Random Thoughts

I have been quiet for a while, so it’s about time to resume my meandering in and around past memories. You will recall that we left UMU and moved to Bunga (a suburb of Kampala) and settled down in our new place. Both of us were starting new jobs; Herself was setting up the “International Health Sciences University”, and I started out at my new place of work for the coming four years: the National Council for Higher Education.

In 2002 an Act of Parliament had set up the Council, but as is so often the case, some serious time was spent between the new legislation being approved and its enactment. Finally in 2004 an Executive Director was appointed and a core staff chosen. To my mind this was a good selection of people with whom it was easy to work: the former Director of the National Library, the former Commissioner for Higher Education at the Ministry of Education, one former Finance Officer at the Ministry of Finance, three professional secretaries and some other staff to assist in other tasks such as book-keeping, store-keeping and driving – a total of fourteen people. These were the people I met in September 2006 in an annex of Kyambogo University in the outskirts of Kampala. It was a modest university staff house with outbuildings, and this would have to do for the time being as offices of the NCHE. I had secured some funding from a private organisation so that I could acquire the needed equipment to set up my office and start thinking about Quality Assurance. Obtaining government funding is not always an easy task! So my first idea was: where do I start, as no guidelines had been given to me except some kind of in-house handbook, where there was nothing about the task of the Deputy Executive Director (which I now was) nor of a Department of Quality Assurance. My thoughts went back to my time at Nkozi and the work we had done to ensure that we met the criteria to deliver quality education: quality staff, quality programmes, and quality facilities had been our guide. So why not replicate this at national level and devise a structure which would help achieve these aims in the various institutions at national level? Indeed, why not? But it was, in fact, easier said than done! The legislation had some articles dealing with the setting up of universities, at least public ones, but very little about private universities. So, with respect for private initiatives, we set out with my colleagues to visit the various institutions and find out how they were faring. There is no need to tell you that after each of our trips we had stories to tell about our findings, some hilarious, others horror stories, and some serious ones but needing a huge boost to achieve the aim of a respectable and respected institution! Even the old Makerere University needed a real shake-up to get to standards acceptable internationally. Eventually they would get there but it took them quite some time to reach a semblance of their past glory!

It became quickly obvious that we had to clamp down on some institutions and make them change course. The main problem appeared to be staffing, and we found that in some institutions, mainly private ones, non-qualified staff were teaching undergraduate courses, and in a few cases even undergraduates were teaching post-graduate students! It was easy for us to put down rules to be observed to have qualified staff but it was not that easy to have this implemented. The answer was simple: to inform the defaulters that their programmes should be accredited by the National Council and that without this, the qualifications students obtained would be invalid in Uganda. The Act on Higher Education stipulated that programmes had to be accredited by the National Council, so at least we had the backing of the law. At the beginning it caused quite a stir but the heads of the various institutions understood quickly that they had no choice if they wanted their institution to survive. With public institutions the problem was minimal and we managed to convince the managers of public universities that it was in their own interests to follow the given guidelines. In private institutions it was more difficult and we were often faced with stubborn refusals to abide by the guidelines. Painful steps had to be taken and over the course of my four years as Deputy Executive Director, we closed a few institutions to the horror of some and the delight of others. I recall one institution which had been closed. We had received information that they were continuing operating. So one of our assistants in quality assurance, was sent on a mission to make sure things were in good order. He had been advised to have a police escort with him as the head of the institution could at times have the most erratic of behaviours. He visited the place and met some staff and students who told him they had been informed by the head that they could continue operating. On asking where the head was, nobody could give him a satisfactory answer. Police were given instructions to ensure the institution remained closed and we learned some time later that the head of the institution had been hiding under a hedge during the visit and made sure not to be seen! How can one go to such lengths to avoid reprimand! We had a good laugh. But the fellow persisted and a series of court cases ensued.

One thing which I felt was needed was to create a good spirit among the staff, as we were only fourteen. So the idea of operating our own canteen came up. One person wanted a place were sandwiches and snacks would be served, but all the other staff insisted that something more substantial be served. So a vote was taken and the wishes of the staff prevailed. But, as I had been asked to make the project operational, we ensured that everyone could get what he or she wanted for the lunch break, including sandwiches on demand! To our surprise all staff joined for lunch except our “sandwich man” who never joined us for lunch. So much for the sandwiches! But we did enjoy the excellent “matooke”, (plantain), with groundnut sauce accompanied with greens and twice a week some small pieces of beef or chicken in a delicious sauce. We had found a young chef and we never complained about his work. These were excellent moments of togetherness enabling us to relax from the daily work and break barriers which might exist between staff at different levels.

Another initiative I brought up was a weekly staff meeting, first thing on Monday morning, to assess the past week and plan for the coming week. This proved excellent and each one felt free to express views and opinions and so a real team spirit grew among us. Things could also be proposed and some good ideas helped in improving the operations of the Council.

But then time flies when you are busy working for the quality of higher education. The Council Board itself sat four times a year and these were moments where we had, as staff of the Council, to explain our actions and plans. Usually things went smoothly but sometimes pressure was exerted on some by Council members to get their agenda through. We had the good fortune to have an excellent chairman and he managed to bring consensus among he Council members when he sensed possible dissent. It enabled us to perform our tasks well and over the years we were credited with praise for our work. In four years I had put up a strong Quality Assurance Department and it was time for me to move on and leave the task to the younger generation. At the end of my contract, in December 2010, I asked not to have it renewed and it was accepted. The time had come for me to answer a serious question: retire completely or keep busy with things I liked. Well the second option was my choice and Herself gave me the opportunity to give a hand in the finance department of the “International Health Sciences University” of which she was the founding Vice Chancellor. This task did not last very long as she resigned from her position of Vice Chancellor on grounds that I cannot divulge here. All credit to her for it! This brought us to have lengthy discussions at home on what next and a brand new idea came up, moving into the twenty-first century and bring higher education to a new level. This for the next blogs: the “Virtual University of Uganda”, with which I finally ended my professional working life in Uganda. Watch this space!

