By Our Reporters
Consequent to Prof Lawrence Mukiibi’s death in May 2017, the responsibility to run his academic institutions fell on the shoulders of his children led by Maria Justine Tulina and Peter Semakula. Whereas Tulina runs the schools, Semakula runs St. Lawrence University (aka SLAU). On Thursday, SLAU held its 9th graduation ceremony with 652 students graduating with degrees, diplomas and certificates. For the first time since inception, SLAU graduated masters’ students (24 of them) from its School of Graduate Studies & Research. Sitting through the graduation ceremony and subsequently interacting with stakeholders close to the SLAU project, we got the impression that (challenges notwithstanding) the children haven’t let down their dad. They have carried on well and in some cases, they have done even better than when he was alive-on matters relating to forging relationships. Two quick examples will manifest how effectively the children have been in building bridges. They are working well with Buganda kingdom whose BBS TV even broadcast the Thursday graduation live. This is indicative of warm relations between the two institutions which wasn’t the case when Mukiibi still lived. Sharp misunderstandings existed regarding the obstacle the Kabaka’s lake posed to Mukiibi’s desires to expand his SLAU campus. Even in instances where he associated with Buganda kingdom, Mukiibi (a diehard Musevenist) preferred a clandestine relationship cautious not to offend the central government. He was never comfortable embracing Mengo openly. Ps Kayanja, operating the nearby Rubaga Miracle Center, was another tense neighborhood Mukiibi’s children were expected to continue confronting after his death. The Mukiibi camp considered Kayanja’s congregation an inconvenience and the Kayanjas too considered SLAU’s ever-swelling student population equally an inconvenience. Mukiibi managed this situation by relocating his University’s main gate to face in a different direction but the fact that Kayanja allowed the Thursday SLAU graduation guests and parents to use his space outside the SLAU campus is indicative of warmer relations between the two neighbors. VP Sekandi (also SLAU chancellor) presided over the Thursday graduation and members of his security detail, working with SLAU local security to secure the graduation grounds, were allowed to use shelter spaces that belong to Kayanja’s church as they oversaw the event’s security. All this points to warm relations, an improvement from what prevailed when Mukiibi lived.
KEEPING OLD FRIENDS;
Throughout the mourning period, there were fears the old friends with whom Mukiibi ran his institutions (mostly old experienced educationists) would fallout and abandon the children who some feared would be bossy and hard to work with. This hasn’t happened. The Mukiibi kids have instead kept the old friends and even brought on board new ones like Dr. Ham Mulira (the ICT guru) who even gave the key note address to motivate the new graduands on Thursday. Speaking with his characteristic eloquence, the senior Presidential advisor on ICT focused the graduands onto life after campus and how to succeed surviving in today’s very competitive world. It was a short but powerfully packaged speech and there was a standing ovation as Mulira flamboyantly left the microphone. Other prominent people at the graduation included influential Born Again preacher Ps Tom Mugerwa of Mutundwe Christian Fellowship and CK Kabagambe the Dean of Students Makerere University (sat somewhere inconspicuously). Kyambogo University Chancellor Prof JM Sebuwufu, an eminent educationist now running Kisubi University, was also in attendance as were many other big name Ugandans. Mukiibi used to serve as the Chairman Board of Trustees for SLAU, a capacity in which he was replaced by Tulina who also runs the schools. The other BoT members like Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala and Rtd Bishop Balagadde Sekadde are still intact. University Council Chairman Mike Sebalu is still very much around and spoke very enthusiastically during the Thursday graduation. He is the father figure who has ensured the SLAU dream carries on insisting it’s the only way the children can preserve Prof Mukiibi’s legacy as opposed to self-pity and wishing he still lived. Indeed during the Thursday ceremony, nobody made reference to Mukiibi’s demise save for Sekandi who observed a moment of silence in his honor. That speakers, including Tulina, avoided making sad reference to the Professor’s absence is proof of stakeholders’ determination to soldier on (not that they don’t miss him). Dr. Sarah Nkonge remains the Vice Chairperson Council. And Prof Andrew Semwanga is ably carrying on as the substantive Vice Chancellor having replaced elderly Kakinda Mbaga who Mukiibi left in charge. Kakinda was okay as VC but was considered by some as too old and frail to command a team of young lecturers SLAU has. Some considered him senile even when Mukiibi lived but the Professor was too modest to touch him and this, to some at NCHE, hurt progress for the SLAU project as Charter requirements weren’t rapidly being put in place. Semwanga’s vibrancy (less than one year in office) has ensured there is a Charter-tracking committee and according to Sebalu, SLAU will soon become a Chartered University, an elevated status that will boost its profile locally and abroad. To expedite compliance with NCHE Charter requirements, mass investment has been earmarked to expand library facilities by erecting a state of art library complex that will have extras like e-learning facilities and gigantic research labs. Reflecting on this upcoming library block, Tulina urged graduands to consider returning to join SLAU’s School of Graduate Studies & Research for their masters. Collaborations are already being discussed and MoUs signed, a process that will only be strengthened once Charter status is granted.
