MUCOSA Friday Session · August 21, 2026 · Mbarara University of Science & Technology

MUCOSA Orientation 2026

My first ever MUCOSA Friday Session as President of the Mbarara University Computing Students Association (MUCOSA). On Friday, August 21, 2026, the association's first session of the semester doubled as our orientation for the incoming 2026/27 cohort — and it was my honour to lead it.

MUCOSA is the home of computing students at MUST, and its heartbeat is the Friday session: every Friday during the semester, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, we meet to learn, share opportunities, and build together. The orientation was the first of those sessions this academic year — the moment we open the doors wide and let the freshers see what they've just joined.

My Role

As president, I presided over the session — opening MUCOSA's year in front of the very people the association exists to serve.

What the Orientation Covered

Together with the Speaker of Council, Mukiibi Michael Kirinnya, I opened the session and formally welcomed the cohort into the association:

Welcome & Membership Briefing

The Speaker and I walked the freshers through what MUCOSA membership actually means — the weekly Friday sessions, how the association runs, and the community waiting for them beyond the lecture room.

IEEE Students Branch Takeover

Tumwijukye Festo and Muganga Nuwagira introduced the IEEE Students Branch, with vice chairperson Joronimo Amanya highlighting upcoming opportunities like IEEE Xtreme and available scholarships.

Society of Petroleum Engineers

Edgar Yawe presented the SPE MUST Chapter, showing the freshers that engineering communities cut across disciplines — and that computing students have a seat there too.

GDG & the Wider Ecosystem

Miriam Angella Birungi and Bryant Nuwe led GDG sessions covering GDG Dev Fest (October 23–24), the AfroTech Forge X Space (August 28), the AWS Student Builder Group launch, and the Zindi Community at MUST.

Communities in the Room

IEEE Students Branch
GDG Cloud Mbarara
AWS Student Builder Group
Zindi Community at MUST
SPE MUST Chapter

Leadership stopped being a title the moment I picked up the microphone. It became a room full of freshers counting on me to open doors.

The Friday Ritual

MUCOSA Friday Sessions run every Friday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM throughout the semester. Some weeks are briefings, some are talks and demos, some are pure community — but every one of them is where computing students at MUST find out what is possible beyond the classroom. If you're a computing student at Mbarara University, that room is yours. Show up.

Event Gallery

Addressing the association during the MUCOSA orientation session — Opening my first Friday session as president

Freshers attending the MUCOSA Orientation 2026 session — Welcoming the incoming cohort

Members during the opening briefing at MUCOSA Orientation 2026 — During the opening briefing

Partner communities presenting at MUCOSA Orientation 2026 — Community takeovers

Members after the MUCOSA Orientation 2026 session — Moments after the session

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Speaker Mukiibi Michael Kirinnya for co-leading the briefing, and to Tumwijukye Festo, Muganga Nuwagira, Joronimo Amanya, Edgar Yawe, Miriam Angella Birungi, and Bryant Nuwe for showing our freshers what the community ecosystem around MUCOSA makes possible.

And to every fresher who chose to spend their Friday afternoon in that room — welcome to MUCOSA. See you next Friday, 2:00 PM sharp.

Back to Events Youth IGF Hackathon Win LinkedIn Post