Moving to Kampala, August 2006

So our time in Nkozi was over and we had to decide what next! In the meantime we had tied our lives together for better and for worse. The most reasonable solution was to find a place in Kampala and move ourselves and the canines to the capital. We went house hunting and quickly found a place which we could rent in the periphery of Kampala, the suburb of Bugolobi. If you look on a map of Kampala, you will find that Bugolobi is situated on the outskirts of Kampala and giving you access to the road to Jinja in the East of the country. It also gave easy access to the centre of town. Its greatest asset was a nearby Shell petrol station which had next to it an exquisite Pizza place and they delivered home! Very often when giving directions we would tell people to “go to Bugolobi Shell Petrol station” and take it from there. We had no idea for how long this house would be our abode, but it suited us for the time being. A strange building it was, with different levels in the house, clearly showing all kinds of additions. One had to be very careful in the kitchen not to walk too fast as you would end up tumbling down an uneven step or hit your head on a low ceiling which was cutting the kitchen into two. We learned very quickly how to manoeuvre in this environment. The garage was the strangest of places. You could enter via the kitchen but to get out you had to take a big step up and then down. Now how you get a car in there remains a mystery to me! In any case we needed space to put our many things and the garage turned out to be a very good storage place. Within this garage there was the strangest little room with shower. It had a small window to the outside and would have to do as a study for the time being. The defunct shower room then became storage for our boxes of books!

When we got there with two lorries of goods, having travelled all the way from Nkozi, offloading went smoothly, even if goods had moved throughout the trip. Not too much damage (our guys at Nkozi were far from being professional movers!) But the goods got to Kampala and this was the main thing. I had followed with the dogs, which was another story! I must say they were not always happy in the back of the car, but they too got safely to Bugolobi. And so we were there for our first evening; there was not much as a welcome meal but at least we could have a small drink! Do not talk about the first night’s ‘sleep’ in Kampala. I have never been mosquito infested like this. I think we spent most of the time hitting and flapping our arms to chase those little pests! Also do not ask me how we felt when the morning light came up! Relief, but at the same time with faces, scalp, arms and legs pocked with mosquito bites. Luckily it seems Kampala mosquitoes do not carry malaria and we did not have any after effects of these little invaders presence and attacks. Quickly we found out that where we were located we were at a stone’s throw of the nearby swamp, so this certainly explains the many mosquitoes. For those living nearer to the swamp (and it was supposed to be a residential area) life must have been a continuous war zone.

Quickly we settled down into our new place and arranged things in such a way that the house would be comfortable and welcoming. And so it was! We would be able to invite some friends for a house warming party. It also turned out that one of our neighbours was the Belgian Ambassador and quickly we became friends. Our housekeeper from Nkozi followed us as well as one gardener. So there we were, a small new community in the capital of the land! The gardener quickly found ways and means to plant vegetables and after a few weeks we had some fresh produce at our disposal. Not bad for a start in the big city! Our housekeeper had a place behind the house where she set up quarters, rather comfortably. Behind that, another place was arranged for our gardener and he too was a happy punter in his new abode! At the end of this place there was a small open room in which we installed a generator as Kampala was prone to power cuts at unannounced times and for unspecified periods of time.
I have never understood people who build houses in Uganda. Next to the master bedroom was an enormous bathroom, almost the size of the bedroom. In it there was a jacuzzi which did not work and a slippery floor where your life was in constant danger! You learn very quickly where to put your wet feet! Next to the master bedroom there were two bedrooms and one bathroom. A living room and a dining room next to the kitchen completed the place. All in all not too big but certainly sufficient to put all our belongings. So the garage and other rooms were fully used as storage spaces.

So time had come for us to start a new life. My “Irish colleague”, Dee, was to take some months off after the 13 years at Nkozi, and I would take on a new job at the National Council for Higher Education as Deputy Executive Director in charge of Quality Assurance. And so on the first day of September I set off to my new work place and was looking forward to meet my new colleagues. I was welcomed, sure, by those present, but the Executive Director was absent and there was no office space foreseen for me. So my first day was rather brief with a look around the place, meet a few colleagues, read a few papers and back home in the early afternoon. There would definitely be work to be done in the months and years to come! After two weeks I came back home and my better half told me she had received a phone call from a businessman in town, asking her to set up a university for him. Consideration would be given to this project, and the few months rest saw their way out the window!

Our stay in Bugolobi did not last very long as one day a pleasant young couple turned up and informed us they had bought the house! When are you moving out? No, not again just after having moved in. So house hunting started again and this time we decided that if we could find a place we could purchase we would do it. Given the job I had it should be near enough to reasonable access roads to my place of work. After serious consideration, Dee accepted the challenge to set up a new university. So our place should not be too far from where she would work. One afternoon she phoned me at the office. “Please come over immediately, I think I have found the ideal place!” So there we were at a beautiful residence, up for sale, with all the amenities you could dream of. A bit big with four bedrooms and bathrooms, a kitchen through which a lorry could be driven, a massive sitting room and dining room and each bedroom with its own bathroom and direct access to a private terrace. Not bad at all. We fell in love with it and rather quickly the needful steps for the purchase were completed. We had no money, but then a solution is always to be found and we found it. So in March 2007 we moved again to a place called Bunga at the other end of town and near Lake Victoria. It was a stone’s throw away from the place I had worked years earlier, Ggaba National Seminary. Life’s twists and turns can be strange. One feature of the house which really enthused us were the wooden floors: thick mahogany parquet floors and a massive wooden staircase to the top floor. What a mansion! It was rather a big difference with what we had before but then why not! At least, for the first years, our families would be able to visit us and have some space to breathe while with us, and so they did – many times!

Really for both of us a new life was starting, and over the years we would try our best to contribute in a positive way to higher education in Uganda. All this for other blogs! Just relax for now and wait for new stories later.

Some corrective after-thought, not so random!

A few days ago I was reading a blog, Jacana Days, from my “Irish colleague” on her experience in Nkozi. Well I must say the picture was pretty grim and one wonders how she managed to stick it out there.