THE POMPOUS CEREMONIES;
Mukiibi liked fanfare on such ceremonies like graduation, an attribute his children have maintained as all the pomp and glam was on display during the Thursday graduation. He was a Pan-Africanist who believed in a SLAU where foreign students from all over Africa felt at home. This was at display on Thursday as a significant number of graduands were foreign students: 34 Rwandans, 59 Somalis, 172 South Sudanese, 30 Burundians, 3 Comorians, 52 Congolese and 2 Nigerians. He believed in practically manifesting the SLAU motto-Light Your Candle-and this was illustrated Thursday when his “heir [at least in running the institutions]” Tulina led the candle lighting procession from the Chancellor’s tent to the rest of the tents were graduands and parents sat. Music played as candle lighting jubilations broke out. “Please keep lighting your candle wherever you go and protect it against the winds by avoiding situations that can lead you to HIV/Aids,” cheerfully said Tulina in a speech delivered immediately after the candle lighting session. The other aspect the children have improved upon is time management at such ceremonies. Whereas Mukiibi (being an orator) liked making long speeches, pushing the ceremonies to sometimes go into the night, the children are very timely. By 3pm, the Thursday ceremony was done to allow guests proceed for a sumptuous meal whereafter they are able to travel home early. Mukiibi liked generously serving his guests, an attribute Semakula and Tulina have carried on with. Also in place is the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan to guide the development of the University for the next 4 years. Semwanga said to boost and diversity sources for revenue generation for the University, emphasis is now going into research, publishing and consultancy services through which other Universities attract funding. Gratefully, more SLAU programs are becoming NCHE-accredited, something that increases chances for the dons to publish their research in peer-reviewed journals. This raises the dons’ profile and that of the University. The Quality Assurance Board is also now in place at SLAU which harnesses the quality of learning. More recently, UBTEB also accredited some of the courses and programs taught at SLAU’s Business & Technical Studies Center. When it comes to collaborations, which are crucial in increasing the University’s visibility abroad, VP Sekandi has been very instrumental putting his vast connections to work. He instance reached out to a number of Chinese Universities during a recent visit to Beijing. Sekandi is also ensuring that industry players (basically private companies) that eventually consume/employ University graduates are in close collaboration with SLAU to ensure students are equipped with the relevant skills mix. In his speech, Sekandi (whose audience comprised of high profile personalities like Kityamuwesi Musubire, the Sudanese Ambassador & an eminent scholar from Ghana just to mention a few) made reference to some of the levers SLAU must harness in order to succeed beyond expectation. “St. Lawrence University must be easy for all of us to market for potential collaborations because it’s centrally located, it has excellent infrastructure and good will of the parents willing to bring their children to study,” said the VP in his brief speech.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS;
As a method of CSR, Mukiibi liked reaching out to the needy in the nearby community and faraway places. This indeed has been carried on through training to give entrepreneurial skills to traders in the informal sector. On Thursday, women groups (graduating with basic entrepreneurial skills) from Luwero were introduced to Sekandi as they received their certificates certifying the skills imparted. The post-Mukiibi SLAU has increased its visibility in events like Kabaka’s Run, Cancer Run organized by Rotary and Sebalu said as part of their outreach program, a SLAU delegation will be travelling to Sekandi’s Kyanamukaka to impart practical entrepreneurship skills to markets vendors in the entire constituency free of charge. The generous CSR initiatives have also seen SLAU invest in the upgrading of the Access Road linking Nabunya Road to Ring Road. SLAU has also increased its assertiveness in the sports arena whereby they are the reigning Beach Soccer Champions and also finished 3rd in the Pepsi-sponsored Inter-University soccer tournament last month. To ensure easy access to comprehensive information regarding SLAU, the Mukiibi children have ensured the liaison offices within Uganda and abroad have remained functional. There is one in Kigali and Tororo just to mention a few. They have also maintained excellent relationship with the institutions’ bankers as left in place by their dad. Seeing huge growth potential for SLAU, banks like Centenary and DTB have only become more resolved to keep the business relationship. They even took up space advertising and running paid-up messages in the graduation booklet, an innovation that must have attracted incremental income for the University. To their credit, the Mukiibi children have also remained united as one team and besides Peter Semakula and Tulina, Regina Namakula and Peter Kimuli are closely involved in the running of SLAU on whose Governing Council they sit as members. Other members of the Council include Sebalu, Nkonge, lawyer Moses Kasule Kalanda, GW Semivule, Patrick Ibembe, Salim Makeera, Gerald Kaggwa and MoES’ Isaac Mulindwa just to mention a few. The University core values have been refined to read as “Innovations, creativity and integrity, commitment to excellence, professionalism and team work.” This is an improvement compared to what SLAU’s core values were initially stated to be. Mukiibi resented mediocrity and always insisted on especially paper work being done perfectly, something his children have evidently carried on as one would struggle to identify any major grammatical mistake in the literature carried in the graduation booklet. In the same booklet, organizers honored Prof Mukiibi with two pages of pictorial stuff reflecting on his life and times with Museveni, Sekandi & First Lady among other dignitaries. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
