Former Kansas University professor of journalism Malcolm Gibson and Mackenzie Jones, assistant director of the Kansas African Studies Center, worked together to bring Lubega Henry, a Ugandan refugee to Kansas by way of an education visa. Jones, while teaching in the Ugandan village outside of Kampala in 2009, says that Henry saved her life when he brought her to safety after riots broke out. Gibson and Jones are pictured on Friday, July 24, 2015 in Gibson's Lawrence home.

A Ugandan man who helped rescue an American teacher from an African village that was being overrun by rebels in 2009 has finally been rescued himself.

Lubega Henry arrived at the Kansas City International Airport Thursday evening and was greeted by the former teacher, Mackenzie Jones, who is now assistant director of the Kansas University African Studies Center.

Lubega Henry

Also there to greet him were Malcolm Gibson, a former newspaperman and former KU professor; Gibson’s wife, Joyce; and others who have been working and raising money to get Henry a student visa for several years.

“This is a huge, huge, huge, huge relief for everyone,” said Gibson, who met Henry while Gibson was working as the executive editor at the Daily Monitor, a newspaper in Kampala, Uganda. “This is good for everybody.”

Jones was teaching in a village near Kampala on Sept. 10, 2009, when rebels overran it and other villages, killing more than 40 people that day.

Henry rescued Jones, but later was captured by rebels and forced to fight in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He eventually escaped and made his way back to Kampala.

Jones told the Journal-World in July that she survived the 2009 massacre only “because Henry went out of his way to help me.”

The student visa will allow Henry to study to be a teacher. As the Journal-World reported in July, Henry hopes to return to his native country and use his teaching degree to educate Ugandan children.

On Friday, Henry, who is enrolled at Johnson County Community College for winter classes, visited Overland Park to familiarize himself with the campus, Gibson said.

Friday was also Henry’s 27th birthday, and Gibson said they planned to celebrate with cake later that evening.