Uganda Christian University (UCU) is a private church-founded university administered by the Church of Uganda. It was the first private University in Uganda to be awarded a charter by the Government of Uganda.[3]
UCU's main campus, with approximately 8,000 students, is in the town of Mukono, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi), by road, east of Uganda's capital city, Kampala, on the Kampala-Jinja Highway.[4] The coordinates of the main campus are 0°21'27.0"N, 32°44'29.0"E (Latitude:0.357500; Longitude:32.741389).[5]
Bishop Barham University College is a regional constituent college of UCU, with about 1,500 students, located in the city of Kabale, approximately 420 kilometres (261 mi), by road, south-west of Kampala.[6] Other regional campuses include UCU Mbale Campus, which is in Mbale, and UCU Arua Campus, which is in Arua. In 2019 construction of a permanent fifth campus in Kampala began, in the Mengo neighborhood, along Musajja Alumbwa Road.[7]
UCU was founded in 1997 by the Anglican Church of Uganda from its premier theological seminary/college Bishop Tucker Theological College, which was established in 1913 and named after the pioneer missionary bishop Alfred Robert Tucker.[8]
UCU's chancellor is the Archbishop of Uganda, currently Stephen Kaziimba, since March 2020.[9] Te table below outlines the tenures of the chancellors of the university since its inception, in 1997.
The first vice chancellor, Stephen Noll, was installed in 2000. He is an American Anglican priest, theologian, and missionary. He helped UCU to receive a government charter in 2004, the first of its kind in Uganda. Noll's term as vice chancellor ended in 2010.[11]
John Senyonyi, an evangelist and mathematician, is the UCU's second vice chancellor. He joined UCU as a chaplain in 2001. He rose to become the deputy vice chancellor for finance and administration. Later, he became the first deputy vice chancellor in charge of development and external relations, the first such position in any Ugandan university.[12]
On 1 September 2020, Aaron Mushengyezi, a linguist and former dean of the department of languages, literature and communications at Makerere University, became the third Vice Chancellor at Uganda Christian University.[2]
While the majority of faculty and students are Ugandan, UCU has attracted students from other African Great Lakes countries and a number of expatriate staff from North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. These international ties are in part historic through societies like the Church Mission Society and in part new ties formed among churches of the Anglican Communion.[13]
Hamu Mukasa library buildingBishop Tucker LibraryChurch of Uganda Archives
UCU has two libraries based at the main campus; that is the Hamu Mukasa Library which serves as the main library and Bishop Tucker Library and branch libraries in all branch campuses and constituent colleges; that is to say; in Mengo, Kampala, Mbale and Kabale Campuses. There is also an archival library based at the main campus.[17]
In March 2016, the Daily Monitor newspaper reported that UCU and Mengo Hospital were negotiating for the establishment of a UCU school of medicine at the hospital. No time-frame was disclosed.[18]
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