and much more - Makerere University | Office of the Vice Chancellor

Jan - June 2014
Mak News
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Not
For
Sale
GRACE Wilson IGAGA
MUTEKANGA
Composer of the Makerere
University Anthem
MAK UNVEILS NEW
RESEARCH AGENDA
Makerere-Israeli
Internship
Students excite
Israeli farmers
Council Approves
Communication Policy
log on www.policies.mak.ac.ug
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Editorial Team
Contents
Vice Chancellor’s Message
The Vice Chancellor
1
Chancellor’s message2
Grace Igaga Mutekanga: A profile
3
The University Council5
The New VCs6
One on One with the VC
8
Prof. Odora-Hoppers honoured
10
Makerere’s new web rankings
11
Agaba Issa
Mugabo
Mark
Wamai
Ritah
Namisango
I warmly welcome you all to the 64th Graduation Ceremony of Makerere University, another testimony of our continued
contribution to Uganda’s and indeed the World’s human resource base. I thank the Makerere University staff for their dedication and immeasurable efforts in preparing these graduates. I also thank the graduates for staying committed to their
studies until this highly memorable day. In the same spirit, I extend my sincere appreciation to the parents, guardians and
sponsors of these graduates for the sacrifices made in ensuring that their sons, daughters and beneficiaries get the very
best education at Makerere University.
Tribute to Mandela12
Dr. Kiggundu-Musoke at MUASA’s helm
14
Israel Hails Makerere’s interns
16
Mak Lib becoming sub-Saharan Africa model
18
A profile of Dr. Florence Nakayiwa
20
Meet Erisa Masanso21
Awards and recognitions 23
A Message from Convocation
24
Makerere’s new research agenda
25
Pictorial26
Appreciation: Fr. Kanyike and Rev. Ebong
29
Mak@50 Highlights
30
RENU: Mak’s vehicle for research
33
School of Law gets new head
34
New College Principals
35
Staff graduating
39
MUBS ICT center40
VP launches NORHED
41
Tribute to the Government and People of Norway 42
CAES 44
CoBAMS45
CoCIS46
CEES47
CEDAT48
CHS
49
CHUSS50
CoNAS51
CoVAB52
Ngugi wa Thiongo vists Makerere
53
Elias
Tuhereze
Marion
Alina
Contributors
Harriet Nyakaana College
of Business and Management
Sciences (CoBAMS)
Hasifa Kabejja
College of Humanities and
Social Sciences (CHUSS)
Jovia Musubika
College of Veterinary
Medicine, Animal Resources
and Biosecurity (CoVAB)
Sheila Mwebaze
College of Education and
External Studies (CEES)
Jane Anyango
College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences
(CAES)
Roselyn Muzaaki
College of Computing and
Information Sciences (CoCIS)
Milly Nattimba
College of Health Sciences
(CHS)
Zaam Namuli Ssali
College of Natural Sciences
(CoNAS)
Betty Kyakuwa
College of Engineering,
Design, Art and Technology
(CEDAT)
Harriet Musinguzi
School of Law (SoL)
Mak News Magazine
Public Relations Office
33 Edge Road P.O.Box 7062 Kampala
Email: pro@admin.mak.ac.ug
Copyright: The Mak News Magazine.
This is a publication of the Public Relations Office
One of the key concerns after graduation for most graduates is the inadequate number of jobs in the market. Although
this remains a challenge in Uganda, I am happy to note that the government continues to formulate strategies, like the
Youth-Employment Fund, to help curtail unemployment. I call upon Government to refine this Fund so as to make it even
more accessible to as many youth groups as possible. The Ugandan Oil and Gas industry also holds great promise for the
creation of more employment opportunities for the youth either directly or indirectly in the near future. With the enhanced
collaboration in the East African Community, I am also positive that mobility of labour across borders will be higher, especially in light of the ever-increasing regional job opportunities. Some of these strategies will come to fruition in the long
run. As of now, I encourage the graduates to challenge themselves by applying the various skills acquired for the benefit
of society at the slightest opportunity.
I warmly congratulate our graduates upon joining the prestigious stream of Makerere University Alumni. In many of the
world’s renowned universities, the alumni have a culture of giving back to their Alma mater. Makerere University has adopted this culture and I take this opportunity to call upon the alumni to support this Institution. Currently, the University is in
the process of mobilizing resources to construct a state-of-the-art multi-million dollar Students Centre for centralization of
all student activities. On completion, the centre will accommodate various offices and social amenities aimed at bringing
services closer to the student community as well as commercial space to let. The University is also planning to construct
a perimeter wall around campus to improve on security. I appeal to you our dear alumni and well wishers to generously
support these initiatives. The Public Relations Office of Makerere University is our focal point for more information on how
to support these projects.
Makerere University has maintained her position as a research-led university with more ground breaking research across
the nine Colleges and School of Law. I am happy to note that all our research initiatives aim at finding solutions to the
problems pressing society and are in line with our strategic focus. Makerere University is undoubtedly on the right path to
establishing herself as the regional research and innovations hub.
I am happy to note that Makerere University has continued to enjoy both institutional and direct project support from her
generous development partners ranging from Private Corporations to National Governments. I take this opportunity to
thank the Government of Uganda for the continued budgetary and research support to Makerere University. This year, we
look forward to the loan from the African Development Bank (ADB), which will be used in the rehabilitation and refurbishment of laboratories and equipment; construction and equipping a multipurpose laboratory building; construction of two
buildings for centralized lecture theatres; supporting distance and electronic learning; enabling capacity building for petroleum and mining and embarking on staff development in the University.
As we continue to demonstrate efficient utilization of all funds, I am confident that Government support will increase to
even higher levels, eventually catering for the entire University budget. Financial constraints still remain our biggest challenge and hindrance to attaining our desired levels of research output and academic excellence. As the largest publiclyowned Institution in the region, we remain committed to fulfilling our mandate of training tomorrow’s leaders and look
forward to continued support from the Government, Private Sector, Alumni, Well wishers and the general public as We Build
for the Future.
I thank you.
All rights reserved.
Design and Layout
Xtrim Graphics
0414 661931/ 0752956969
email: xtrimic@yahoo.co.uk
Cover photo:
Grace Igaga Mutekanga,
composer of the
Makerere University Anthem
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not
necessarily those of the publisher. The publishers do not
guarantee the accuracy of statements made by writers and
advertisers, nor accept responsibility for any statements
expressed in this magazine.
Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu
Vice Chancellor
January 2014
Mak News magazine
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The Chancellor
Dear Graduates,
Allow me to congratulate you upon the successful completion of your studies at this prestigious institution, Makerere
University. I wish to thank all parents, guardians and sponsors who have made your stay here possible through their selfless
dedication to meeting all your tuition requirements and living costs. I also thank the Almighty God for ushering us all into
the year 2014, in which we hope to use our abilities only for the better.
Today you graduate into a community faced with multiple opportunities and challenges. Your success or failure will depend
on how you view the world before you. To a great extent your destiny lies squarely on your shoulders. When faced with
challenges, quickly ask yourself how you can use your knowledge and skills to turn them into opportunities. Likewise,
when you encounter opportunities, ask yourself how you can harness them to serve humanity at large and not just your
own interests. Often people do not realize that service to others leads to personal satisfaction. I am happy and proud to
note that Makerere University’s biggest contribution to the region and beyond has been the ability to produce key human
resource to serve humanity both at political levels and in large corporations. Graduates of Makerere University have
distinguished themselves in the business world.
Lately, I have been reflecting on the regional developments especially in light of the ongoing instability in Southern Sudan,
the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of the region. I have asked myself the question, ‘As an academic
institution, what should be our contribution in averting such happenings in favour of peaceful mechanisms for settling our
differences? We need to be seen to do more than just writing articles in the press.
I realized that I did not have to look very far for an answer. Academic Institutions are better placed to nurture strong
leaders, with a focus on instilling in them not only a humanitarian spirit but also a desire to positively contribute to society.
As you graduate in your respective disciplines today, Makerere has played her role in ensuring that you have attained the
requisite knowledge meant for your academic level. Human conflict has various origins which academia seeks to address
through the various courses on offer. Therefore as you go out into the world, I want you to challenge yourself to see how
you can contribute to peace all over the world, in your own humble discipline-specific way.
It is no secret that the African continent is still plagued by political instability. However, we have to remember that the
desired change starts with us. I therefore urge you to guard against tribal, racial and gender-based insensitivity and
stereotypes in all that you do. Remember that your alma mater Makerere University builds for the future irrespective of
tribe, race, gender or economic background. We are optimistic that your actions will reflect the desirable behavior. Do
not be quick to point out Government officials who are corrupt, and yet your own actions and intentions are shrouded in
mystery and motivated by self-actualization. Remember the stick in your eye rather than the speck in your neighbour’s.
It might be as simple as offering a bribe for a service, but it will definitely speak volumes about your personal integrity.
As a country, our hope for a better tomorrow undoubtedly lies in you; the younger generation. I urge you to guard against
greed wherever you may go and in whatever field of endeavour you may engage. Those who have gone through the gates
of Makerere before you, like the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, left inalienable marks of good deeds, because they drank full
from the cup of integrity. Seek to follow only such great examples and none else.
As alumni of Makerere you should always be interested in the affairs of Makerere. your involvement in the development of
our university can play a very critical role in where Makerere leads to.
I once again congratulate you upon this milestone as reached today and urge you to make both your parents and Makerere
proud in wherever life may lead you after today.
I thank you.
Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera
Chancellor, Makerere University
Mak News magazine
January 2014
Chancellor Mondo Kagonyera presents a recognition plaque to Mutekanga on 3rd August 2013.
Meet
Grace Wilson Igaga Mutekanga
Composer of the Makerere University Anthem
By Mark Wamai
On 3rd August 2013, Makerere University
crowned her year-long celebrations
marking 90 years of existence with a
Grand Finale at the Freedom Square.
The Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon.
Amama Mbabazi was the Chief Guest
representing The President H.E.Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni. Also present was a
gallant alumnus and former President of
the Republic of Kenya H.E. Mwai Kibaki,
At the same occasion, another gallant
alumnus and gifted musician Mr. Grace
Wilson Igaga Mutekanga was recognized
for his most respected composition, the
Makerere University Anthem; a timeless
and inspiring masterpiece. Mak News had
a chat with him and now takes you on
a musical journey as mapped out by the
interview.
Qn.
Congratulations
upon
your
recognition as Composer of the
Makerere University Anthem. How do
you feel at this moment?
I feel deeply humbled by this position.
I never thought it would be like this, I
just composed a song for the University
and I have composed other songs for the
University but this one managed to be
liked better than others. And I am glad it
was mine they chose rather than anyone
else’s.
January 2013
Qn. Do you remember your first day
at School? What was it like? What
was your favourite subject? Who
of your teachers had the greatest
impact on you?
[Laughs] you mean 1951… I was just
excited because I was going to school. It
is a Day School. We used to walk some
distance to the school but that day, my
father dropped me there in a car; one of
the few cars in the area. So we stayed
there until school broke off and then we
went back home. Of course I was very
hungry by the time I got back home…
[Laughs] In terms of impact, there was a
lady teacher: all my hair had been shaved
[off my head] and the lady made a funny
remark and said, “How does it happen
you have such a huge head?” I didn’t like
it… [Laughs heartily} and I have been
conscious of it ever since. But then later
on, nobody ever cared about it again.
Qn. What was the job market like at
the time? Did you get a job straight
after leaving University?
Oh yeah! I was in fact surprised! I finally
qualified in the United States after six
years and so I had missed a lot of people
and a lot of things. As I took a walk
around Kampala the day after I returned,
just as I approached Total Fuel Station
[in Wandegeya], my Headmaster from
Mak News magazine
Makerere College School saw me and
pulled up behind me. He was very excited
to see me and on inquiring when I had
come back, I told him “Just last night.”
Immediately, his response was “Come
let’s go to Makerere College School! I
don’t know what you are going to say but
listen, I need you to teach here.” He had
some examination classes which badly
needed [Music] teachers. So he gave me
a house and said “Everything else I will
sort out.” He was expecting me to start
teaching immediately but I informed him
that I would need two weeks to go and
meet my family, which I did and later on I
returned and started teaching.
As I was teaching there, the Head of MDD
[then Department of Music Dance and
Drama, now Performing Arts and Film
(PAF), Makerere University] came looking
for me and said “I had been expecting
you to be [teach] with us but don’t worry,
we shall share you.” And so I was shared
between MDD and Makerere College
School, which was my A-Level School. So
really, jobs were looking for me. I taught
there for only three months and then
the Director of The National Teachers
College (NTC) Kyambogo, the late Adonia
Tiberondwa came looking for me; they
wanted somebody in my field [Music].
At first I didn’t want to go and said to
him I didn’t want to be used because he
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[already] had members of staff there but
he took a long time convincing me and
later on I had to go. I became a Tutor
at NTC Kyambogo and continued with
part-timing at MDD. Three years later,
a job opportunity appeared here at the
University, they wanted a Warden for
Livingstone Hall. It was [published] in
the papers; I applied, got the job and still
continued teaching at MDD.
Qn. How did you meet your wife?
[Pic, right inset]
It is a long story. I had met her a long
time [ago] while we were both still going
to school. As time went on, it became
evident that I was tired of staying alone
and wanted to get children and so we got
married. The date was 14th June 1975 in
St. Andrews Church Jinja. We have seven
children.
Qn. Have you always written or
composed Music?
I wish I could remember… even when I
looked at it simply said, “As far as I
am concerned, that is you.” Once Prof.
Gakwandi had said that, and I had great
respect for him in that area, I simply went
ahead. We were classmates and he used
to excel in that area [composition].
On the other hand, I had to develop the
tune. There are about three sections in
that song. One I particularly wanted to a
fanfare sort of thing Makerere Makerere
and of course We Build for the Future are
not my words but the University motto:
my job was to give the music. And I
wanted a section with a military sort of
touch Great great and mighty the walls
around thee, great great and mighty
the gates besides thee. I thought that
would be easy for people to remember,
especially students. It can rally them
easily especially when they are going for
football matches. Then I brought in the
serene section, that mellow bit where
there is a bit of preaching [laughs]. Do not
forget, through all the years, those who
have gone through the gates of Makerere.
physical gates and then there are other
ones that are more salient than the
physical gates. I had more in mind the
gates which one can go through to enter
Makerere; there is direct entry, diploma
entry and mature age entry. And again,
some of the people in Makerere are not
necessarily Academic Staff. Some are
cleaners but they are part of Makerere.
So, how do they come in here? Those are
all part of the Gates of Makerere.
Qn. Finally, what is your opinion of
Uganda’s Music Industry, especially
with regard to music composition?
What I may say is the Gospel singers call
themselves composers but what they
do is to write words; they are poets,
they don’t compose songs, no. A song is
music, and a poem is a poem. And it is
an art to put that poem to music. Very
many times people compose only music
and somebody else comes up with the
text for it, even several texts. Somebody
can make it secular and another person
I had this weakness for
classical music...and
whenever these songs were
played I was touched. I
kept on asking “Please
play that one again,”
was a student, we were called upon to
compose songs as educational exercises
and I have got a number of them in my
records, some of them I can’t name for
security purposes [laughs]. However,
there was another one I composed for
the East and Central African University
Games Association (EACSAUSA). They
came and asked me to compose a song
for them.
Qn. Kindly share with us the genesis
and process of composing the
Makerere University Anthem. Was it
a one-day task for you?
I think I finished it in record time,
especially the words. I don’t know where
the words came from. And when the Vice
Chancellor was reading them out [earlier
at the Honorary Award ceremony], I
said to myself “How did I come up with
these words?” [Laughs heartily] I don’t
know, but well, that’s God’s providence
I would think so. Otherwise I cannot
boast. I showed it to one colleague [Prof.
Arthur Gakwandi, Literature Department,
Makerere University] who when he
Give them the pride, give them the joy,
Oh to remember the gates of Makerere.
I saw the Vice Chancellor really moved
[as he read out the words earlier], I had
never felt that way; he was very poetic.
Then I felt I had to say something about
Those who here be, seek ye the truth and
that is not even original. Seek the truth
is part of Makerere words of wisdom,
seek the truth and only the truth. And so
I employed them to make Makerere own
it and to marry the two, and that was it!
One [section] became a chorus and the
other messages for various individuals.
From East and West, from North and
South, all voices singing arise Makerere,
I was really calling on the internationality
of the University, and I am glad they are
doing just that. There is a feeling that
Makerere’s story has not yet been told
and probably, it will never be told. It is
almost like the King’s College Budo motto
where they say Gakyali Mabaga. Every
morning is just the beginning; it is all
about perpetuity.
And then there is something else about
the Gates of Makerere. There are the
Mak News magazine
can make it religious depending on their
inclinations. I would have [also] liked
a period where you have got students
who are learning something about the
science of dance and the choreography.
Choreography is the discipline of writing
dances on script; composing it. They use
some notes which they call Labanotation.
It is very much in its own way but is like
the musicians use staff notation. So one
can compose a dance using Labanotation
language and we need to develop this a
little more.
The only man we had who was a specialist
in that area [choreography]; The Late
Professor Moses Serwadda trained in
Ghana. We also wanted people to take
more serious interest in theatre, and then
possibly have another branch developed
into the area of film. Most of the young
people who would like to get into the film
industry need to be trained, they need to
be guided and they need to approach it
the academic way. And this is the sort of
style Makerere can take and I am glad I
have been able to talk about that too so
thank you for this opportunity.
January 2014
Council Okays
Mak Policy on
Communication
By Ritah Namisango
After
a
year-long
consultative
process, the Makerere University
Council; the policy-making organ of
the University, chaired by Eng. Dr.
Charles Wana-Etyem approved the
MAK Communication Policy on 14th
March 2013. The Communication
Policy seeks to provide guidelines for
the timely, effective and appropriate
flow of information within Makerere
University, and between the University
and other external stakeholders.
Cognizant of the views of the respective
stakeholders including the University
Research Administrative and Financial
Reforms Committee, the University
Senate and University Council on
the need for a communication
policy, the MAK Public Relations and
Communications team was tasked with
the noble duty of developing a draft
that would be discussed at various
levels. Guided by the situation analysis,
document review, environmental scan
and expert opinions, the MAK Public
Relations and Communications team
delivered the draft Communication
Policy in March 2012.
The draft Communication Policy was
guided by the Vision of Communication:
“To provide a pro-active approach
to information management and
dissemination,
strengthen
the
University’s image and build good will
among the stakeholders.”
This historic draft came in at a time
when the operations environment
was hotly charged due to the Vice
Chancellor
search
process.
This
inspired the Makerere University
staff to providing constructive, rich
January 2014
and memorable feedback which was
adequately captured by MAK Public
Relations and Communications team.
With
the
guidance
from
the
Academic
Programmes,
Appeals
and Policies Committee; Makerere
University Senate; The Professor Ben
Twinomugisha Committee and the
participation of staff with constructive
comments on the mailing lists, the
proposed MAK Communication Policy
was recommended by the Makerere
University Senate to the University
Council.
The Objectives of the policy are:
•To streamline the flow of information
within the University, with a view to
promoting the educational, research
and innovations, information sharing
and networking activities of the
University faculty, staff and students.
•To streamline the flow of information
between the University and other
(external) stakeholders in Government,
the knowledge industry, the wider
society, the labour market, and donor
circles.
•
To
provide
guidance
for
effective and responsible electronic,
print and verbal communication.
•
To provide a framework for
integrated and consistent marketing
and branding programmes aimed
at enhancing the university’s brand
identity.
On behalf of the University Council, Eng.
Dr. Wana-Etyem thanked the members
of staff and the Makerere University
Senate for providing valuable input into
the Communication Policy. He appealed
for the same level of cooperation during
the implementation of the policycrucial for projecting a favourable
image of the University among internal
and external stakeholders.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor John
Ddumba-Ssentamu tasked with the
implementation of this policy remarked
that with this policy in place, the
University would harness the power of
public relations and communication to
increase her visibility at the national
and international levels. According to
the policy, the Vice Chancellor shall
in consultation with the Colleges
and other relevant Units develop an
implementations strategy to give effect
to the MAK Communication Policy.
We appeal to staff, students, alumni,
and those associated with Makerere
University to log on to the University
Policies
website,
www.policies.
mak.ac.ug
to access the MAK
Communication Policy. We Build for the
Future!
Mak News magazine
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Makerere
University Council
Elects Vice
Chairperson
Hon. Irene Ovonji-Odida is the
new Vice Chairperson of Makerere
University Council. Hon. OvonjiOdida who was elected on 10th
December 2013, brings to the
supreme governing body of the
University-a wealth of experience
from her dignified service in
reputable institutions/bodies at the
national and international levels.
She
is
the
Chair
ActionAid
International Board; Chief Executive
Officer
Uganda
Association
of
Women Lawyers (FIDA Uganda;
Member, UN High Level Panel on
Illicit Financial Flows from Africa and
former Member of the East African
Legislative Assembly.
Hon.
Irene
Onvonji-Odida,
a
champion of good governance is
committed to generously share her
knowledge and expertise for the
good of Makerere University and
her stakeholders. She is passionate
about causes and efforts aimed
at the realization of the Makerere
University, To be the leading
academic institution for academic
excellence and innovations in Africa.”
The
Chairperson
of
Makerere
University Council, Eng. Dr. Charles
Wana Etyem congratulated Hon.
Irene Ovonji-Odida and he expressed
readiness to work with her to take
Makerere University to greater
heights. We Build for the Future!
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The New Deputy Vice Chancellor-AA
•
•
The New Deputy Vice Chancellor-F&A
Developing a comprehensive Academic and Intellectual
integrity policy for staff and students
Developing mechanisms for periodic review of the state
of the academy at Makerere University
2.