I must admit that there was a lot of truth in what she wrote and I do remember the rodents scouting the then kitchen of the university. They were in fact well fed and healthy! I remember too the pitiful state in which the infrastructure was found; it really was a war zone. Two armies, the Obote 2 army and the National Resistance army were facing each other in the early 1980s. The first one was camped on the then Teacher Training College campus, now UMU, the other in the valley of the Katonga river. When travelling from Masaka to Nkozi you reach a point where you see a hill with radio masts: that is Nkozi. That was where the armies were camped and it is not difficult to imagine how this hill became a perfect target point for exact and precise shooting and bombing! Sure, roofs were blown off and buildings collapsed, but we still had something left when we took over. Walls can be rebuilt, roofs replaced and amenities restored. As we were the new occupants and did not know much about the past of the place, except that it was a former Teacher Training College run by the Sacred Heart Sisters and later became a National Teacher Training College, run by Government, we were entering with an almost clean slate! Not so clean in fact! Bats had taken residence on campus and we never managed to really get rid of them. At one time we did remove all the tiles of roofs and wash them as well as the concrete roofs of some buildings, disinfecting them with the strongest possible chemical! All very good for the environment (not)! The bats returned, seemingly happy to settle down once again in a clean environment! So you learn to live with them and that is what I told our students on many occasions.

I must admire the stubbornness of my “Irish colleague” (she is from Belfast!) to bite through all these difficulties and stick it out not only in this unwelcoming environment but also with my own stubbornness in wanting to see the university get off the ground. In fact, it brought us together and over the years we did manage to set up a class university. Maybe the sight of rubble, bat dung and all other unpleasant objects, made us both appreciate the efforts made to clean it up and make it a place where it was good to be.
She is also a musician and composed the university anthem; in the second stanza she wrote:

“May we remain faithful to the name: Uganda Martyrs University,
a place of love where it is good to be,
guide us in wisdom to lead the world. Virtute et Sapientia.”

I am sure that the thoughts of the first months at Nkozi gave her some inspiration in writing this and were constantly at the back of her mind.

In my blogs about Uganda Martyrs University I have been rather factual but her blog brings a breath of fresh air to it all. Maybe the two combined give us a more exact picture of Uganda Martyrs University. I attach herewith three pictures one of the original gate to the university when we arrived there, and two of the administration building before and after renovations. On the first photo of the admin building are the very first visitors to campus in 1993, we amongst them, and another photo of cleaning and beautifying the campus. Maybe this gives a better picture of the place! But if you go today, you are entering a marvellous world of green, flowers and shrubs. The campus is back to its old glory: a beautiful botanical garden. And in fact one of our pioneer staff got all the trees on campus identified and marked with their scientific name! Could you have a better environment, conducive to study?

Part 6 University Library and Farm

In my previous blog I mentioned the university library and the university farm. It was a challenge to put up a library worth the name of university library. In fact, one cannot talk of a university if it does not have a top rated library put at the disposal of students, researchers and staff, a library worth the name! We had some initial ideas but as new technologies were developing fast we thought that we should incorporate all these in our plans. A member of the faculty of architecture drew plans for a new library building. I wanted it to be a state-of-the-art space that would give its users all the means to gather the information they needed. I mentioned earlier that we had to pull down one building, in fact termites had had a major share in this work, and as the land was on a rather steep slope, the planner used this natural terrain for the project. A structure of one floor would be sufficient at the main quadrangle level, but but with two levels below. This would fit perfectly well amid the structures already existing. As we had to dig serious foundations, it was also decided to have this space as storage for library materials, a small museum to exhibit the artefacts that had been donated to the university, and some spacious reading space. At the centre of the main library hall we installed a set of computers for access to information and data. This required us to purchase important uninterrupted power supply (UPS) equipment to support the IT equipment we had installed. It all worked out very well and after one year we could proudly inaugurate the “Archbishop Kiwanuka Memorial Library”. On inauguration day, presided over by the Apostolic Nuncio to Uganda, the librarian, in her speech, said “There are not many librarians who can say: I have a new library!”. She did a wonderful job making sure things would be a work of class and high professionalism. Our stock of books was impressive and we concentrated on what was needed to support the various programmes we were offering. On top of that we had access to internet, even if still slow by today’s standards, but it worked, and the doors of international information flew open!

Another major development was the university farm. As we had 600 acres of land down in the valley it would have been a shame not to put this to use. It was not difficult to set aside one big chunk for the farm. A Belgian NGO offered to assist us in the setting up of the farm, and a young agronomist with his family soon joined the university community. What a man he was and what energy! He used his skills to the maximum and soon we saw the fruits of his work and initiatives blossom. Cattle, pigs, fields of maize, a plant for animal feeds, a milk place etc. Then came the poultry department which soon reached the number of 10.000 birds! My goodness, what was happening? We had eggs and milk in plenty for the university community, and the surplus had to be disposed of. A marketing plan had to be developed and soon “Equator Valley Farm” acquired a good name in town for the quality of its animal feeds, its eggs and milk products. After some years we hired a Ugandan General Manager for the farm and he put his heart into the development of the project. During my time, various buildings came up on the site and I understand that, at present, the faculty of Agriculture has moved its premises to the farm. Well done folks! But more important, the impact of the university was felt in the local community. When we started at Nkozi in 1993, the neighbouring village of Kayabwe along the main road from Kampala to Masaka, comprised some twenty shops; today it has become a major commercial centre with its streets and economic facilities such as bank, petrol station etc. Really UMU was contributing to the development of the region and its importance cannot be ignored.

Other projects we realised included the setting up of a police post in Nkozi, the distribution of franchises for businesspeople to build halls of residence, the development of an eco-system down in the swamp (you could actually take a short boat ride to see the water wildlife), the start of the UMU Press where we published six volumes on various topics, the setting up of a School of Postgraduate Studies, an outreach programme for an orphanage in the vicinity, student exchange programme with the Netherlands, the first PhD programme, numerous new buildings were built further up the hill (the students called this part of campus ‘West Nile’ because it was far away from the admin building, a dining hall extension, a Nursery school that eventually became a full primary school, a fully-kitted out football team, we hosted five international conferences, started the first programme on democracy for politicians and aspiring politicians (some of whom are in key posts today) … I could go on.

But slowly I could feel that my time as Vice Chancellor was coming to an end – there was no need to cling to the place and maybe get set in my ways. It was time to look for a replacement, and by 2006 we had found a Ugandan university professor, oncologist by training and then working in Canada, who was willing to return to Uganda and take over from me. He would bring on board what we had not been able to do, maybe out of fear of the magnitude of the enterprise or simply because of lack of guts on my part, the setting up of a post-graduate school of Medicine linked to Nsambya Hospital in Kampala. But this is not my story and history will certainly remember it.

