General
New Electoral Commission Inducted ahead of Guild Polls
A new Electoral Commission, EC, has assumed office following a Swearing in and Induction ceremony at Makerere University Senate building held on 16th February 2015. The EC is chaired by Roy Ssemboga, who scooped 43 of the 76 votes to become Chairperson in a highly contested race held at the College of Engineering Design Art and Technoloy, CEDAT, on 11th February 2015. Sarah Aseru took over the Vice Chairperson slot, Vivien Kawule is in charge of Finance, Kevin Obiya is the General Secretary and Dennis Okori will handle the Public Relations. According to Benson Chark, the Guild Speaker, the voting of the Electoral Commission office bearers was smoothly conducted with no petition thus far.
This team is tasked with organising the upcoming 81st Guild elections of Makerere University, scheduled for early March 2015.
In his acceptance speech, the fresh-in-office Chairperson pledged to deliver a clean electoral process. “This is the strongest team you will ever have. We have great team work and will serve without fear or favour to take Makerere Universityto great heights. I am confident of each and every member of the EC since I have worked with them before and can attest to their competence,” assured Ssemboga.
So far six candidates have expressed interest in vying for the top post of Guild President and each of them is already laying strategies of winning the election. Their posters can be seen various strategic places at the Main campus.
The swearing in ceremony of the EC was witnessed by a number of Staff of Makerere University including representatives from the Office of the Dean of Students, the Wardens of the various halls of residence, the Makerere University Public Relations office, Rev. Canon Geoffrey Byarugaba- Ag. Chaplain St. Francis Chapel and Rev. Father Josephat Ddungu- Chaplain of St. Augustine Chapel.
The Dean of Students, Cyriaco Kabagambe urged the Electoral Commission to observe the constitutional provisions at all times. “I urge you to stay neutral and make use of the relevant offices in Makerere University when you need guidance. The work you are going to embark on is service to humanity and when you do it well, you will be remembered for it,” he said.
The Deputy Dean of Students Stephen Kateega cautioned the EC to stand out from the crowd. “Leadership carries a number of challenges. This job demands trustworthiness, straight forward dealing, faith and truth. Be straight from the onset. If anything goes wrong, you will make headlines,” he said.
Rev. Byarugaba drew from his experience to inspire them, “As a former Returning Officer, I urge you to be responsible, develop a detailed roadmap, pay attention to all the details and most importantly document all the processes. This will help you at all times,” he emphasised.
Other Makerere University Staff in attendance cautioned the EC to be organised ahead of time, avoid last minute panicking, set and abide by guiding principles, account for public funds, prevail over the process and set clear guidelines on who the eligible voters are. To close the ceremony, the Chaplains in attendance prayed and blessed the EC.
Article by Marion Alina
Business & Management
PIM Centre Holds 9th Steering Committee Meeting, Set to Benefit from World Bank Support
The Public Investment Management (PIM) Centre of Excellence at Makerere University today, October 10th, 2025, held its 9th Steering Committee Meeting to review progress made in the first quarter of the financial year and plan for the months ahead.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Getrude Basiima, who represented Mr. Hannington Ashaba, Director Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). Ms. Basiima commended the Centre for its continued commitment to strengthening public investment management capacity across government institutions.
In her remarks, Ms. Basiima applauded the Centre for successfully hosting the Public Investment Management Conference held in August at Makerere University. The conference attracted key policymakers, development partners, and academics who deliberated on how to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and impact of public investments in Uganda.
She further shared exciting news that the Government of Uganda has secured funding from the World Bank to support the public investment management function. The PIM Centre, she announced, will be among the key beneficiaries of these funds — receiving support for the construction and acquisition of a permanent home to enhance its institutional sustainability and training capacity.
Reviewing the Centre’s quarterly performance, Ms. Basiima congratulated the team for successfully conducting three specialized trainings in the first quarter, reaching officials from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. These trainings continue to strengthen the technical competencies required for effective project preparation, appraisal, and implementation in line with Uganda’s National Development Plan.
She encouraged the Centre to integrate climate change considerations into its future training programmes, noting that sustainable public investment must now account for environmental resilience and climate adaptation.
The centre team presented the proposed structure/ organogram, the financial performance of 2024/2025, research areas for 2025/2026 and the strategic plan for 2025 – 2030.
The Steering Committee reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the PIM Centre’s vision of becoming a regional leader in building capacity for efficient, transparent, and sustainable public investment management.
A significant development unfolded at Makerere University during a strategic, hour-long meeting in the vice chancellor’s boardroom on 7th October 2025, marking a deepening bond with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The primary goal was to move beyond existing collaborations and formalize a new Double Doctorate (PhD) program. Prof. Sarah Saali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, set the tone by emphasizing that institutional partnerships are crucial to Makerere University, which she proudly called the leading research and most collaborative university in the world.
The discussion promptly formed the core structure of the program: a four-year PhD (or three if the master’s was research-based), with supervision duties split 50-50% between the two institutions. A key feature is the mobility requirement, stipulating that PhD candidates would spend a total of six months in the Netherlands, potentially divided into two three-month periods. Crucially, the University of Groningen confirmed there would be no teaching requirement during this stay, allowing students full access to focus on their research. A major financial hurdle was overcome with the adoption of a fee-waiver policy; Makerere would waive tuition for incoming Groningen candidates, and Groningen would reciprocate for Makerere‘s students, significantly boosting the program’s financial viability.
However, the critical issue of the stipend remained. Dr. Anita Veltmaat explained that to meet the required living standard of approximately €1,875 per month in Groningen, the incoming candidate must secure a partial external scholarship of around €250 per month. The positive news is that if the candidate secures this minimum scholarship, the University of Groningen is prepared to top up the amount to the full living standard for the six months the student spends in the Netherlands. It was noted that this initial financial hurdle might be simplified for Makerere students, as many are already staff members receiving a salary, which could help cover the required €250.
The path forward was clear: it was to complete the agreement template guided by the setup committee from both institutions. The plan culminated in scheduling an online follow-up meeting for Tuesday, November 11th, to review the first revision of the agreement, capping a highly constructive discussion that solidified the two universities’ shared future in graduate education.
Makerere University was represented by Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academics Affairs; Dr. Ruth Nsibirano, Head of the Department of Gender Studies; Dr. Patricia Ndugga, School of Statistics; Dr. Stella Achen and Dr. Joseph Watuleke, School of Distance and Lifelong Learning; Agatha Ainemukama, School of Engineering; Racheal Nuwagaba, School of Psychology; Awel Uwihanganye, Martine Rugamba, and Hawa Ndagire from the Advancement Office; and Muhammad Kiggundu from the Institute of Gender and Development Studies.
The University of Groningen was represented by Dr. Dinie Bouwman, Senior Policy Advisor, Internationalization and Quality Assurance; Dr. Anita Veltmaat, Faculty of Social Behavior and Social Sciences, Department of International Studies, involved in mentorship programs for women; and Dr. Alette Arendshorst, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, working on graduation/collaboration for students/staff.
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