Increasing funding of University Academic
activities through;
• Shaping government policy on financing undergraduate
and graduate education in line with the Strategic plan
• Generating grants to finance staff and students of
training
Dr. Okello Ogwang
As per the recommendation of the University Senate and
Council, the Chancellor, Professor George Mondo Kagonyera,
appointed Dr. Ernest Okello Ogwang as the Deputy Vice
Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs for a period of five
years, effective 1st December 2013.
Dr. Okello Ogwang (Associate Professor) takes over from
Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza who resigned the
position following her appointment as Court of Appeal Judge.
Prior to this appointment, Dr. Okello Ogwang was the Dean,
School of Languages, Literature and, Communication,
College of Humanities and Social Sciences. He has held
other leadership positions at the University: Head, Literature
Department (1993-95) and (2009-10); Deputy Dean,
Faculty of Arts, November 2012-November 2013, MUASA
Executive (1993-95) and as Senate Representative to the
Makerere University Council.
Dr. Okello Ogwang has 23 years’ experience in academic
teaching and research at Makerere University. He has taught
and conducted research in other Universities including
Indiana University Bloomington, Stellenbousch University,
Sarah Lawrence College New York, and University of London.
He has over 25 publications in books, refereed journals, and
encyclopedia entries.
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
As Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Dr. Okello
Ogwang intends to focus on the following:
1.
Improving the quality of teaching and learning
by;
• Increasing staff recruitment to fill existing vacancies
• Revisiting entry point for recruitment and nurturing of
young academic staff
• Ensuring suitable learning environment: space,
equipment, academic support systems
• Reinvigorating inaugural lectures, lecture series,
seminars, etc.
3. Strengthening Quality Assurance
• Prioritising quality assurance systems in departments,
schools, and colleges
• Emphasizing integrity of academic awards and records
• Developing a comprehensive University policy on
plagiarism
• Ensuring security and integrity of academic records
management
• Supporting review of academic programmes and
responsiveness to quality assurance matters
• Recognizing and supporting academic and intellectual
initiatives
• Strengthening staff retraining and orientation to
changing pedagogical landscapes
• Supporting External Examination processes and policies
4. Library services
• Improving library resources awareness and utilization
by staff and students
• Maximizing the utilization of new technologies for
learner-centred instruction, research, and community
service
5. Gender Mainstreaming
• Developing mentoring and fellowship programmes to
support female graduate training
• Supporting Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD) in
undergraduate and graduate female student education
6. Research
• Improving support for graduate training and research
across disciplines, fields, Professions, and gender
• Ensuring increased Government support of research
beyond Donor support
• Working closely with colleges towards the realization of
grants offices
• Ensuring balanced and equitable University research
agenda and operations across science- and humanitiesbased disciplines and fields
• Aligning research to University mandate and to national
and global issues, priorities, and agenda
• Developing postdoctoral training and research policy.
Mak News magazine
Arch. Dr. Barnabas Nawangwe
As per the recommendation of the University Senate
and Council, the Chancellor Professor George Mondo
Kagonyera appointed Associate Professor Arch. Barnabas
Nawangwe as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and
Administration) for a period of five years effective 1st
August 2013.
Assoc. Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe took office from Prof.
Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa whose term of office
had come to an end. Prior to his appointment, Assoc.
Prof. Nawangwe was the Ag. Principal of the College of
Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (2011-2013)
and Dean of the former Faculty of Technology from 2003
to 2011. He started the Department of Architecture as
Head in 1989 and oversaw the growth and development
of the unit to international recognition. He transformed
the former Faculty of Technology from a research-less
unit to the leading research unit at Makerere University.
He chaired the University Research, Administrative and
Financial Reforms (URAFR) Committee and together
with his team provided recommendations for the
transformation of Makerere into a collegiate university.
He comes to the office of DVC (F&A) with a wealth of
experience after serving the university in different
capacities for 27 years.
For his 5 years of office, Assoc. Prof. Nawangwe intends
to improve the university by;
1.
Improving staff welfare through;
• Salary Enhancement (Lobby Government to take up
Wage Bill)
• Start a Health Insurance Scheme for staff
• Creating a conducive working environment
January 2013
•
•
•
Improve retirement planning and support
Starting financial support systems (SACCOS/Bank)
Improve security in the university
2.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Financial management
Operational plans will be guided by the strategic plan
Put in place a financial information system
Participatory budgeting
Prioritisation
Strict monitoring of budget performance
Frugal management of resources
Publicise and operationalise existing policies
Publication of Annual Financial Statements to All
stakeholders
3.
•
•
•
•
•
Resource mobilization
Develop Marshall Plan for Makerere University
Invest on University Lands
Cultivate Confidence among Existing Donors
Identify and Reach Out to new Donors (World Bank,
European Union, NSF, German Research Council,
CIDA, WHO, WFP)
Engage the Alumni in giving back to the university
4.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Improving Student welfare through;
Full Orientation Programme
Career Guidance and Counselling Services
Local and International Mentoring
Modernisation of University Hospital
Improve Sanitation
Improve Customer care at all Stations
Improve security on the campus
5.
Infrastructure development
• Having in place an Infrastructure Development and
Improvement Plan
• Seeing the development of new lecture rooms and
laboratories
6.
Gender mainstreaming
• Operationalise Gender Mainstreaming Policy
• Monitor Gender Terrain Regularly
• Review Policy regularly
7.
Administrative reforms
• Re-structure the administrative and support units
• Re-tooling Administrative Staff
• Right-size Administrative Units
Mak News magazine
8>
One-on-one with
the Vice Chancellor
On 1st September 2012, Prof. John
Ddumba Ssentamu started his five
year term as the substantive Vice
Chancellor of Makerere University. He
spoke to Marion Alina of the Makerere
University Public Relations Office on
the steps taken towards fulfilling his
mandate, for the period spent if office
so far.
Q. What has been your experience
of the time spent in office so far, as
Vice Chancellor?
Notwithstanding the challenges, my
experience thus far has been fulfilling
on the whole and I thank the Almighty
God for the strength he has given me.
We launched a number of Centres
like the Family Health Research and
Development Centre and the Centre
for Tobacco Control in Africa (CTCA)
in Kasangati both under the College
of Health Sciences (CHS); and the
Ruth Keesling Wildlife Health and
Research Centre under the College of
Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources
and Bio-Security (CoVAB). We signed
Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs)
with various Universities and with
companies like Total E&P.
We have been privileged to host three
former Presidents. The former President
of Mozambique, H.E Joachim Chissano
was here in November 2013 to give
a key note address at the Inaugural
Julius Osega memorial lecture, held
under the theme ‘The role of the
Police in upholding and promoting
democracy.’ The former President of
Ghana, H.E John Agyekum Kufuor, also
gave a Public lecture on Uganda’s Oil
potential in August 2013. H.E. Mwai
Kibaki was also here in August 2013 to
join the ‘Mak@90’ Grand Finale. Much
earlier in October 2012, we hosted the
former Malaysian Prime Minister H.E
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad who shared
his country’s experience in managing
her Oil resource. He was speaking
to members of Makerere University
Management.
Makerere
University
has
during
this period celebrated a number
of longstanding collaborations and
partnerships with the Government
of Norway (50 years), University of
Bergen (25 years), Sida (14 years),
RUFORUM (10 years) and so many
others. We also successfully concluded
the year-long Mak@90 Celebrations on
3rd August 2013, an occasion graced
by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Patrick
Amama Mbabazi, who represented the
H.E. The President.
Q. Kindly take us through the
steps/strategies made towards
fulfilling your mandate as promised
in the following areas:
Improving academic standards
and the profile of the university
Management has focused on creating
an environment conducive to attracting
more partnerships and collaborations
between Makerere University and
other universities in the region and
beyond. We have received interest of
collaborations from Uppsala University
in Sweden, Vaal and Venda Universities
in South Africa, Tottori University in
Japan, Bar Ilan University in Israel
where we sent 41 students for
internship and Copperbelt University in
Zambia, among others. We have signed
MoUs with some of these Universities
and look forward to actualization of the
partnerships, which will see both our
students and staff actively engage in
the exchange programmes and joint
research.
Efficient provision and utilization
of the library service
In terms of space, the Library extension
has provided 8,000 square metres
of additional space, which includes
seminar rooms, research commons and
access for persons with disabilities. The
library catalogue is online and visible to
the world, complete with a new offline
feature that allows for the continued
circulation of documents even when
the internet inaccessible. The Makerere
University Library has also provided
professional support to the University
of Juba Library and several other
universities in Southern Sudan as well
as to other local institutional libraries.
Mak News magazine
save on the University expenditure.
Management will continue the quest
for enhanced financial sustainability.
We have also established ties with
an expert from Israel to assist us in
rainwater harvesting.
iii) Internationalization of the
University (establish an effective
international office)
The International Relations Office has
been re-instated and is located at
Plot 33 Edge Road. We are now in the
process of making it a one-stop centre
for all issues related to international
students. I am glad that the office is
quite busy, receiving both international
students and guests alike. The broader
goal is to use this office as an oasis
of first-hand information on how the
University can increasingly integrate an
international perspective in teaching,
learning,
collaborative
research,
joint degree awards, franchising of
programmes and setting up of branch
campuses in other countries.
Attaining financial sustainability
and ensuring optimal utilization of
the University’s financial resource.
Makerere’s budget is largely funded by
income from tuition fees. Management
has to a large extent implemented
the 60% tuition payment policy to
guide timely fees payment and ensure
a smooth running of the university.
Makerere University is also focusing
on initiating other income generating
projects. We wrote a proposal to
replace the University Guest House
with a five-star hotel and Convention
Centre. This, we believe, will reduce the
expenditures on holding conferences
outside the University, among other
benefits. We also launched the
Students’ Centre project, which will
be a one-stop centre for all student
activities when completed. We have
continued to attract the Private sector
to partner with Makerere University
and I am positive that these efforts will
in the near future bear fruit.
We also put in place water and
electricity meters for the University
residential units, so that the occupants
can foot their bills and consequently
January 2014
Consolidating the ICT enabling
environment – increase bandwidth
We are working with the Research and
Education Network for Uganda (RENU),
to explore possibilities of connecting
most universities, colleges and research
institutions to an affordable countrywide high speed fibre-backbone. This
will be an avenue for cheaper & faster
national, regional & international
exchange of information and access
to global resources. This strategy
will also see the successful linking of
researchers to national collaboration
partners in the different centres at
Mbarara University of Science and
Technology, Gulu University and other
national education entities.
The RENU platform will see both
an increment of bandwidth and a
reduction of the unit cost to a fraction
of what Makerere University is currently
charged. In so doing, we shall go a
long way in fulfilling the Millennium
Development Goal No.8, on developing
a global partnership for development.
Ensuring an efficient and effective
organisational and management
environment
The positions of the two Deputies have
now been substantively filled. The First
Deputy Vice Chancellor in Charge of
Academic Affairs, Dr. Ernest Okello
Ogwang and the Deputy Vice Chancellor
in charge of Finance and Administration,
Dr. Barnabas Nawangwe, have made
the Management team complete. This
implies that all units in the University
now have their overall respective
offices to report to in advancing their
issues. I congratulate the two DVCs
and wish them a successful term in
office. It is my hope that together we
will change Makerere University for the
better.
The Colleges also now have substantive
Principals and Deputy Principals to
ensure that both administrative and
academic units at the College level are
fully functional. This will go a long way
in enhancing the much-needed synergy
between Colleges and the Centre. I
congratulate them too and wish them
the very best in their new positions.
Improving staff welfare
January 2014
Staff welfare is one of the most
important issues to the University
Management. We are in the process of
finalizing the Health Insurance scheme
for all members of Staff of Makerere
University. I appeal to all Staff to
register, since this is intended for their
benefit.
Improving student’s welfare
As a key highlight of celebrations to
mark 90 years of Makerere University,
the Students’ Centre project was
launched, and its foundation stone
consequently laid by the Prime Minister,
Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi on behalf
of H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The
Students’ Centre is envisioned to be a
one-stop centre for all student activities
including recreation. It will also have
space for business entities to thrive,
as a way of generating income for the
University. We have engaged and will
continue to engage the private sector
through Public Private Partnerships
to see this project to completion. We
also call upon the alumni to generously
support this cause by getting in touch
with the Public Relations Office of
Makerere University.
Beautification of the Campus
We
embarked
on
a
massive
beautification exercise in line with
University regulations and Kampala
Capital
City
Authority
(KCCA)
guidelines. We managed to eliminate all
kiosks and other businesses operating
in undesignated areas in Makerere
University. Through the Estates and
Works Estates Department, we have
continued beautification works on
roundabouts and are making major
improvements on the University Main
gate. We have also continued to
remove posters in undesignated areas
of the University and encourage all
those who want to pin up posters to
use the notice boards. Unsanctioned
placement of posters is unacceptable
and we strongly discourage it. Although
a great deal of work has been done, we
shall keep pressing on until we attain
our desired standard.
Q. Are there particular challenges
you have encountered during your
term of office thus far?
Kindly highlight some of them. Makerere
University as the first and largest
Government-owned
institution
in
Uganda offers specialized programmes
that are expensive to run. This has
a huge bearing on our institutional
Mak News magazine
9>
financial stability owing to our overreliance on tuition collections to fund
our operational expenditures. We are
very desirous of and will continue to
lobby through the University Council
and Office of the Chancellor for the
Government to take over 100% of our
wage bill. This will help us free up more
resources to improve the welfare of our
students and staff and also increase
our budget allocations to research
activities.
Security also remains a challenge at
Makerere University, but I hasten to
add that intermediate measures have
been put in place to try and improve
security. Our long term goal is to build
a perimeter wall around the University
to further enhance security. We look
forward to Public Private Partnerships
to help get this project off the ground.
Q.As we conclude this interview,
are there any specific messages
you would wish to share?
Most definitely, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank all our
development partners both at the
local and international levels for
their continued support to Makerere
University. Through this support we
have managed to lay a firm academic
foundation for our students and provide
advancement opportunities to our staff.
We have also transformed countless
lives in the community and region. We
therefore value their dedicated support
and look forward to continued mutually
beneficial working relationships in the
future.
I also wish to thank the Makerere
University
Community
for
the
exceptional support accorded to my
office and the entire Management. I
continue to call upon your enhanced
teamwork, openness and accountability
especially in the dispensation of your
duties. It is imperative that we maintain
a cordial working environment, to
which end, the University Management
will always ensure that communication
channels are kept open for discussion.
I also look forward to the continued
improvement of Makerere University’s
academic
profile
both
nationally
and internationally. I encourage all
Members of Staff to always do their
best in ensuring that we build a better
Makerere for future generation. . Going
forward, I pray that God will continue
to guide and protect us all, as we stay
true to our focus to be the continent’s
leading
institution
for
academic
excellence and innovations.
10 >
Uganda’s Odora-Hoppers
Honoured in South Africa for
Research and Scholarship
Chancellor Kagonyera pins the golden jubilee medal on Prof.
Katherine Odora-Hoppers as UNISA VC, Prof. Mandla Makahany
looks on. Right is Prof. Odora-Hopper’s brother, George Ocaya.
By Kirosha Naicker
Professor Catherine Odora-Hoppers,
incumbent of the Department of Science
and
Technology/National
Research
Foundation South African Research
Chair in Development Education at
Unisa was announced as one of Uganda’s
leading and celebrated academics
and researchers during the 51st
National Independence Celebrations
in Rukungiri in Southwestern Uganda
officiated by Ugandan President Yoweri
Museveni. She officially received the
Presidential Medal of Honour on 23
November 2013, which coincided with
the launch of the 6th DST/NRF SARChI
Chair retreat at University of South
Africa (Unisa).
Professor Catherine Odora-Hoppers,
was awarded the Presidential Medal of
Honour for her research and scholarship
in commemoration of Uganda’s Golden
Jubilee of Independence. OdoraHoppers is beyond grateful for this
honour. “I lived in exile for almost 35
years. And now to have the Chancellor
of Makerere University come from my
original country to where I am now
and present me with this award given
by the President of my own country is
overwhelming,” she explained.
And she believes this is about more than
just her. “The link between Unisa and
Uganda has to get stronger because we
can do so much with this opportunity
and this recognition. We have to do
something about it,” she urged.
Foreseeing much more collaboration
between
Unisa,
Uganda/Makerere
University, Odora-Hoppers said, “This
relationship is ready to go further and
now it’s all about putting our work into
strategic action. She is eager to be one
of the architects promoting and even
facilitating this relationship and its
outcomes and also encourages South
Africans to be a major part of it. “Unisa
has given me an opportunity to show
myself, not only to the citizens of Unisa
but also the citizens of South Africa,
Africa and the world and it is my belief
that we must do everything we can to
offer our services to humankind.”
Professor
Mondo
Kagonyera,
Chancellor of Makerere University and
Mak News magazine
Chairperson of the Presidential Awards
Committee, had the enviable task of
officially honouring Odora-Hoppers
with her medal. “I want to thank
Catherine for being an extremely good
ambassador of our country, Uganda.
Coming to honour Catherine on behalf
of His Excellency, President Yoweri
Museveni is so special,” he enthused.
Kagonyera added that he takes “great
pride in highlighting that Catherine
does not only do great work within
Unisa but she also does a lot of things
in our country, including being one of
the trustees for the Girl Child Education
Project for Makerere University.” This
project canvasses support for providing
education to needy and disadvantaged
children with an emphasis on girl
children. It speaks to the problem of
the large number of girl dropouts from
school before they reach their final
grade.
Perhaps there’s no greater compliment
than from family itself and OdoraHoppers’ brother was there to share
in her special moment. George
Ocaya, who is also the Chairman of
the Scientific, Training, Research and
Technical Organisation in Uganda
and member of the Elders Forum in
Gulu District, said, “We knew in our
village and in our clan that there was
something about Catherine that would
not limit her to the village life. We have
been proved right. Thank you to the
government of South Africa and Unisa
for helping Catherine to get what is
inside of her, for humanity, outside.
What is inside of Catherine comes from
our late father and late mother. They
were two of a kind,” he shared.
Also sharing his pride on behalf
of the entire university, Professor
Mandla
Makhanya,
Principal
and
Vice-Chancellor, Unisa, said “We are
extremely proud of Professor OdoraHoppers and the work that she has
done, which is exemplified not only
in the SARChI Chair but also in her
example. Professor Odora-Hoppers,
we know that you ‘practise what you
preach’.
January 2014
11 >
New
Web
Ranking
By Mak News Team
to disseminating research outcomes.
When the rankings were first published
in 2004, Makerere was 18th position. It
slipped to 23rd in 2005, 24th in 2006
and 54th in 2007.
The current positioning on the continent
is a demonstration of efficiency in the
utilization of resources in the 90-year
old institution. The three South African
Universities ranked ahead of Makerere
are more highly endowed.
Makerere University climbed from
the ninth to the fourth highest
ranked institution of higher learning
in Africa.
Makerere stormed into
the top-five tier of universities in
Africa after beating competition from
four South African universities to
make it to number four in just seven
months, according to the July 2013
ranking released by Webometrics, an
organisation that monitors university
performance worldwide.
Makerere leapfrogged the University
of the Witwatersrand, University of
Pretoria, University of Western Cape,
Rhodes University and the University
of South Africa to move from its ninth
position to the fourth. Globally, Makerere was ranked 696 out
of over 21,000 universities. Regionally,
the University of Nairobi is placed at
the 12th position and the University of
Dar es Salam at the 15th position.
January 2014
The University of Cape Town that has
previously topped the continent has
now been displaced to 2nd position by
Stellenbosch University.
Out of over 30 universities in Uganda,
Makerere is the only one that made
it to the top 50 in Africa this year.
Gulu University came at 79, MUBS at
122, Mbarara University of Science
and Technology garnered number
134.
Meanwhile, Mountain of the Moon
was ranked 173rd, Uganda Christian
University came at 179th, Kampala
International University was 250th,
Kyambogo was ranked 330th, Busitema
came 357th, Uganda Marty’s 377th and
IUIU was in the 378 position. Webometrics does the ranking twice
a year according to the number of
times a new article appears on the
Internet about research done at the
institution. This is considered an
indicator of the impact and prestige
of the university and its commitment
Mak News magazine
Dr.
Vincent
Ssembatya,
Director
Quality Assurance, Makerere University
welcomed the improvement in ranking
noting that, “Whereas endowment
plays a key role in promoting research
output, Makerere has over the years
steadily improved her ranking. This
is reflective of the quality research
and innovations conducted and the
potential to perform even better given
adequate financial support. Makerere
University can easily become a
preferred destination for International
Students earning the country the much
needed foreign exchange”
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. John DdumbaSsentamu reiterated the University’s
commitment to becoming a top-rated
University in Africa, “Breaking into the
Top Five is a great achievement for
Makerere University. Our target now
is to continue working hard so that
Makerere can regain its number one
position in Africa,” he said.
12 >
Nelson
Mandela
a Makerere
tribute
The Makerere University Council,
Senate, Management, staff and
students celebrate the life of an
Honourable Statesman, freedom
fighter, and loving Father of the
Rainbow Nation, whose well lived life
has touched almost each and every
man and woman along the length
and breadth of planet earth.
A fresh shoot that sprang forth
from the banks of the Mbashe River
tracing the lineage of the Thembu
royal family, Madiba stayed true to
the blood that coursed through his
veins; neither turning his back on
unfairness nor shying away from
intimidation, as he pursued justice
for the majority that called South
Africa home.
Enchanted by the tales of the elders,
the love of African history soon struck
a chord that reverberated to the
utmost depths of his soul. Leadership
would soon beckon in the name of
the African National Congress Youth
With wisdom as old as
the hills, all that oozed
out of the wounds
from the oppressors
whip was an open
greeting in the name of
peace, democracy and
freedom for all.