A last thing which had to be considered, if we wanted to reach more students, was the development of the university beyond its walls of Nkozi. We already had a study centre in Kampala for evening courses for professionals (Mas and MBAs), but to reach as many people as possible, it was felt necessary to set up upcountry study centres, which could eventually become university colleges. The four corners of the country were targetted and, in using existing premises offered by dioceses, we were in a position to give the opportunity to young women and men to pursue university studies. My main idea was to keep a unitary institution with a series of constituent colleges around the country. This would give to the university a stronger base and a wider outreach.

I can say at the end of these few lines that Uganda Martyrs University will always hold a special place in my heart. With all my colleagues we worked hard and the fruits are there to be seen today. I am aware that there will be ups and downs in the life of the university but with what we planted I believe the roots are strong enough to withstand the tempest and hardships of time. Thirteen years to set up a university seemed to me a good time to say thank you for the experience and the many good moments and times spent at UMU. I would certainly use this experience and my further work in Uganda would benefit of these precious moments in my life. All these things might come in another blog post! !

For the moment, au revoir Nkozi

Part 5 Setting up Faculties and Institutes

So there we were: Uganda Martyrs University was up and running. All things were progressing smoothly, and we were creating a good routine which we hoped would be helpful for the development of the university. Infrastructure and rehabilitation works continued, and during the first academic year some interested donors visited the university. I never thought it would be so easy to fundraise when you have a good and solid project with clear objectives. And so we finally saw some light, and the works started by the Steering Committee could be completed, or at least given a final touch with the necessary adjustments. You have to know that not all people are of the same physical build and that some are taller than others. So when fixing doors this should be taken into account as not everyone is a dwarf. But the first developers of UMU did not realise this. Some door frames had to be removed and the open space widened and heightened so as to accommodate people of a certain hight, such as myself to avoid breaking heads or necks. All these little things took time and we finally completed the administration building. The basic rule I used was simple: Do not destroy anything and see how best you can renovate and use existing structures. At the end of the day we had only one major building to pull down and that gave us space for what would become, at a much later date, the university library. Donors who believe in what you want to do make your task so much easier! You know who you are. Heartfelt thanks.

But let us go back to our academic world. Setting up faculties is not just the result of a dream that materialised during a fertile out-night! We had to plan for the future with a fair degree of seriousness. We arranged with one of our major donors to have a meeting at Nkozi with some twelve academics from various universities the world over, and together we hammered out some basic ideas on how best to develop the university. Exchanging ideas with colleagues who have a good experience in academia, did produce results, and this gave us a really well worked out (if basic) Strategic Plan. The donors were delighted with the work done and we concluded this dialogue with a two-day visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park, with all the trappings to make it as nice and comfortable as possible. Staying in “the wild” for a few days did everyone the greatest good and contacts were created that would be precious for the future growth of Uganda Martyrs University. This one-week session was formally concluded some weeks later by an internal work session of our own academic and senior administrative staff where we finalised the future plans for UMU. By then we had a more developed Strategic Plan and we would base the future of the university on it. My goodness, how great we felt after all this work; enthusiasm to see the university grow was so visible in everyone involved.

We had started the university with an Institute of Ethics and Development Studies and were well aware we were trail blazers with this innovation. Other universities would follow later but we were the first in Africa to link Ethics and Development Studies. This came from the basic idea we had on how best to help Uganda with its problems of dealing with mismanagement and corruption. We were aware that education was the key to development, so we thought that linking Development and Ethics might pay off in the training of young women and men who could make a difference in society. And indeed, some of our graduates would later stand up for ethical values in their professional life.

Developing Business Studies brought us to think of the sciences. We were fortunate to have the offer of a university lecturer working in South Africa who was ready to leave her institution. She offered to come to UMU, and with her an impetus was given to science studies, especially mathematics. Soon after, the idea of Education as an important component in higher education became evident and the Faculty of Education was born. As we were living in a country which needed some basic services and one of them was a good health sector, Health Sciences, especially Public Health, was brought on board. It took some time to move from a simple certificate in Health Sciences to a fully fledged faculty offering both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of study, but with the assistance of outstanding academics from Italy this became a reality.

Through the assistance of some donors, “Engineers without Borders”, we welcomed into our midst a team of young architecture students from the university of Ghent with their professor. He himself had already visited us before and drawn up plans for our university farm. This group drafted for us a master plan for the development of the university campus, and proposed a series of new buildings which would fit within the existing campus. They, in turn, brought up the idea of a Faculty of Architecture which, with the help of other donors, soon saw the light of day at Nkozi. This would later become the Faculty of the Built Environment. And so by 2000, we had five faculties and a variety of programmes at all levels. It was at this time that our first PhD students enrolled and soon two of our own staff would become the pioneer PhD candidates. But when you think of PhDs why not think of honorary degrees? In the year 2000, the university was proud to present two honorary degrees, one to the former Secretary of the Steering Committee, for his contribution to higher education, the other to a colleague from the university of Ghent in Belgium, who had been instrumental in initiating the faculty of Architecture, for his contribution to Development and Sciences. Visitors were congratulating us on our achievements and I must say that we were proud of it all. At this time one of the contributors of the Faculty of Architecture, would design the plans for a new university library. A word about this in another blog.

One last link was still needed in our academic developments. We were living in a rural area and it seemed logical that we would give a hand to the development of agriculture in the region. And so the last faculty set up during my tenure saw the light: Agriculture. It started with a certificate programme to assist local farmers and indeed it attracted a good number of people who wished to see their skills improve. Since it was a practical faculty we linked it to the university farm which was developing nicely on the lower part of campus. I will devote a blog on the setting up of the university farm and all its developments. That’s for a later story.

Well, there we were in the early twenty first century with a new university which could claim some real status in the world of higher education in Uganda and East Africa. Our staff had been working hard and they could be proud of the work they did in helping setting up Uganda Martyrs University. There had been tears of sorrow and joy, difficult times and misunderstandings, but it was all worth it! Uganda Martyrs University was a reality and no longer just a dream Archbishop Kiwanuka had in 1941!

