NCHE Clears UMSC Varsity Rebrand

By Ahmed Idriss

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) has approved the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council’s (UMSC) application to rename its Islamic Call University College (ICUC) as Insan International University (INIU), a significant step in the institution’s pursuit of a university charter.

The development was announced on June 2 during an inspection visit by NCHE officials, who toured the institution’s facilities to assess its readiness for the next phase of its transition into a fully-fledged university.

The NCHE delegation, led by the council’s Head of Audit, Monitoring and Compliance, Rev. Dr. Cyrus Ssebugenyi, first met UMSC Secretary General, Hadji Abbas Muluubya Ssekyanzi, before holding discussions with the university’s management.

During the engagement, university officials briefed the regulator on progress made in implementing recommendations from previous inspections, including improvements in infrastructure, staffing, governance systems and academic programmes. They also highlighted efforts to align curricula with Uganda’s Competency-Based Education framework while expanding the institution’s physical and administrative capacity to meet charter requirements.

Speaking at the meeting, Hadji Muluubya described the approval of the new name as a major milestone in a vision that dates back more than five decades.

He traced the origins of the institution to discussions held during UMSC’s formative years in the early 1970s and credited its eventual establishment and growth to the efforts of successive Muslim leaders under the stewardship of the Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, with support from the government and international partners.

Muluubya reaffirmed UMSC’s commitment to investing in the institution’s growth and ensuring it develops into a centre of excellence offering quality, relevant and values-driven higher education.

The name change stems from a memorandum of understanding signed in May 2024 between UMSC and the Kuwait-based Insan Charity Organisation.

Under the partnership, UMSC granted the organisation naming rights to the institution in exchange for a commitment to modernise the Old Kampala campus, establish additional branches across the country, introduce advanced science programmes, expand vocational skills training, launch postgraduate studies and strengthen Islamic heritage studies.

The organisation also pledged to provide scholarships, bursaries and other forms of financial assistance to support academically talented and financially disadvantaged students.