ST. IGNATIUS UNIVERSITY KABALE INAUGURATED.

Rt. Rev. Callist Rubaramira, Bishop of Kabale Diocese was on Saturday, August 24, 2014, April  formally installed as the pioneer Chancellor of St. Ignatius University Kabale (IGUKA).

As he took the oath of office, Bishop Callist Rubaramira pledged to uphold the university’s vision, values, and objectives, saying, “I will serve as the first Chancellor of IGUKA and work tirelessly to realize our goals. I commit to protecting the aspirations of all students and warmly welcome them to this esteemed institution.”

During the inauguration ceremony, Dr. Catherine Promise Biira, the University Secretary and Chairperson organizing committee for the inauguration extended heartfelt gratitude to the board of Trustees of Kabale Diocese, clergy and religious, lay faithful, university Council,management, staff and students and indeed well wishers of St. Ignatius University Kabale for making it what it is. She requested each stakeholder of the university to play their roles well for its betterment so that ‘the good work started in us bay be brought to completion’ (Philippians 1:6).

Prof. Nazarius Mbona Tumwesigye, the Chairperson University Council said there is excitement about IGUKA because it’s a fruit of hard work and resilience as people sacrificed their precious time and resources to bring it forth. He appealed to all the people of good will to continue supporting IGUKA in form of prayer, donations, field attachment/internship, seminars and webers, initiation of research projects with the university among others.

Rev. Fr. Associate Professor Maximiano Ngabirano who was installed as the first vice chancellor welcomed the opportunity to serve as the pioneer vice chancellor. He said that IGUKA will be addressing complex societal issues and equipment students with a broad range of professional competencies. IGUKA offers vocational courses examined by Uganda Business and Technical Examination Board (UBTEB) alongside university programs accredited by National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

Integrating these two educational pathways, IGUKA aims to provide vocational programs that equip graduates with practical skills grounded in real life projects, effectively tackling societal issues – Prof. Maximiano Ngabirano on integrating UBTEB programs and NCHE accredited courses.

Speaking as Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony, the Vice President of Uganda H. E. Jessica Alupo in her speech read by Hon. Tom Butime, Minister for Tourism applauded St. Ignatius University Kabale for spearheading the hands-on courses which are an important tool for driving Uganda to middle income nation. The Vice President further asked the University stakeholders to embrace and prioritize industrialization, technology and innovation with much emphasis on value addition and pledged support and collaboration between the government and St. Ignatius University.

In his remarks, he newly installed Chancellor, Rt. Rev. Callist Rubaramira thanked all those that contribute to the realization of the dream of having st. Ignatius University Kabale in place. He noted that the inauguration of the university marked the beginning of an era of a journey in impactful education for socio-economic transformation of the society. He pointed out that Kabale Diocese had 376 Catholic founded schools, 74 secondary schools (including 3 Minor seminaries), 6 technical institutes (one in each district of Kigezi sub region).

The establishment of St. Ignatius University Kabale is a continuation of a long tradition of service and a commitment of the Diocese to continue anchoring the desired transformation of society – Rt. Rev. Callist Rubaramira, Chancellor st. Ignatius University Kabale.

He emphasized that St. Ignatius University Kabale is hinged on the core values of transparency, accountability, integrity, honesty, excellency and quality which will help in the realization of academic excellence, creativity and critical thinking, which in turn fosters a community of scholars, thinkers and leaders who address the complex challenges of society today. He also noted the need for hands on projects and courses with focus on Agriculture and Tourism as the main and only way of solving the rampant cases of unemployment among the youths today. He concluded by thanking the current and future parents and well wishers of IGUKA for supporting the university and entrusted the university to the intercession of St. Ignatius of Loyola who dedicated his life to transformation of society through his teaching and spirituality.

St. Ignatius University Kabale started on August 31, 2023 when an operational license was procured thus allowing it to operate as a Private University. The university opened for its first semester on January 8, 2024 and currently has a total enrollment of 170 students with eight (8) fully accredited programs by NCHE plus UBTEB vocational courses. The university has three intakes namely January, April and August.