Part 4. The First academic year

We were all set up by the end of August and had just a few remaining things to put in place. The Registrar, Bernard, was finalizing paperwork for the first students and I had had some Senate meetings to discuss academic matters.
The first official start of the first academic year was to be on 18 October 1993. This date was chosen as it was the anniversary of the canonisation of the Uganda Martyrs and it would be the feast day of the university for a number of years to come. So students were expected to be on campus a few days before that date to enable us to lay some ground rules for all. Surprise, surprise, on 8 September 1993 a first young man appeared at the gates of UMU. “I have come to study at UMU and come from Koboko”. “Wow all that travelling, Koboko is at the border of South Sudan, but you are one month early! You must have received a note from the Registrar informing you of the postponement of the opening of the university till mid-October.” “No Sir, we do not receive post regularly at our place and it is far away!” “Well then you have to go back to Kampala and wait for the opening date” “But how do I live in Kampala?” “Well let us be good to you and we will give you some pocket money for one month if you find your own accommodation in town” And so our first student, now Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs at UMU, returned to Kampala for a month’s waiting. This incident gave us some impetus to make sure all would be in order to receive the students. On 15 October the first group arrived, some with their parents and suitcases and some on their own with little baggage. One had a simple cloth at the end of a stick hanging over his shoulder, his clothes were the ones he was wearing, and in the little bag some small things he would need during his stay. Rooms were allocated and students shown to their respective places which would be theirs for the next three years! There was excitement all over campus and some people even complimented us on the quality of the surrounding and the infrastructures. I must say that our team had worked miracles in revamping what little infrastructure there was and made it as habitable as possible. At least we had running water, the quality of which was not the best, and electricity, at least in an interrupted form due to load-shedding and the poor state of the poles! We had lecture halls, a computer classroom, and a small library. For the arrival day, the kitchen staff had prepared a nice meal and the caterer would, over the coming years, create an atmosphere of welcome through succulent meals, which would soon become the envy of other Ugandan universities. I will say something more about this later.

So there we were, a small team of staff and 84 new students, on a campus which resembled in some aspects a real battle field interspersed with decent buildings but the whole was set in a lush green environment resembling a botanical garden. Over the years it would be greatly improved and become a benchmark in university infrastructures in Uganda. The first evening was left to the new students to meet and get acquainted round a good meal. A meeting was scheduled the next morning where I would meet with them all and explain a few basic rules of the institution. The Registrar would do his part in addressing the students and so would the Assistant Registrar, Students’ Affairs. And then the first official act would be to register all students and give them their identity cards. It makes me smile today at what we did then, but it was good and efficient and within about three hours all students were registered and had their official students’ card. With a polaroid camera we had a photograph of each one taken, at the next table a little card was printed and at the next table the photo and the card were passed through a small laminating machine. We heard oohs and aahs from the students amazed at this “modern” technology! We thought we had achieved something by being so efficient and it was up to us all, staff and students, to be true to it and ensure that the university would take off in the best and strongest conditions. Well this became the rule for us all: quality work produced by all. This was my message and the message of the team. The students quickly jumped on this bandwagon and would really put their heart into their work and make of UMU a place “where it is good to be!” As we were a Catholic-founded institution we had a nice chapel on campus, and the chaplain, the former secretary of the steering committee, my friend Hilary, would make sure that a spiritual tone be given to activities on campus. But I insisted that we were open to all philosophies and faiths and never would we discriminate against someone not part of the catholic community, be it at the level of selection or during their stay on campus. A Church of Uganda minister would visit campus regularly and the Muslim students could attend prayers at the nearby mosque. This would pave the way to a strong sense of community spirit which would prevail all through my years at Nkozi campus. And here I am grateful to our first staff who fully backed me in this! On 18 October 1993, a solemn celebration took place in the chapel to mark the official start of the first academic year and the university was placed under the protection of the good Lord. Simplicity in what we did and said would soon be the general rule, and there would be not much need to repeat things, as all, staff and students alike, were eager to see the place take off well. All wanted to pave the way for the future and a real spirit of community took hold of us all. And the next day, on Monday 19 October 1993, the first lectures were give at Uganda Martyrs University. We had taken off!
You will recall what I said about the infrastructures in an earlier blog. Well there were the women and men who would work hard both intellectually and manually, to make the place their home. Community work was done by all and even my dog “Lady” was keen on helping all in their labour. During this first academic year we would clear a few more buildings and soon a small shop was opened and a staff club installed in one of the buildings. We felt good with this and thought we had really become a university! Landscaping was done in front of what was to be the administration building after having moved a mountain of rubble from the site. Within a year the whole place was transformed into a really nice and classy place.
I told you earlier that the caterer was doing wonders with the little means she had. Sundays became know as “Chicken Sunday”, as lunch served succulent chicken. Students are students, and some of them went to Kampala for the weekend and soon the news travelled that Sunday lunch at Nkozi was special. Friends turned up on Sunday mornings and soon the dining hall was overcrowded by people. Soon we found out that this number, greater than the actual student population of UMU, had been reached by visitors from other universities who came to see their “friends” at UMU. It turned out quickly that their purpose of the visit was the “chicken Sunday” lunch! We had to put a brake on it as it would be unsustainable for us to feed so many who were not part of our community. You can allow a few visitors but when the number of visitors equals the number of residents, there is a problem. But yes, we had indeed acquired a good name through the class and quality work of our caterer! God bless her for this generosity, but our budget had to be adhered to if we wanted to survive a full academic year! We struggled through the year and our resources were drained quickly. Thank God there were donors who helped us, and they would always come in at the right moment to make our lives what they were. A fair share of my work during those early years was given to fund-raising.
Time flew past us and in no time we had reached May 1994 and time for the first exams. I have never seen such quiet place as that examination room where all students were seated to write their papers, supervised by the Vice Chancellor, the Registrar and all academic staff. None had the intention of cheating in any way and this too became a norm at UMU even if there were incidences where some tried their luck at unnecessary cheating! Some young ladies had notes written on their thighs, while others asked for a short call to read notes taped inside a toilet cistern! All very inventive!
But we had made it, and now that we had completed one full year it was time to think about an official opening/launching of the university with the installation of the university officials and invite a special guest for the occasion, the President of Uganda, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He graced this occasion with his wife and all were happy that outsiders had witnessed the event and seen that officials from the Ministry of Education and Sports had endorsed the university. The then Minister of Education, thanks to a good word from the Director of Higher Education who had backed us all the way, became a good friend of the university and this helped us to grow properly in the years to come. We could all say “ad multos annos UMU!”

