By BigEyeUg Team
Dr. Lawrence Muganga has opened up about the journey that led him to becoming the Vice Chancellor of Victoria University, revealing that the opportunity came unexpectedly after he returned to Uganda for a consultancy role.
Speaking on Sanyuka TV’s Bigenda Bitya show, Dr. Muganga explained that he had no plans of staying in Uganda permanently when he first returned. Instead, he had come back to support the Ministry of Education on the implementation of the competence-based curriculum.
According to him, both the Speaker and the Prime Minister requested his expertise, allowing him to serve as a consultant on the education reforms.
“I came back as a consultant and I was paid really well,” he said.
At the time, Dr. Muganga was working as a professor abroad and intended to complete the consultancy assignment before returning to his previous position.
However, things took an unexpected turn when a friend who frequently interviewed him introduced his profile to the late Rajiv Ruparelia and his father, businessman Sudhir Ruparelia.
“This friend of mine had reached out to Rajiv and his dad telling them that he had met someone who would help them with the university,” he recalled.
Following the introduction, Dr. Muganga met with the Ruparelia family to discuss the future of Victoria University. During those conversations, they explored strategies that could revive the institution, which was facing significant challenges at the time.
He revealed that the university had only about 190 students during the COVID-19 period, making the task of rebuilding it both urgent and ambitious.
The discussions eventually led to his appointment as Vice Chancellor, a role in which he has since overseen the university’s transformation and growth.