League and respond he would. As
the knot of racial segregation and
open repression tightened, the
once peaceful revolutionary, having
been pursued and boxed into a
tight corner relented, taking on the
more radical sabotage and militant
excursion. Judgment followed swiftly
and a hefty price; a score and seven
years, you paid.
Never one to be dissuaded, your
freedom once regained; it was
back to the Peoples cause again.
While the world watched your reemergence, expecting anger for the
twenty-seven year stranglehold, and
bitterness, rage and vengeance for
Mak News magazine
the injustice suffered, you struck
gold again. With wisdom as old as
the hills, all that oozed out of the
wounds from the oppressors whip
was an open greeting in the name
of peace, democracy and freedom
for all.
Father of the Rainbow Nation, your
passion for a life free of domination
has inspired many. Your unfazed,
unflinching thrust for the ideals of
harmony and equal opportunities
for all persons inconsiderate of race
has flung the lifeline out to all those
living in oppression.
We remain forever thankful to God
for your life and all those who stood
for the same ideals. Your legacy lives
on in perpetuity, inspiring countless
generations.
Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu
Vice Chancellor
January 2014
One can never really be prepared for
death!! I cannot describe how I felt
on the morning of December 5, 2013
when I woke to the sad news that
Nelson Mandela had passed on.
As a child growing up in Nyarwanya
village in Ntungamo District, Western
Uganda in the 1980s, I recollected
how my late grandmother (Kaak) used
to tell me stories of a great African
man, Nelson Madiba Mandela. She
said Nelson Mandela was arrested and
incarcerated long before I was born.
From an early age, I wanted to know
why Mandela was known and loved
by almost everybody, peasants and
presidents alike. I occasionally heard
news on radio about this same man
and his deeds.
Nelson Mandela was one of the main
inspirations for my choice of pursuing
a career in journalism. I was confident
that this profession would make it
possible for me to meet and interview
people like him, although I silently
prayed that I would one day get to
meet Nelson Mandela himself.
The highlight of my journalism career
and silent prayer came to pass in July
2006, when I was set to travel to
Johannesburg, South Africa, to meet
Nelson Mandela. I was one of the five
winners of the African Responsible
Reporting Awards, selected to meet
him.
I remember as we waited for him,
everybody was wondering what they
would say to him and how they would
address him. When Nelson Mandela
finally walked into the room, I just
knew and could sense that greatness
was there. Although tall, elegant and
graceful, Mandela’s gentle but confident
handshake reflected a man at peace
with himself and his world.
It has been years since I met him, yet
I still remember that morning in fine
detail. Perched on the arm of the chair
where I was seated, he asked me why I
had chosen to study journalism and not
law. For the memorable ten minutes
he talked to me, Mandela kept smiling
at me until I finished each sentence.
He was such a warm person. When I
told him that journalism was more of
a calling to me than a profession, he
smiled and said, “You young African
journalists must work hard to project
the correct image of our beautiful
continent. I know you can do it if you
are dedicated and passionate about
what you do.”
I asked him what made him stand out
from colleagues who fought for the
January 2014
13 >
impactful life. History will remember
you as one of the greatest men who
ever lived – an incredibly selfless man
who made so much of a sacrifice to
re-write the history of generations of
South Africans and the world. I will live
to tell my children that a giant once
walked this continent.
Rest in peace Madiba.
Mr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
sometimes called by other names.
My Tribute to
Nelson Mandela
By Agaba Issa Mugabo
same things and his reply was, “My
son, real leaders must be ready to
sacrifice all for the freedom of their
people. It is not an activist’s actions
and achievements that define them,
it is the motives that distinguish one
activist from the other.” He told me that
he fought for his people out of love,
and this drove him to do what was right
until the very end.
I learnt from meeting Mandela that
greatness is not inborn, but is created
in the crucible of self-aware, self-willed
experience. Mandela’s life struggles,
principles, values, politics, leadership
and even passage were full of lessons
especially for African leaders. Nelson
Mandela did not exploit his idolisation
and the love of his people to build a
financial empire for himself like most
African politicians/leaders.
When he was President, Nelson Mandela
did not privatise public enterprises and
sell them to himself, like some African
presidents. He did not use his public life
for private gains, a virtue that eludes
most of us. This is a lesson for leaders
whose countrymen and women rejoice
when evil befalls them.
At the end of the meeting he thanked
us for finding time to meet him and
implored us to build, protect and
defend our beautiful continent- Africa.
This made me love and appreciate
Africa more. I am proud to be African.
Madiba, you lived a robust, fulfilling and
Mak News magazine
is
Rolihlahla – This is Mr Mandela’s
birth name: it is an isiXhosa name
which means “pulling the branch
of a tree”, but colloquially it means
“troublemaker”. His father gave him
this name.
Nelson – This name was given to
him on his first day at school by his
teacher, Miss Mdingane. Giving African
children English names was a custom
among Africans in those days and was
influenced by British colonials who
could not easily, and often would not,
pronounce African names.
Madiba – This is the name of the clan
of which Mr Mandela is a member. A
clan name is much more important
than a surname as it refers to the
ancestor from which a person is
descended. Madiba was the name of a
Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei
in the 18th century.
Tata – This isiXhosa word means
“father” and is a term of endearment
that many South Africans use for Mr
Mandela. Since he is a father figure to
many, they call him Tata regardless of
their own age.
Khulu – Mr Mandela is often
called “Khulu”, which means great,
paramount, grand. It is also a
shortened form of the isiXhosa word
“uBawomkhulu” for “grandfather”.
Dalibhunga – This is the name Mr
Mandela was given at the age of 16
once he had undergone initiation,
the traditional Xhosa rite of passage
into manhood. It means “creator or
founder of the council” or “convenor of
the dialogue”.
Other names – Of course, Mr
Mandela’s family use many terms of
endearment for him. His grandchildren
use variants of “Grandfather”, like
“Granddad” for instance. Mrs Graça
Machel frequently uses “Papa”. Source: Nelson Mandela Foundation
14 >
Dr. Kiggundu Musoke
at the MUASA Steering Wheel
all staff in similar positions across the
university were put on the same terms
of service unlike the situation before in
which uneven allowances were given
to staff on the basis of how much
internally generated funds came from
their Colleges. But this did not come
easy. “We arrived at the incentive
after constructive engagement of all
stakeholders. During this period, which
lasted about a month, all Staff went on a
sit-down strike. I am extremely pleased
that as a team, we achieved. I want to
reassure the few individuals who are
not happy with this arrangement that
equity is the only way to go if we are
to see better service delivery in this
university,” he explains.
By Marion Alina
Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke
is the current Chairperson of the
Makerere
University
Academic
Staff Association (MUASA). He
also doubles as the Chairperson
of the Joint General Assembly of
Staff Associations: MUASA, MASA
(Makerere Administrative Staff
Association) and NUEI (National
Union of Education Institutions.
Fondly referred to as the Kofi
Annan of Makerere amongst his
peers, Dr. Kiggundu has a passion
for
peaceful
mechanisms
of
resolving differences. He talked to
the Public Relations Office on what
drives him.
Makerere University has been in the
press for the wrong reasons including
staff/student strikes. The juxtaposition
here is that the leader of MUASA is
regarded as the opposition of Makerere
in as much measure as he is regarded
the Chief Architect of peace. As
Chairperson, Dr. Kiggundu heads one
of the most effective associations in
the country – MUASA. He presents
with a calm personality, which is but
a camouflage of the fighter within.
It is from here that his peers draw
similarities with Kofi Annan – former
Secretary General of the United
Nations. “I am a Peace maker.
I
believe in dialogue to resolve issues.
My approach is a stick and carrot,” he
says.
The
illustrious
academician
is
fresh from the success of a salary
enhancement, commonly known as
‘incentive’, for all Makerere University
staff. The enhancement was reached
after the University Council agreed to
cut out some university expenses like
travels and workshops in favor of salary
increment. In this new arrangement,
Mak News magazine
15 >
his peers. He later served as General
Secretary of MUASA before taking off
time to complete his doctoral studies.
A section of staff are still concerned
over the sustainability of this new
salary model, to which Dr. Kiggundu
responds in the affirmative. “I want to
allay the fears of those who think that
the incentive is not sustainable. The
incentive is here to stay for as long as
its source is the enrolment of students.
Besides, Makerere University is looking
at private-public partnerships to
expand the revenue base and this will
definitely translate into better terms
of service,” he asserts. He is grateful
to the Chairpersons of MASA, NUEI,
the MUASA Executive and the Staff
members for the continued unity at
Makerere University.
Before rising to the coveted MUASA
high seat, Dr. Kiggundu first served as
the MUASA publicist from 2005 -2007,
under the leadership of Dr. Nuwagaba.
It was during his two-year term in this
position that he was part of the team
which successfully advocated for a pay
rise for Makerere Staff. “I remember
telling MUASA leadership that we
should put pressure on the University
Council, not Government, for a pay
rise. We are employed by the University
Council,” he argues. This intelligent
strategy was handy years later when
the Kiggundu-led team advocated for
the much-appreciated salary incentive,
and it won him admiration amongst
January 2014
Dr. Kiggundu made a big come back as
MUASA Vice Chair in 2010 and was part
of the vibrant team that re-awakened
the struggle for ‘NIC-DAP,’ a staff saving
fund that was about to be lost to NIC –
an insurance company. This money had
been stuck in an unresolved struggle
between NIC and the University since
2008. Makerere University staffs were
beginning to wear out. Dr. Kiggundu,
fresh in office, brought the muchneeded energy by insisting that the
struggle be re-awakened. “As a team,
we wedged war against NIC and reawakened a staff sit-down strike until
this issue was resolved. It is in times
like these that you need to use the
stick as opposed to the carrot,” he
emphasizes.
In this struggle, MUASA was headed by
Dr. Tanga Odoi, another no nonsense
academician, whose tenure further
concretized the association. Finally in
2011, the NIC-DAP funds were released
after government intervention too.
Makerere Staff members were happy.
They resumed work and thanked
MUASA for ‘fighting the good fight.’ The
mood in the University was celebratory.
The Makerere Staff canteen was a busy
place especially in the evenings. The
NIC-DAP success was a cherished topic
of discussion amongst many, over an
evening cup of coffee. Others opted for
the chilled drink served in the brown
bottle! Chicken wings and thighs were
not spared either! For Dr. Kiggundu, it
was time to prepare for a bigger task the MUASA steering wheel.
On 15th Feb. 2013, Dr. Kiggundu
received the MUASA instruments of
power. He is working on a short and
precise manifesto. First on his agenda
is
the
now-accomplished
salary
enhancement, followed by health
insurance for Staff. This is already
in the offing with support from the
Directorate of Human Resources. He is
now looking forward to establishment
of a Publishing house at Makerere
University. “As a University, we are losing
a lot of money to external publishing
houses who charge exorbitant prices. A
January 2014
An artistic impression of the proposed multi-purpose Students Centre
home-made solution would be to have
our own publishing house not only to
save costs but to also improve our
standards. Some staff members opt to
publish less due to the high costs and
this is not healthy for this Institution,”
he says.
With the coming into office of Dr.
Okello Ogwang as substantive Deputy
Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic
Affairs (DVC AA), the MUASA leader
is looking at advocating for the
publishing house. “I am positive that
the DVC AA will buy into this idea and
prioritize it too. I have held preliminary
discussions with the Vice Chancellor,
Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, and he
has given the assurance that funds for
this project will be found. The slight
setback was that we did not have a
substantive DVC AA to spear head this,
but that is not the case anymore” he
asserts.
Dr. Kiggundu Musoke is a big thinker. In
2012, Makerere University embarked
on the year-long celebrations to mark
90 years of Makerere University. Dr.
Kiggundu was a committee member
chairing the Welfare Sub-Committee.
It is here that he supported the idea
of a multi-facility Students’ Centre in
Makerere University for centralization of
student activities. The facility, currently
estimated at USD $30m, is hoped
to increase the internally generated
funds. The foundation stone for this
facility was laid by the Prime Minister
Hon. Amama Mbabazi on behalf of H.E
Mak News magazine
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on 3rd Aug.
2013, as part of the Mak@90 activities.
Efforts are underway to solicit funding
for the construction of the centre,
envisioned to have halls for public
hire, recreation facilities, restaurants,
bookshops, banks and a shopping mall
among others.
“A students’ centre will have today
and tomorrow’s benefit. I first saw
one of this kind when I was pursuing
the foundations of my doctoral studies
at the University of California-Santa
Barbara, USA and I have always wanted
something similar but customized to
Makerere University. I thank the Vice
Chancellor and his team for embracing
this idea. I am confident that with the
continued good will, a Students’ Centre
will be realized. I appeal to the alumni
and well-wishers to generously support
this cause,” he says.
In his free time, Dr. Kiggundu is an
excellent ‘Master of Ceremonies’
(MC or emcee) for big national and
international events, with fluency
in Arabic, French, and English. With
these additional skills, he doubles as
an International Interpreter. He is the
President of the Religious pluralism and
Tolerance Initiative – Uganda Chapter
and is also a Consultant on Religion,
Islam, Peace and Conflict Management.
Dr. Kiggundu is happily married to the
God-fearing Hajat Amina Nankumba,
with whom he has many children.
Email: mmkiggundu@educ.mak.ac.ug
16 >
17 >
Sciences, 3 graduates from the same
college a few years ago and 2 students
are from Busitema University.
News from Israel indicates that
Makerere students were divided into
two groups and sent to two farms.
21 students are deployed at Pri-or
Meadrine Farm located in Mefelisim
in the Negev desert Southern Israel
and the other 10 at Tsarfati Farm in
the North of Tel Aviv.
The students reside in a rented
bungalow paid by the farm owners
and as part of their training, they are
provided food to cook for themselves,
pack and eat from their place of work
to avoid time wastage.
Makerere Brand and Marketing
Manager Agaba Issa Mugabo visited
the students. He said in addition to
food and accommodation, students
were
given
uniforms,
shoes,
gumboots, t-shirts, jackets and other
essential farm items to make their
work easy and comfortable.
According to Mr. Agaba, the first
task assigned to the students was
to collect a maximum of 5 boxes of
oranges each per day. Farm managers
thought this was too big a task for
the students but they were surprised
to see the boys picking between 7-15
boxes each per day and only limited
by storage facilities.
“The Ugandan students have beaten
the Rwandese record for being more
focused and steadfast and if all goes
well Makerere will this year send
more than 200 students because all
the farmers are impressed with the
Ugandan students”, Mr. Agaba said.
Makerere Interns Hailed
This was the first time Makerere
University and Uganda as a whole
sent students for this Isreal Agro
studies paid internship. Only boys
went because of accommodation
issues but arrangements have been
finalised and next year, female
students will be included.
Israel Asks for More Students
By Jane Anyango
T
he State of Israel has
requested Makerere University
to send another ten (10)
students for the life-changing oneyear
agrostudies
apprenticeship
programme. The 10 more students
left on the 13/12/2013 bringing the
total number of Ugandan students
on the internship program to 41
According to Makerere University
Brand and Marketing Manager Agaba
Issa Mugabo, who is the key contact
person for the Israel-Makerere
internship, the request is due to
the outstanding and exceptional
performance of the first bunch of the
students.
The Minister of Education and Sports
Mak News magazine
Jessica Alupo, representing H.E The
President of Uganda, flagged off the
first group of the students to Israel
on October 3, 2013.
26 students were second years
undertaking BSc. Agric and BSc.
Horticulture from the College of
Agricultural
and
Environmental
January 2014
Mr. Agaba with some of the students at Pri-Ur Meadrine Farm, Southern Israel.
January 2014
Mak News magazine
AgroStudies brings students from
South Asian, Latin America and
African countries including the
Philippines, Peru, Myanmar, Laos,
Cambodia, India, Vietnam, Rwanda,
Togo, Borkina Faso, Kenya, Malawi,
and Ivory Coast among others.
18 >
19 >
MakLIB
in Africa; the librarians have taken
on the motherly role of nurturing
librarians in upcoming universities.
A case in point is the collaboration
with the University of Bergen Library
in Norway that has opened up many
opportunities for MakLIB staff to
offer professional support to the
University of Juba Library and several
University Libraries in South Sudan.
Commenting on these feats, Professor
Maria Musoke had this to say,
“In the process of automation, we have
acquired knowledge and skills which
we keep exporting to other University
libraries in the region for example
Sokoine University of Agriculture in
Tanzania, Six University libraries in
Nigeria, Ghana and South Sudan,” she
remarked.
En route to becoming
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Model Academic Library
By: Ritah Namisango
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni commissioned
the first half of the Main Library
Building Extension and on 29th August
2012, The Vice President of Uganda,
H.E Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi
commissioned the Second half of the
New Library Building Extension thus
availing 8,000 square metres of floor
space and more room for increased
ICT infrastructure,” she said.
H.E. President Yoweri
Museveni and Prof.
Maria Musoke at the
President
Museveni
commissioning
of the
opens
the Lib extension
model library.
Over the years, it has
been delicately etched in
the annals of this great
institution that the Makerere
University Library (MakLIB)
has continued to grow
and register remarkable
achievements.
These
accounts tell a descriptive
and nostalgic tale of the
significant impact of Library
services on teaching and
learning,
research
and
innovations in Makerere and
beyond.
As we work towards the
realization of the University
Vision, to be the leading
institution
for
academic
excellence and innovations
in Africa, MakLIB’s tale
has
been
painstakingly
crafted by the dedicated
Management and Staff who
have served it over the
years. This dedicated team
whilst ensuring conservation
has
also
evolved
with
the
times,
adapting
automation-a
worthwhile
pursuit of ensuring access
to the Makerere University
Library beyond the Campus
Walls.
When you visit the Makerere
University Library, you will
not only appreciate the
great care and resources
that have been invested in
preserving
centuries-old
knowledge from various
disciplines, but also the
ingenuity in blending the
old methods with the new
ICT technologies.
A visit
to the Africana Section of
the Library will give you a
glimpse of this: the Manual
Catalogue and the Digital
Catalogue; the hard copy
materials and the Digital
resources; both new and old
rich academic and research
collections of vast depths of
knowledge all quietly coexist
in the same ensemble. With
this rich blend, the Makerere
University Library, which
serves both the national and
international
community,
will continue creating an
impeccable
history
of
evolution that will continue
to tell the story to countless
future generations on how
far we have come!
The
automation
agenda
is one that lights up the
University
Librarian,
Professor Maria G. Musoke’s
face,
“The library catalogue is
online and visible to the
world,” she beams. “The
acquisition module was fully
implemented during the
procurement of the Carnegie
funded text books; while
the circulation module is
being implemented. We also
Mak News magazine
have the new offline feature
that allows you to continue
circulating documents when
the Internet is off,” shared
Prof. Musoke.
The appreciative University
Librarian commended the
Carnegie
Corporation
of
New York, the Governments
of Norway and Sweden and
the Makerere University
Community
for
their
generous support towards
the development of library
services.
“With your support, the space
issues in the Main Library
are gone. During the yearlong celebrations to mark
the 90 years of Makerere
University’s
existence,
we happily witnessed the
commissioning of the New
Library Building Extension.
On 4th August 2012, The
President of Uganda, H.E
January 2014
She also pointed out the fact that
the Makerere University Library
Information
System
was
fully
operational, a key factor that has
significantly enriched the scholarly,
academic and research findings for
staff, students and library users at the
national and international levels.
Prior to all these developments, the
MakLIB team had for a long time set
its sights on becoming the model
academic library in Sub-Saharan
Africa. As fate would have it, in the
2006/7 academic year, Makerere
University Library staff competed with
several Universities in East and West
Africa and won a US$ 2.5m grant from
the Carnegie Corporation of New York
(CCNY) to help fund this cause. Some
of the achievements that have been
realized include:
The Research commons: The first
such a facility in this country, has
been furnished by CCNY funding, with
new IT facilities and controlled access
doors; something hitherto only seen
in universities abroad. The Graduate
students and Researchers are already
enjoying this facility.
The
Learning
commons
for
undergraduate
students:
Over
11,000 copies of new textbooks were
procured for the entire University and
January 2014
they are shelved in IDA section of the
Main Library.
Training Librarians: CCNY also funded
a Masters in Information Technology
course and so far Eight MakLIB staff
have secured grants to attend the
distance learning course based at the
University of Pretoria.
Professor Musoke also commended
her staff for populating the Makerere
University Institutional Repository;
formerly Uganda Scholarly Digital
Library (USDL), that stores a high
volume of richfiles. These have greatly
contributed to Makerere University’s
webometric
ranking
which
has
progressively improved to the fourth
position in Africa.
Cognizant of the fact that Makerere
University is a mother institution
Mak News magazine
Furthermore our Librarians have kept
a keen eye out for the best practices
elsewhere and sought to implement
them back home. Four University
Librarians attended a summer course
on Learning and teaching in a digital
age in Norway and on their return
spearheaded the running of the same
course at Makerere University in June
2012. This was the first time that the
course was being held in Africa.
It is therefore distinctly clear that the
Makerere University Library is not only
en route to being the model academic
library in Sub-Saharan Africa but
has also taken time to contribute to
the development of library services
in other universities. This is the true
spirit of sharing that we intend to keep
embodying as we build for the future.
20 >
Dr. Florence Nakayiwa
A Pivot of Change
By Marion Alina
D
r. Florence Nakayiwa is the
new Director of the Planning
and Development Directorate,
since 2012. Dr. Nakayiwa
is an accomplished scholar with a
Doctorate of Business Administration
from the University of Bath in the
UK. Her doctorate focuses on higher
education management, an area she
is passionate about. “I have developed
a passion for higher education. I see
a number of things going wrong and I
want to be part of the positive change
process. I do not like it when people
do not follow up on their part of the
cycle because they affect so many
other processes along the way,” she
explains. Dr. Nakayiwa is a go-getter.
Colleagues in the University know her
for her attention to detail and desire
for perfection. The lady sets high goals
and will not rest until she has achieved
them all.
