Survival is a challenge in Uganda, but Joy is also abundant.

Challenges in East Africa are great. East Africa is devastated by AIDS, poverty, and war. Tens of millions of people barely survive on less than $1 per day for medicine, school, food, clothing, and housing. And yet, there are tremendous strengths in society: difficulties make people strong, Christians find joy in fellowship and worship, and families remain strong.  

Here is some specific information about Uganda.

Uganda Christian University's Unique Role for Transformation

Uganda Christian University is now a leading institution for academic development and social transformation in Uganda and East Africa.

History of the University

The Church of Uganda (Anglican) established Uganda Christian University in 1997 when its leaders sought to expand higher education in the region. They promoted the historic Bishop Tucker Theological College, located in Mukono, into a University.

Bishop Tucker Theological College trained clergy and educators during its 84-year history. The College was located on land 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of Kampala that was granted to the Anglican Church from the local chief, Ham Mukasa.

From its inception, campus community life has assumed a pivotal role, along with the academic preparation, in shaping the lives of students. Students lived on campus, growing produce and tending livestock on the grounds while pursuing studies. Staff and students enjoyed fellowship as part of clergy formation.

International partnerships were part of the College’s missionary history. Ugandan leaders teamed with the Church Mission Society and other partners to assure that the College had the necessary intellectual and other capital. Many of these historical connections have continued with the University.

During the turbulent 1970s and 1980s, College life was periodically interrupted by political upheavals. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, as the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic became clear, leaders trained at the College helped shape the pivotal strategies required to sensitize the population and promote abstinence and faithfulness as the best means to remain free from HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS.

The Church of Uganda has always played an important role in primary and secondary education. By the late 1990s, it sought to have a broader impact on society through the education not only of clergy but of other professionals as well.

Under the leadership of Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi Nkoyoyo, the Provincial Assembly founded UCU as a federal university in four regions, with work beginning at Mukono. UCU has since adopted study centres and theological colleges in Uganda’s western, northern, and eastern regions.

Since 1997, the University has preserved the original courses in theology and education, and added programmes in business, social science, science and technology, and law. The student population at the main campus has increased from 120 students in 1997 to an anticipated 5000 in 2006-07.

In 2004, UCU was granted a charter by the Government of Uganda, the highest level of national accreditation. UCU was the first private University to receive such a charter from the Government.