By Nathanael Simbilyabo
For a few hours on Friday, September 18, desks gave way to football pitches, colleagues became teammates, and the usual pace of university work made room for laughter, exercise, and conversation as Uganda Christian University staff gathered for their annual sports gala.
The gala, which began on Monday, September 14, brought staff together throughout the week for sporting and team-building activities, culminating in Friday’s final competitions and award ceremony.
The program combined football, volleyball, tug of war, relays, aerobics, board games, water games, walking planks, and walking races.
By Friday morning, the competitive spirit was visible, but so was the jovial mood. Staff celebrated from the sidelines, hugged colleagues, caught up with people they had not seen for some time and added to the noise with vuvuzelas.
Namyalo Josephine, Lecturer in Public Health, noted some improvement compared to last year, saying this year was more fun, more vibe, and more eating.
Shanita Nwarisira, who works in procurement, was among those who enjoyed the day, mentioning that the tug of war was among the best games of the day.
Speaking during the closing ceremony, Vice Chancellor Canon Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi said the annual gathering gave staff time away from their usual work routines to interact, exercise and strengthen relationships.
The day also gave employees an opportunity to put faces to names and meet colleagues they rarely interact with in their normal work.
Maiso Solomon, a football participant from the School of Business at UCU Mukono, said the gala helped him get acquainted with colleagues from other academic departments.
“As a result of this gala, we have all been brought together,” he said, calling for similar activities to be extended to other UCU campuses.
The games also brought out a different side of some staff members.
For Mushengyezi, that meant stepping away from the Vice Chancellor’s office and back onto the field.
Speaking about his participation in the sport-kicks competition, Mushengyezi said he had prepared himself for the challenge.
“I always like winning,” he said.
He recalled that he used to play both goalkeeper and forward, enjoying the chance to either protect the goal or score.
Andrew Okelo, who played football and volleyball, said the sports were fine, but he recommended more preparation to ensure future tournaments would be even better.
According to him, some participants did not know much about the sports before going on the field, but their participation would help the tournaments. Also, his Vice Chancellor division was unbalanced in number, which made it a bit difficult as well.
Staff from UCU Mbale also joined the gala, giving them an opportunity to interact and benchmark with colleagues from other parts of the university.
Harry Mukhooli, a staff member from UCU Mbale Campus, said the event made staff from different colleges feel like one family.
“Staff gala for us who are coming from different colleges, it has brought what we call unity and togetherness. In all aspects, we feel we are the same family,” he said.
Magomu Robert, Sports Administrator at UCU Mbale Campus, also participated in the football final and scored two goals for the Academic Division.
“We really feel valued, treasured,” he said, describing the opportunity to come together as a team as “good and engaging.”
The staff gala is not new to UCU. According to Director of Human Resources and Administration Florence Nakiyingi, the event had been held for several years before the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted it and was later revived.
Nakiyingi said the university currently organizes the competition through divisions, although the format could change next year to reflect UCU’s five core values.
“We remind people not so much about the winning; it is the process of playing with one another and collaborating and building networks,” Nakiyingi said.
Lunch was served as staff watched the football final, with the Vice Chancellor and other staff members joining their colleagues in the serving line.
The DVC Academic Section emerged as the overall winner with 147.5 points, followed by the DVC Finance and Administration Section with 140 points. The VC Section finished third with 81.5 points.
In the football final, the Academic Division defeated the Finance and Administration Division 3–1, with Magomu scoring twice for the Academic Division.
The Academic Division received UGX 6 million in cash and the biggest bull, while the other divisions also received bulls as prizes.
The announcement of the final results brought the week-long competition to a close, with staff celebrating the winning division as the prizes were presented.
