Based in Kampala, Lukendo is also the founder of the OneYouthOneHeart Initiative (OYOH), an organization dedicated to bridging gaps between refugee and host community youth. Through this work, he has contributed to fostering social cohesion, youth empowerment, and community-led development, with a focus on gender equality, education, and livelihoods within the Uganda Refugee Response.

Earlier in his career, Lukendo worked as a research assistant with Inter-Aid Uganda in partnership with Columbia University, and later as a data collector for UNHCR-led nutrition and food security assessments. He also served with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) as a lead trainer in Human-Centered Design (HCD), equipping refugee university students with practical problem-solving and innovation skills.

Lukendo has played a key role in regional and global refugee advocacy efforts, including serving as one of the lead coordinators of the first Africa Refugee Summit held in Addis Ababa (November–December 2019). He has been invited to speak at high-level platforms, including the launch of International IDEA’s report on Political Participation of Refugees: Bridging the Gaps, and has participated in major international forums such as the Global Refugee Forum (Geneva), YouthConnekt Africa (Kigali), the European Humanitarian Forum (Brussels), the SDGs Conference (Germany), the Uganda Solidarity Summit, and the 77th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Arusha).

Academically, Lukendo holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from Université Évangélique en Afrique (UEA) and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Sikkim Manipal University. He has further strengthened his expertise through specialized training in ethnographic research, advocacy, human-centered design, and creative capacity building. He regularly facilitates socio-economic and entrepreneurship training for refugees and host communities.

Beyond his professional work, Lukendo has a long-standing passion for music and has been actively involved as a choir singer since childhood, an experience that has contributed to his personal discipline, teamwork, and community engagement.

His in-country experience spans Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, Norway, Belgium, Germany, and South Africa. Languages: Swahili, French, English