Uganda Martyrs University (UMU) whose main Campus is located at Nkozi 82 kms west of Kampala, the Capital of Uganda, on the Kampala-Masaka road, was started in October 1993 with 84 students and two academic departments, namely the Institute of Ethics and Development Studies and the Faculty of Business Administration and Management.

To date, the total enrolment of students is over two-thousand (2,000), of whom four hundred and sixty (460) are full-time resident on campus, while the rest are following distance-learning programmes and part-time programmes at the UMU Kampala-Campus at the Uganda Catholic Social Training Centre - Rubaga. Students of UMU come from all over the world. The university also host students for field work and research from Europe and USA. This international atmosphere offers a good study experience to the students and staff as well as an opportunity for a rich cultural exchange.

In addition to the above two academic departments, other academic departments have since been established include: the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of The Built Environment, the Faculty of Agriculture, the Department of Microfinance, the Department of Good Governance and Development Studies , the Community and Outreach Department, the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems, and most recently the Faculty of Education. Courses offered by the University comprise diplomas, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate diplomas and degrees in various fields. The University also has a Ph.D programme in various fields.