To understand what happened at Viva College on Friday, you must first walk the dusty road to Emmaus.
In Luke Chapter 24:13-35, the Bible records one of the most powerful post-resurrection encounters. Two disciples, one named Cleopas, were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a village about seven miles away.
Their hearts were heavy, their hope had been crucified. Jesus, whom they believed would redeem Israel, had been killed. It was now the third day. Rumors of resurrection were circulating but they were confused, discouraged and leaving Jerusalem.
As they walked and debated, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but the Bible says, “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” He asked them what they were discussing. Astonished that a man in Jerusalem could be so unaware, they replied in verse 18: “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
They thought he was the ignorant one. Yet it was they who were ignorant of who was walking with them. It was only later, when he broke bread, that their eyes were opened and they realized the wonder had been with them all along.
That is exactly what happened at Viva College, nestled at the foothill of Mwiri Hill in Wairaka, Jinja District.
More than three hundred parents and stakeholders who flocked Viva College for its Open Day found themselves reliving the Emmaus experience. For a long time, many had heard about Viva College in passing, in taxis, on radio, from children, from neighbors. But like the disciples on the road, they had not recognized its magnitude. They had walked past greatness without knowing greatness was next to them.
Upon stepping foot at one of the best schools in the region and Uganda on Friday, August 21, 2026, they found themselves quietly being bombarded with that same Emmaus question, but this time directed at themselves: “Are you the only visitor in Busoga who does not know that such a facility with magnificent structures and ambience has been in existence?”
The day, which had been framed by management and the board as Viva College Open Day, turned into a moment of revelation. The scales fell off. Eyes were opened. Just as the Emmaus disciples rushed back to Jerusalem to testify after recognizing Jesus, parents at Viva College rushed to their phones to call spouses and friends to testify that indeed, Busoga has a wonder at the foot of Mwiri Hill.
From The Land Of Milk To The Land Of Wonders.
Among the crowd was a parent who had travelled all the way from Mbarara, the famed land of milk, a region celebrated across Uganda for its wealth, its farms, and its well-established schools. He arrived with the confidence of a man who has seen it all. In his mind, the best schools are in Mbarara, Ntare, Maryhill, and in Central.
But like Cleopas who thought the stranger on the road knew nothing about Jerusalem, this parent thought Busoga had nothing new to show him. He was wrong.
Standing before the imposing campus at the foothill of Mwiri Hill, with its manicured lawns, its architectural masterpieces, its order and serenity, he was forced to concede. He declared openly that Jinja and indeed Busoga is a land of wonders.
“I come from Mbarara, the land of milk. We pride ourselves on having good things. But what I have seen here today has humbled me. I thought I had seen the best schools in Uganda, but I was wrong. Jinja has wonders. Busoga has wonders. This is not just a school, this is a statement of what Uganda can be,” he said.
His confession became the sermon of the day. It was the Emmaus moment – when a man who thought he knew, realized he had not known. The shock and disbelief that swept through the more than three hundred visitors was not pretended. Mothers held their handbags tighter, fathers nodded slowly, local leaders kept adjusting their glasses as if to be sure they were seeing correctly. Many could not help but wish the academic year would fold quickly so they could transfer their children to the school.
Board Elder Sam Ibanda: Viva Is Busoga’s Gift That Must Be Guarded
A member of the Board, Mzee Sam Ibanda, a former senior worker with Kampala City Council, now Kampala Capital City Authority, was also present to interface with stakeholders.
Now in his 70s, Ibanda carries the weight of experience, having served in the heart of the nation’s capital, having seen institutions rise and fall, having witnessed what good leadership and good investment can do. He did not mince his words.
Speaking with calm authority and visible emotion, Ibanda said Viva College is one of the best gifts and assets Busoga has ever received and it should be zealously guarded by all people of goodwill.
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“This is not just a school. This is an asset. This is a gift to Busoga. Gifts like this do not come every day and they must be guarded jealously. I have worked in Kampala for many years. I have seen schools. What we have here is exceptional,” Mzee Ibanda said.
