Tribute to Prof. Christine Dranzoa, Vice-Chancellor, Muni University, Arua, West Nile, Uganda.
What a great mentor, lecturer and professor she was!
In all, Christine was a very good believer and when together we would pray. She was prayerful and knew her God very well. She was my Lecturer and mentor at Makerere University from 1990 to 1993. I owe her a lot in leadership and managerial experiences due to her good attributes that would make her special.
I knew her way back in 1989 as a Biology student at Maryhill High School when we would go to Lake Mburo for fieldwork and she taught us about birds, bird watching, and game animals with our Biology teacher Aunt VAI.
When I joined Makerere University in 1990, she welcomed us into the University as girls of Maryhill, myself, Edigalda and Grace in the Botany/Zoology combination. She Lectured and tutored us in Zoology in the Faculty of Science now College of Natural Sciences.
While she was in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (as Head of Department) the current COVAB, after establishing the Department (WARM) we would interact on mentorship for Ph.D. We remained close because I admired her assertiveness, openness, boldness, hard work, and articulation of issues.
After my Ph.D. in 2004, I visited her in her office as the Deputy Director, Directorate Graduate Research and Training (DGRT), Makerere University, in Senate Building, she gave me a grand lecture that transformed my academic and leadership landscape.
One key lesson for life was: Have a work plan for your next 10 years. Write down your vision and implement it religiously and be very focused. Thereafter, I made a roadmap for myself as an academician-career woman, mother, wife and a Christian woman leader. I have a near-complete story because of her enormous contributions, mentorship and role modeling.
During her stay at Muni University, I attended her graduations twice, one physical and the other online and the Uganda Vice-Chancellor’s Forum meeting that she hosted. Her resilience and determination were unquestionable, and her advocacy for gender equity and girl child education including the disadvantaged and refugees was exceptional. She also introduced me to FAWE (Forum for African Women Educationists).
At her time of demise, we had just finished submitting 1st part of EOI on Refugee youths, host communities and dignified employment under the University Consortium of Muni University, Gulu Univesity and Bishop Stuart University.
We had also signed a tripartite MOU between the three universities and she was the main convener. What a strong and firm lady she was that we shall miss forever!
I visited her in Mulago Hospital with my husband, Dr. Balaam Mugisha, we shared lightly and prayed together. Christine, I know you are now in a better place. Surely Christine has a Crown in heaven (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
Farewell, sleep in thee everloving and everlasting arms in Glory. Amen.
Prof. Maud Kamatenesi Mugisha
Vice-Chancellor, BSU