap. A pack was valued at sh23,000 (about $6.5).

“When we got a report about students who are stranded in hostels and in need of food, the chapel council raised some money to help them out,” the chaplain, the Rev. Eng. Paul Wasswa, said.

Uganda on June 7 closed all schools and institutions of higher learning following increase in the positivity rate among the Covid-19 tests that were being done. Uganda is currently in the second wave of Covid-19.

Two weeks later, the country’s President, Yoweri Museveni, announced a 42-day lockdown, banning the movement of vehicles. Only vehicles belonging to categories of people government considered essential workers, such as the media, medical personnel, workers at construction sites and in factories, and trucks delivering goods, among others, were issued with travel permits.

The development meant that the students who were caught up in hostels had to stay there until the lockdown terminates at the end of July. However, in mid-July, it was not yet clear whether government will lift the lockdown after the 42 days. Government has said the positivity rate in the Covid-19 tests dropped from 18% when the lockdown was instituted to 10% a month later.

For the donation that was handed to the students, the chapel council raised sh1m (about $280) towards purchasing the food items. A total of 54 students benefitted from the generosity. The beneficiaries were identified by the UCU deputy guild minister for religious affairs, the Rev. Benson Amanya.

A recent UCU guild government survey indicated that there are at least 200 national and international students stranded in hostels.

Amanya said the needy students were identified through the coordination of class representatives. 

“When a class representative recommends a needy student, we interrogate them about the student. Their response would help to identify whether the student was actually in need of food,” Amanya said.

“I am grateful for the support rendered to us,” Edith Joseph from South Sudan said. “We are going through a hard time in the hostels.” 

David Kisakye, a final-year student pursuing the Bachelor of Laws at UCU, commended the chaplain’s office for the initiative. “Receiving some food, although little, is better than nothing,” he said.

The Rev. Wasswa acknowledged that the food relief given to students could not sustain them until the end of the lockdown and, therefore, called upon other well-wishers to donate more food to the students. He also asked students who may be in need of counselling to approach his office. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Charlotte Mbabazi attends to a customer in her shop on Wandegeya-Bugujju Road.

UCU recent education alumna shows resilience in covid lockdown times

News, Students, UCU Alumni, UCU School of Business, UCU School of Education


Charlotte Mbabazi attends to a customer in her shop on Wandegeya-Bugujju Road.
Charlotte Mbabazi attends to a customer in her shop on Wandegeya-Bugujju Road.

Story and Photos by Michael Kisekka
Fiercely independent, Charlotte Mbabazi disliked depending on her parents. For that not to happen, she started saving part of the pocket money that her parents gave her while a student at Uganda Christian University (UCU). Those savings became a pillar for her livelihood after school.

At the time Mbabazi graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree in 2020, just like everyone else, she had not anticipated a lockdown due to the devastating effects of Covid-19. The lockdown meant she could not get a school to teach since schools had been shut in Uganda.

The 25-year-old, however, had a fall back plan.  It was the sh5m (about $1,300) that she had saved while at UCU. She had the money, but no idea where to invest it. After some thinking, she started a retail shop. Everything was on standstill at the time, but people still needed groceries. So, she thought the answer would be a grocery shop. The location was on the Wandegeya-Bugujju road, adjacent to UCU. She used the sh5m to pay rent, renovate the shop and purchase the groceries to sell.

At the time, businesses were folding because of the impact of the lockdown in Uganda. She did not tell her parents as she set up the business for two reasons: 1) She hadn’t shared that she was saving their money; and 2) selling groceries was considered something for the lowly educated. In fact, Mbabazi’s peers often mocked her about her choice of business. 

“People will always talk, regardless of what you do,” Mbabazi said. “But you have to remain focused and aim at achieving your goal.”

Mary, Charlotte’s sister, in the shop
Mary, Charlotte’s sister, in the shop

When she eventually broke the news to her parents, she said they were more than delighted. In fact, they even supported her with more capital to increase her stock in the shop.