Part 3 Arrival of the containers

In no time we had reached the end of June and already repair works were in full swing at the campus. Three halls of residence were cleaned, and water and electricity checked and repaired. There is no need to tell you the condition in which we found this infrastructure but our plumber was not a man afraid of dirtying his hands. So by the end of August we found ourselves in possession of some decent places to accommodate the first students. Two blocks for classrooms were cleaned up and painted, one of them becoming the first library. My colleague from Ireland would take on the responsibility of helping the newly-appointed librarian. So we had the physical space for our first academic year; now we had to furnish all this so that we could operate in a more or less reasonable fashion.
As we were cleaning up a hall of residence I received information, somewhere in mid-July, that the two containers were on their way to Kampala and would arrive the next day. Could I arrange to be in Kampala to receive them and move them to Nkozi. Now this was naïve on my part to take this for granted, but I did. Had I forgotten my past experiences? How could a container arrive and in one day have customs’ clearance and all necessary paperwork completed! Anyhow I went to Kampala with my packing lists and a promise from President Museveni who had given us a full tax exemption to import all goods for the university. It was on this basis that I naively thought things would be easy but Murphy was on duty big time!
The office of the forwarding company was visited and I was informed that the containers were on their way but that they were in no position to tell me when they would arrive. “It may take from one week up to three weeks” Oops! First piece of bad news! “Come back in a week and maybe the containers will be here and we can then clear them!” “How will I know they are here?” “Just phone us!” Yes but we had no phone in Nkozi and mobile phones did not exist! So back I went to Nkozi in the hope that after a week I would have good news. We arranged a special trip to Kampala for some shopping and I popped into the office of the forwarding company. “Good news, the containers have arrived! We will do the needful and then they can be moved to Nkozi!” How long will that take? “No idea! That depends on the customs officers and all the needed paperwork”. “But I have a tax exemption, so it should be fast” “Yes but papers are needed and they have to be fully stamped. Come back in three days and things should be fine.” Second piece of bad news! And so it was back to Nkozi without anything, apart from some goods for us at home and for the university.
After three days I ventured back to Kampala and to the office where I hoped to have good news. “Well, customs cannot clear anything yet as the papers from the President’s office have not arrived yet!” Oops, again! “Maybe you could contact them and ask for the papers?” “Yes, but I do not know anybody there and then what!” But just then I had a stroke of good luck when I bumped into the commissioner of customs whom I had known in Mbarara. I explained my case and he took it upon himself to arrange things. He phoned to State House and within a few minutes instructions were passed on to customs to release the two containers. Hourrah for this! I asked when the containers would be released and he answered me “Well give us a few days to complete the paperwork!” Third act of said Murphy! “But do not get upset; things will work out for you and the university will have everything it needs when the containers are released.” Well this I knew as I had done all the shopping myself. “Come back tomorrow morning and maybe things will be completed.”
Could I believe this or was it just a tactic to calm my nerves and impatience? Ok, the next morning I was at the customs’ office and proudly the commissioner handed over all documents to me. You can go to the clearing office and they will release the two lorries with the containers. At 10.30 am that same morning we were on the way to Nkozi, me sitting in front in the first lorry together with a customs officer and a guy form the forwarding company and an insurance guy plus two armed policemen, just in case! It took us some three hours to reach Nkozi but we got there and proud as anything we drove up the road to campus, welcomed by the few staff and big smiles.
“Where do we offload these two boxes?” I was asked by the company man. Let us reverse down to my house where there is ample space to put everything. Moreover, one container was mine and could be used as storage. So we moved to the designated place and the customs officer broke the seals of the first container. If ever you had a shock in your life, this was it. Stations four, five, six and seven of the Way of the Cross in one go! Opening the door of the container, a big black void! What happened and where are the goods? I climbed into the container and found my academic gown crumpled on the floor with a few books and two big wooden crates but nothing else. Where were the boxes with computers, printers etc. Nothing to be seen. The guy from the company flatly told us that maybe the things had been stolen on the way! “Yes but the seals were on the container!” “That does not mean anything! Anyone can remove them and put them back.” So what next? The company man, after agreeing with the customs’ officer, then said “let us empty the two containers and tomorrow we make an inventory with the insurance guy.” “Yes but can the driver not give an explanation?” He insisted vigorously that nothing had happened on the way and he was not aware of any theft. It took us another hour to get my container off the lorry because some bright spark had welded it on the lorry! The second container was almost complete with my car at the back. It was emptied except for the car. “Why?” “Oh, this has to be cleared by customs!” I could not believe what I heard. Oops another blow! So the lorry drove back to Kampala with my car which was placed in customs’ bond until all papers were cleared. In the meantime we filled in insurance papers and the guy from Lloyds was good enough to compile a full report which was sent to the headquarters of the insurance company. Lucky me that I had taken a full insurance before leaving Belgium and this against the advice of the forwarding company. “We never have any problems with lost goods!” Aha!
It took a few more days to have my car cleared and this should have been very fast as it was more than a year old and thus tax exempted. Again my friend the commissioner intervened and got it cleared immediately, but not before a customs officer had spent, I do no know how long, filling in unnecessary papers. But my car I got and drove it back to Nkozi myself.
Now what was the damage done by all this saga. Some 36 computers lost and 36 printers. They were intended to set up a (then) state-of-the-art computer classroom. Pallets with all personal goods for my Irish colleague, most crates with my library and household goods. The books for the university as well as the goods of my Irish colleague and of the students returning to Uganda after completion of their studies in Belgium. I visited the manager of the forwarding company in Kampala and explained the story. He just looked at me and baffled me when he said “I cannot do anything as I am sure the goods were stolen in Kenya and I am responsible for Uganda only!” “But all was CIF Nkozi!” “No Sir, this is not my problem”. My answer was prompt and sharp “You will hear from me soon, I am flying to Belgium and will go straight to the HQ of your company!” Hear from me he did and within a week he was dismissed from his job. I am sure he never forgave me for that! I had a long talk with the company lawyer who discussed with the insurance people. I got a fair amount back but as for all insurance policies it is never what you would like to have. This enabled me to go on a shopping spree in Belgium and fill up some crates with goods to replace the lost ones. In the meantime I had met another Belgian in Kampala who was director of another forwarding company. I had explained my misfortunes and generously he offered to bring all the goods I would purchase into Uganda by air at no cost. This would be his company’s contribution to the university. All this had brought me to the end of my Way of the Cross and to the Resurrection. We could now start putting everything in place and by the time the first students arrived in October 1993 we had a small library with the books we had salvaged and a container of books received from World Vision. A computer classroom was installed and offices equipped so that work could start. We were proud to have reached that point! Students were welcome! But at a huge personal cost!

