From Uganda to the World: Christopher Lumu’s Open Source Journey

Thursday, June 5, 2025 - 04:53 by Diana Kupfer

Open source is often described as a global movement, but for developers like Christopher Lumu, it’s also deeply personal. Born and raised in Uganda and trained in Computer Science, Christopher found in open source not just a career path but a purpose – a way to serve his community, his country, and other people around the world. We had the chance to talk with him about his experiences with two open source projects.

OpenMRS: A Launchpad for Developers

Christopher’s journey into open source began with a project that is close to home for many Ugandan developers: OpenMRS, an open source medical record system. Frequently serving as a launchpad for local developers and software engineering students, OpenMRS offers a lower barrier to entry, clear guidelines for newcomers, and the flexibility of remote work while empowering developers to contribute meaningfully to a project that directly impacts their own country and region – factors that contribute to its vibrant contributor base. Some estimate that up to 80% of Ugandan developers have contributed to OpenMRS at some point, and it’s being used in more than 80 countries.

It was through OpenMRS that Christopher first encountered Java and, eventually, the Eclipse Foundation. This initial spark of curiosity about how tools like the JDK are built and maintained led him to a transformative experience: the 2022/2023 Outreachy internship, a paid, three-month program dedicated to fostering diversity in open source.

The Outreachy Experience: A Deeper Dive

Christopher’s Outreachy project was titled “Open Infrastructure Monitoring Configuration: Project MonCon”, mentored by Scott Fryer, Haroon Khel, and Shelley Lambert. His work focused on automating infrastructure management using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles in Eclipse Adoptium. The project's goal was to streamline the deployment and maintenance of infrastructure components by treating them as code, allowing for version control, testing, and automated provisioning. It gave him his first real taste of DevOps and quality assurance practices at scale. He also blogged about his three-month engagement.

“It was a good experience having that formal recognition as a contributor working on a specific domain,” Christopher reflects. He speaks fondly of the warm welcome he received from mentors like Shelley Lambert and Lan Xia, emphasising how the community spirit of open source helped him grow both technically and professionally.

Two Ecosystems, One Open Source Spirit

Having worked with both OpenMRS and Adoptium, Christopher is uniquely positioned to compare these two ecosystems. He notes practical and tooling differences – OpenMRS uses the Atlassian Suite, while Adoptium works with GitHub – but is quick to add that the spirit and mindset of the communities are strikingly similar.

With a smile, he refers to this shared ethos as “the open source way”: regardless of the tools or frameworks, the methods of collaboration, feature development, and community engagement remain fundamentally alike.

In other words, open source is a global culture, sort of a lingua franca among developers around the world. There may be regional tooling or governance ‘dialects,’ but the core values are the same.

Interestingly, Christopher’s experience also illustrates the mutual inspiration that can happen when working across communities. He was able to apply tooling knowledge from OpenMRS to improve workflows in his Outreachy project – demonstrating how fluid and adaptive open source contributions can be.

Open Source as a Force for Good

Christopher’s motivation for diving deep into open source has always been tied to impact. “I was wondering how I could extend my expertise and skills to different parts of the world,” he says. “I want to be part of something that’s going to help very many people. They may not know that I contributed, but I sleep well at night knowing that I contributed to something that’s being used globally.”

He is also keen to counter skepticism about the quality of open source. Despite the fact that many developers contribute on a voluntary and often unpaid basis, “quality is not something we have to worry about,” he asserts, particularly when lives are at stake, as in the case of software used for healthcare systems like OpenMRS. Developers take pride in their work and feel a deep responsibility when they know their code is being used in real-world, real-time settings. Christopher adds that the review processes he has experienced within the Eclipse and OpenMRS communities are both rigorous and exceptionally thorough.

Challenges and Opportunities

When asked about challenges facing open source in Uganda and similar regions, Christopher mentions security perceptions. “The only limitation is a psychological one. People ask: If it’s free and open source, how do I guarantee security for my data?” But aside from that, he sees few barriers.

In fact, he perceives massive potential – both for developers in the Global South and for the organisations willing to tap into this talent pool. “There are lots of qualified people in Uganda,” he notes. The advent of remote work has been transformative, enabling talented developers to participate in international projects and gain experience once limited to those living in tech hubs.

When Christopher tells friends he’s worked on open source projects backed by major international tech foundations, they often react with disbelief. But that’s changing, and he wants to help accelerate the shift. One idea he’s passionate about is organising workshops in Kampala to raise awareness about open source foundations and create more entry points for local developers.

Conclusion: Bridging Worlds Through Code

Christopher Lumu’s story is a testament to the power of open source to transcend borders, empower communities, and nurture global collaboration. From OpenMRS to Adoptium, from Kampala to the global DevOps movement, he exemplifies what he calls the “open source way” – not just in how he codes, but in why he does it.

As more developers from the Global South find their way into open source, they bring with them not only technical skills, but also a commitment to building tools that matter, driven by impact rather than profit. It’s a movement worth celebrating – and expanding.

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