As with all businesses, Mbabazi’s, too, was not short of challenges. She said she faced competition in the business, especially given the fact that she was just a beginner. Eventually when she opened the shop, Mbabazi worked on all days of the week, exposing her to burnout. However, her never-give-up attitude kept her afloat. She soon found ways to work around the obstacles. 

“I had to find out how people who owned retail shops around me operated their businesses and how they sold their commodities,” she said.  “I also found time to interact with customers, which gave me opportunity to get direct feedback and improve on how to handle the customers.”

When everyone at her home became aware of her new business, Mbabazi enlisted the services of her younger sister, Mary, with whom they would keep the shop in turns, so she gets some rest days. In effect, she feels the training she is giving her sister will be helpful if her sibling chooses to take that path one day.

Mbabazi says she has been able to manage her own finances, which has enabled the grocery shop to celebrate its first birthday. With the business, she has also been able to manage her own finances, thus reducing the financial burden on her parents. Being self-employed is something she always dreamt about; she is glad that her business is growing slowly and steadily. 

In fact, Mbabazi has applied to pursue the Master of Human Resource Management at UCU and she hopes to meet the tuition requirements from the proceeds from the business.

While an undergraduate student at UCU, Mbabazi contested for the position of the Guild President, but lost. Even with the loss, she believes she learned invaluable lessons in the campaigns, which she hopes to put into practice in the near future as she seeks an elective office in the country. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The Archbishop, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu (left), receives donation from UCU student leaders, led by Guild President Kenneth Amponda (right). Behind them is Vice-Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi.

UCU contributes over $31,000 towards Church House

Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology, News, Students, UCU Alumni


The Archbishop, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu (left), receives donation from UCU student leaders, led by Guild President Kenneth Amponda (right). Behind them is Vice-Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi.
The Archbishop, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu (left), receives donation from UCU student leaders, led by Guild President Kenneth Amponda (right). Behind them is Vice-Chancellor Aaron Mushengyezi.

By Yasiri J Kasango
A recent act by Uganda Christian University (UCU) is a reminder that when people are protecting something dear to them, they will defend it in spite of adversity. While digging into pockets was ever harder during the most-recent Uganda Covid lockdown, dig is what UCU did – for the church. 

Church of Uganda Archbishop Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu was recently at the UCU main campus during a visit as part of his duties as the chancellor of the university. That is when he was welcomed with a donation of about sh111m (about $31,000) towards the Church House project.

The donation, which was from the institution, its staff and student leaders, went towards clearing the sh60b (about $17m) debt that the Church incurred while constructing the commercial complex located in the heart of Kampala in Uganda.

Of the money that was handed to the archbishop, sh100m (about $28,380) was a donation from the university while the rest was collected from members of the University Council, the staff members as well as student leaders.

The university’s staff members used their social groupings – Christ centeredness, diligence, stewardship, integrity and servanthood – to collect the money. The social groupings are built on the institution’s core values of “a complete education for a complete person.”

Christ centeredness contributed sh2.8m (about $810), integrity sh2.2m (about $630), stewardship  sh1.3m (about $380), diligence sh460,000 (about $130) and servanthood sh420,000 (about $120).

The University Council members contributed sh2m (about $580) which they cut from their sitting allowance. The student leaders, under the Guild Government, donated sh1m (about $280).

Kaziimba thanked the university and its staff for the generosity, imploring other Christians to own the project by contributing towards clearing of the debt.

Kaziimba said the building is not fully occupied, with 13 floors lacking tenants. He said the church would advertise calling for tenants for the remaining space, to attract tenants.

In 2010, the Anglican Church, through its business arm, the Church Commissioners Holding Company Limited, secured a sh41b (about $15m) loan from Equity Bank to fund the construction of the commercial complex, the Church House. However, the Church faced challenges in repaying the loan, attributing it partly to the Covid-19 lockdowns.

