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UCU Honors Media Pioneer Dr. Turyagyenda for Decades of Impact in Christian Communications

Summary:

  • Rev. Turyagyenda was instrumental in proposing the Mass Communication Program at Uganda Christian University.

MUKONO: During the 25th Graduation Ceremony at Uganda Christian University (UCU) in Mukono, the School of Journalism, Media, and Communication honored Rtd. Rev. Canon Dr. Jackson Turyagyenda for his significant contributions to the media industry over the past decades.

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The ceremony, presided over by the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda, His Grace Samuel Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, recognized Dr. Turyagyenda for spearheading the ecumenical TV program, FOCUS on Christian Faith, which aired on Uganda Television (now Uganda Broadcasting Corporation) in the early 1980s.

This program brought together Anglican, Orthodox, and Catholic religious leaders to discuss matters of faith.

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Dr. Turyagyenda had a passion for radio and recorded programs on tape long before the digital revolution at the Mukono Radio Centre, near the present-day offices of the Standard.

In the 1970s, he led efforts to open a church radio station, a difficult endeavor at the time. Although the government denied the request, numerous Christian radio stations exist today.

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In the 2000s, Turyagyenda served as the provincial communication officer under Archbishop Mpalanyi Nkoyooyo and as head of communication for the Church of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Boga Zaire.

He also helped establish the Words of Hope Ministries housed at UCU’s Communications House and served on the Review Committee of the Runyankore-Rukiga Bible and the Canons’ Committee that drafted the Constitution of the Church of Uganda.

Turyagyenda was the first person in the Church of Uganda to serve as a Canon of two cathedrals namely All Saints Cathedral in Kampala and St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rugarama, Kabale.

His media talent was recognized by Archbishop Janani Luwum, who sent him for a media course in Nairobi at the All Africa Conference of Churches.

Upon his return in 1976, Turyagyenda served as Luwum’s press officer and witnessed Luwum’s final days before his murder.

Rev. Turyagyenda was instrumental in proposing the Mass Communication Program at Uganda Christian University.

When the program began in 2000, he taught Television and Radio Production for 11 years at Bishop Barham University College, a constituent college of UCU.

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He retired from teaching in 2019.

His award was presented by the Chancellor and Archbishop Kaziimba and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi.

The ceremony, held on July 5, 2024, saw 1,160 females and Males graduating in various disciplines.

Mr. Julius Mucunguzi, the head of Public Relations and Communications at the Electoral Commission in Uganda, expressed his pleasure at seeing UCU’s School of Journalism honor Dr. Turyagyenda, calling him a legendary Christian communications guru.

“I grew up in the 80s and 90s listening to Jackson Turyagyenda’s radio programs on UBC Radio, explaining the Bible from the Church of Uganda Radio Centre at Mukono. In those years, what is now Uganda Christian University was known as Bishop Tucker Theological College Mukono,” Mucunguzi said.

He continued, “From that center, every Sunday evening, Dr. Jackson Turyagyenda would expound on the history of the church and faith, making it come alive for the common man and woman in the market.”

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Mucunguzi recalled, “I remember him one day making an exposition about Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, and all those historical sites that defined the times of Jesus. I could literally see and feel Jesus walking into the Temple and turning the tables.”

As a young man studying CRE and recently introduced to the synoptic Gospels, notably that of St. Luke addressed to Theophilus, Mucunguzi found Dr. Turyagyenda’s teachings invaluable in understanding the life and times of Jesus.

“Even the transfiguration of Jesus, which always came as a question in UNEB exams, was simplified in his lessons,” he remarked.

He added, “When we studied African Traditional Religions (ATR) using Professor John S. Mbiti’s works, Jackson’s insights into the integration of ATR and Christianity, as well as the Concepts of God in Africa, were quite impressive.”

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