Dr. Nakayiwa now wants to use
her position as a pivot of change in
Makerere University. She looks forward
to a time when all university systems
will smoothly speak to one another, a
process she says is currently hindered
by the wrong attitude amongst some
staff. “I want to see a system that works.
This means that if you are a Lecturer for
instance, can we have accountability
for your time in the lecture room? It
is not fair for students to go without
lectures. We should all work together
for a University that we shall always be
proud of. I strongly believe that 80% of
the failures in systems is as a result of
personal attitude towards work. If we
all decide to work for the good of this
University, I am positive that the sky
will be the limit,” she emphasizes.
Dr. Nakayiwa has already started
changing the face of PDD by
emphasizing a performance reporting
system. “In this Directorate, we all
draft plans of what each of us wants to
do and how we intend to achieve our
set goals for the year. This has helped
streamline our operations a lot,” she
explains.
The proud mother of three is married
to Mr. Henry Mayega, whom she met
while pursuing her Bachelors Degree in
Education at Makerere University. The
two walked down the aisle in 1993 and
have been married for an uninterrupted
20 years and still counting. She holds
a Masters Degree in Economic Policy
of Makerere University and a Post
Graduate Diploma in Computer Science
too. “I got married to my wonderful
husband in 1993 after joining Makerere
as a member of Staff in the Directorate
of Planning where I first served as a
Economist, then as a Senior Economist
Mak News magazine
21 >
before taking up the post of Director.
It feels me with great pride and I am
grateful to God that my first daughter
is now at the University,” she says with
a deep smile.
But all has not been glossy for this
hard working Director. She reminisces
the difficult times she went through as
a child, especially during the turbulent
political period of the 1970s. “Attending
primary at Gayaza Junior was a tough
experience. I was moving from an
environment of total care under my
parents at home to ‘mind-yourself’ at
school,” she says. “I found it difficult
to adjust and I vowed never to send
my children to a boarding school in
primary,” she asserts.
Dr. Nakayiwa then joined Kampala High
School (current Agha Khan Secondary
School) for her Ordinary and Advanced
level education. As she completed
Secondary education, the political
environment in the country was fast
changing. “Our lot did not fully attend
senior one because of the election
chaos in the country. We had only one
term of senior one, then proceeded to
senior two,” she reminisces.
On completion of her secondary
education, Dr. Nakayiwa was the only
girl from her school that year who
joined Makerere University for the
Bachelors Degree in Education. She
partly attributes this to her hard work
while in secondary school. “I had a
superiority complex in Secondary
School. My argument was that it is the
academic excellence that will count at
the end of the day, and this is where I
focused,” she asserts.
After her Bachelors degree, Dr.
Nakayiwa enrolled for a short Computer
programme, which was on offer at
Bauman House in Kampala. This
opened her to the world of computers
and computation of data; which has
since become a bread earner for her.
“After the computer programme,
I worked as a Data analyst for the
National census and I developed a
passion for working with data up till
now. In this Directorate, we handle
a lot of data for the University and it
is amazing what data reveals about
University processes,” she says.
It is after this experience that Dr.
Nakayiwa joined Makerere University.
She has not looked back since then.
The lady is grateful to God and to her
parents for the achievements. Her
mother is the role model who pointed
her towards hard work, mutual respect
and the beauty of working with all
people irrespective of their status or
background.
January 2014
ERISA MUKASA MASANSO
“I’m a very open person”
By Ritah Namisango
After 25 years in Makerere University,
the head of the Lands, Landscape and
Environmental Unit at Makerere ERISA
MUKASA MASANSO is retiring. He
took time off to tell us about his time
at Makerere and he says he leaves
contented that he has done his best.
When did you come to Makerere
and what was the primary driver?
I came to Makerere in March 1989,
as staff. My job was Landscape and
Environmental Officer in the Estates
and Works Department and that
position was created for me for some
reason I don’t know. It had not been
there.
What were the challenges at the
time?
At the time, the challenges were [lack
of] staff, equipment, tools, and I had to
build that section, from scratch.
January 2014
So what do you do as Landscape
and Environmental Officer?
My main responsibility on the campus
is to ensure that the environment is
conducive to the core activity of the
university. That encompasses making
sure that the environment is clean,
the grass is cut, [we] prune trees,
that kind of thing. We determine which
trees to be cut, which should be pruned
and so on; but the challenge is labour
and equipment. I was [also] given the
portfolio to oversee the different pieces
of university land, spread all over the
country. Then I report to my superiors
to take action.
Does your office put you in
confrontation with staff who are
opposed to change?
Definitely, in the 1980s, we had a lot of
challenges. People had gotten used to
the way things were. If you were in the
Mak News magazine
university at that time, you’ll [recall]
that there were several banana, maize
and sweet potato gardens even near
the Freedom square! Some of the
areas near the [College of Business
and Management Sciences] were
surrounded by banana gardens, and
some are still there because of that
resistance. At that time, the pay from
Government was very low and people
resorted to gardens to subsidise their
income. So to come in [and say] we
needed a new environment, open
spaces, where students can relax, was
a big challenge. But the University
Council and Administration, was very
helpful, especially when Prof. Opio
Epelu [was Deputy Vice Chancellor
for Finance and Administration]; we
started sensitising staff and we started
rolling out these gardens and planting
new grass and trees. Then there was
the problem of canteens. In the 1990s,
there was a canteen everywhere due to
people’s incomes. So everyone was a
shopkeeper of some sort. For instance
in Nsibirwa Hall, almost every student
had a canteen. Even in Complex Hall, it
was terrible. To remove them has been
a challenge.
I imagine this created a lot of
enemies for you?
I don’t have enemies. I’m a very open
person – some will come and say aah
you Masanso, my child’s school fees,
but I talk to them and sensitise them
and they realise it.
If a student who came in 1989 met
the one joining Makerere in 2013,
what kind of conversation would
they have about your work?
Well there have been a lot of changes
– but mostly we used to have direct
labour force [university workers who
did menial jobs] but they were very
difficult to work with and now we have
outsourced these services. They are
more efficient and easier to manage.
Consequently, the environment has
become smarter. We are no longer
dependent on direct labour. With these
outsourcing companies, there is a
better attitude. They have to work; if
they don’t work they won’t get paid.
Although it appears more expensive it
is more effective.
22 >
So
has
the
environment
at
Makerere improved in the way you
wanted?
Definitely it has improved, but more
has to be done...
acres; Katalemwa is 70 acres and so
on, it is very attractive to encroachers.
Like the land in Makindye, it is at the
top of the hill, it is very prime, and
inactive, so Makerere should be seen
to be active about this land.
So we won’t hear of people asking
about the old Makerere being
better?
No the Makerere they are talking of is
the 1960s but during the 1970s, things
deteriorated. Now things are better.
And what are you doing about the
increasing population pressure on
the university – since the green
spaces are not increasing?
It is a challenge. The green spaces are
becoming smaller. The University is
putting up buildings to accommodate
the increasing student numbers. There
are a lot of green spaces covered by
banana gardens, which can be opened
up for students. The University is
proposing to put up a students’ centre,
which will relieve on the pressure of
space.
Besides that looking forward, what
would you like to see in Makerere,
10 years from now?
The environment is getting better.
I’d like to see a reduction of staff
residential houses on campus, so that
you can create space for students,
since the population is going up.
What
about
student
accommodation, there has been a
suggestion to phase the student
halls out?
For me I think if there are private
investors who can invest in hostels,
they should be allowed. And Makerere
should move away from this and
concentrate on teaching and research.
Let’s
talk
about
your
other
portfolio – land. What is the status
of university property, especially
after the concerns raised about
unscrupulous land grabbers?
Well there have been three pieces of
land where this has happened. In
Kololo, someone called Nassour Rahez
claimed he had bought the land from a
lady. The matter is in court. He won the
first round and the university appealed.
Then in Makindye, there is a lady called
people in my generation
don’t look at the pay, they
look at job satisfaction...
young people are more
interested in money. They
are target workers
Omumbejja Bwanga bwa Mirembe. She
is a powerful lady, escorted by police.
That matter is in court. And Katanga
is also in court, the family of the late
Mukasa contest his decision to give this
land to Makerere.
So apart from this university is
secure?
No the people who are seeking to
encroach on this land are very active.
After so much effort we have recruited a
land surveyor and we need her services
to keep on opening the boundaries and
keep encroachers away. Makerere has
a lot of land – so you can’t say it is
secure.
So what is the ultimate solution?
The long term solution, Makerere
should be seen to be active on the
land. If you have a piece of land in the
urban areas, and there is no activity,
people encroach on it. Where possible
it should be fenced. Katanga is over 30
Mak News magazine
So as you prepare to leave
Makerere after over 25 years, some
are curious as to what has kept
you here, especially as an eminent
urban planner by training?
The love for my job (laughs loudly) ...
when you are appreciated. Actually
Makerere is a very good place to work
in. Apart from the pay; people in my
generation don’t look at the pay, they
look at job satisfaction. That is what
we were looking at. Makerere people
are very good – I have never worked
anywhere else in Uganda, apart from
Britain. That is what kept me going,
especially when I came in – there
was no politics. What I have noticed,
young people are more interested in
money. They are target workers ...
just [interested in] how much they can
make.
After this where do you go after
Makerere?
I’m going into consultancy and my
private business.
So what advice can you give urban
planners coming in after you?
It is very difficult to do urban planning
in Uganda, everything is political. You
can’t be a professional urban planner
and you work in Uganda. You want
to create a better environment, but
everything is politicised. So you have
to go slowly and it takes a long time to
get things done – get people on board.
A bit of his history:
He did his Primary school education
at Namilyango Primary School; His
O’levels at Tororo College; and in
1975, he completed his A’levels at
Mbale Senior Secondary School. In
1976, he proceeded to Britain for
Diploma in Landscaping at Merrist
Wood College Surry. On completion, he
pursued a degree in Urban Planning at
the University of Westminster, then a
postgraduate diploma. He returned to
Uganda in 1987.
January 2014
Awards, Recognitions, Innovations
23 >
Congratulations upon this achievement.
NAME
David Kahundha Muhwezi
UNIT
AWARD/INNOVATION
Visionaries Award
University Secretary
Prof. Livingstone Luboobi
50th independence Golden Jubilee Medal
Former Vice Chancellor
Distinguished alumnus of the University of
East Africa(Makerere Campus)
Professor Charles Lwanga Olweny
Distinguished alumnus University of East
Africa (Makerere Campus)
Hon. Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire
Distinguished alumnus University of East
Africa (Makerere Campus)
Prof. Moses Kiiza Musaazi
Prof. Nelson K.
Sewankambo
Dr. Jackson Efitre
Prof. John Kiboko
Enyaru
Dr. Alex Coutinho
CEDAT
Principal, College of
Health Sciences
Department of
Biological Sciences
(CoNAS)
Department of
Biochemistry and
Sports Science (CoNAS)
Infectious Diseases
Institute (IDI)
Siemens Stiftung Global Innovations Award
50th independence Golden Jubilee Medal
Honorary degree from Johns Hopkins
University
World Climate Change Research Programme
(WCRP) Award
Developed a new test that can accurately
detect parasites in tsetse flies
50th independence Golden Jubilee Medal
Hideyo Noguchi Africa Prize for Medical
Services
Dr Gilbert Gumoshabe
CHUSS
50th independence Golden Jubilee Medal
Dr. Damalie Nakanjako
Dept of Biotechnical
and Diagnostic Sciences
(CoVAB)
CHS
Dr. Joseph Ochieng
CHS
Fourth Annual Merle A. Sande Health
Leadership Award.
National Bioethics Award
Mr. Paul Kutyabami
CHS
National Bioethics Award
Steven Odongo
NAME
Elanco Award
Student Awards
COLLEGE
AWARD/INNOVATION
Best Oralist (East African
Regional Child Rights Moot Court
Competition)
Susan Baluka
School of Law
Leah Aidah Nabunya
Dept of Journalisn
& Communication
(CHUSS)
Tebere-Mudin Award (Overall best
Journalism 2011/2012)
Juma Hassan
Dept of Journalisn
& Communication
(CHUSS)
Cranimer Mugerwa Award (Best
photo journalism student)
Brian Gitta (Matibabu)
CoCIS
Non Invasive Malaria Testing Method
(voted among the best four ideas
from the market place)
January 2014
Mak News magazine
24 >
25 >
Message from the Convocation
By Bruce Kabaasa
forward, these initiatives will be
more structured in our partnership
with the University Forum on
Governance (UNIFOG)
Mak Unveils New Research Agenda
In particular, the University Forum
on Governance will implement the
Leadership Advancement Program
that will competitively identify
nature and enhance leadership
competencies
among
present
and future leaders in Uganda and
across the region. It is thus our
consideration that this program will
go a long way in building for future.
‘Today
countries
are
cleverer
than ever before. They are willing
to avoid wars by all means;
negotiations,
compensations,
diplomacy, deterrence and any
other form that can be helpful. They
will pay any cost to circumvent and
avoid a destructive and devastating
war, but they cannot avoid. Wars
are the means to human evolution,
intensification; advancement and
they will be forever’ M.F. Moon.
The quote was at the back of our
minds when we assumed leadership
of the Convocation in 2006 barely
three years after school. Although
my plan was to only Chair the
Alumni Association, a round decision
was made by the very association
for me to become a member of the
University Council and before I knew
it, was appointed to the Chancellor
Search Committee. The wars had
begun.
The successive years were to be
punctuated by fights between the
University Staff and Government,
Staff and Management, Staff and
Council and lately between staff
themselves. It has been a dramatic
and eventful eight years. In all,
the “wars” were worthwhile, and
all those engaged largely came out
victorious.
Indeed the initial wars pacified our
evolution and three years in office,
we facilitated change in University
Management and organized the
first ever Alumni Reunion graced
by former Tanzanian President, H.E
Benjamin Mkapa; and have over
the years organized public lectures
delivered by prominent alumni or
global leaders including former
Kenyan President H.E Mwai Kibaki
and former Ghanian Preseident H.E
John Kufuor.
We have as well consistently
engaged the academia, students,
civil society, political leaders and the
business community in discussing
topical issues and government
policies to enrich, generate or
facilitate processes aimed at
providing policy alternatives. All
these engagements were aimed at
reclaiming Makerere University’s
position as a hub of intellectual
discourse not only in Uganda but
the region and beyond. Going
Mak News magazine
Most developments at Makerere
University are either internal or
donor supported without significant
alumni support. How do we
guarantee their sustainability if not
improvement? We must own them
not just for the sake but to secure
the future of our children and
generations to come. The quality
and ranking of the University you
have gone through, no matter the
times, will always have a bearing
if not on how you perceive and do
things, then on how others perceive
and professionally relate with you.
By DR&GT
We only ask what the university
can do for us or lament a setback
experience we had while on campus
forgetting that the very setback
formed our first experience that
has largely shaped our eventual
growth and prosperity. We continue
to forget that the little we withhold
from supporting our Alma mater
will still be spent in multiple terms
searching for better education for
our children moreover in foreign
countries with little or no guidance
only to remember when they return
soiled in different cultures. Let us
support Makerere.
To operationalise the research
thrust and guide investment
in research and innovation,
the Directorate of Research
and
Graduate
Training
(DRGT) spearheaded the
process of developing the
new Makerere University
research
agenda
20132020. The agenda takes
cognizance of the national
development
framework,
the
policy
on
science,
technology and innovation
of the UNCST and global
and regional development
frameworks.
This year, my team will mark eight
years at the helm of the Convocation.
We shall be concluding our two
term mandate and handing over to
a new team that will be elected by
December 2014. We know that in
the course of our service we have
hurt many. We also know that we
have made others happy. But such
is life. We say sorry to those we
offended but hasten to add, it was
in service. To those we deed good,
pay back. It was in service. Do well
to our Alma mater.
The
areas
of
research
investment in the next
five
years
(2013-2018)
include: Health and Health
Systems; Agricultural (crop
& Livestock) transformation,
Food
Security
and
Livelihoods;
Natural
Resources Governance and
Climate Change; Education
and Education Systems;
Governance, Culture, Social
Justice, Communication and
Sustainable
development;
January 2014
January 2014
Science and Technology.
The
cross-cutting
areas
include
Biotechnology,
Knowledge
Translation,
Gender and Human Resource
Development. The Research
Agenda which was approved
by Senate on December
9, 2013 is also guiding the
university in developing the
successor Makerere proposal
to Sida (2015-2020) among
others.
The Directorate throughout
the year 2013 continued
to register great successes
in enhancing research and
research productivity. Below,
we present some of the key
achievements from research
programs coordinated by the
Directorate.
Sida Bilateral Research
Programme 2010-2014
The Sida bilateral research
programme is the largest
research programme that
has continued to invest
heavily in research capacity
building
of
Makerere
University and partner public
universities at post-doctoral,
PhD and Masters levels since
2000. To date, sida has
invested over $65 million.
The program currently has 20
post-doctoral
researchers,
100
PhD
students
(of
which 38 are female) in
various
fields,
and
86
Masters Students. The Sida
research program enabled
the university to implement
PhD cross cutting courses
that are now recognized
as a taught component
of the PhD programs at
Makerere University. The
program has also supported
staff
to
enhance
their
skills in grant proposal
writing.
Subsequently,
there has been tremendous
improvement in research
management,
quality
of
supervision, teaching and
research outputs, and skills
in writing and winning of
research grants by academic
staff of Makerere University
The programme facilitated
successful
dissemination
activities
that
enabled
Makerere
University
to
show case her research
outputs and innovations.
With support from Sida,
the University hosted a
Sciences Day in April and
November, 2013 at the
Colleges of Agricultural and
Environmental
Sciences
(CAES)
and
Veterinary
Medicine, Animal Resources
and Biosecurity (CoVAB)
respectively.
The event
provided an opportunity for
Postdoctoral researchers and
PhD students to disseminate
their results through seminar
presentations.
Makerere – Carnegie Next
Generation
of
African
Academics’
Programme
(NGAA I)
The Carnegie Corporation of
New York (CCNY) supported
Makerere
University
to
implement
a
two-year
project
titled
‘Building,
Nurturing
and
Retaining
the Next Generation of
African Academics’ (NGAA).
The support worth US$
1,900,000 was coordinated
by
the
Directorate
of
Research
and
Graduate
Training (DRGT). The overall
goal of the project was to
Mak News magazine
improve capacity of Makerere
University and other public
universities
to
retain
academic staff. The goal was
realised through two lines of
intervention, namely human
resource development and
retention of next generation
of
academics.
NGAA
I
registered
tremendous
achievements
and
the
project directly touched the
lives of 493 people through
postdoctoral, PhD, Masters
and travel grants.
Following
the
successes
of this grant, Makerere
University
won
another
grant worth US$ 2,560,000
from CCNY – ‘Enhancing
research
capacity
and
retention
of
the
Next
Generation of Academics
at
Makerere
University
(NGAA II October 2013 –
September 2016)’. NGAA II
seeks to: increase research
capacity in the humanities
and social sciences; support
beneficiaries of NGAA I to
complete their PhDs; and
increase retention of the next
generation of academics.
Therefore, NGAA II supports
building research capacity
specifically in the Humanities
and Social Sciences in two
areas (i) Interdisciplinary
PhD Programme that aims
at generating a pool of highquality and strategic thinkers
who can think the world
from various disciplinary and
geographical locations for
the country and the region
among others and (ii) the
area of Good Governance,
Human
Rights
and
Development. Apart from
PhD training, the support
also targets Post-doctoral
research; Competitive PhD
Small Grants; publication
grants; as well as travel
grants to present papers at
international
conferences.
In addition, this grant will
be directed at supporting
scholarly
publication
through a revived Makerere
University Press.
26 >
1
27 >
3
2
PICTORIAL
4
6
5
7
8
9
10
Mak@90
Grand
Finale
11
1. L-R Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera, H.E. Mwai Kibaki
and Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, Mak@90 Grand Finale,
3rd August 2013; 2.Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera (R)
adjusts H.E. John Kufuor’s Convocation medal awarded on 2nd August
2013; 3. VC Prof. J. Ddumba-Ssentamu with the Uppsala VC Prof. Eva
Akesson pose with staff after a visit on 29th November 2013; 4.VC Prof
J. Ddumba-Ssentamu (R) presents H.E. Joaquin Chissano with a Mak
Tie during his visit on 13th November 2013; 5.H.E. John Kufuor (C)
being welcomed to Mak by L-R Mr Bruce Kabaasa, Prof. J. Ddumba-
Mak News magazine
January 2014
Ssentamu, Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi and Prof. G. Mondo Kagonyera
on 2nd August 2013; 6.Prof. Catherine Odora-Hoppers (C) in gomesi
poses with Chancellor Prof. G. Mondo Kagonyera (3rd L) and UNISA
Leadership in South Africa, 23rd November 2013; 7.Education Minister
Hon. Jessica Alupo flanked by Council Chairperson Eng. Dr. Charles
Wana-Etyem and Chancellor Prof. G. Mondo Kagonyera hands over
the Ugandan flag to the first Mak Agrostudies Israel Interns, 3rd
October 2013; 8.H.E. John Kufuor former Ghanian President (L) being
welcomed to Mak by Chairperson Council Eng. Dr. Charles Wana-
January 2014
Etyem (R) and Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera (C) on 2nd
August 2013; 9. Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu (C) cuts the cake to mark the
University of East Africa’s 50th Anniversary on 29th June 2013; 10.VC
Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu hands over a gift to Director-General
of the Swedish Institute, Ms. Annika Rembe as Swedish Ambassador,
H.E Urban Andersson observes during the Swedish Day at Makerere,
31st October 2013; 11.H.E. Joaquin Chissano former President of
Mozambique (C) poses with VC Prof. J. Ddumba-Ssentamu (3rd L) and
Makerere Leadership after a courtesy call on 13th November 2013.