On June 3, during the Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations, Archbishop Kaziimba launched “Yes, We Can! Yes, we can raise sh60b (about $17m) from one million people.” During the event, he asked individuals and institutions to contribute to the cause.

The idea of constructing the Church House was conceived by Janani Luwum, who was the archbishop from 1974 to 1977. Luwum was in February 1977 arrested and later died in what many believed was murder by the Ugandan regime at the time.

Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo later reignited the idea of the Church House project as a real estate when he was the archbishop from 1995 to 2004. Over sh720m (about $204,500) was collected, but it was not enough to start the project.

In 2010, the Church secured a loan from Equity Bank and the following year, the project started under the reign of Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi. Six years later, a sprawling 16-story building was commissioned by then Archbishop Stanley Ntagali.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)

Mother, wife and student: It’s never too late to learn

COVID-19, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)
Nabayego walking down the aisle with her husband on their wedding day at Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala (Courtesy photo)

By Enock Wanderema and Jimmy Siyasa
It’s never too late to pursue what you want. 

That’s the message from Sylvia Nabayego, a married mother of two and the oldest in her undergraduate class pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU). It’s a career path she wanted more than a decade ago, but one that did not have the quality reputation it holds at UCU today. 

Nabayego studying online
Nabayego studying online

Sixteen years ago, she studied human resource management at UCU. She got her degree in that field in 2008 and shortly thereafter married Peter Kauma.

In 2019 and with her uncle, Dr. John Senyonyi, serving as Vice Chancellor, she returned to what was still her passion – journalism and communications. She surprised herself and those around her with a first semester Grade Point Average of 4.7 of 5.0. 

 “Being out of school after all these years, then I get back and I’m able to get the grades I did, especially in semester one!” said Nabayego who juggled her studies with being a wife, a mother to children, ages 10 and 7, and an off-campus student living 15 miles away. 

“I had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day, bathe the children, make them breakfast and then get them ready for school,” she said. “Their dad would drop them at school on his way to work. After that, I would then prepare to leave for school.” 

Nabayego has many lessons to impart, including that mothers and fathers can and should return to school. 

“I never start what I can’t complete,” she said, grinning widely. “Besides, what have I to lose? It is only a three-year course…when you’re intentional, you find a way to make it work.”

Her lean physique and amicable personality bely her seniority in class. Her experience in many aspects of life over many of her classmates gives her the courage to joke that she is old enough to be a mother of some of her classmates. 

“Be confident about your decision,” Nabayego continues. “If you have decided to go for it, then carry on. If you have a support system, lean on it. Get all the help you can from your lecturers and classmates.”

Coming to UCU with a perception that the institution is too restrictive on students, especially on their dress code, Nabayego reminds us that the core values and policies set up are to guide a student into being a better citizen. Attired in formal pants and blazer, she shares her enthusiasm for sports, music and movies, admitting these topics might have helped her better blend into the circles of many of her classmates, many of who speak highly of her. 

“She is kind and generous,” says Dalton Mujuni, a student of journalism and a friend of Nabayego. “In fact, she helped pay tuition balance for a colleague, in order to be able to write exams.” 

Nabayego while still in the UK
Nabayego while still in the UK

For Nabayego, the most difficult part of her student role is being away from her children after being a stay-at-home mom for 10 years.

“The hardest bit was not being present in their lives as much I used to be and having to worry about how the children would adjust,” she said in a quasi-British accent. Nabayego once lived with her mother in the UK. 

Unlike younger and single students, the onset of the Covid-19 was, for Nabayego, a blessing as the virtual learning allowed her more time with her family. The children, too, were home during two lockdowns to control the spread of the coronavirus.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Kamanzi performing at a music festival in Kampala. Courtesy photo

From Massachusetts to Mukono: Kamanzi sings against the tide

News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Kamanzi performing at a music festival in Kampala. Courtesy photo
Kamanzi performing at a music festival in Kampala. Courtesy photo

By Jimmy Siyasa
Crossing through the United State’s Porter Square in Cambridge, to Harvard University, then Central Square on Massachusetts Avenue, to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and then to the Berklee College of Music was fun for Ruth Rwego Kamanzi. 

