Michael Niyitegeka is the Executive Director of Refactory, a software skills academy in Uganda. He speaks about tech with a lot of passion; he lives and breathes it.
But would you imagine that it is not academic qualifications backing this business turned IT guru? It is his zeal to learn and implement that kept him relevant in this space.
His journey started when he joined the IT faculty at Makerere University specifically to teach business courses after finishing his MBA.
While there, he realised that everyone in the faculty was technical, with minimal connection to business. He had worked in the coffee business before he understood the business dynamics. That formed a sweet spot for him.
“I intentionally went out to understand technology because if I was to become a great business lecturer in the IT faculty and program, I had to ably relate business to technology—talk about entrepreneurship from a technology perspective,” he says.
With that determination, by the time Niyitegeka left Makerere, he was teaching on the master’s program.
He joined Makerere University in 2001 in administration, started teaching in 2002, and then joined the IT faculty in 2004, staying there for the next 12 years.
“I began teaching in the IT faculty when the then Dean of the Faculty of Computing & IT of Makerere University, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba, asked me to teach business in the faculty. I started as a part-time lecturer and in 2005 became an assistant lecturer,” he says.
Concurrently, Mr. Niyitegeka was also involved in administration, managing exams, and academic programs. This, he says, allowed him to work with lecturers to support the course delivery through designing interventions that enhanced their delivery. In this, he was leading the quality assurance function, supporting both the program delivery and exam management.
“As an exam coordinator, I worked with external examiners to improve the exam management processes. One of my contributions was standardising the exam paper because previously, every lecturer had their own exam format. We reverted to ensuring there was a set way that we spread the 100 marks, hence coming up with a layout where section A took 40 marks while section B took 60 marks,” he says.
He also set how assignments were given to take away the random manner in which lecturers gave assessments or coursework as commonly known.
Curriculum/industry divide
All this gave him a bit of understanding of each of the courses taught by the IT faculty. From networking, software engineering, computer science, and so much more.
In 2008, Niyitegeka noticed that whereas the faculty desired to be an industry-facing faculty, they were not intentionally engaging with the industry. As such, the majority of graduates were struggling to find employment because the taught programs were not anchored in the industry needs. The industry was finding alternative approaches to finding talent, like self-taught individuals.
That prompted him to speak to the then-faculty dean, Prof. Baryamureeba, about the need to directly work with industry.
In response, Niyitegeka was appointed head of corporate affairs, which opened up a whole world, linking him to companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Google.
“To help in bridging the gap, I invited the industry players to meet our curriculum review meeting. The industry players listened in and provided feedback that quite literally required us to rethink, remodel, and realign, among others. This feedback did not sit well with the academia, and the conversation resorted to mandate issues that the industry cared less about. There was an impasse of sorts, and industry partners left us with our curriculum,” he says.
That moment birthed a trigger in Niyitegeka to advise people in the tech spaces to set up programs that address the skills gap, specifically employability. He shared that with the Kibo Foundation and others who had digital skilling programs. That conversation was a seed that would soon be watered.
Beginning of the end
Hoping to have Niyitegeka climb the academic ladder, he was offered PhD opportunities, and while they seemed great, he declined. Introspect showed him that this was not the path he wanted. Unfortunately, that also created a cap on his advancement at the university.
It was then that he started having thoughts of leaving the Ivory Tower.
“I was aware that my contract would not most likely be renewed. My gut feeling was that my time was up and my contract renewal was not guaranteed. Therefore, rather than be forced out, I chose to hand in my resignation with 6 weeks left,” he says.
At that time, he was also invited to an interview as the ACCA country director. While he went through the interview process, he later declined the offer. Can you imagine! Who gives up a salary that multiplies the former by 15 times? Who, Niyitegeka did, and his reason was that his life’s purpose did not align with simply ticking off the company’s stated guidelines. He wanted to actively contribute more.
That was another shock to his wife. “I am thankful that I have a calm wife who stomached these changes with grace. She understood that character was not born for a job that placed me in a box. She also bought into my conversation that I would figure it out,” he says.
A new start
At that point, they stayed in Kamwokya, and the closest tech place was Hive Colab, whose setup he had contributed to. Here, Niyitegeka became a consultant to support enterprises.