Part 3. Arrival of the containers

In no time we had reached the end of June and already repair works were in full swing at the campus. Three halls of residence were cleaned, and water and electricity checked and repaired. There is no need to tell you the condition in which we found this infrastructure but our plumber was not a man afraid of dirtying his hands. So by the end of August we found ourselves in possession of some decent places to accommodate the first students. Two blocks for classrooms were cleaned up and painted, one of them becoming the first library. My colleague from Ireland would take on the responsibility of helping the newly-appointed librarian. So we had the physical space for our first academic year; now we had to furnish all this so that we could operate in a more or less reasonable fashion.
As we were cleaning up a hall of residence I received information, somewhere in mid-July, that the two containers were on their way to Kampala and would arrive the next day. Could I arrange to be in Kampala to receive them and move them to Nkozi. Now this was naïve on my part to take this for granted, but I did. Had I forgotten my past experiences? How could a container arrive and in one day have customs’ clearance and all necessary paperwork completed! Anyhow I went to Kampala with my packing lists and a promise from President Museveni who had given us a full tax exemption to import all goods for the university. It was on this basis that I naively thought things would be easy but Murphy was on duty big time!
The office of the forwarding company was visited and I was informed that the containers were on their way but that they were in no position to tell me when they would arrive. “It may take from one week up to three weeks” Oops! First piece of bad news! “Come back in a week and maybe the containers will be here and we can then clear them!” “How will I know they are here?” “Just phone us!” Yes but we had no phone in Nkozi and mobile phones did not exist! So back I went to Nkozi in the hope that after a week I would have good news. We arranged a special trip to Kampala for some shopping and I popped into the office of the forwarding company. “Good news, the containers have arrived! We will do the needful and then they can be moved to Nkozi!” How long will that take? “No idea! That depends on the customs officers and all the needed paperwork”. “But I have a tax exemption, so it should be fast” “Yes but papers are needed and they have to be fully stamped. Come back in three days and things should be fine.” Second piece of bad news! And so it was back to Nkozi without anything, apart from some goods for us at home and for the university.
After three days I ventured back to Kampala and to the office where I hoped to have good news. “Well, customs cannot clear anything yet as the papers from the President’s office have not arrived yet!” Oops, again! “Maybe you could contact them and ask for the papers?” “Yes, but I do not know anybody there and then what!” But just then I had a stroke of good luck when I bumped into the commissioner of customs whom I had known in Mbarara. I explained my case and he took it upon himself to arrange things. He phoned to State House and within a few minutes instructions were passed on to customs to release the two containers. Hourrah for this! I asked when the containers would be released and he answered me “Well give us a few days to complete the paperwork!” Third act of said Murphy! “But do not get upset; things will work out for you and the university will have everything it needs when the containers are released.” Well this I knew as I had done all the shopping myself. “Come back tomorrow morning and maybe things will be completed.”
Could I believe this or was it just a tactic to calm my nerves and impatience? Ok, the next morning I was at the customs’ office and proudly the commissioner handed over all documents to me. You can go to the clearing office and they will release the two lorries with the containers. At 10.30 am that same morning we were on the way to Nkozi, me sitting in front in the first lorry together with a customs officer and a guy form the forwarding company and an insurance guy plus two armed policemen, just in case! It took us some three hours to reach Nkozi but we got there and proud as anything we drove up the road to campus, welcomed by the few staff and big smiles.
“Where do we offload these two boxes?” I was asked by the company man. Let us reverse down to my house where there is ample space to put everything. Moreover, one container was mine and could be used as storage. So we moved to the designated place and the customs officer broke the seals of the first container. If ever you had a shock in your life, this was it. Stations four, five, six and seven of the Way of the Cross in one go! Opening the door of the container, a big black void! What happened and where are the goods? I climbed into the container and found my academic gown crumpled on the floor with a few books and two big wooden crates but nothing else. Where were the boxes with computers, printers etc. Nothing to be seen. The guy from the company flatly told us that maybe the things had been stolen on the way! “Yes but the seals were on the container!” “That does not mean anything! Anyone can remove them and put them back.” So what next? The company man, after agreeing with the customs’ officer, then said “let us empty the two containers and tomorrow we make an inventory with the insurance guy.” “Yes but can the driver not give an explanation?” He insisted vigorously that nothing had happened on the way and he was not aware of any theft. It took us another hour to get my container off the lorry because some bright spark had welded it on the lorry! The second container was almost complete with my car at the back. It was emptied except for the car. “Why?” “Oh, this has to be cleared by customs!” I could not believe what I heard. Oops another blow! So the lorry drove back to Kampala with my car which was placed in customs’ bond until all papers were cleared. In the meantime we filled in insurance papers and the guy from Lloyds was good enough to compile a full report which was sent to the headquarters of the insurance company. Lucky me that I had taken a full insurance before leaving Belgium and this against the advice of the forwarding company. “We never have any problems with lost goods!” Aha!
It took a few more days to have my car cleared and this should have been very fast as it was more than a year old and thus tax exempted. Again my friend the commissioner intervened and got it cleared immediately, but not before a customs officer had spent, I do no know how long, filling in unnecessary papers. But my car I got and drove it back to Nkozi myself.
Now what was the damage done by all this saga. Some 36 computers lost and 36 printers. They were intended to set up a (then) state-of-the-art computer classroom. Pallets with all personal goods for my Irish colleague, most crates with my library and household goods. The books for the university as well as the goods of my Irish colleague and of the students returning to Uganda after completion of their studies in Belgium. I visited the manager of the forwarding company in Kampala and explained the story. He just looked at me and baffled me when he said “I cannot do anything as I am sure the goods were stolen in Kenya and I am responsible for Uganda only!” “But all was CIF Nkozi!” “No Sir, this is not my problem”. My answer was prompt and sharp “You will hear from me soon, I am flying to Belgium and will go straight to the HQ of your company!” Hear from me he did and within a week he was dismissed from his job. I am sure he never forgave me for that! I had a long talk with the company lawyer who discussed with the insurance people. I got a fair amount back but as for all insurance policies it is never what you would like to have. This enabled me to go on a shopping spree in Belgium and fill up some crates with goods to replace the lost ones. In the meantime I had met another Belgian in Kampala who was director of another forwarding company. I had explained my misfortunes and generously he offered to bring all the goods I would purchase into Uganda by air at no cost. This would be his company’s contribution to the university. All this had brought me to the end of my Way of the Cross and to the Resurrection. We could now start putting everything in place and by the time the first students arrived in October 1993 we had a small library with the books we had salvaged and a container of books received from World Vision. A computer classroom was installed and offices equipped so that work could start. We were proud to have reached that point! Students were welcome! But at a huge personal cost!