These are names of places she had only read about. Here she was, not just in those places, but also meeting world-renowned musicians, such as five-time Grammy winner and bassist Victor Wooten. 

The year was 2018. Kamanzi had travelled over 6,900 miles from Uganda to Massachusetts, to attend a five-week study program in voice and guitar. That is what her $10,000 scholarship could afford her at Berklee. 

While a student at the Word of Life International School, in Entebbe, central Uganda, Kamanzi presented a song to visiting students from the Berklee College of Music. Her performance wowed the students, who encouraged her teachers to support her to apply for a scholarship for a course at Berklee. Everything went according to plan and she found herself admitted to the U.S. school.

Kamanzi had the option of living within Berklee, but she opted to commute from a home of her Ugandan relative who lives in Boston. Commuting to college was the only way she would adventure, she reasoned.

Not even an attempted abduction on one of the days she headed to college could dampen her spirits. Kamanzi nearly got kidnapped by an American man on her way to Berklee. She said she was rescued by the Police.

Her earlier desire was to undertake a bachelor’s degree in song-writing, production and film scoring. Such a course had a price tag of $210,000, which neither her family nor the scholarship could meet.

Upon her return in 2019, she enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication at the Uganda Christian University UCU.

“UCU offers a beautiful space for you to get to know God better,” she said. “It also offers an opportunity to discover yourself more and appreciate life and what you have more.”

At UCU, she actively participates in her faculty fellowship’s music activities and has performed a couple of times with her red and silver Resonator Bluegrass guitar. Such performances have, over time, won her some fans at the university. 

The professionally trained violinist hopes to be a career musician and to inspire young girls to be what they want to be. 

Kamanzi is renowned among Ugandan urban youth for skillfully playing the guitar and singing, usually alongside her sisters – Nduhukire and Royal Kaitesi. The trio has a band called Firm Foundation. Kamanzi and Nduhukire are currently acting in separate local television series; Prestige and Sanyu, respectively. The latter also features a UCU alumna – Tracy Kababiito. 

“She loves music and expresses her vocal agility each time she is singing,” says Rachael Nduhukire, of her elder sister.

Kamanzi’s YouTube channel, which started in 2018, as a prerequisite for her application to Berklee College of Music, now boasts nearly 1,000 subscribers.  

A family picture of the Rwegos. Kamanzi, at left, is with her parents and two sisters
A family picture of the Rwegos. Kamanzi, at left, is with her parents and two sisters

“That girl is incredibly talented,” says Frank Ogwang, a UCU Law School alumnus and former Guild Vice President.  “I love her music and, especially, her guitar skills.” 

Kamanzi, a daughter of Leonard and Ida Rwego, attended Word of Life International School from pre-school through grade 12. At the school, she was a lead vocalist and guitarist for a band. She is currently a contributing writer to two contemporary Christian music albums for Watoto, a Pentecostal church in Uganda. 

During the lockdown that was instituted in Uganda in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Kamanzi posted a short video clip, where she was performing a song dedicated to all people who had lost loved ones to the virus. That post attracted more than 16,000 views. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

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Ereu during his show Crazy Town on Next Radio

UCU classroom and real-life experience propel student into media job

News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Ereu during his show Crazy Town on Next Radio
Ereu during his show Crazy Town on Next Radio

By Fiona Nabugwere and Joseph Lagen
Lucky Reuben Ereu had a long-time dream to work at a media house. This dream led Ereu, then a first-year student of Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication, to 106.1FM Next Radio, to pitch a proposal for a radio programme.  

The year was 2018. Ereu had high hopes in his proposal because Next Radio had just been launched, so he knew there were slots in the radio’s programming. 