He added that while Jinja is known globally as the home and source of River Nile, the world’s longest river, Jinja and Busoga through Viva College should now claim another title – the academic giant and face of Uganda.
“Jinja gave Uganda the Nile. Jinja gave the world the Nile. Now through Viva College, Jinja and Busoga should give Uganda academic excellence. Let the Nile be our tourism pride and let Viva College be our academic pride. Let people know Busoga not only for the river but for great minds that shape the world,” Ibanda told the attentive gathering of parents, local leaders and opinion leaders.
His words struck a chord. Many local leaders nodded in agreement, saying Busoga has for long been known for its history and its river, but it is time it is known for academic transformation and Viva College is the vehicle.
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Ten Admissions Sealed On Spot As Hundreds Pick Brochures.
By press time at least ten parents had picked fully signed admission letters for their children, unwilling to leave such an opportunity to chance. They wanted to seal the deal there and then, lest vacancies be filled before they returned.
The Admissions Office was a beehive of activity. Parents queued patiently, asking about Senior One to Senior Six vacancies, cut-off points, fees payment plans, bursaries for bright but needy children, and boarding requirements. The officers were overwhelmed but smiling, because demand had exceeded expectation.
Scores of others went home with brochures and fliers containing the school profile, the school anthem, the core values, the academic track record, and the contact details for future engagement. Their eyes had been opened, like the disciples at Emmaus, and they could not keep the news to themselves.
A Guided Tour That Left None In Doubt.
Upon arrival, parents plus stakeholders who included local leaders, opinion leaders, those in the private sector and heads of schools were received warmly by staff and students and organized into guided groups led by professional teachers.
This was not a casual walk. It was a revelation walk, much like the walk to Emmaus where Jesus expounded the scriptures. Teachers expounded the philosophy of Viva College at every station.
The tour covered the classrooms, which are spacious, well-ventilated, well-lit, and fitted with modern furniture. The dormitories spoke of discipline and order, with neat beds, organized boxes and clean sanitation facilities. The sick bay and dispensary left many parents emotional, as it is well-equipped with qualified health workers and essential drugs, a rarity in many schools today.
The group then visited the science laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology, which are fully equipped for practical learning under the competence-based curriculum.
They saw the computer laboratories with internet connectivity, the green house project where students learn modern farming and entrepreneurship, the students’ canteen, the expansive dining hall where students eat with dignity, the sports fields, the library and the administration block.
At every stop, parents paused, nodded, whispered and took photos. Many were seen recording videos to show spouses and children who had not come. Just as the disciples said, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road?” parents confessed their hearts burned within them as they saw what Busoga has built.
Crowned With A Sumptuous Lunch And Clarity On Curriculum.
The academic tour was crowned with a sumptuous lunch hosted by the board and management. It was not just food. It was fellowship, reminiscent of the breaking of bread at Emmaus that finally opened the eyes of the disciples. Over lunch, parents, teachers, leaders and students interacted as one family.
It was also an opportunity for the top managers to clarify a lingering question that has followed Viva College for months – whether Viva College is an international school pursuing a mix of Cambridge and other foreign curricula.
There has been a rumor in Jinja and beyond that because of its magnificent structures, smart uniform, fluent students, and confident posture, Viva College must be offering a foreign curriculum.
The Principal Denis Alfred Anguyo, was handy to put the record straight.
Clad in a grey suit with a pair of matching well-polished black shoes, Anguyo explained that Viva College is a normal secondary school fully following Uganda’s national curriculum as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Sports and examined by UNEB.
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What makes most people think it is international, he said, is that everything at Viva College is top notch, from the uniform, to the posture, confidence, communication, learning environment, discipline and exposure.
The school, he said has deliberately added an international touch and tone to local content, so that students here can study and work anywhere in the world without any challenge.
