Reflections on Governance of a Ugandan Private University: A Personal Experience

Private universities are a comparatively new phenomenon in Uganda’s higher education space. Moreover, they preceded the law governing private higher education which was enacted in 2001. Uganda Christian University (UCU), founded in 1997 as a private university, quickly distinguished herself meeting all the expected standards for quality higher education. I was privileged to be involved in the university’s administration for 20 years, and this, during its most formative years. Indeed, other universities, public and private, in Uganda and abroad, both new and established, occasionally benchmarked with UCU on its governance model. This chapter shares this experience and the ensuing lessons for the furtherance of governance of higher education institutions.