Ereu, age 23, did not just impress at the proposal pitching. He also was asked to present for a radio show called Crazy Town. The show is a fun, weekly show that features young inspirational personalities to show youths ways of creating sources of income while still in school. It airs every Sunday, at midday. He also is one of the content creators at the radio station. 

“My confidence levels have improved because of my work at the radio station and the presentations we always have in class,” he said. 

Courtesy photo of The Crazy Town presenters (left-right) Mark Munanura, Simran Merali and Lucky Reuben Ereu
Courtesy photo of The Crazy Town presenters (left-right) Mark Munanura, Simran Merali and Lucky Reuben Ereu

Ereu is excited about the practical projects they undertake at school because they offer him opportunities to improve what he is already practicing at Next Radio. 

“The UCU focus project that we did last semester opened my eyes about how news is produced, especially using mobile phones,” he said. “Before, I thought producing a news bulletin was so complex, but now I know that I can do it.”  

Because of such projects, Ereu’s performance at Next Radio improved tremendously to the point that he and his teammates were rewarded with performance bonuses at the end of 2020. 

“I use my monthly allowances for upkeep at the university and the performance bonus we received at the end of last year was what I used to pay my hostel fees,” said Ereu, whose first appearance on air was as a presenter on a TV teens show for NTV Uganda, said. His stint at NTV Uganda, which was in 2018, lasted three months.

He said former students of UCU, who are employees of Next Media Services, are always willing to guide and mentor him. 

One of the projects that Ereu is proud of having participated in is the 77 Percent campaign, a DW magazine for Africa’s youth. DW is a German public state-owned international broadcaster. The 77 Percent magazine focuses on reports, personal stories and debates on big issues that matter most to the African youth. 

Ereu, now a final-year student at UCU, says the three years he has spent at Next Radio have enabled him gain skills in operating radio and television equipment. Additionally, he says the Faculty of Journalism, Media and Communication has all the necessary equipment to enable students to practice what they learn in class. The skills Ereu has acquired, he says, have enabled him to get assignments for projects at the university. He says he videographed the university graduation in 2018 and that he currently does photography work for the E-learning team of UCU.

Passion for videos, photographs
Ereu shot his first film in 2012, while in Senior Two, using a friend’s mobile phone. He continued to shoot videos and take photographs using borrowed phones until he acquired his own smartphone a year later. Having noticed the passion he had for shooting videos and taking photographs, Ereu’s grandfather gifted him his first camera in 2017. That was the same year he began shooting videos for commercial purposes, during his Senior Six holidays. 

Ereu charges between sh200,000 (about $57) and sh400,000 (about $114) for birthdays and personal photoshoots. He also creates social media video clips for clients at sh80,000 (about $22). He usually posts some of his works on his social media pages: @simplyluckie on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Maria Aloyo poses with one of her products.

UCU student lights future with candles

News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Maria Aloyo poses with one of her products.
Maria Aloyo poses with one of her products.

Story and Photos by Eriah Lule
Sometimes, ideas that end up transforming communities are borne out of ordinary incidents. Take the example of Maria Aloyo. Who would have thought a burning candle during a Catholic Mass would send business ideas into anyone’s mind? It did to Aloyo, in 2019. 

She was at Mass. She sat on the pew near the altar. When she smelled the scent from one of the burning candles at the altar, she thought of an opportunity – making candles. 

One of Maria Aloyo’s customers poses with her purchase.
One of Maria Aloyo’s customers poses with her purchase.

Two years down the road, the 23-year-old has not just created a job for herself, but also for Martin Asiimwe, a motorcycle rider, who distributes Aloyo’s products to her customers. Having hired a distributor gives Aloyo the opportunity to concentrate on making candles and attending to class work. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication course in her third year at Uganda Christian University (UCU).

Aloyo makes scented, artistically decorated candles that, she says, leave her customers no choice but to dip their hands into their pockets. In addition to candles, she makes car fragrances, reed diffusers, mosquito repellents, oil perfumes, heat diffusers and several others. 