It was during this time that the seed sown in Kibo Foundation started sprouting, as he was called, while in Kyarusozi, Kyenjojo was on a short-term consultancy to meet two people from the UK with funding to set up an IT program in Uganda.
Cybersecurity Tips Ahead of Christmas Festivities“I was in town the next day. During the conversation with Youth with a Mission—UK, I shared that Uganda did not need another degree course but a programme to bridge the gap between university and work,” he says.
That marked the start of the journey in 2016 that culminated in Refactory in 2019, with a drive to teach them soft skills based on the assumption that the graduates only needed a bit of brushing up.
Wakeup call
However, an awakening moment came when he noticed that two of the students working on a capstone project disappeared in the afternoon. On enquiring, Niyitegeka learnt that they were seeking help from someone on databases. “So what do you know?” he asked. “Micheal, most of this schoolwork is theoretical,” they said.
That led to a revamping of the structure in 2018, this time directly working with companies to understand the things they look out for from their intended employees. It was through working with industry players like Laboremus Uganda that they managed to align their offerings. In 2018, three partners (Clarke International University, Fontes Foundation, and Laboremus Uganda) submitted a grant application to the Norwegian Agency for International Development, and this was successful. The program was set up at Clarke International University, and backed by intentionality, they went all out to have it properly branded, hence the name ‘Refectory’.
“I was strategically part of it because I understood both the industry and the academia side. I had also invested time to understand the space, giving us an edge for preferential treatment at the university,” he says.
Back home, matters had stabilised as Niyitegeka had found a way of working around his structures. He had also done a few stints in leadership training and consulting, being a certified Franklin Covey facilitator.
The hustler now had sustained income flow.
However, in 2021, with the Norwegian funding soon coming to an end, the need for Refractory to become established as a standard-run organisation was looming.
“It was the realisation that we still needed funding yet had several partners involved. That meant that with every funder we approached, the question was, “Who is the decision maker?” Additionally, we had become a good brand and were beginning to get a bit of recognition. It was time to become a standalone,” he says.
In February 2022, Refactory Limited was registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee. In the same year, August 2022, the NORAD program was closing, calling for a few changes. Most importantly, they were on their own!
“We had to cut our cloth based on the available material. Drastic decisions were taken, salaries slashed, and he and another colleague took a salary sabbatical for close to a year because the resource envelope could no longer afford to pay everyone. This moment taught me that it is not enough to hire experienced people but those with a willingness to adjust and run the tide,” he reminisces.
Two years later, Niyitegeka is thankful for the far they have come, with their HR policies in place and financials in order.
One of the major milestones in these years was the Uganda Developers Summit, which was held in July 2024.
One of the driving forces behind this growth is his faith. “I am a believer who knows that God aligns our footsteps when we choose to listen and respond to His leading,” he says.
He has also been gifted with foresight, which has helped him take on projects not for the near benefit but for the fruits to come. “While some have not paid off as expected, many have,” he says.
Lessons
One of the things Niyitegeka has learnt over this growth season, managing, and working with different people is that when you genuinely trust people, they sincerely come to the table.
“When they realise that you’re honestly giving them the power to think, act, and make decisions, they start coming out of their skin. That also relieves you of the workload because you can now delegate with comfort that the job will be done well,” he says.
Tough moments
That was at the end of the NORAD project because they realised they did not have enough money. “One day, in November 2022, as I ran uphill, I asked God why things were this way. All I heard was, “Do my work, and I will take care of you.” It was overwhelming, but I was energised. During that time, I did one gig after another to make it work,” he says.
Then, they wrote grant applications and got several rejections until an idea dropped in his mind to bid for work. In the tough terrain, that was a major turning point—turning from handouts to presenting to the world the gold they had in their hands.
Future
The dream is that sustainability should not be just in reports but in real time. “I look forward to having a revenue model to allow us to expand our territory,” he says.
He also looks to pass on the baton in the next five to 10 years. “I do not believe in being the de facto executive director at Refactory. My work is to build, and once the project is up and running, I pass it on to somebody who understands how to maintain and grow it,” he says.