Mak News magazine
28 >
29 >
Thank You Msgr. Dr.
2
1
Lawrence Kanyike
Thank you Rev. Canon Dr.
Johnson Ebong
3
4
7
5
CLOCKWISE 1. Mak University Secretary
receives visionary award from PM Amama
Mbabazi; 2. Hon. Namirembe Bitamazire (R)
receives her UEA Outstanding Alumni award
from Dr. Martin Aliker (L) at the UEA 50th
Anniversary Celebrations hosted by Makerere
University on 29th June 2013; 3. Mak DVCFA Arch. Dr. Barnabas Nawangwe (3rd L)
poses with Staff of Makerere and Copperbelt
University, Zambia after an MoU signing
ceremony on 21st October 2013; 4. Prof. Ngũgĩ
wa Thiong’o (R) receives a plaque from the
Chancellor Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera
after his keynote address at the UEA 50th
Anniversary Celebrations on 29th June 2013;
5. L-R Internal Affairs Minister Gen. Aronda
Nyakairima, Former Mozambican President
H.E. Joaquin Chissano and Mak VC Prof.
John Ddumba-Ssentamu at the Inaugural
School of Law Julius Osega Memorial Lecture
on 13th November 2013; 6.University of Dares-Salaam VC Prof. Mukanadla Rwekaza,
University of Nairobi VC Prof. George
6
Magoha and Mak VC Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu at the UEA 50th Anniversary Celebrations
hosted by Makerere on 29th June 2013; 7. University of Bergen Rector Prof. Sigmund Grønmo
(5th L), Mak VC Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu pose with Mak and Bergen Staff and Alumni at
the Mak-Bergen Collaboration 25th anniversary celebrations on 21st February 2013.
Mak News magazine
January 2014
“You have dedicated the
last 30 years of your career
and indeed life to serving
Makerere University as
Chaplain and Counsellor.
Indeed, words are not
enough to express how
grateful and thankful we
are to God for your life and
diligent service. We thank
God for the countless lives
that you have touched
through
the
spiritual
guidance and wise counsel
you have lovingly dispensed
even at the shortest of
notices.
Your
kindness
has not only touched
the Makerere University
but the nation at large.
January 2014
When your flock grew and
multiplied, you selflessly
led efforts to mobilise
resources that saw the
expansion of St. Augustine
Chapel, Makerere. May
the Almighty God lavish
his unending grace and
favour upon you as you
carry on doing God’s work;
shepherding the flock at
Kyengera Parish. For this
and so much more, we will
forever cherish you and be
eternally thankful to God.”
Management, Staff and
Students
of
Makerere
University.
On 1st June 2007, you
embarked on your role as
shepherd and Chaplain
of the St. Francis flock, a
calling you unreservedly
immersed yourself until
2012. During your stay,
you have guided many,
both from within and
from without to lead more
purposeful lives, renewing
their strength in the Lord
each day.
You have blessed many
a couple by joining them
in holy matrimony and
thereafter, followed-up on
them. Your message for us
to always stay true to the
ways of God is a nugget
of wisdom that will forever
resound in the depths our
hearts. As a true shepherd,
you were always mindful of
continuity and that is why
you tirelessly mobilized for
the expansion of St. Francis
Mak News magazine
Chapel. As congregants,
this is a cause we warmly
embrace and a dream we
shall one day realize. We
therefore thank God for
the precious example of
servant leadership that
He bestowed upon us
through you and pray that
He continues to lavish you
with His love and grace.
We also pray that the Lord
shall continue to bless the
works of your hands as you
shepherd more along the
straight and narrow way
that leads to life. We thank
the Lord for His precious
gift to us through your
ministry.
Management, Staff and
Students
of
Makerere
University.
30 >
Mak@90
worth
celebrating
By Ritah Namisango
H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni cuts the cake marking
the launch of Mak@90 year-long celebrations, 4th August 2012
I will always affectionately remember
the Mak@90 celebrations, which
presented us with an opportunity to
appreciate that exceptionally high
esteem in which alumni at both
national and international levels hold
this great institution, established in
1922 as a humble technical school.
Many of you reading this piece may
not yet have celebrated your 90th
birthday, but I strongly believe
that you have been blessed to
witness your grandparents or family
commemorate their 90th anniversary.
It is a long and memorable journey
that is indeed worth celebrating!
Guided by the theme, Leadership
towards Africa’s Transformation in
the 21st Century, it was right and
fitting to celebrate:
The continuous structural growth
from a technical school, to a
University College affiliated to the
University College of London and
then the University of East Africa, and
ultimately the National University of
Uganda.
The rise of student numbers from 14
day students in 1922 to over 45,000
students studying a wide range of
disciplines.
The resilience of the institution in
31 >
2013 Makerere University Calendar,
which featured a representative
sample of the 90-year-old journey as
well as the Mak@90 photo story on
the colourful banners that lined the
University Road.
What made Mak@90 celebrations
memorable?
appreciated the staff and students
for the breakthroughs in research in
the areas of Malaria, Tuberculosis,
and prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV, the public still
desired to see a Makerere that would
find a cure for HIV/AIDS.
overcoming the turbulent 1960s and
1970s.
Notable
achievements
of
the
Makerere University alumni at the
national and international levels.
Training of human resources which
have
significantly
contributed
to political, economic and social
transformation.
This is what inspired the then Ag. Vice
Chancellor of Makerere University,
Professor Venansius Baryamureeba
together with his Management team
to provide strategic oversight for
the year-long Mak@90 celebrations.
The Mak@90 Organising Committee
to-date fondly reminisces when
occasionally; Professor Venansius
Baryamureeba would go an extra
mile to contribute personal resources
to revitalise their dwindling energy
levels!
In the same spirit, the Vice Chancellor,
Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu
together with his Management team
continued to orchestrate a series of
high profile events that characterized
the Mak@90 celebrations, climaxing
in a Grand Finale on Saturday 3rd
August 2013.
Mak News magazine
Ordinarily when we humans clock
90, we tend to reflect on how far we
have come, and most of the times
relish the fact that we are about to
transition into another phase of life,
albeit in eternal coexistence with
our creator. We then focus on the
legacy we will leave behind, and in
quest of continuity, appeal to our
beloved to uphold the strong values
we cherished.
The story however was different for
Makerere. Congratulatory messages
that poured in from both near and
far wished the 90-year-old institution
continuous growth. That Makerere
University should grow perpetually,
nurture generations without end and
adapt to the ever-changing demands
in order to remain relevant to a
people she exists to serve.
A detailed analysis of the speeches,
presentations and goodwill messages
reiterates the demand for Makerere
University to continue training a
critical mass of high quality graduates
with ability to provide solutions to
the political, economic, technological
and social challenges. A case in
point, during the Mak@90 health
debates, commentators wanted to
see a Makerere that would find a
cure for HIV/AIDS. Whereas they all
January 2014
Whereas they also saluted the staff
and students for producing the first
electric car in Uganda codenamed
the Kiira EV, they still yearned for the
day they would purchase vehicles
off the Makerere production line.
The good news in this regard is
that the staff and students in the
College of Engineering, Design, Art
and Technology (CEDAT) guided by
the Principal Investigator Professor
Sandy Stevens Tickodri Togboa are
working tirelessly to produce the
KAYOOLA Electric Solar bus for city
commuters.
Gleaning from results of the Opinion
Poll conducted by the Makerere
University Public Relations Office,
people yearn for a Makerere
University that will: influence policy
formulation; claim her position in the
nascent oil and petroleum industry;
curve out her niche in the East
African community; champion space
science and nano-technology in
Uganda; commercialise her research
products; and involve the alumni and
the private sector in her teaching
and learning, research, and outreach
programmes.
We were greatly inspired by this wish
list, an indicator that the public had
their faith and trust in this great
institution. Yes, they believe and
trust that the brains at Makerere
University can make Uganda and the
world a better and safe place! They
were also glad that the Mak@90
celebrations were also thematically
reflective of Uganda’s Golden Jubilee
celebrations. Long live Makerere
University! Long Live Uganda!
His Excellency, President Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni, the President of the
Republic of Uganda and the Visitor
of Makerere University officially
launched the year-long celebrations
on 4th August 2012 in the University’s
Freedom Square. Throughout the
January 2014
The respected Dr. Martin Jerome
Okec Aliker brand, a distinguished
alumnus, who has excelled in life.
Drawing from his rich experience,
Dr. Aliker reiterated that students in
universities are supposed to be taught
how to think and further advocated
for the need to provide a befitting
remuneration to academicians.
A monument of
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere
year-long celebrations, we were
thrilled by the love, support and
benevolence from the young and old,
alumni, staff and students, friends
and well-wishers. Truth be told, the
Organising Committee always felt
energized whenever people turned
up in large numbers for the series of
events held both within and outside
the Main Campus. In the spirit of
togetherness, members of staff also
voluntarily took time off to write
compliments and provide valuable
input into the planning sessions via
the staff mailing lists.
Our very own- Margaret Trowel
School of Industrial and Fine Arts
designed the Mak@90 logo, a symbol
that beautifully summarized the 90
year journey.
In keeping with the celebratory
atmosphere, the MAK Public Relations
Office together with the Planning
and
Development
Department
reproduced the Mak@90 logo on
souvenirs, publications, documents
and websites. You will also recall the
Mak News magazine
The revolving fund for student
innovations as pledged H.E President
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at the launch
of the Mak@90 celebrations on 4th
August 2013. Impressed by the high
quality exhibitions and innovations,
The President pledged the fund in
addition to support already extended
through the Presidential Initiative for
Science and Technology.
The four foundation stones for the
construction of more laboratories
and lecture rooms at proposed
sites in CHUSS, CoBAMS, CAES-at
the Food Technology and Business
Incubation Centre (FTBIC), and a
multi-disciplinary research laboratory
complex at CoNAS as laid by His
Excellency The President.
Commissioning of the New Library
Extension
Building
availing
8000square metres of additional
library space and more room for
ICT infrastructure. A commitment
to turning the Makerere University
Library into a model academic library
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, former
President of Kenya and distinguished
alumnus of Makerere University’s
open declaration, “Makerere made
me who I am,” and his appeal to
younger Makerereans to break
new ground through research and
innovations.
The launch of the Family Health
32 >
((For the promotion of Mathematics
as a discipline); and Hon. Geraldine
Namirembe Bitamazire-1964,1968
(for her passion for Education
particularly at national level)
33 >
RENU: Mak’s vehicle for Research-led Transformation
of practice with their national, regional
and global peers.
The laying of the Foundation Stone
for the 58,000sq.metre Makerere
University Students’ Centre expected
to cost USD 30million. It is our wish
to have an operational Students’
Centre as we celebrate Mak@100.
Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi lays the foundation stone for the Students Centre.
Research and Development Centre
to provide capacity building for
Makerere University staff in various
aspects of research management,
as well as provision of services to
communities in partnership with the
Kasangati Health Centre.
Professor Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, an
internationally
celebrated
writer
and 1963 B.A in English graduate
of Makerere University College’s
keynote
address
on
Makerere
Dreams: Language and Frontiers of
Knowledge.
Unveiling of the Mwalimu Julius
Kambarage Nyerere bust, in honour
of his being the only Chancellor of
the University of East Africa and
outstanding contribution to both the
scholarly world and the independence
struggle within the East African
region.
The presence of Mzee Rwot Anania
Akera, 99-year-old
alumnus of
Makerere University and former
roommate of the late Mwalimu Julius
Nyerere.
The nostalgia as the alumni of the
University of East Africa (1963
to 1970) gathered in the Main
Hall to reminiscence their student
experiences
as
Hon
Mathew
Rukikaire, the Guild President at the
time of the 1963 UEA inauguration
delivered the synopsis
University of East Africa.
on
the
Three
Vice
Chancellors
from
Makerere, Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi
Universities convening in the Main
Hall to deliver historic presentations
on the Prospects of Higher Education
in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
The launch of an English version
of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s book,
“Women’s Freedom, Women are
Eagles, Not Chickens” as translated
from Swahili by
Professor Ruth
Mukama, Professor of Linguistics.
Recognition of the ingenious efforts
of Mr. Grace Wilson Mutekanga
Igaga in composing the Makerere
University Anthem - a timeless and
eternally inspiring masterpiece.
Awards to University of East Africa
Alumni namely H.E President Yoweri
Kaguta Museveni and Professor Issa
Gulamhussein Shivji from University
of Dar-es-Salaam and Prof. (Mrs)
Florida
Amakobe
Karani and Eng. Austin Salmon
Kitololo from University of Nairobi.
Awards
to
Makerere
alumni:
Professor Charles Lwanga Olweny
-1966 (for his work in medicine with
specific reference to advances in
the treatment of cancer); Professor
Livingstone Sserwadda Luboobi-1970
Mak News magazine
The
historic
keynote
address
on “ Oil Resource Management
and Its Utilization for Economic
Transformation” by His Excellency
John Agyekum Kufuor, Former
President of the Republic Of Ghana.
A great moment for the congregation
in the Main Hall to hear from the
person who confidently said, “…
the oil and gas find in Ghana in
commercial quantities, that occurred
in 2007 was under my watch as the
president of the nation.”
The launch of the Mak@90 Souvenir
Magazine by the Hon. Minister of
Education and Sports who called
upon everyone to read about the
greatness of this institution as well
captured therein.
Mak@90 website:
To have a detailed recollection of
the Mak@90 year long celebrations,
please log on to the Mak@90 Website
, http://90.mak.ac.ug, dedicated to
the chronicling 90 years of Makerere
University’s existence, right from our
humble beginnings as a Technical
School in 1922 to our present day
Collegiate University status. The
MAK Public Relations Office has taken
great care to make your navigation
on the web page enjoyable.
Appreciation:
We pay tribute to the Government
of Uganda, alumni, development
partners, staff and students, private
sector and business community,
and well-wishers for supporting
the Mak@90 year long celebrations
and for continuously honouring our
invitations to a series of events. With
your support and good will, Makerere
University will live true to her mottoWe Build for the Future.
January 2014
Public University VCs and ICT Staff at RENU Launch.
By Eng. Isaac Kasana
The Research and Education Network
for Uganda (RENU) is a not-for-profit
organisation that was established by
the forum of Vice Chancellors and
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of
Research Institutions (RIs) in January
2006. Both the Makerere University
Council
and
Management
were
instrumental in the realization of RENU
by approving the proposal, signing
an Memorandum of Understanding
and
committing
resources
both
financially and technically through the
Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS).
RENU is recognised by the ministry
of education and the ministry of ICT
as Uganda’s National Research and
Education Network (NREN).
Fortunately the isolation of African
researchers and universities from the
global R&E community is about to
end through the opportunity provided
by the European Union (EU)-funded
AfricaConnect project (http://www.
africaconnect.eu) which is to be
implemented jointly by DANTE (http://
www.dante.net/)
and
UbuntuNet
Alliance (www.ubuntunet.net), the
Regional Research and Education
Network (RREN) for Southern &
Eastern Africa.
The project, which lasts four years,
began in May 2011, and consists of
two phases, the first of which was
for the planning and procurement
of the network, and the second is
its operation. The harnessing of
the opportunity provided by the
AfricaConnect project in Uganda is
being handled by Uganda’s NREN,
RENU. Makerere University through
DICTS
has
undertaken
various
strategies to realise the RENU
project. Key among these has been
the approval of last mile connection
requirements without which Makerere
cannot be connected to RENU.
Most universities and RIs in developed
economies are nationally, regionally
and interconnected to enable them
conduct
effective
and
efficient
research collaboration and advanced
educational exchanges in addition to
sharing educational resources. The
isolation of African RIs and Higher
Education Institutions (HEIs) from
their global peers is a major cause
of Africa’s research output remaining
very low and has also contributed
to the delay of the critically needed The Primary goal of RENU is to end the
transformation of higher education, isolation of Uganda’s Researchers and
especially in science-based areas.
HEIs by interconnecting communities
January 2014
Mak News magazine
Makerere University as the first and
largest HEI in Uganda therefore has
a great opportunity of completely
attaining
her
Research-led
transformation through maximally
utilizing the benefits of her RENU
membership. One of the major
prospects of RENU’s second phase is
the progressive reduction of the unit
cost of regional and international
Internet bandwidth for R&E institutions
to a fraction of what institutions are
currently charged, plus the ability to
directly peer with other universities
and research institutions in the African
region covered by UbuntuNet Alliance.
These two factors will go a long way
in not only reducing Makerere’s perunit expenditure on utilities but also
make collaboration processes that
require much higher bandwidth more
attainable especially as the aggregate
demand of all RENU members grows.
RENU will also seek to greatly reduce
the cost of E-learning infrastructure
and content development.
Makerere through the College of
Health Sciences (CHS) annually
generates great volumes of research in
the Health field. Another key prospect
accorded by RENU is the possibility of
hosting regional advanced research
facilities such as the possibility of
Medical Informatics Centre in Entebbe.
The presence of such a Centre would
not only benefit Makerere’s CHS but
also many other institutions involved
in advanced research within the
region. By facilitating collaboration,
RENU aims to support Ugandan
researchers and educators to increase
output and impact. It will also explore
the feasibility of shared science and
engineering laboratory facilities and
facilitate members to access R&E
resources that are shared through the
global NREN communities. By DICTS
presence on the core engineering team
of RENU, Makerere University will go
a long way in not only establishing
herself as a Research-led university
but also extending greater ICT good
to the rest of Uganda.
34 >
New leadership at
the School of Law
Dean, after Dr. Sylvia Tamale.
Dr. Ronald Naluwairo became the Deputy Dean in charge
of Postgraduate Studies and Administration. He is a
Ugandan lawyer, academic and development worker and
holds a Ph.D (London), Master of laws (LL.M Cambridge),
and a bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University,
in addition to a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law
Development Centre.
He is a Lecturer in the Human Rights & Peace Centre
(HURIPEC). He is also a Research Fellow at the Advocates
Coalition for Development and Environment —one of East
Africa’s leading public policy think tanks.
Dr. Naluwairo brings in a lot of experience from his past
and present engagements in academics, research and
management.
Before joining Makerere University, he was a Lecturer, at
the Faculty of Law, Uganda Christian University.
By Harriet Musinguzi
The School of Law, Makerere University has a new
Dean. Dr. Damalie Naggita - Musoke replaces Prof. Ben
Twinomugisha who has been Dean since 2008.
During the handover ceremony held recently, Dr. Damalie
Nagitta - Musoke commended the practice of smooth
handover of power in the School of Law.
She extended her appreciation to Makerere University
and the staff in the School of Law for the trust bestowed
upon her and pledged to work in the position of Dean to
the best of her abilities. She however noted that Deanship
is not a one person affair and called for support from all
staff.
Professor Ben Twinomugisha the outgoing Dean highlighted
some of the achievements realised during his tenure of
office. They include addressing the issue of power black
outs, increase on the number of computers in the lab
from three to twenty five, academic progression by some
members of staff, including him rising from associate to
full professor, the commencement of the Public interest
Law Clinic, and the inaugural field Attachment program.
Other strides include the thrust towards the School of Law
becoming a College of Law and the introduction of the pre
entry exam for the Law program among others.
Dr. Damalie Nagitta - Musoke becomes the second female
Ronald has been a distinguished persona and has earned
himself a number of prizes and recognition. He was the
second best overall student in his graduating LL.B class
of 2001 in Makerere University and for this, he won the
Uganda Law Society Prize.
In the same year, he joined the Law Development Centre
for the Bar Course where he graduated in 2002 with a
Diploma in Legal Practice, emerged second best overall
student in his graduating class and won the Uganda Law
Society Prize.
Dr. Rose Nakayi became Ag. Director Human Rights &
Peace Centre (HURIPEC) at the School of Law, Makerere
University with effect from December 04, 2012, replacing
Prof. Joe Oloka Onyango. She joined the Law School in
2001 and is attached to the Human Rights and Peace
Centre (HURIPEC).
She previously worked with the Refugee Law Project.
Her areas of teaching and research interest include Land
Transactions, International and Regional Human Rights,
Refugee and Forced Migration Studies and Human Rights
in the Domestic Perspective. She however has a special
bias in Human Rights and Land Law litigation.
Dr. Nakayi coordinates the collaborative programme
between the law schools at Makerere and Pretoria. In
2005, she received a certificate of recognition for
outstanding performance as a law teacher at the School
of Law. She is an Advocate of the Courts of Judicature
in Uganda.
Mak News magazine
January 2014
MEET OUR COLLEGE PRINCIPALS
Dr. Fred Masagazi Masaazi
Dr. Henry Alinaitwe
Principal, CEES
Dr. Fred Masagazi Masaazi,
is the Principal of the
College of Education and
External Studies (CEES).
He is an educationist and
linguistic
trained
from
Makerere University.
He
holds a PhD in Language
Education specializing in the
Luganda language, a Master
of Arts degree (Luganda
language), a Post Graduate
Diploma in Education (PGDE)
specializing in English and
Luganda language teaching
and a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Linguistics - English and
Luganda
languages.
Dr.
Masagazi Masaazi attended
St. Aloysius Primary School,
Mitala Maria Mpigi District
before
joining
Kampala
Tutorial College and Kampala
High School for his ‘O’ and ‘A’
level respectively.
The famous Dr. Masaazi
boasts of a wealth of
experience
in
teaching,
conducting
research and
supervision
of
graduate
students. He has taught and
supervised both graduate
and undergraduate students
in CEES and in the former
Faculty of Arts (now under
the College of Humanities
and Social Sciences) for
over 15 years. He is one
of the highly sought after
External
Examiners
for
the Luganda language and
education courses for several
Universities in Uganda and
January 2014
35 >
Principal, CEDAT
beyond.
Dr.