She said she started making candles during the 2020 lockdown that was instituted in Uganda to reduce the rate of the spread of the coronavirus. During the lockdown, schools were closed for more than seven months. The initial opening, in October 2020, was only for the benefit of final-year learners. Since then, many more classes have been allowed to resume school, with the opening done in a staggered manner. 

Born to Annet and Akwello Muto of Entebbe in Wakiso district, central Uganda, Aloyo worked at her mother’s store during school vacations. It is from there that she raised her first capital of about sh1million (about $277). 

“I used my savings to stock what I needed to start the business,” she said. 

When one of her aunts, Lydia Aluka, was travelling abroad, Aloyo gave her the money to buy for her what she needed for making the scented candles. 

Enrolling for an undergraduate degree at UCU has been a blessing for Aloyo, whose web of clients and support base is largely people from the university. However, over time she says she has made inroads in other communities outside the university. 

“I hope to give back to UCU by teaching other students what I do, so they are able to earn a living,” she says.

Making candles is not the first business enterprise that Aloyo has engaged in. 

In 2017, as a 19-year-old, Aloyo saved sh500,000 (about $138) and used it as capital to stock belts, wallets, jewelry and African print cloth, which she would sell. However, she says the business was not fulfilling for her, since she was trading in finished products. She yearned to make signature items, which she hoped people would know her for.

Aloyo is organizing an event, Magic fingers – Color Series, intended to provide a platform for creative youth to not only showcase their works of art, but also to network once the second covid-related lockdown ends. She hopes to hold the event in August 2021. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org  and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org 

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Joshua Rukundo (wearing glasses) with the children benefiting from their charity. Photo by Michael Kisekka

UCU student furthers his family’s philanthropic dream to help less fortunate

News, Students, UCU School of Journalism, Media and Communication


Joshua Rukundo (wearing glasses) with the children benefiting from their charity. Photo by Michael Kisekka
Joshua Rukundo (wearing glasses) with the children benefiting from their charity. Photo by Michael Kisekka

By Michael Kisekka and Jimmy Siyasa
Compassion, generosity and humanity are among the many words defining philanthropy.  Innocent Kanobana, who has a particular passion for helping the less privileged, embodies such a definition. In 2015, he formed an underprivileged child charity organization, the Rukicare Foundation. 

Two years down the road, when Kanobana wanted someone to run the charity as its chief executive officer, Kanobana did not look further than his teenage grandchild, Joshua Rukundo, a Uganda Christian University (UCU) student. Rukundo was 18 years.

Joshua Rukundo (left) with a colleague (white shirt) and some of the children benefiting from their charity.
Joshua Rukundo (left) with a colleague (white shirt) and some of the children benefiting from their charity.

Fast forward to 2021.  Twenty-three-year-old Rukundo is a UCU final-year student of the Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication. It is not only Rukundo who has changed, but his organization, too, has since grown. Rukicare Foundation that started with a handful of boys and girls now caters to over 50 children. Rukundo says the bedrock of the foundation has been his family’s deep-rooted culture of giving to those less fortunate.

On March 6, 2021, Rukicare joined hands with another charity, Noah’s Ark Special Needs Children Facility in Entebbe, Uganda. 

Noah’s Ark had earlier sent a call to the public to donate scholastic materials to their child-beneficiaries, who had to return to school. The children had been out of school since the Covid-19-related nationwide lockdown on education institutions in March 2020. A year later, schools were allowed to reopen but then closed again with a 42-day lockdown starting June 7.

Rukicare Foundation donated not only scholastic materials such books, pencils and pens that they had asked for, but also offered food, clothes and packs of medicines. 

“Since the government has opened schools, we decided to come in and provide the children with the necessary scholastic materials, to enable them to continue with their studies unhindered,” Rukundo explained before the second lockdown. 

While most charities focus directly on the beneficiaries in their custody, the mandate of Rukicare Foundation is a little different. Where possible, they also take care of the needs of the beneficiaries under the care of other organizations. 

