Bugema University, an entity of the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church has launched a weeklong activity to mark its 75th anniversary celebrations.

The university is to mark its celebrations together with its sister schools including Bugema Adventist Vocational Institute, Bugema Adventist Secondary School and Bugema Adventist Primary School which were started at the same time.

Addressing the press during the launch of the celebrations at the university’s Kampala campus, Dr. Pr. Israel Masika Kafeero, the university Vice Chancellor explained that the institution was started as a ministerial training college in 1948.

He explained that the institution then, was only training ministers of the church and teachers both in Luganda and English.

He said the institutions all together have trained tens of thousands of learners who are out there contributing to the development of their countries in different fields.

“Among those that have trained at the university is Pr. Dr. Blasious Ruguri, the SDA leader of the East-Central Africa Division which oversees eleven countries,” he said with pride.

Kafeero said they do not only extend education to Ugandans but also to students from as far as Ethiopia, Zanzibar, Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Zambia and Cameroon among others.

(L-R) Pr. Israel Masika Kafeero Bugema University Vice Chancellor addressing the press about the university's 75th anniversary celebrations as Dickens Ogwal the head teacher of Bugema Adventist primary school looks on. (Photo by Lawrence Mulondo)

The institutions are situated on a 640-acre of land in Luweero district and the university was chartered by the government in 2007.

The vice chancellor said the celebrations will start on February 18 with a match from Bugema University to Zirobwe and back, with the intent to create awareness about education and also to raise funds for the construction of the science complex at the university.

He said on February 22, they are to crown the celebrations with a dinner at Hotel Africana where he said they expect over 500 guests and that funds from this will contribute to the above cause.

Kafeero noted that they are seeking sh35b to complete the construction of the university science complex that he said is currently under construction.

“We have laboratories where we teach science, however, we want to expand in order to accommodate more numbers and introduce more courses like medicine,” he explained.

“The complex is to house well-equipped state-of-the-art science laboratories. We expect the laboratories once complete to be used by all students including those of primary school and secondary school in order to increase students’ interest in science courses,” he said.

The head teacher of Bugema Adventist secondary school Steven Bukenya said as they celebrate 75 years of existence, they are putting focus on science in order to have students that can learn, think, and make informed decisions that can help in solving different problems.

The conference was also attended by Roy Nkambwe, the principal of Bugema Adventist Vocational School and Dickens Ogwal, the head teacher of Bugema Adventist Primary School.