By Constantine Odongo
A 1992 meeting of the House of Bishops in the Anglican Church in Uganda came up with a decision that later changed the landscape of higher education in the country. Because the church felt it needed to have a broader impact in society through university education, the bishops decided to set up a provincial university. As a result, in 1997, the Trustees of the Church of Uganda established Uganda Christian University (UCU).
This year, UCU celebrates 25 years of existence, under the slogan Ebenezer, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12).
The main celebrations, which climaxed in the week of October 24-28, included an annual public lecture, an alumni homecoming and a thanksgiving service. The past two vice chancellors of UCU – the Rev. Professor Stephen Noll and Dr. John Senyonyi – joined current Vice Chancellor Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi during the celebrations whose apex activity was a graduation ceremony held on October 28. Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni was the invited chief guest at the ceremony.
Stephen Noll, the university’s first vice chancellor, and his wife, Peggy, flew into Uganda from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, where they currently reside, for the silver jubilee. For his association with UCU, Noll has to thank former Church of Uganda archbishop, Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo.
When the university commenced in 1997, Nkoyoyo, now deceased, went on a hunt for a suitable vice chancellor. It was his primary duty as the chancellor to conduct the search. By default, the reigning Archbishop of the Church of Uganda becomes the UCU chancellor.
Therefore, when Nkoyoyo first approached Noll about the opportunity, the latter’s response was a no. Noll had never been to Uganda, or Africa long enough to understand the environment well. His other challenge was that he had only run a theological college and not a university. However, that was even better news to the ears of Nkoyoyo who saw it as an opportunity get someone who would be able to complete the transformation of the premises of the Bishop Tucker Theological College, which started in 1913, into a university.
Noll eventually gave in. But there was a condition: Uganda Christian University would have to be Christian not only in name, but in substance, too. Upon assuming the office of the Vice Chancellor of UCU in 2000, Noll embarked on a mission.
“I considered that it was important to lay a formal orthodox foundation for both students and university staff, and also help students lay an intellectual foundation for their own lives,” Noll said in a 2014 unpublished UCU book to celebrate a decade of the university being granted a charter.
From 1997 to 2000, UCU was under the leadership of acting Vice Chancellor, the Rt. Rev. Eliphaazi Maari, who was the Principal of Bishop Tucker Theological College.
Just like Nkoyoyo committed for UCU to maintain a Christian identity, the institution integrated Christian values in its institutional policy. All UCU students and staff are required to sign the Instruments of Identity, upon admission to UCU, professing their commitment towards maintaining UCU identity for their life as members of the institution. The policy also calls for the integration of faith in teaching and learning.
To further cement its signature identity as a Christian university, in 2002, UCU introduced compulsory core courses named Foundation Studies for all students. The courses include the Old Testament, the New Testament, Understanding Ethics, World Views, and Health and Wholeness.
Within four years at the helm, Noll oversaw the start of four other campuses – with the first being Bishop Barham University College in 2000 and UCU Kampala, Mbale, and Arua campuses in 2004.
In his 10-year tenure, Noll grew the population of graduating students from 324 at the institution’s inaugural ceremony in 2000 to 2,803 in 2010, the year he handed over the baton to Senyonyi. This growth, however, did not come on a silver platter, as between 2000 and 2010, at least six universities were established in Uganda, significantly eating into the potential market for UCU. Of the six universities, three were privately-funded and the other three were public institutions.
Asked what he considers his top three achievements in an interview Noll granted the Ebenezer, a July 2022 publication in celebration of 25 years of UCU, the former vice chancellor said: “Preparing UCU to receive the first charter in Uganda (in 2004), planning and executing the expanded campus and its facilities and keeping its focus on the Gospel by calling and equipping the clergy and lay leaders for the church, the nation and the world.”
Enter Senyonyi
Prior to assuming the top office in 2010, Senyonyi had served in UCU in different portfolios since 2001. He joined the university as a chaplain, before becoming the deputy vice chancellor for finance and administration in 2003 and then deputy vice-chancellor in charge of development and external relations in 2006.
When he became vice chancellor Senyonyi set infrastructural development as part of his agenda. In 2011, the magnificent Hamu Mukasa library was opened. Senyonyi says throughout his tenure, the university did not get external funding for infrastructure development, and, therefore, depended on student fees.
“We used the undesirable and very limiting method of nominal increments on fees, to the chagrin of our students, but they bore it stoically most of the time,” Senyonyi said during an interview with the Ebenezer publication. He said the beauty was that most of the time, the students understood the reason why fees increment was done, because the university was “mindful to use money to its intended purpose.”
One time, Senyonyi said, tired of the dusty road leading to the university, the student leaders asked the university administration to increase the tuition fees, to be able to put asphalt on the roads.
“After sensitizing the guild leaders about the costs involved, they suggested we do it,” he said. “It is the only time students have asked the university to increase fees!”
Senyonyi said the UCU model demonstrated to other players in institutions of higher learning that private facilities can compete favorably and even beat a well-financed public university. He said, “Many vice chancellors came to consult with me for best practices…and even benchmarked with UCU.”
Senyonyi granted Uganda Partners an interview on how Covid affected learning and administration at UCU, as well as his time at the helm of UCU leadership.
UCU is considered a sports powerhouse in the country, having produced numerous players for Uganda’s national teams in football, netball, women’s football, basketball and rugby, among other disciplines. Because of its modern sports facilities, the institution has hosted the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation in 2017, the Inter–University Games Uganda in 2013, and in 2007, as well as the East African University Games in 2014.
In May 2021, the national athletics trials were hosted at the Mukono campus track field station.
Mushengyezi assumes office in 2020
The 53-year-old assumed leadership of UCU in 2020, in the middle of the Covid pandemic. As was necessitated, the university, under the stewardship of Mushengyezi, adopted several virtual options for normal operations to continue.
For instance, two virtual graduations were held – in December 2020 and October 2021; most of the programmes are now delivered through blended learning; using the alpha online system, two student guild elections have been held virtually, as well as pre-entry exams for courses in law, dental surgery and medicine. In a 36-minute video, Mushengyezi explained some of what his administration achieved within one year of leadership.
In 2021, Mushengyezi invited institutions to borrow a leaf from the infrastructure in electronic learning that the university had set up. He emphasized UCU’s commitment to “pioneer in innovation and learning with community outreach.” Indeed, in December 2021, the university’s e-learning department hosted leaders from Greenhill Academy, a group of Christian-founded primary and secondary schools in Kampala, for a virtual learning seminar to understand more about the university’s e-learning facilities.
From the 270 students admitted in 1997, UCU has grown to nearly 13,000 students across its five campuses today and now looks into a future of stronger partnerships, improvements in infrastructure and more emphasis on research and innovation.