“Sometimes, these children become too heavy a responsibility for their own parents, who end up dumping them, because they are unable to provide even the most basic of needs,” Rukundo, who believes abject poverty and negligence by many parents in Uganda is one of the reasons behind children ending up under the care of such organizations, said. 

Among the charities Rukundo’s organization supports are Kitgum Home of Children in northern Uganda, Mercy Hands Uganda in Mpigi district, central Uganda and Kireka home for people with a hearing impairment, located in Kireka, near Kampala. 

John Safari, the Chief Executive Officer of the Noah’s Ark Special Needs Children Facility, was delighted with the support received from Rukundo’s foundation. Hoping for more such donations, Safari said they intend to establish a medical center for the facility. 

“We are in the last stages of acquiring land to build a hospital for the special needs children,” Safari said. 

Despite being able to look out for other charities, it does not mean Rukicare Foundation is insulated from obstacles. Rukundo said even with being registered, and having a valid operation permit and a requisite certificate of incorporation from the Uganda National Board of NGOs, the NGO pays tax on humanitarian imports, such as medicines, which he says should not be the case for a registered company like theirs. 

“In January 2021, we imported humanitarian medicines from India, but we feel we were unfairly taxed,” Rukundo said.

Such challenges can intimidate an organization without a major funder, but mainly dependent on 20% of the salaries of each of the members of the Rukundo family. And because of financial challenges, Rukundo has occasionally reached out to fellow students at UCU and other universities, to mobilize resources so that his organization is able to realize the philanthropy dream of the Rukundo family. 

As he looks to his UCU graduation this year, Rukundo is grateful for his university education. 

“UCU enabled me get more connections to people that are already running charity organizations. Then, it also deepened our connections to certain partners,” said Rukundo about his UCU experience. “My Bachelor’s has bettered my communication to potential partners and sponsors. It has also equipped me with skills to start and run the organization’s social media pages.” 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Honors College Student Chemutai Syndia with some of the pupils of Bishop West Primary School where she conducted her project

UCU Honors College: A hub hatching undergraduate projects

Faculty, News, Students, UCU School of Law, UCU School of Social Sciences


Honors College Student Chemutai Syndia with some of the pupils of Bishop West Primary School where she conducted her project
Honors College Student Chemutai Syndia with some of the pupils of Bishop West Primary School where she conducted her project

By Eriah Lule and Jimmy Siyasa
Christian mentorship. Leadership. Academic research. These are the three core goals that define Uganda Christian University’s (UCU) Honors College. The 19-year-old college, whose concept is borrowed from the Dutch and American universities, admits only the institution’s crème de la crème students from the different faculties. 

Applicants must have at least a 4.0 Cumulative Grade-Point Average (CGPA) out of 5.0 to be enrolled to the college that offers talented students the opportunity to tap on their mettle through an extra certificate-program, alongside the regular bachelor’s degree course. 

The college, which is the brainchild of Prof. Stephen Noll, UCU’s first Vice-Chancellor, offers a multidisciplinary approach to scientific and social issues, which helps to enrich students’ projects and research.

Pamela Tumwebaze, newly appointed head of Honors College
Pamela Tumwebaze, newly appointed head of Honors College

Pamela Tumwebaze, the new head of the college, has hit the ground running, by grouping

students based on their interests, using invited guest lecturers and mentors to speak to the students and holding weekly workshops. Before her promotion to head the Honors College, Tumwebaze was the Executive Secretary of the UCU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academics. 

“I want to utilize the full potential of our students, by encouraging them to create solutions for the social problems that people face, through research,” she said, noting that it is such initiatives that will “lift the college to greater heights.”

Juan Emmanuella Zamba, a student of Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention, has designed a project called Trash into Cash, which she hopes will be able to solve the challenge of high youth unemployment. Zamba collects inorganic waste, such as plastic and paper, which she uses to make jewelry and wall hangings.