Part 1 Preparations

So there I was, appointed to set up a university in the heart of Africa. Sometimes you wonder why you are asked to do certain things, but do not think too long because you may not do anything! My first plan was to complete my current assignments, university teaching until March 1993 and the tribunal work to the same time, so I had almost a full year to prepare a “few things” I felt necessary to make things work. As I had visited the place in March 1992, I had a fair idea of what would be needed.

First, some work on academic programmes: which ones to set up? Given the situation in the country it appeared that some fresh ideas in management and in ethical behaviour might be a good thing. Thus two faculties were proposed: a Faculty of Business Administration and Management a Faculty of Ethics, which later would become the Institute of Ethics and Development Studies, a first in the world at that time! I submitted my ideas to the steering committee and they were approved. This gave me an open road to write some notes for a first academic catalogue. I had it printed and sent some copies to the chair of the steering committee for use and distribution to potential first students.

Now came the big beast: where do I get the money for this venture? I had been assured that there were funds available in a university account in Uganda but was never told how much! Maybe it was a bit naïve on my part, but I worked with that assumption in my head and set out planning what basic things I would need, ranging from computers to lecture rooms and a library, to printers and a good photocopier. Of course for such big printing jobs you need paper, I ordered two pallets of good A4 paper, alongside envelopes and all manner of office supplies (these lasted around 10 years!!). Offices had to be equipped and the small bits and pieces were purchased not forgetting some decent office chairs. Once I had placed the order the owner of the business asked me: “But how are you gong to pay for all that?” “Well, how much do I owe you?” was my answer. He gave me a figure and I wrote him a cheque for the said amount. The next day I received a phone call from the Missionaries of Africa in Brussels, who were aware of my foraging for office goods, if indeed I had made such big order. “Of course and you know that I have been asked to start a university in Uganda!” was my answer. “But who pays?” “I wrote them a cheque, so what is the problem?” “Are you sure you have the money because we will not foot the bill”. I just said: “Watch me!” and put down the phone. I must say in hindsight I had some guts to do that, but then it was the truth, a truth that would cost me blood, sweat, and tears to bring to reality!

Now a university needs some basic books to set up a library with relevant materials. As I was teaching at Louvain University I went to see the librarian. Kindly she told me that there was a fund in the vaults of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, where all kinds of books were waiting collection. I was free to go there and take whatever I wanted, free of charge. Boy, did I raid the place! I felt good after that and thus more boxes went to the collection point for packing into the containers.

Now, I had to set up residence on campus but the house was under construction and I doubted very much there would be practical facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom installed. So I trotted up to IKEA and bought the needed furniture for kitchen and bathroom. In another shop I purchased a fridge, cooker, freezer, and washing machine. A few extra kitchen implements were also bought to make life more practical. But life has also to be palatable. At home I still had a fair amount of good wines and decided to have them packed as well. To ensure they would arrive safely all the boxes were labelled “Books” and indeed made the trip safely. At least this made life much more pleasant once settled down at “home”.

All in all a sizeable amount of goods which would have to be crated and sent to a central place to be placed in a container. With a friend working at a freighting company I ordered for a 20 foot container. At the end of the day I had two containers of 40 feet each, one being my property for storage in Uganda. In one container my car had to be crated. In it I packed more valuable things and I would never regret doing that! Small things can become big and I have learned that things expand as time goes by! In any case as I had two containers I offered my Irish colleague to have things sent to Belgium and then to the container for travel to Uganda. Two pallets arrived a few weeks later at my place. Some Ugandan students, completing their studies in Belgium, were offered to put their goods and possessions in the containers and so have them shipped to Uganda. Now one thing I had been warned about was the uncertainty of moving goods in East Africa. So, against the advise of the freighting company, I took a comprehensive insurance to cover travel and goods. I will never regret it! The company told me they never had had any problem with the goods they were transporting. Maybe my suspicion was a premonition for what would happen later.

As for the cheque I wrote to pay for all the goods, I had contacted a Dutch charity, I have already mentioned them in an earlier blog, and within twenty four hours I managed to fundraise some one hundred thousand dollars, which covered generously all expenses. My lesson in this: “Do things the way you think best and trust that some will be standing behind you to support you, financially if need be, otherwise certainly!” Over the years that one charity gave Uganda Martyrs University the sizeable sum of about three million dollars which enabled me to set up a super institution. Others chipped in so that we could always cover the expenses we thought necessary. Maybe I have always been very trusting, maybe too trusting, and I remember my family asking me “Are you sure?” I think they really meant “Are you mad?”.

With all these preparations behind me, I finally drove my car to Antwerp where the goods would be crated and placed in the containers. When I saw the mountain of goods waiting to travel, I just could not believe my eyes and there I was with a car to be added to the lot. One thing struck me: a huge wooden crate with Rank Xerox written large on the side. What was that? Just a suitably-sized photocopier for a university I was told!

So there I was with what I had planned as necessary for the setting up of such project. I knew there would be many more things needed, but then I was sure I could find them later when they became really needed. I could complete my tasks at my office at the tribunal and my teaching at university and start looking at my own suitcases to get me on the way back to Uganda. This would happen on 1 June 1993.