Masagazi
Masaazi
has
served
on
several
education institution boards
and committees (private
and public) and also on
government
education
bodies like, Uganda National
Examinations Board (UNEB)
where he served as Chief
Examiner,
Examination
Setter and Moderator. He
also served at the National
Curriculum
Development
Centre
(NCDC)
as
a
Consultant on mother tongue
syllabus and as a member of
the Subjects panel.
Away from academia, Dr.
Masaazi is passionate about
culture. He believes that
culture as a defining aspect
of any society, needs to be
continuously harnessed in all
development processes. His
model is to integrate culture
in the education of the
country’s citizens. “A society
that does not value its culture
misses out on important
ways of using its cherished
norms
to
bring
unique
knowledge to education and
development,” he says.
Dr. Masaazi is a God-fearing
man and has served on
several church committees
of Kampala Archdioceses
from his local church in Mpigi
District to the Archdiocese
level. He is married and is a
proud father too.
Associate Professor Henry
Alinaitwe
has
taught,
carried out research and
outreach services at the
University for about twenty
years. He has served at
various
administrative
levels of the University.
He
has
been
Deputy
Principal of the college; he
served as a Dean for over
two years; and earlier as
Deputy Dean(2010-2011).
He was the chief invigilator
of exams in the former
Faculty of Technology for
over three years. He was
for over five years the
programme coordinator of
the post graduate Diploma
in
Construction
Project
Management.
Assoc.
Prof.
Alinaitwe
obtained
a
PhD
in
Engineering
from
Lund
University
in
Sweden;
a Licentiate Degree in
Engineering
of
Lund
University in Sweden; a
Master of Science degree in
Construction Management
of
Loughborough
University, UK; a Master of
Engineering Studies degree
in Civil Engineering from
the University of Sydney
Australia; a Bachelor of
Science degree Honors
(Civil Engineering option)
Mak News magazine
from Makerere University.
Assoc. Prof. Alinaitwe was a
state scholar for the entire
secondary and university
education.
He also has post graduate
certificates
in
Public
Administration
and
Management and Project
Planning and Management
from Makerere University.
He also has several other
certificates in specialized
areas such as procurement,
estates
management,
computer applications and
others. Currently, Henry is
a member of the University
Contracts Committee.
Assoc.
Prof.
Alinaitwe
has been deeply involved
in research. His main
areas
of
interest
are
construction management
and techniques, project
management
and
structures.
He
has
supervised
more
than
thirty graduate students to
completion. He participated
in the NOMA programme
and also the Sida project.
Henry was a member
of Sida IV concept note
drafting
committee.
Henry is also a member
of the University NORHED
Institutional Development
Committee (NIDIC).
36 >
37 >
Prof. Joseph Y.T. Mugisha
Principal, CONAS
Meet J.Y.T as he is
fondly referred to by
colleagues. Joseph Y.T.
Mugisha is a Professor
of Biomathematics. He
held the post initially in
acting capacity (2010 to
2011) before substantive
appointment
in
2012.
Before his appointment as
Principal of the College,
he was the Dean – Faculty
of Science from 2009 to
2010.
He received his PhD in
Biomathematics in 2000
from Makerere University.
Prior to that, he was
awarded a Master of
Science (Biomathematics)
in 1992 and Bachelor of
Science in Education from
Makerere University.
Professor Mugisha joined
Makerere University as
a Teaching Assistant in
1987 rising through the
ranks
to
Professorship
in 2008. He has also
served the University in
various leadership and
management
capacities:
Acting Head of Department
of Mathematics – Makerere
University in 2003; Acting
Director of the Institute
of Computer Science –
Makerere University from
August
to
December
2003; Deputy Director of
the Institute of Computer
Science
–
Makerere
University from 2003 to
August 2005.
He is also a member of
the Makerere University
Senate which is the highest
academic decision making
body of the university,
he has been a member
of Senate since 2009.
Professor Mugisha has also
been appointed to several
boards and committees
within the University.
Professor
Mugisha
has taught courses at
undergraduate
and
graduate level in addition
to supervising research at
Masters and PhD. In this
capacity, he has supervised
and mentored over 40
students at graduate level
(both PhD and MSc.), many
of whom have stayed to
serve Makerere University
in various capacities.
Professor Mugisha is a
founder
member
and
current
President
of
the African Society for
Biomathematics
since
2009.
Prof. Bernard Bashaasha
Dr. C. Okello-Obura
Prof. Edward K. Kirumira
Prof. Bernard Bashaasha
is currently a Professor of
Agricultural Economics and
Policy in the Department of
Agribusiness and Natural
Resource Economics in the
College of Agricultural and
Environmental
Sciences,
Makerere University. He
holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural
and
Development
Economics from the Ohio
State University, USA, an
MA in Economics from
the
same
University.
He also holds a Master
of
Economics
degree
(Agricultural
Economics)
from
Seoul
National
University, South Korea
and a Bachelor of Science
degree in Agriculture with
Agricultural
Economics
option
from
Makerere
University.
Associate
Professor
Constant
Okello-Obura
is the Principal for the
College of Computing and
Information
Sciences.
He holds a Doctorate of
Literature and Philosophy
in Information Science
from the University of
South Africa, Master of
Science in Information
Science and a Bachelor of
Library and Information
Science from Makerere
University.
Prof. Edward K. Kirumira was
officially appointed Principal
of CHUSS in May 2013.
Prior to his appointment,
he served as Ag. Deputy
Principal of the College for
two years.
He has served the University
in varied academic, research
and administrative capacities
since 1988. At Faculty level,
he served as a member
of varied committees at
the
Departmental
and
inter-Departmental
level
in the Faculty of Social
Sciences including Finance,
Programmes
Quality
Assurance,
Irregularities,
and
Higher
Degrees
committees.
Between
1996 to 2010, he served
as associate Dean, Head,
Department of Sociology
and Dean School of Social
Sciences.
At University level, Prof.
Kirumira has served as
a member of Makerere
University Senate and varied
sub-committees of Senate
including Quality Assurance,
Academic Programmes and
Library Committee. He has
also served on the University
Council and Vice Chancellor
and Deputy Vice Chancellor’s
Search Committees. He was
a member of the Steering
Committee
for
Sida/
SAREC Programme Support
to
Makerere
University
Principal, CAES
He has previously served
as Dean of the School of
Agricultural Sciences and
Head of the Department of
Agricultural Economics and
Agribusiness at Makerere
University. He currently
teaches both graduate
and undergraduate level
courses and has been
a guest Lecturer at the
Mak News magazine
African Economic Research
Consortium
(AERC)
in
Nairobi. He serves as an
external examiner for the
University of Ghana at
Legon and for Bishop Stuart
University in Mbarara. He
is an active researcher
and has 17 publications in
peer reviewed academic
journals and over 30
publications as discussion
papers,
conference
proceedings and technical
reports. He is a Principal
Investigator (PI) for 3 ongoing research projects and
has ongoing consultancy
assignments.
To-date he has supervised
over 45 graduate students
to completion. He has
previously served as an
Advisor on Agriculture and
Markets to the World Food
Program (WFP) Country
Director in Uganda. He
serves on a number of
committees and Chairs
two NGO Boards. Dr.
Bashaasha
is
widely
travelled and loves the
Lord. He is married with
three children and lives in
Kampala, Uganda.
January 2014
Principal, CoCIS
He is Associate Professor
of Information Science in
the Department of Library
and Information Science
and teaches Bibliometric
Studies,
Community
Information Systems and
Services,
Quantitative
Research
Methods,
Analysis and Design of
Records
Management
Systems among others
He has served as the dean
of the East African School
of Library and Information
Science (EASLIS) from
January 2011 to July 2013.
Prior to this, he worked as
the Head of Department
of Records and Archives
Management, Director of
EASLIS from 1st June 2010
January 2014
Principal, CHUSS
to 31st January 2011.
He has also served as the
chairperson of all academic
committees of the EASLIS
Board and as a member
of the Makerere University
Senate and the following
committees: Academic and
Administrative Boards of
the College of Computing
and Information Sciences,
sub-committees of the
Academic
Board
of
College of Computing and
Information Sciences. In
addition, he is an External
Examiner,
Department
of Information Science,
University of South Africa,
National
University
of
Science and Technology,
Zimbabwe,
Kabale
University-Uganda.
Assoc. Prof. Obura is
the current president of
the Uganda Library and
Information
Association
(ULIA) and a Research
Fellow at the Department
of Information Sciences,
UNISA.
He has conducted various
research in the field of
Information
Science
and published widely in
reputable journals.
Mak News magazine
between
October
2002
to October 2010 and the
Chairperson of the University
Devolution
Reference
Group
that
produced
the July 2004 Kirumira
Report on Rationalisation
and Management of the
Devolution
Process
at
Makerere University.
Between 2005 to August 2006
he served as a member of
the Makerere University HIV/
AIDS Policy Development
Committee. And the Chair,
Makerere University NUFU
Programmes
Assessment
Committee from 2006 to
date. He is a founder member
and chair of the Programme
for African New Generation
of
Academics
(PANGeA)
network currently involving
Makerere
University,
Stellenbosch
University,
University of Nairobi, Dar
es
Salaam
University,
University of Malawi and
University of Botswana.
He is a member, NORHED
Institutional
Development
Committee for the new
Norwegian
support
programme proposal.
His interest is in population
and reproductive health,
with over 15 years of
HIV&AIDS
research
and
programming.
Other
areas include programme
development,
monitoring
and impact evaluation.
38 >
Staff Advancement
Calls for Holistic
Approach
Dr. Joseph Ben Omonuk
Principal, COBAMS
Dr. Joseph Ben Omonuk
holds a PhD in Accounting
earned
from
Louisiana
State
University,
USA;
MBA
(Accounting
and
Finance); and Bachelor of
Commerce
(Accounting
Concentration) of Makerere
University.
Dr.
Omonuk
is
a
Professional
Accountant
with
Association
of
Chartered
Certified
Accountants (ACCA) UK
qualification. He was a
Fellow (senior member) of
ACCA.
Dr. Omonuk has a vast
experience in academia
and accounting practice.
He served as an Associate
Professor and Chair of the
Department of Accounting
at the American University
of
Nigeria.
He
joins
Makerere University from
the School of Accountancy,
College
of
Business,
Southern University Baton
Rouge, USA where he was
An Associate Professor.
Currently, he serves as
the Principal, College of
Business and Management
Sciences,
Makerere
Univesity.
Besides
academia, Dr. Omonuk
has practiced accounting.
He was Head of Finance/
Accounts Department in
a Government Ministry.
He has also been a
World Bank Consultant in
Financial Management and
Accountability Program.
As the newly appointed
leader, it is his ambition to
keep CoBAMS committed
to its mission of producing
high calibre professionals
and promoting research
and knowledge transfer in
Economics,
Statistics,
Business
Management
and Population Sciences,
for informed policy and
sustainable development.
This will be demonstrated
through a culture that
supports students and staff
by creating a conducive
teaching, learning and
working environment.
Prof. Nelson K. Sewankambo
Principal, CHS
Prof.
Nelson
K.
Sewankambo,
MBChB,
MSc, M.MED, FRCP, Doctor
of Laws, Honoris Causa,
a Professor of Medicine,
a position he took up
after serving as Dean
of Makerere University
Medical School for 11
years.
He is the Vice President of
the Accordia Global Health
Foundation and Council
Member for Global Forum
for
Health
Research.
He trained at Makerere
University as a medical
doctor, went to specialize
in internal medicine and
later graduated in Clinical
Epidemiology at McMaster
University in Canada. He
was honored by the Royal
College of Physicians in
London and awarded a
Fellowship of the College.
He received an Honorary
Doctor of Laws from
McMaster in Canada.
He has devoted his last
13 years of professional
life to the advancement
of
medical
education,
research
and
capacity
development.
Mak News magazine
As Dean he was responsible
for change from a teacher
centred
lecture
based
medical
curriculum
to
student centred education
grounded in Problem Based
Learning and Community
Based
Education
and
Service.
Some other innovations
have included introduction
of
multi-disciplinary
student
education
in
teams, increasing the use
of information technology
in
health
professional
education
and
joint
doctoral degree programs
between Makerere and
Karolinska
Institute
(Sweden)
and
Bergen
University (Norway).
Dr. Sewankambo initiated
a
successful
research
capacity
building
consortium
(THRiVE)
involving seven African
institutions (4 universities
and 3 research institutes)
and two universities in
the UK. He is providing
leadership for an Africa wide
initiative for Strengthening
Research Capacity in Africa
(ISHReCA).
January 2014
Mrs. Mary K. Tizikara,
Director-Human Resources
Prof. David Kabasa
January 2014
“Administrative Staff
are very vital to the
success of any project
as their input greatly
impacts service
delivery.
In addition to training
academic staff,
collaborations should
also cater for capacity
building in the form of
professional courses for
non-academic staff.”
University Staff Graduating
Principal, CoVAB
Professor Kabasa gained
his PhD in Natural Systems
Science with model research
on the Ankole rangeland
ecosystem at Goettingen
University, Germany. His
first degree in Veterinary
Medicine and his second, a
Master of Science were both
from Makerere University.
In addition to his primary
role of overall administration
of the College of Veterinary
Medicine, Animal resources
and Biosecurity (CoVAB),
Prof. Kabasa is also a
visiting
Professor
in
a
number of African and
Western Universities, as
well as an academic director
of a number of regional
and research and training
networks.
Since completion of his PhD,
Prof. Kabasa has held various
positions
in
production
ecosystem
health
and
ecology as; Team LeaderProduction
Ecosystem
Restoration & Management
Program,
Chair-National
task
Force
on
Climate
Change (National Adaptation
Plans of Action), ChairClimate
Change
Course
Curriculum,
Chair-Board
of International Network
on Animal and biomedical
Sciences for Africa and
Regional
Coordinator
of
the
Norwegian
(African
Project on Zoonoses and
39 >
Ecotoxicology),
among
others.
Furthermore, he has held
a variety of development
positions
both
national
and
international,
some
of which he continues to
hold as: a member of the
Advisory
Committee
for
the
Implementation
of
the Africa Union Strategic
plan for Animal Resources
Development,
National
Coordinator for the New
Partnership
for
Africa’s
Development
(NEPAD)
Council Chapter, National
Task Force Member on
Avian Influenza , Chair of
the National Biodiversity
Committee for the National
Environment
Management
Authority, Chair of the
Agricultural
and
Water
Resources Task Force on
Climate Change.
Professor Kabasa is also
the founding Director of the
Africa Institute for Strategic
Animal Resource Services
and Development(AFRISA),
through which he plays
leading roles in a number
of
public
and
private
partnerships
that
draw
together
commercial,
governmental and academic
interests in public and
ecosystem health, urban and
rural economic development.
Name
Degree Awarded
Dr. Gilbert Gumoshabe
PhD
Dr. Ruth Nsibirano
Kabwigu
PhD (Gender Studies)
Dr. Peace Musiimenta
PhD (Gender studies)
Mr. Moses Byaruhanga
Masters in Business
Administration
Dr. John Eddie Ekakoro
Masters in Vet Medicine
Ms Christine Zake
MA. Public Admin. &
Management
Mr. Baluku Martin
MA. Organizational
Psychology
Ms. Marion Olga Alina
MA. Journalism &
Communication
Ms. Priscilla Asiimire
Master of Adult and
Community Education
Mr. Musa Sebuufu
Master of Statistics
Dr. Samuel Posian
Wamala
Masters of Molecular
Biology & Biotechnology
MSc in Data
Communication &
Software Engineering
Mr.
Amon Muteganda
Mr. Gabriel Karubanga
Ms. Elizabeth Ayebare
Mr. Richard Olando
MSc. Agricultural
Extension Education
Master of Nursing
(Midwifery and Women’s
health)
Masters in Leadership and
Human Relation Studies
Mr. William Serunjogi
Bachelor of Arts, Social
Sciences
Mr. Isagara K. Robert
Bachelor of Science In
computer Science
Ms. Ancilla Gasanzwe
M.A in Public
Administration and
Management
Mak News magazine
40 >
41 >
MUBS ICT Centre
trains head Teachers
The Vice President launches
NORHED worth USD 26million
By Ritah Namisango
Back: Dr. Isaac Nkote, Mr. Peter Odoki, Dr. Mohmmad Ngoma, Ms. Regis Namuddu, Mr. Bosco Amerit,
Front: Prof. Waswa Balunywa, Hon. Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, Mr. Charles Olupot
By MUBS PR Office
MUBS ICT Centre in partnership with
the Ministry Of Education and Sport
and the Kisubi Associated Writers
Agency (KAWA) have embanked on
a drive to equip all head teachers of
primary and secondary schools in
Uganda with computer skills. This is
aimed at enhancing the usage of ICT
facilities in schools in Uganda.
The training provides the school
administrators an opportunity to
brainstorm the challenges they
face in acquiring, optimally utilizing
and sustaining the ICT resources in
schools for the purpose of enhancing
the teaching and learning process.
The Ministry, MUBS and KAWA
teams, provide e-learning modules
and the participants are examined
in ICT at the end of the training to
assess if they have acquired the
required skills. The trainings take
place during school holidays at the
MUBS computer laboratories.
The Minister of Education and Sports
Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo pledged
that the Ministry will recognize all
head-teachers who will successfully
acquire the skills. She said this at the
launch of the National Continuous
professional development for head
teachers in Uganda at the MUBS
Annex Bugolobi.
Hon. Alupo noted that according to
the National Policy for ICT in the
education sector, all head teachers
must be trained in ICT for the
sake of improving service delivery
to the public. “Computers have
become part and partial of everyday
operations. However, a common
feature in many schools is that other
than in the school laboratories,
these equipment are mainly used for
secretarial jobs with the majority of
Mak News magazine
head teachers hardly deploying them
for research, communications and
other operations”, she noted.
It is for this reason that the minister
has directed that all teachers should
embrace the use computers and
the teaching of computer skills in
schools. She said Government is fully
committed to the exploitation of ICTs
to facilitate teaching and learning
at all levels within the educational
system and also improve efficiency
in management and service delivery
to the public through ICTs.
Prof. Waswa Balunywa commended
the ministry for this effort and
called upon Government to improve
national infrastructures including
providing more electricity to people
in the rural areas and providing a
backbone for ICT in the country.
January 2014
In her continuous walk
to
being
a
researchled University, Makerere
University competed for the
Capacity Building in Higher
Education and Research for
Development
(NORHED)
grant with other institutions
of higher learning in the
world.
Within this arrangement,
institutions developed and
submitted concepts and
proposals in a two stage
competitive
framework
and Makerere University
scooped the highest number
of research projects.
“The
first
round
was
competition
for
seed
funding to develop full
proposals.
Ninety
(97)
concepts
qualified
for
seed funding out of which
Uganda scooped 23, 20
of them from Makerere
University.
The second
stage was competition for
January 2014
project full funding in which
46 projects were successful.
Out of 46 Uganda scooped
12
projects;
Makerere
University as the lead
institutions scooped 9 of the
12 and as a collaborating
institution got 3 of them,”
said Dr. Elizabeth Bwanga,
the Programme Coordinator.
This was a worthwhile
achievement, which added
momentum to the yearlong celebrations to mark
90 years of Makerere
University’s
existence,
contribution
to
nation
building and advancement
of
society
through
championing of research
and innovations for the
betterment of humanity.
Consequently,
on
6th
March 2013, during the
celebrations
to
mark
decades
of
partnership
between
Makerere
University and the Royal
Kingdom of Norway, the Vice
President of the Republic
of Uganda, His Excellency
Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi
launched
the
NORHED
programme estimated to
be worth NOK 150million,
approximately
USD
26million,
(including
NORAD’s Master programme
for Energy and Petroleum).
The Vice President thanked
the Government of Norway
for supporting the research
and higher education in
Uganda. He stressed that the
five thematic areas and one
geographical which included
Education and training;
Health and equity; Natural
resource
management,
climate
change
and
environment;
Democratic
and economic governance;
Humanities, culture, media
and communication; and
Capacity development in
South Sudan were crucial
in reducing poverty levels in
Uganda and the region.
He pledged Government’s
readiness to provide an
enabling environment for
the successful execution
of this comprehensive and
Mak News magazine
long-term programme for
improved livelihoods.
Addressing
the
congregation,
the
Norwegian
Ambassador,
His Excellency Thorbjørn
Gaustadsæther reiterated
the fact that institutional
cooperation
between
universities is broader in
perspective
because
it
brings about cooperation
between
Governments
and the people. He also
emphasised
the
need
to prioritise institutional
cooperation and outreach in
the upcoming engagements.
The
Vice
Chancellor,
Professor John DdumbaSsentamu highlighted that
the implementation of the
NORHED Programme would
significantly
contribute
to the realization of the
University Vision, “To be the
leading academic institution
for research and innovations
in Africa.”
42 >
43 >
development and humanitarian aid,
and the Government of The Royal
Kingdom of Norway continues to
support us,” said the Vice President.
The Vice President informed the
congregation at an event marking 50
years of partnership between Uganda
and the Royal Kingdom of Norway that
Norway has also been instrumental
in the implementation of the Poverty
Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), by
enhancing Uganda Government’s
capacity to reduce poverty, and
improve aid effectiveness over the
years.
University of Bergen Rector Prof. Sigmund
Grønmo admires a copy of Mak News
Magazine
University of Bergen Rector Prof. Sigmund Grønmo (L) hands over a gift to Mak VC Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu during the Mak-Bergen 25th
Anniversary celebrations on 21st February 2013
Mak - Norway
Partners for decades, Partners for life!
By Ritah Namisango
Scanning through the rich history of
this University, I appreciated the fact
that we have a true partner with a
generous spirit focused on supporting
higher education-the tested and
proven engine for transformation of
societies.
The Government and People of the
Royal Kingdom of Norway have
supported Makerere University since
the 1960s through generous funding
to her institutional development
programmes. With this support,
Makerere University has continued to
triumph with every passing decade
to become one of Africa’s leading
universities.