“Honors College has enabled me to explore my potential and capabilities, through mentorship provided by the guest lecturers and our college staff,’’ Zamba said, adding: “I am now thinking of making my project a real business, so that I create employment to the youth, as well as skilling them.”

Thanks to the Honors College, Chemutai Syndia, a 21-year-old fourth-year student of Bachelor of Laws, is currently working to combat sexual violence against children through advocacy. At Bishop West Primary School, located near UCU, Chemutai counsels children and also sensitizes them on the avenues through which they can report child-rights offenders. She also takes advantage of the opportunity to sensitise the teachers about the benefits of creating a favourable environment for their pupils, to share their challenges. 

Members of a group project called Share a Skill, spearheaded by Miriam Obetia, a second-year student of Bachelor of Human Rights, Peace and Humanitarian Intervention, went to West Nile early this year, where they engaged children, especially who had dropped out of school during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, in entrepreneurial skills.

Tumwebaze believes her tenure of service is a God-given opportunity to boost UCU’s undergraduate research and she has already started on this by making calls for proposals for projects from students. She believes her ultimate reward will be when students succeed by making a career out of the projects they will have championed. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook

UCU Public Health Student, Stella Mirembe

Writing, health care and acting blend as passions for UCU student

Faculty of Public Health, Nursing and Midwifery, News, Students, UCU School of Medicine


UCU Public Health Student, Stella Mirembe
UCU Public Health Student, Stella Mirembe

By Yasiri J. Kasango
Acting, health care and writing are Stella Mirembe’s passions. However, among the three, Mirembe would prefer she is not asked where her love is. She does not know. 

During her secondary school, Mirembe spent time fine-tuning her acting skills. After the six years of acting in secondary school, it was writing that earned Mirembe her first ever payment in life. Writing also brought her international recognition. 

While in Senior Six long holidays, Mirembe was writing articles for Upwork, a web-based platform that was linking her to people who wanted writers. 

However, when university studies came calling, she put writing on hold. She hopes to resurrect her writing passion later. In 2018, Mirembe joined Uganda Christian University to study towards a Bachelor of Public Health. She says her course in public health will help her engage different communities on good health practices as well as help her write better health-related articles. 

It was Mirembe’s late father who first saw her potential in acting. While in Senior Two, Elias Kyewalabye encouraged his daughter to act a play off the famous book, Betrayal in the City, by Kenyan playwright Francis Imbuga. He was impressed by Mirembe’s performance and encouraged her not to drop her passion. Kyewalabye has since passed on, and Mirembe is working hard to achieve the dreams of her father.

Stella Mirembe
Stella Mirembe

She currently graces the TV screens as an actress in a Ugandan series, Prestige, which airs on DStv’s Pearl Magic Prime.  The channel is dedicated to Ugandan local content. 

As a child, Miremebe used to act in Sunday school plays. She attended Uganda’s Gayaza High School and, later, Makerere College School for her A’level. Even while in secondary school, acting was part of Mirembe’s life.

“In Gayaza High School, I acted in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” she says. 

Internationally, Mirembe is a great admirer of Jennifer Aniston, an American actress, producer and businesswoman. 

The outbreak of Covid-19 and the subsequent closure of schools forced Mirembe to go back into acting. In August 2020, she exploited the chance of carrying on her dream. Her mother, Dr. Elizabeth Kyewalabye, encouraged her to audition for the Prestige series when calls were put out. And she was successful. She says acting helped to relieve her of some of the stress occasioned by the lockdown in 2020.

When the government announced the reopening of schools, Mirembe was excited to return for face-to-face classes so she fulfils her dream of becoming a health worker, so she is able to help communities around her to exercise better health practices. 

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To support Uganda Christian University programs, students, activities and services, go to www.ugandapartners.org and click on the “donate” button, or contact UCU Partners Executive Director, Mark Bartels, at m.t.bartels@ugandapartners.org

Also, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook