Author: systems

By Yasiri J. KasangoThe 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…

By Nickie Karitas “Anything that costs you your peace is too expensive,” goes a popular quote. At the mention of the word ‘Covid19’ today, fear sends cold ripples of defeat down every student’s spine. The word has successfully sent all of us into hiding places and put all social classes at the hope of mercy from above. Turning televisions on, all we see is New York, the city that never sleeps, Paris, the center of romance and Rome, the ‘eternal city’ all living in melancholy. Disney running out of magic, the Great 8 ‘G8’ nations standing speechless, Mecca empty and…

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…

Story and Photos by Eriah LuleSometimes, 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. Two years down the road, the 23-year-old has not just created a job for herself, but also for…

By Fiona Nabugwere and Joseph LagenLucky 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…

By Yasiri J. KasangoSome people put the label “school dropout” on Joel Masagazi Yawe because after his A’level completion he stayed home for two years. The negative label was ill-placed as Masagazi faced hiccups in his education journey. The biggest barrier – not unlike many young people – was lack of tuition funding, blocking him from further education. Masagazi opted to do farming with his parents – Mr. and Mrs. Mukasa Kabanda – so he could raise the money that he needed for university tuition. The Kabandas were primary school teachers in Mityana district, found in central Uganda. Once he…

By Michael Kisekka and Jimmy SiyasaCompassion, 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. Fast forward to 2021. Twenty-three-year-old Rukundo is a UCU final-year student of the Bachelor of Arts in…

By Eriah Lule and Jimmy SiyasaChristian 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…

By Eriah Lule Allan Kampame had just completed A’level and was facing a “long vacation” before starting his university education. What could he do to be productive with nine months? Kampame found the answer at Dembe Trading Company, a goods delivery firm that was operating in the Kampala business hub of Kikuubo. The year was 2015. Dembe employed Kampame as a delivery man in the business hub. “Moving in trucks day and night gave me the exposure I yearned for,” recounted Kampame, now a 26-year-old, final-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Public Administration and Management at Uganda Christian University (UCU).…

By Michael Kisekka and Yasiri J. Kasango Next Media Services and Uganda Christian University (UCU) are mooting a formal partnership where the two parties will support each other in developing journalism and communications in the country. Skilling students, conducting joint research on communication-related issues and content development are some of the areas where the media house and the university will channel their energies. As part of the activities towards the formalisation of the partnership, the Next Media Services team, led by their Chief Executive Officer, Kin Kariisa, visited the UCU main campus on May 20 and held a formal engagement with Vice-Chancellor…