Years of early mornings, endless assignments, retakes, and sacrifice came down to one unforgettable weekend. From Friday, 6 November to Sunday, 8 November 2026, Bugema University held its 32nd Graduation Weekend under the theme Running the Race with Endurance, drawn from Hebrews 12:1, and sent forth 1,872 graduates into the world. Parents, sponsors, alumni, church leaders, and guests from across Uganda, East Africa, and beyond filled the campus to cheer them across the finish line.
Prof. Pr. Patrick Manu
The weekend opened on Friday evening with the consecration service, led by Prof. Patrick Manu, former Vice Chancellor of Bugema University, who served the institution for 13 years and now leads the University of Arusha. Drawing on Hebrews 12:1–3, he told the story of Tanzanian marathon runner John Stephen Akhwari, who fell and was badly injured at the 1968 Mexico Olympics yet limped on for hours to finish the race. Asked why he did not quit, Akhwari answered that his country had not sent him to start the race, but to finish it. “God did not save you to start well, but to finish well,” Prof. Manu told the graduands. “The race is not won in the middle. The race is won when the legs are burning, when the lungs are tired, and when the crowd is gone.” He urged them to lay aside every weight that slows them down, reminding them that “consecration begins with seeing Jesus big.”
Pr. Dr. Blessing Nyahuma
Sabbath was a day of thanksgiving. In the Sabbath School, the graduands received a simple charge: “Run long, but never run fast. In God’s race, you are not disqualified for being slow. You are only disqualified if you stop running.” The graduating class then marched into the University Church school by school, and the service was broadcast live to audiences far beyond the campus.
In the divine service, Pr. Dr. Blessing Nyahuma of the Bridging the Gap Foundation in Zimbabwe preached on the wedding at Cana under the message “The Best Is Yet to Come.” “A wedding is an event; a marriage is a process,” he said. “Graduation is an event. Life is a process.” He warned graduates against pride: “Don’t be so educated and degreed that you are useless. The higher you go, the lower you must be connected.” To those facing disappointment, he offered hope: “When God says wait, He is not saying no. God’s delays are never His denials.” And he closed with a picture the congregation will not soon forget: “God is not in the business of breadcrumbs. God is in the business of making you a bakery.”
The Chancellor, Pastor Samuel Kajoba
Chief guest, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja
The weekend reached its climax on Sunday. The Chancellor, Pastor Samuel Kajoba, constituted the 32nd congregation in the presence of the chief guest, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, who represented H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Though unwell after days of travel, the Prime Minister chose to keep her commitment to Bugema. Delivering the President’s speech, she congratulated the graduates and their families and challenged them to put their education to productive use: “By selecting profitable ventures in any of the sectors, the youth can transform from being job seekers to job creators.” She cautioned that subsistence farming, merely producing for the stomach, is dangerous in a modern money economy, and called on universities to align their courses with the needs of the job market. Responding to the University’s concerns, she promised to raise the President’s earlier pledge to Bugema in cabinet the following day, saying, “I know he will respond positively,” and pledged to send the minister in charge of lands to resolve the encroachment on university land.
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Pr. Masiko I. Kafeero
In his report, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Pr. Masiko I. Kafeero, announced a record enrolment of 5,915 students from 25 countries, the commissioning of the new science complex, the University’s first research conference, and medal-winning performances by Bugema athletes at the World University Games in Italy. He also shared the University’s vision of reaching 10,000 students by 2030 and introducing new programmes such as law, civil engineering, and pharmacy.
Excellence was celebrated throughout the day. The best overall student, Samson Marle Willington Lodu, who comes from a refugee settlement in northern Uganda, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Food Technology and Human Nutrition and a GPA of 4.94. Other top performers and outstanding participants in the student work programme also received the Chancellor’s awards, while the School of Education presented the largest group of graduates, 872 in total. Speaking on behalf of his classmates, class president Pastor John Mutangili thanked parents, guardians, and sponsors for their sacrifices, telling them, “Today’s victory belongs to you just as it belongs to us.” The Class of 2026 gave back to its alma mater by paving 720 square metres of the campus, and paused for a moment of silence in honour of their classmate Dhuhimbaze Gilbert, whose life was cut short before the finish line. Before the congregation was dissolved, the new graduates pledged their support as members of the Bugema University Alumni Association.
As the graduates passed through the Arch of Knowledge, the message of the weekend was clear: the race at Bugema is finished, but a new race has just begun. Bugema University congratulates the Class of 2026 and thanks every parent, sponsor, lecturer, staff member, and guest who ran alongside them. Go forward with endurance, keep your eyes on the goal, and remember: the best is yet to come.