“We are Ugandan, we follow the Ugandan curriculum, but we prepare our students for the global stage. A child trained at Viva College can sit in a class in Canada, the UK, the US or South Africa and compete favorably, because we give them confidence, we give them science, we give them language, we give them character. That is the international touch people see,” Anguyo said.
He did not miss out on the school’s philosophy pegged to the stubborn motto, Great Minds Shape the World.
“We are not in the business of merely teaching subjects and preparing children to pass exams. We are in the business of shaping minds that will in turn shape families, communities, nations and the world. If you shape the mind, you shape character, and if you shape character, you shape the world. That is why we insist on godliness, academic excellence and discipline,” the principal told the gathering.
The day was also graced by the area MP Hon Paddy Grace Kirya Wanzala whose presence added political weight to the occasion. Hon Kirya is not an ordinary politician. He is an expert in procurement, a field where talk is cheap and deliverables are everything. In procurement, Hon Kirya noted you do not buy results, you do not award marks for good intentions, you award for specifications met, standards achieved and value for money delivered.
Standing before parents and leaders, the FDC legislator was unequivocal. Viva College has delivered.
“As a procurement expert, I am trained to believe in deliverables, I do not believe in stories, I believe in what I can see, touch, measure and verify. I have moved around this school today and I can tell you without fear of contradiction that Viva College has delivered beyond specification”, he said.
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Hon Kirya said as one of the leaders in Busoga, he is proud that such an investment is in Jinja and challenged parents and leaders to jealously protect and market it.
Busoga has been crying for transformation, here is transformation. We have been asking for quality, and here it has come, let us support this school because when Viva College succeeds, Busoga and in deed Uganda succeeds”, he said
Why A Good School Matters In A Global Village.
As the Open Day came to a close and vehicles snaked out of Wairaka at the foothill of Mwiri Hill, one message remained clear. The era when education could be taken for granted is over.
We live in a fast-growing world where the globe is now referred to as a global village. A child in Wairaka today competes not just with a child in Jinja or Kampala, but with a child in Nairobi, Kigali, Johannesburg, Dubai and London.
The job market is global, technology is global, opportunities are global, and therefore preparation must be global.
Gone are the days when people would wake up from a nightmare, break the walls of a family house and turn it into a school with limited or no facilities and amenities.
Gone are the days when a blackboard under a tree and a few benches would pass for a school. Parents are now exposed, children are exposed, and the world has changed. The world no longer rewards mediocrity.
A good school today is not a luxury. It is a necessity. A good school gives a child confidence to speak anywhere, just as the Emmaus disciples gained confidence to return to Jerusalem and testify. It gives a child science to innovate, ICT to connect, language to communicate, discipline to be trusted, and godliness to remain grounded when money and fame come.
A good school like Viva College provides what many schools have failed to provide – a balance. It balances academics with character. It balances faith with competence. It balances local relevance with global readiness. It does not produce half-baked students who can cram but cannot reason, who can pass but cannot lead, who have grades but have no manners.
In this global village, employers no longer look for papers alone. They look for posture, confidence, communication, integrity, teamwork and problem-solving. These are things that cannot be taught in a congested, poorly facilitated structure. They are caught from an environment. They are learned from a culture. That is what Viva College is offering at the foothill of Mwiri Hill.
Furthermore, a good school saves parents hidden costs. When a school has a functional sick bay, parents are not called every week to pick a sick child. When a school has good feeding, children concentrate and perform. When a school has discipline, parents have peace at home. When a school has guidance and counselling rooted in strong faith values, children are protected from the moral decay sweeping the world.
The parents who walked into Viva College on Friday came as visitors, like Cleopas on the road, but left as witnesses. They had seen for themselves that Busoga has invested. That Jinja is not just a source of the Nile, but a source of great minds. That at the foot of Mwiri Hill, there is a school that is quietly shaping the world, one great mind at a time.
The Emmaus Road ended with eyes opened and hearts burning. The Viva College Open Day ended the same way – with eyes opened to a wonder that has been in Busoga all along, and hearts burning with the desire to have their children be part of Great Minds That Shape the World.