Reflecting on the over 50 years of
partnership, the Vice Chancellor,
Professor John Ddumba-Ssentamu
applauded the Government and
the People of the Royal Kingdom
of Norway for being a key player
in the transformation of Makerere
University. He highlighted that over
the decades of cooperation, several
Norwegian bodies such as Norwegian
Committee for Collaboration with
developing countries in University
Education (NUFU), the Norwegian
Agency for Development Cooperation
(NORAD), the University of BergenNorway, and NORAD’s Programme
Mak News magazine
for Master Studies (NOMA), have
contributed to the realization of
Makerere
University’s
Research
Agenda, training and development of
Human Resources, and advancement
in ICT and library services.
It is also on record that the
Government and People of Norway
have built permanent infrastructure
to support the teaching, learning and
research at Makerere University.
“We pay tribute to the Norwegian
Government and tax payers for
supporting the development of
physical infrastructure at Makerere
University. The buildings include:
January 2014
the Department of Food Science
and
Technology
building
(now
School of Food Technology, Nutrition
and Bio-Engineering), the School
of
Computing
and
Informatics
Technology; the School of Women
and Gender Studies, and the College
of Engineering, Design, Art and
Technology
(CEDAT)
extension.
We also thank the Norwegian
Government
for
realising
the
potential of the oil resource in
Uganda and strategically supporting
a modern seismic laboratory in the
College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS)
at Makerere University,” remarked
the Vice Chancellor.
Building on the Vice Chancellor’s
remarks, Professor John Kaboggoza
commended
the
Norwegian
Government for dedicating resources
to the development of Forestry at
Makerere University in particular and
Uganda at large.
In the same spirit, the Chairperson
of Makerere University Council, Eng.
Dr. Charles Wana-Etyem saluted the
Norwegian Government and other
development partners for supporting
Makerere University’s journey of
January 2014
From 2000 to 2010 alone,
Uganda has received NOK
34billion (USD 5.7billion) in
aid from Gov’t of The Royal
Kingdom of Norway
building
for
the
future
and
the
education sector in Uganda.
“I thank the Norwegian Government
for the early support to secondary
school
Education
in
Uganda.
Distinguished guests, I am an
Engineer and I owe my academic
achievements to a Norwegian couple
who taught me from 1966 to 1967
at Lango College School,” remarked
Eng. Dr. Wana-Etyem.
At the national level, The Vice
President of the Republic of Uganda,
H.E
Edward
Kiwanuka-Ssekandi
applauded
the
Government
of
The Royal Kingdom of Norway for
contributing towards the key sectors
that are vital for the growth and
development of the country. These
areas included Health, Forestry,
Human Rights, Research as well as
the Education.
“From the year 2000 to 2010 alone,
Uganda has received NOK 34billion
(approximately USD 5.7billion) in
Mak News magazine
The Norwegian Ambassador, His
Excellency Thorbjørn Gaustadsæther
at
the
same
aforementioned
function expressed his pleasure at
commemorating the joint partnership
“As we celebrate the milestones of the
Norwegian support to Uganda, it is my
sincere hope that this will continue to
strengthen the partnership between
the people of Norway and the people
of Uganda. We have had a fruitful
collaboration between the Northern
and Southern Universities, but as
we move on, new forms and models
of partnership have to be initiated,”
said H.E. Gaustadsæther.
The Ambassador pointed out that
institutional cooperation between
universities is broader in perspective
because it brings about cooperation
between Governments and the
people. He also emphasised the need
to prioritise institutional cooperation
and outreach in the upcoming
engagements.
The Chancellor of Makerere University,
Professor George Mondo Kagonyera
commended the Norwegian people,
for scoring highly in their human
capacity building programmes and
advised Ugandans to emulate the
good practices of Norwegians, such
as ensuring proper utilisation of and
accountability for resources, and
preservation of the environment.
44 >
CoBAMS
CAES New Innovations
By Jane Anyango
The Food Technology and Business
Incubation Centre procured the Mobile
fruit processor for the collection
and processing of fruit to juice
concentrates in the communities.
The mobile fruit processor is the
first of its kind in Uganda and was
manufactured in the UK by a company
called Alvan Blanch according to
specifications sent by experts in the
School of Food Science at a cost of
400,000 US Dollars. The source of
funds is the Government of Uganda
through the Presidential Initiative
for value addition that is given to
scientists at Makerere University.
The Mobile fruit processor was
launched in Lobenga village, Apo Sub
County in Yumbe district on 25th May
2013. The machine is a complete
factory of its own. It can process
mangoes,
oranges,
pineapples
and other fruits and vegetables.
The machine takes in raw fruit and
delivers an intermediate preserved
fruit pulp and because it takes care
of itself, it has a generator on board,
water treatment and processing unit
to preserve the pulp and tanks for
intermediate storage.
Two new Makerere soybean varieties
(Maksoy 4N and 5N) were released
to the public by the Ministry of
Agriculture on the 25 November
2013 in Entebbe. The new varieties
are resistant to soybean rust disease
that is the most devastating soybean
disease in Africa. The varieties
are also high yielding than all the
commercial soybean varieties in
Uganda. Therefore can be grown in
the major soybean growing areas
in Uganda and across the region.
They also have a moderate maturity
period.
Maksoy 4N matures in 103 days
while Maksoy 5N matures in 96 days.
Previously the university had release
other Maksoy bean varieties that are
high yielding (2- 3tonnes/ha), with
short maturity period (90-105 days)
and resistant to leafrust disease
were developed between 2008-2010.
These varieties can be obtained from
the seed companies that have taken
over the distribution.
The college also bred 20 new sweet
potato clones that are high yielding,
tolerant to drought and sweet potato
viruses. The clones were unveiled
in Gorooba village, Buraru parish,
Kyabigambire sub county in Hoima
district during an open day for
participatory variety evaluation for
farmers to choose what they think
was the best variety for them based
on yield and colour on November 1st
2013.
Over 20 sweet potato elite clones
developed at the Makerere University’s
Research Institute Kabanyolo named
Kabanyolo
Sweet potatoes (KSP)
were supplied to a group of 30
farmers called “ Ageteraine” chaired
by Mr. Mugisa Geofrey who provided
land where the clones were put
under three blocks.
Other lines
from Namulonge named (NASPOT)
and local varieties Dimbuka and
Semanda were also given to farmers
to
compare
their
performance
against the Kabanyolo lines. The
three year project was funded under
the Regional Collaborative Programs
of
the
Swedish
International
Development Aid (SIDA).
The
project
involves
Makerere
University, Namulonge Agricultural
Research Station, KAZARDI in Kabale,
Kenya Agricultural Research Institute
(KARI),
Mikocheni
Agricultural
Institute (Tanzania), University of
Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia) and Rwanda
Agricultural Research Board among
others. Makerere received about
300,000 USD over the three years
and about 1,000,000 USD for
the region for the project
which
should be ending in December 2013
but because of problems of fund
disbursement from donars, they have
allowed a no cost project extension
till June 2014.
New initiatives in Facility Development
The college through writing proposals
for competitive grants received
funding from a number of donors for
facility development. I am happy to
announce that CAES:
Acquired a modern state – of –
the- art biotechnology laboratory
funded by the Millennium Sciences
Mak News magazine
Initiative (MSI) a grant from World
Bank to Government of Uganda.
Inaugurated
The
Climate
Change Centre for Research
and
Innovation
(MUCCRI).
This initiative was funded by the
Rockefeller Foundation to develop
capacity to address critical issues
of
climate
change
adaptation
research, policy development and
implementation in East Africa.
The college Acquired a Controlled
Growth
Chamber
for
Plant
Science Research and Molecular
Biology Laboratory worth 1.5
million US Dollars.
Bided the centre of excellence
and was awarded to be East
Africa’s centre of excellence in
Plant Breeding and Biotechnology
with support from DAAD to help
PhD training in plant breeding and
biotechnology. The support is now
in its second year. This support is
in partnership with RUFORUM and
provides funding to foreign students
to study at Makerere University.
CAES opened an incubation
center at Kabanyolo for the
Consortium
for
enhancing
University
Responsiveness
to Agribusiness Development
Limited (CURAD), a public-private
partnership initiative led by Makerere
University with support of the FARA
funded Universities, Business &
Research in Agricultural Innovation
(UniBRAIN).
The College received the FTIR
equipment
for
measuring
aflatoxins under the Peanut CRSP
Project while several equipment for
nutrition laboratories were received
under the HENNA Project.
CAES also received the state
- of -the -art light microscopy
equipment,
visible
and
UV
spectrophotometer, RVA, Humidity
and
temperature
meters,
two
analytical weighing scales, two pH
meter, automatic pipettes – that
will boost both the microbiology and
chemistry research laboratories from
the NUFU project.
January 2014
CPAs’
45 >
Contribution
to Research
By Harriet B. Nyakaana
The College of Business and
Management Sciences’ Center of
Population and Applied Statistics
(CPAS) continues to conduct research
and to contribute to capacity
building in the fields of population
science, statistics, actuarial science,
quantitative economics and business
statistics. CPAS has been active for
the past three years in promoting
research, training and technical
expertise to assist Uganda and
other
developing
countries
to
address successfully the population
and
applied statistics knowledge
to the development challenges
through collaboration and knowledge
sharing by raising a common voice
and sharing sustainable, effective,
efficient, accessible and acceptable
solutions to these challenges.
Kyehoro in Hoima district– Kyehoro
is a fishing village along lake Albert.
CPAS ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2013
A.
IRD- France FUNDING
In November 2013, IRD-France
awarded
HEREGO
(Heritage,
Resources and Governance) a grant
to build a linkage between M-PRAM
and KENWEB and two young
international research teams (JEAI)
associated to IRD based in East
Africa within the framework of a
study on fishing communities in Lake
Albert. At different levels, the project
contributed to the consolidation of
methodological exchanges in the
field of scientific research as well as
capacity building and enhancement
of partnerships and networking for
research in East Africa.
C.
Methodological Training
in Social Sciences and Humanities
CPAS in collaboration with the
Institute for French Research in
Africa (IFRA), French Embassies
in East Africa and IRD participated
in the 2013 Summer School
Methodological training programme
in Social Sciences and Humanities
(SSH) at State University of Zanzibar,
Tanzania, from 3rd to 12th April
2013.
The
10-day
intensive
training
involved a series of lectures and
a 3-day supervised collaborative
fieldwork,
plus
post-fieldwork
coaching and debates. It was
aimed at exposing participants to
the entire research process from
its conceptualization to fieldwork
and restitution. Lectures provided
the
first
platform,
introducing
participants with knowledge in
SSH
epistemology
and
theory
and focusing on the construction
of the research object and the
The team comprised of nine (9)
members;
three
from
Kenya
Museums (KENWEB), 2 IRD partners
based at CPAS, 1 from Kenyatta
University and three from Makerere
University.
The
research
was
conducted at Murchison Falls and
January 2014
B. Access to water and
livelihoods in East Africa
In July 2013: CPAS embarked on the
IRD-AFD research project on access
to water in Kihurura district. The
project aims through in-depth case
studies to be conducted in several
rural settings, at examining access
to water, in terms of distance, cost,
variability in quantity, quality. It will
unveil the various actors intervening
in the production chain of water for
domestic use, irrigation, or livestock
rearing
activities.
Researchers
involved in this work are: Valerie
Golaz,
Claire
Medard,
Gideon
Rutaremwa, Victoire Chalin, and
Faith Atuhumuze.
Mak News magazine
differences and complementarities
between quantitative and qualitative
approaches.
The event was jointly organized by
IFRA (Institut Français de Recherche
en Afrique, Kenya), IRD (Institut de
Recherche pour le Développement,
France/ Kenya), and SUZA (Tanzania)
with the financial support of the
French Embassies in Dar es Salaam,
Kampala and Nairobi, through their
services of cultural and scientific
cooperation, as
well as AIRD
(Agence Inter-établissements de
Recherche pour le Développement),
and the Commission for Science and
Technology (COSTECH) in Tanzania.
D. In Progress- Research
on Climate, Land, and Agroecosystem Resources in East
Africa – CLAREA
CPAS successfully participated in
preparation of a proposal together
with researchers from Kenya and
Tanzania and IRD on:
“Climate,
Land, and Agro-ecosystem Resources
in East Africa – CLAREA”.
The
overall aim of CLAREA is to develop
a multidisciplinary and participatory
approach to assess climate, biophysical
and
socio-economic
drivers affecting the dynamics
of agroecosystems, provision of
environmental services, food security
and rural livelihoods in selected East
African agroecosystems. Through
the joined development of innovative
and reliable protocols, analyses
and modelling tools by five groups
of expertise, CLAREA will develop
participatory decision-making tools
to effectively address food security
and biodiversity conservation under
a changing environment in order to
improve ecosystem management
and rural livelihoods.
46 >
CEES
CoCIS makes major strides in ICT Innovations
By Maria Muzaaki
The year, 2013 was a memorable
and historic year for the College
of Computing and Information
Sciences (CoCIS). We hosted Ms.
Holly Vineyard, the Deputy Assistant
Secretary Trade and Commerce
for Africa who revealed that the
United States was seeking avenues
through which it can support youth
entrepreneurship in the ICT sector in
Africa. With a large pool of talented
youth, the College looks forward to
the implementation of initiatives
aimed at enabling our students’
startups grow. Applications such as
AgroMarket Day, Ffumba, Matibabu
and Macotuba Diagnosis by our
students made headlines around
the globe, winning them several
local, continental and international
accolades. To our alumni graduating
today, we are proud of the journey
you have taken with us, keep
innovating to attain success.
The College’s commitment to using
research to help solve the ongoing
national and global challenges such
as climate change, food security,
health, education and national
transformation has seen it make
great strides in partnering with other
institutions to realize these ideas.
The dedication and innovation
of our top notch researchers has
seen them, together with partners
in other education institutions
attract more than 36m Norwegian
Kroner (about Sh14.8b) under the
Norwegian Programme for Capacity
Development in Higher Education
and Research for Development
(NORHED). This money will enable
CoCIS together with its educational
partners implement two five-year
projects
Improving
Weather
Information Management in East
Africa, using suitable ICTs (WIMEAICT) and Health Informatics Training
and Research in East Africa for
Improved Health Care (HI-Train).
The two projects will commonly
concentrate on capacity building
(through
Masters
and
PhD
scholarships) and research, but
WIMEA-ICT will also focus on
establishing operational Numerical
Weather Prediction (NWP) models
for Uganda, Tanzania and South
Sudan, Creating reliable, accurate
and well-formatted weather data
repositories; Improving the density
of the weather station network in
the region; Improving the weather
information dissemination system
to present relevant and suitably
packaged information to different
stakeholders; Research and teaching
capacity building in the partnering
higher education institutions in the
three East African countries.
In addition, the School of Computing
and Informatics Technology located
within
CoCIS,
in
partnership
with 8 EU and 12 non-EU Higher
Education Institutions with the
main coordinating University in
Belgium (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
won funding from the European
Commission to improve research
capacity in regional and international
universities.
The
consortium
emphasizes
institutional collaboration, enhancing
teaching capacity and managerial
skills
through
scholarships,
workshops, seminars and consortium
meetings. The project will focus
on the following thematic areas:
Engineering,
ICT,
Environment,
Sciences, Management, Agriculture
and Social Sciences. There will be
staff mobility and PhD/MSc training
(capacity building). The Call for
applications is open to Makerere
University staff members and alumni;
the deadline is 17th February, 2014.
The applications can be accessed at
http://www.caribu.be/
Thanks to funding from the Swedish
Program for ICT in Developing
Regions (SPIDER) Dr. Rehema
Baguma and Dr. Julianna SansaOtim have been able to implement
two projects: The Role of Open
Access in the Maturing Process of
IT Research Education in Uganda,
Kenya and Tanzania and Customized
economical e-Health Services in the
rural African Great Lakes Region,
respectively.
Dr. Sansa-Otim targeted stakeholders
in Health Care specifically in selected
Mak News magazine
rural areas exploring how rural
healthcare can be improved by
exploiting ICT to provide e-Health
services, while Dr. Baguma will
work with researchers from Karlstad
University.
CoCIS has continued to embrace
international
collaborations
with
foreign institutions to offer better
and diverse education opportunities
to Ugandans. It is worth nothing
that during our maiden graduation
ceremony for students who enrolled
for diplomas in 3D Animation, Dilip
Amdekar, the dean Digimation Inc.
Ltd-UK, announced that DigimationUK will soon establish a degree
course in animation at Makerere
University in the 2014/15 academic
year. This is an opportunity for you
to enroll for a practical course and
develop additional skills currently
very essential for the TV and film
industries,
medicine,
e-learning
for developing interactive content,
3D visualization and architectural
drawings, among others. For more
information about this year’s intake,
please visit the CoCIS reception.
Though our Center for Innovations
and Professional Short Courses
(CiPSD), we continue to offer
various ICT related trainings ranging
from beginners’ courses like; CCA,
ICDL- mapped on the international
curriculum, PC Hardware/Software
Repair and Maintenance, and highly
specialized courses like; Microsoft,
Cisco (CCNA, CCNP), GIS, Oracle,
Dynamic Website Design, Security,
3D animation, Cloud Computing,
Developing Mobile Apps for Android
and Windows devices.
CoCIS is an accredited Testing
partner offering accessible and highly
secure international certification
testing
through
Pearson
VUE,
Prometric Inc., Kryterion, Certiport
and ICDL Africa. Our Approved Test
Center delivers exams for leading
certification programmes such as
Cisco, CompTIA, EMC, HP, LPI,
Oracle, LNAT, ISC2, UKCAT, ASCP,
and VMware. We also deliver the
Graduate Management Admission
Test® (GMAT®).
January 2014
By Marion Alina
With the onset and continued use of
mobile telephone technology on the
continent, the education sector is
seeking ways of using this technology
to enhance learning. At Makerere
University, the College of Education
and External Studies (CEES) has
taken lead, with an application to
support distance learning through
the help of mobile phones. Dr. Paul
Muyinda Birevu and Mr. Godfrey
Mayende both from the School of
Distance and Life Long Learning in
CEES, worked with Mr. Jonathan
Kizito, a Programmer from the College
of Computing and Information
Sciences (CoCIS) to develop the
application. This application is multifaceted with the ability to guide selfpaced collaborative and cooperative
learning since it makes it possible
for students to solve tasks together
without being in the same place at
the same time, and generally aids
communication.
How it works
The application makes it possible for
students to get updates from Makerere
University
without
necessarily
visiting the campus. They just have
to send a text message (sms) from
their mobile phone to a designated
number, e.g 8002, and they will be
given the necessary updates. The
same is done for purposes of sharing
course works/assignments amongst
students, organized in groups.
“We should go mobile because many
people have mobile phones, with
user-friendly applications. Africa is
inventing mobile learning to tap into
the 2 billion mobile phone users. This
number is expected to grow by 550%
in the next few years,” explains Dr.
Muyinda.
“Today’s learners keep on the phone
even during lectures. We should
encourage
discussions
amongst
learners because the modal of
teachers coming on stage in a
lecture room is becoming outdated.
January 2014
47 >
Mobile Phones to Support
Open & Distance Learning
at Makerere University
[Left to right] Mayende, Dr. Birevu and Kizito
Technology is in our pockets,” he
adds.
According to Kizito, the
application is currently designed
to be used by a limited number of
students per group. “This Application
works with personal computers
and laptops which interface with
the phone. We have so far tried it
out in Uganda only and the results
are amazing. The Lecturer/Teacher
makes a broadcast of the discussion
topic to a selected group. To join
a group, a student is required to
send a text (sms) message with the
word join, to a specified code. The
maximum number of people per
group is 10,” he explains.
The fears
Some Lecturers are apprehensive
about using this technology for
fear that students may abuse it by
cheating in tests and examinations.
But Dr. Muyinda gives the assurance
that this technology cannot be
brushed off. “We have to mitigate its
disadvantages just like we have done
with other teaching and learning
technology. When pencils were
being introduced there were fears
that pupils would pierce each other
with this tool. Many years down the
road, these fears were allayed and
the pencil became the writing tool
Mak News magazine
for children in their early education
stages,” he argues.
The other fear is the cost of sending
an sms of about 200/=. But Mr.
Mayende argues that this cost is
much more affordable in comparison
to the money and time one would
have spent to get to the University
and back home. He however notes
that relying on the available networks
is a challenge since one does not
have control over their charges.
Way forward
The trio is looking at extending this
technology to all levels of education,
right from Primary to tertiary level.
For this to happen there is need for
secure dependable partnerships with
telecommunication companies and
other stakeholders.
In Uganda, open and distance
learners have been supported mainly
through print media. In developed
countries, print media has long
been substituted with online learner
support systems which are not
possible in Africa where PC-based
Internet permeation is still low. On
the contrary, permeation of mobile
phones in Africa has beaten industry
analyst predictions.
48 >
CHS
CEDAT Home of
Innovations
By Betty Kyakuwa
The College of Engineering,
Design, Art and Technology
holds an annual Open Day/
exhibition to show case
some of the research and
innovations from the staff
and students. Last year, the
Open Day, which was held
on October 18-19 attracted
hundreds of people from
the public sector, schools,
academia
and
political
leaders.
The
exhibition
was officially opened by
the Speaker of Parliament,
Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, who
commended the students
and staff for the innovations.
“A tour of the exhibition
tents tells of a generation
of students that is going
to change Uganda. It is
these innovations that the
government wants to grow.
Developed countries are
where they are because of
innovations in science and
technology. We need to
industrialize the economy
and this is the role of you
the young generation of
scientists,” Hon. Kadaga
said.
For those that missed the
Open Day, here is a sneak
peek of the innovations
exhibited.
SEED OIL EXTRACTOR
This is a home based project
designed in a way that its
operation and maintenance
can be afforded by average
income Ugandans. It is
used to extract cooking oil
from sunflower, simsim,
groundnuts
and
cotton
seeds.
