The Nkumba University Alumni Association (NUAA) has renewed calls for unity and sustained support for the University, arguing that the future of graduates is closely tied to the strength and stability of their alma mater.
The call was made on Saturday, 6th December 2025 at the NUAA Annual General Meeting, where alumni leaders and members reflected on the institution’s journey and the role graduates must play in safeguarding its legacy.
Addressing the meeting, NUAA president Mr Jackson Sonko thanked alumni who turned up and actively participated in the deliberations, noting that their commitment reflected a deep and shared identity with the University. “We are because Nkumba is,” Mr Sonko said, underscoring what he described as an inseparable bond between graduates and the institution that trained them.
Mr. Jackson Sonko, Nkumba University Alumni President
The meeting also featured an alumni success story shared by Dr Hirji Jamil Ssebalu, the proprietor of Namasuba College of Commerce, who traced his entrepreneurial journey back to his time at Nkumba. Dr Ssebalu studied at the institution in 1989, when it was still known as Nkumba College of Commerce and Advanced Studies.
He told the gathering that his experience at Nkumba directly inspired both the vision and the name of Namasuba College of Commerce. “The foundation I got at Nkumba shaped the way I thought about business and education,” he said.
Dr Ssebalu, who emerged as the best performer in 1989, said he left Nkumba already inclined towards entrepreneurship. His early ventures included a fish export business before he later set up a stationery shop on Nasser Road in Kampala. That small enterprise, he noted, gradually evolved into what is now Namasuba College of Commerce.
Using his own story as an example, Dr Ssebalu urged alumni to remain cohesive and proactive in supporting Nkumba University, warning that the reputation of graduates cannot be separated from the standing of their institution.
He drew a comparison with the now-defunct Greenland Bank, arguing that alumni of collapsed institutions often struggle to take pride in their professional histories. “Your prestige entirely depends on the existence of Nkumba University. If Nkumba collapses, your prestige also collapses. Be part of the cohesion that will build Nkumba University,” he said.
The NUAA Annual General Meeting is held annually and serves as a platform for alumni to assess progress and agree on strategies to support the University. Previous sittings were held on February 10th, 2024, and April 27th, 2019.
Organisers said the annual engagements are intended to strengthen alumni involvement and ensure sustained support for Nkumba University’s growth and long-term stability.
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