It consists of the handle
which is held by the operator,
the handle is connected to
a link which makes rotary
motion during operation and
this is connected by linkages
to the piston that by linear
translation squeezes the
seeds in the cylindrical
chamber with holes through
which the extracted oil
passes to the collecting
medium.
The rotary motion of the
link is equivalent to the
linear displacement of the
piston inside the cylindrical
chamber. So the design of
the link and the piston is
carefully made to achieve
that correlation.
It has a residue remover
that enables tapping off
the residues that have
been
squeezed.
Various
components
are
made
of various materials for
example mild steel and
stainless steel.
Maintenance
costs
are
reduced since it is a selflubricated system due to
coating of oil on the walls of
machine.
MATIBABU: THE MALARIA
TESTING KIT
This is a prototype of a
mobile phone application
that
diagnoses
malaria
without
using
a
blood
sample. Named Matibabu,
a Swahili word for medical
centre, the application uses
a custom hardware called
a
matiscope
containing
light sensors to detect the
presernce of parasites in
the body before relaying the
results on a smartphone.
Red blood cells invaded by
the malaria parasite will
appear pale rather than red.
Matibabu was developed
by Brian Gita, and Joshua
Businge, first year students
of
Computer
Science,
Simon
Lubambo,
fouth
year Electrical Engineering
and Josiah Kavuma a third
year student of Information
Technology. The application
awaits approval from the
World Health Organisation.
E X T R A C T I N G
SUPPLEMENTS
FROM
SOYA BEANS
Also exhibited is a machine
that extracts supplements
from soya beans. Explaining
how the machine works,
Swaliki Bukenya, a fourth
By Milly Natiimba
The College of Health Sciences has
continued to be the leader in health
research and training in the region.
H.E. President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni visits CEDAT stall at the
Mak@90 Launch Exhibition, 4th August 2012
year agricultural engineering
students, said the machine
is fed with moist soya
beans that are later mixed
with water to preserve the
nutrients. The subsequent
product contains proteins,
vitamins and carbohydrates.
Bukenya was inspired by the
need to fight malnutrition
by
extracting
cheap
supplements.
BIO
ENERGY:
ELECTRICITY
FROM
LOCAL BIOMASS
The Centre for Energy
and Energy Conservation
(CREEC) exhibited a gasifier.
The machine is powered by
biomass, which is converted
into electricity. According
to Dold Fabian, the gasifier
runs on local waste materials
such as wood chips, maize
cobs. Rice and coffee husks.
Dold noted that what makes
the machine exceptional is
the ease of operation and
compact size. The machine
generates at least 10KW
enough to light an entire
village. This power, Dold
notes can be used for agro
processing and metal or
engineering
works.
The
machine is being used in
Mityana, Gulu, Kalangala,
Kiboga and Mpigi districts.
KEKEREZA:
A WATER
RECYCLING SYSTEM
Mr Allan Obua is part of a
team working on a water
recycling
system.
“We
named it Kekereza. It
collects all the water you
have used. It gets all the
dirty water, runs it through
the system and cleans it.
We are saving you 30 per
Mak News magazine
cent of your water bills.
We are trying to tell people
that they can save, you
can recycle your water, and
reduce the water bill,” Mr
Obua says.
THE KAYOOLA BUS
Judging from the model
exhibited, the Kayoola bus
will be solar powered. The
development of the solarpowered bus precedes the
successful development of
the Kiira EV, an electronic
powered two-seater vehicle.
The team of engineers under
the Centre for Research in
Transportation Technologies
say, “We are building a
bus powered by batteries
charged by direct charging
five hours for domestic
power source and one hour
on an industrial while the
bus is on the road we have
a solar panel to boost the
battery charge to extend the
distance. On a full battery
charge it can go one and
a 20-kilometre journey,”
Patience Bukirwa explains.
Her team comprises of
mechanical
engineers
who
work
on
material
and structural, electrical
engineers team which works
on the power of the car, the
type of battery and charging
system
and
electronics
team which works on the
communication in the bus
and the industrial design
team which is responsible
for how the bus will look.
The team was motivated to
develop this idea because
the world is trying cut down
green gas emissions.
January 2014
In research, several of our faculty
have received grants from large
agencies
like
Grand
Challenges
Canada, the US National Institutes
of Health, USAID, US Centres for
Diseases Control, NORAD, Wellcome
Trust, the European Commission,
DfID, SIDA, among others. The
research engaged in is in line with the
College’s research agenda which is in
the following areas; 1) Infectious and
Communicable Diseases, 2)Maternal,
Adolescent and Child Health, Sexual
and Reproductive Health, 3) Health
Systems, 4) Professionalism, ethics
and medico-legal issues, health
professional education,
5) NonCommunicable Diseases.
The Grants and Contracts Office has
supported several research teams in
the writing and submission of grant
applications and a total of USD 6.5M
has been mobilized through these
applications.
Our research has gone ahead to
influence policy at international and
national levels; only a few examples
here will suffice:
International
Level:
A
recently
completed study at the Infectious
Diseases Institute (IDI) found that
rifampicin – a key drug for treating
tuberculosis – can dramatically reduce
blood levels of the antimalarial drug,
artemether-lumefantrine, commonly
known as Coartem®. The findings of
this study, which have been accepted
by the manufacturer (Novartis) and
the United States Food and Drug
Administration, have led to a change
in the product label for Coartem®.
In the revised label, the manufacturer
indicates that Coartem® should not
be used among patients receiving
rifampicin.
National Level 1: Based on the
realization that Uganda is not on track
to achieve MDG4, Makerere University
School of Public Health in collaboration
January 2014
49 >
Makerere University
College of Health Sciences
Continues to Grow
with other partners
is implementing a
community-based
maternal/newborn
care
intervention
aimed at identifying
high
risk
newborn babies in the
community and link
them to health facility
care through use of
community
health
workers to increase
awareness
and
promote ideal family
care practices. The
Community
Health
CHS Students examine a child at one of the COBES sites
Workers use a lowcost technology to
screen for Low Birth Weight/ premature programs at district level.
babies and facilitate referral to health PLACE targets new sexual partnerships
facilities. The CHWS measure the because
new
partnerships
are
length of feet of newly delivered responsible for the spread of the HIV
babies (who were delivered at home/ epidemic. All 25 districts that were
TBA or those delivered at facilities scientifically selected by the National
but were not weighed) in the first five Steering Committee have been willing
days after birth to identify and screen to participate and where results have
for Low Birth Weight. Over 200 babies been disseminated, they have been
have been weighed and identified 22 taken on and action plans designed.
Low Birth Weight babies whom they
have linked to health facilities for care Training:
including Kangaroo Mother Care.
The College of Health Sciences through
the Medical Education Partnership
National Level 2: Implemented by Initiative (MEPI)-supported MESAU,
Makerere University School of Public has played a key role in supporting
Health, Priorities for Local AIDS and coordinating efforts to improve
Control Efforts (PLACE) methodology the training of health professionals
identifies and maps venues and as well as increase the numbers. One
events attended by persons who have of the key achievements here is the
high rates of new sexual partnerships, establishment of the College of Health
characterises the venues in terms Sciences at Busitema University
of current prevention activities and which was accredited by Uganda
conducts interviews and HIV tests on a National Council of Higher Education
representative sample of the patrons/ in September 2013. The first batch
clients and workers of these venues, of 53 medical students was admitted
to identify the most important gaps late last year.
in HIV prevention among populations
most likely to acquire and transmit The change to competence-based
HIV infection.
curricula has contributed to improved
The methodology provides a systematic and more relevant training of health
way to generate information to tailor professionals at the College of Health
HIV prevention interventions to local Sciences. Students are increasingly
drivers of HIV transmission. It also getting interested in serving rural
provides indicators about hot spots communities in remote parts of the
and at risk populations that are critical country, as part of their training.
to designing effective prevention
Mak News magazine
50 >
CoNAS
By Zaam Ssali
This is a time to look back and take
stock of what has been accomplished
over the last year since the 63rd
graduation ceremony in January
2012. 2013 marked the climax of the
year-long celebrations of Makerere
University’s 90 years of existence
from its humble beginnings as a
technical school in 1922 to the world
renowned academic giant she is
today. We strongly believe that the
strides made and feats accomplished
during our first 90years will lay a firm
foundation for our next 90years of
existence.
CHUSS Honours
CHINUA ACHEBE
By Hasifa Kabejja
A modest and principally tolerant
grandfather of African modern writing,
liberator of the black literature, a man
widely commended for salvaging the
continent from accusations of its lack
of prose; Makerere University spared
some space to pay tribute to fallen
Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe.
Fountain Publisher’s James Tumisiime
and Prof. Mahmood Mamdani of
Makerere Institute of Social Research
inspired a well-attended symposium
to celebrate the works of a man that
is deemed to have turned around
the ‘western patriarchy infested
African literature’. Convened at the
university campus on 6th April,
2013,
the
convention
attracted
various academicians, politicians and
members of the public, all of whom
collectively saluted the tremendous
works of the fallen African literally
icon.
With fresh memories of limousine
cruises with the late Chinua in the US
a couple of years ago, Prof. Arthur
Gakwandi from the Department of
Literature, applauded him for his
resilience to raise above all odds in
defense of his tradition at a time when
the continent passed though dark ages
and was being referred to as a dark
continent. Achebe’s initial works were
held pivotal by African Pan -Africanists
in the fight for independence of most
African countries, including the then
imprisoned South Africa’s Nelson
Mandela who referred to him as ‘a
writer in whose company prison wall
fell down’.
The Dean, School of Languages,
Literature and Communication, Dr
Okello Ogwang paid tribute to Chinua
Achebe by reviewing his book “Home
and Exile”.
In her remarks, the Head, Literature
Department, Dr Susan Kiguli, said:
Mak News magazine
“As a Literature Department, we
are constantly thinking of what
Achebe did for us and to us: how his
being changed the directions of our
scholarship. We take note of how
the de¬bate of telling the story from
inside as initiated by Achebe has
become central to our theorizing, our
teaching and our evaluation of the
stories around us.”
Born November 16th 1930, Chinua
was widely cel¬ebrated with over
40 works accredited to his name,
the latest being released in October
last year where he tackled Biafran
wrangles in Nigerian politics. “Things
Fall Apart,” made him familiar to
countless readers across the world
throughout his 60 years of active
writing. The novel got translations in
various languages including Swahili
and Luganda, with the latter’s version
being titled “Ebyedda Bisasika”.
January 2014
The College of Natural Sciences
(CoNAS) is happy to report that
the hard work of both our Staff and
Students continued to shine and
receive recognition both nationally
and internationally. Multiple research
milestones have been realised and a
number of awards received for various
projects/initiatives undertaken. This
has in turn translated into a very
bountiful harvest for the College.
Moments like these indeed make all
the hard work worth the while.
The new leadership will provide
strategic direction for CoNAS in the
next four years. In addition, we
have a new Dean of the School of
Physical Sciences, Dr. Juma Kasozi
who replaces Dr. Mango who was
appointed Deputy Principal. Prior to
his appointment as Dean, Dr. Kasozi
served as Head and then Chair,
Department of Mathematics for
8years. The Departments of Physics
and Mathematics also have new Chairs
in the names of Dr. Wilson Ireeta and
Dr. Godwin Kakuba respectively.
In line with accolades received, a
project coordinated by Professor
John Kiboko Enyaru, Department
of Biochemistry and Sports Science
in collaboration with a Ugandan
manufacturer Astel Diagnostics Ltd,
and six other implementing agencies
from Congo, the Democratic Republic
of Congo, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan
and Tanzania, successfully developed
January 2014
51 >
Recounting yet another
successful year at CoNAS
a new test that can accurately detect
parasites in tsetse flies that cause
sleeping sickness. The project was
funded through a five-year research
grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation. “The new Lateral Flow
Test helps to identify areas of potential
sleeping sickness outbreaks that can
be prioritized for tsetse fly control to
pre-empt an outbreak,” Prof. Enyaru
commented.
Sleeping sickness is a tropical disease
that is transmitted to humans by the
bite of an infected tsetse fly (Glossina
genus). The disease invades the
central nervous system and can
be fatal if not treated. In domestic
animals, the disease is also known as
nagana (a Zulu word meaning “to be
depressed”) and causes wasting and
loss of productivity.
Our Students of the Petroleum
Geosciences
and
Production
programme were also recognised
and awarded certificates for their
poster presented at the East African
Petroleum Conference and Exhibition
(EAPCE ’13). The three students; Ms.
Nibyagaba Rachael, Mr. Ojok Tonny
and Mr. Lwanga Edrine participated
in the conference that featured 82
technical and 20 poster presentations
with 52 Exhibitors. The conference
was held in Arusha, Tanzania early in
2013. The East African Community
(EAC) has been holding the EAPCE
biennially since 2003 to promote
exploration,
development
and
production of oil and gas.
The Conference offers a wide range
of technical presentations reflecting
developments in the oil and gas
industry in East Africa and around the
world. The 2013 conference was held
under the theme, “EAST AFRICAN
REGION - The Emerging Destination
for Investment and Future Supply
of Oil and Gas for Sustainable
Development”,
CoNAS
is
mindful
of
aligning
her research projects to ensure
environmental
sustainability
as
stipulated
by
the
Millennium
Mak News magazine
Development Goals (MDGs). In
line with this, Dr. Jackson Efitre, a
Senior Lecturer in the Department of
Biological Sciences received an award
and prize from the World Climate
Change Research Programme (WCRP)
for the best poster presentation during
the Africa Climate Change Conference.
The conference was held in Arusha,
Tanzania in October 2013. The poster
was titled “Mainstreaming climate
change into fisheries and aquatic
sciences curriculum and training in
tertiary academic institutions”.
The National Council for Higher
Education (NCHE) regulations require
that Higher Education Institutions in
Uganda conduct a curriculum review
every three years. The College
of Natural Sciences has therefore
embarked on the process to review
her curriculum for all graduate
programmes (MSc. and PhD) offered.
This exercise began with a workshop
held from the 1st to 3rd November
2013. Review of curriculum allows for
inclusion of new areas of study that
may have been discovered during the
period of review and for improvement
of our teaching and learning services.
The Curriculum review is supported
by
the
Swedish
International
Development Agency (SIDA) through
the Quality Assurance Directorate of
Makerere University.
The College is happy to report that
of the 158 academic staff, 82 have
completed their PhD studies and many
have enrolled for doctoral studies at
Makerere and various international
universities. Our staff development
initiative has continued to bear fruit
with many of our staff qualifying
with PhDs and Masters. Others have
commenced their PhD studies while
others are due to complete. Staff
have also continued to publish their
research papers in international
peer reviewed journals. We wish all
Graduands of the College of Natural
Sciences good health and prosperity
in their lives and professional careers.
52 >
CoVAB
Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
Nurturing Skills for Employment
in the Animal Industry
Retraces His Makerere Roots
invested in to nurture the youth to be
the next generation of entrepreneurs.
With this model, youths can graduate
with an enterprise and skill such that
they do not have to look for a job and
acquire the skill while on the job.
Out of the several trainings that
the College has conducted under
this scheme is that of 20 farmers in
Kisoro who were nurtured from being
traditional farmers to owners of an
enterprise with the support of the
Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Animal Industries and Fisheries. They
graduated with an Artisan certificate
for their improved skills in capacity and
entrepreneurship.
CoVAB students demonstrate how to make hay bales
By Jovia Musubika Kavulu
At the College of Veterinary Medicine,
Animal Resources and Biosecurity
(CoVAB), emphasis has been shifted
to nurturing skills, enterprises and
employment through THE Africa
Institute for Strategic Animal Resource
Services and Development (AFRISA),
the college’s partnership platform. With
rising levels of youth unemployment,
slow growth of the private sector and
low income households, the Ugandan
government is on a mission to achieve
‘prosperity for all’ so that every family
is able to raise at least a minimum of
Shs. 20 million per annum.
The thinking at CoVAB is that what
you have in your hands is what you
need to become wealthy. The fact
that Ugandans have an abundance of
animals and crops implies that they
can get rid of poverty through those
available
resources.
Furthermore,
statistics reveal that a livestock
revolution is taking place in Africa;
meaning that it is possible for livestock
owners to improve their earnings
through value addition to their animal
products.
CoVAB has therefore taken advantage
of this growing demand to provide
solutions to the many challenges of
the century by moving away from
simply teaching conventional degree
programmes and research to ensuring
that the knowledge generated from
research and degree programs is
anchored into development.
Through AFRISA, the College is taking
the university to the community by
bridging the divide between policy and
the academia, the community and the
academia, the private sector and the
academia. AFRISA is the Africa Institute
for Strategic Animal Resource Services
and Development. It is an autonomous
institute of Makerere University used
by CoVAB to engage in production,
development and employment. It
has enabled CoVAB to interface with
the private and public sector, and
the community in what is known as
Academic-Community- Private-Public
partnership.
Dwelling on the fact that Uganda’s
agricultural sector is driven by
communities
that
contribute
significantly to the economy, CoVAB
actively engages the community, a
young private sector and the public
sector which drives policy with the
academia’s leadership to create a new
learning and development model.
The College has since 2006 been
developing an innovation system so
that knowledge, ideas and skills flow in
a dynamic and flexible manner. It was
in 2010 after various presentations
of the concept to the ministries of
education, agriculture, finance, trade
and industry and the president’s office
that AFRISA was fully established.
Among the various initiatives within
AFRISA is an alternative scheme of
building human resource with an
agenda to anchor training, education
and skilling directly in production and
job creation. Under this initiative,
education is a mechanism of human
resource development that should be
Mak News magazine
Makerere University through its policy
framework endorsed this innovative
curriculum and these certificates are
offered by the University through
AFRISA. The farmers graduated in
diary production and due to their
excellent performance, were each
given an exotic cow by FAO. Thus,
CoVAB is looking at commercialisation
of agriculture and nurturing SMEs and
enhancement of house hold income.
L-R: Prof. Ddumba-Ssentamu, Education Minister Jessica Alupo, Prof. Ngugi
wa Thiongo, Prof. E. Kamuntu and former PM Apollo Nsibambi
Currently, over 150 youths are enrolled
in the 11 skilling programs offered
at CoVAB through this initiative. At
the level of certificate, one is able to
have attained a production unit and
an enterprise and if somebody wants
to upgrade, somebody can divert
from a diploma and go for any other
degree and our main concern is that
the growth to that level should be
accompanied by a production unit and
not simply growing to the highest level
of education when you have nothing at
the foundation.
By Hasifa Kabeja
CoVAB is also setting up a skilling
development centre at Nakyesasa
along
Gayaza-Zirobwe
road
for
students enrolled under the innovative
training scheme. The centre is expected
to comprise various training units for
enterprise incubation and development
in the different programs offered under
the innovative scheme. The centre will
also have offices and student hostels.
Among the enterprises to be developed
at these training units are; dairy cattle
and goat enterprise, pig enterprise,
poultry enterprise, fish enterprise,
apiary enterprise and feedlots.
In his remarks, Prof. Ngugi said
he was very happy to return to the
Department after so many years.
Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o was a
student in Department of English at
Makerere University between 19591963. He said he wrote his first two
books “The River Between” and
“Weep, Not Child” when he was an
undergraduate student at Makerere.
During that time, Ngugi also wrote
a play called the “Black Hermit” that
was presented at the National Theatre
in Kampala, Uganda, in 1962, as
part of the celebration of Uganda’s
January 2014
53 >
Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o is one of the
key dignitaries who participated in
the celebrations to mark 90 years of
existence of Makerere University.
Prior to the public lecture organized
to commemorate the 90 years of
Makerere, Prof. Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
visited the Department of Literature
where he had an inspirational chat with
members of staff in the Department.
January 2014
Independence.
Commenting on the tendency by
Europeans to associate Africa’s
success to the West, Prof. Ngũgĩ said
that whenever he is asked about the
genesis of his books and where he
studied, he proudly says he studied
here and that the books were written
at Makerere University in Kampala.
He informed members that the concept
of Orature that is popular all over the
world developed out internal debate
at Makerere University spearheaded
by Pio Zirimu and Augustine Bukenya.
The concept Orature denotes verbal
art composed under circumstances
associated with orality. Ngũgĩ wa
Thiong’o (1990:972) says: Passed
on from mouth to ear, generation
to generation, it consists of songs,
poems, drama, proverbs, riddles and
sayings and it is the most ancient
and richest in the African heritage. In
other words, the term Orature refers
to the oral transmission of narratives
and customs.
Mak News magazine
He challenged African scholars to
renounce the lingering colonial ties
by publishing and translating books
into African languages. This, he
said, would greatly promote African
languages and Literature.
One of his memorable experiences at
Makerere University is his contribution
to
the
transformation
of
the
Department of English to Literature
when he returned to the University
in 1969 as a Creative Writing Fellow.
He also recalls Makerere University to
have been comparable to Harvard and
Cambridge. He noted that missing
admission to Makerere University was
comparable to being denied a wife.
According to the Principal of CHUSS,
Prof Edward K. Kirumira, there is a
tendency in this country to honour
people when they are dead. He was
however pleased that the Department
and University at large was able to
honour Prof. Ngũgĩ while still alive.
Our Students have invented a remote- controlled a bomb detector
Plant-derived Medicinal Products for Management of HIV/AIDS and Cancer
Mak Bomb Detector
AIDS Herbal Remedies
Drought-Resistance
Foetal Monitoring App
We have developed drought-resistant, high-yielding & pest-resistant
crop varieties that fit African condititions
In 2012, Our Students Designed a Mobile Phone App to Provide Effective &
Affordable Antenatal Diagnosis for Expectant Mothers in Developing Countries.
Innovation is our Passion. Every Challenge in our Community
is an Opportunity to Exercise our Creativity.
Come join us as We Build for the Future
We build for the future
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