General
Sharing Water: Another collaborative effort from Makerere & Bergen
The Makerere University Guest house compound played host to yet another book launch on Tuesday 17th November 2009. The newly published book is titled Sharing Water: Problems, Conflicts and Possible Solutions – The case of Kampala (2009) and authored by P. Larsson , E. Kirumira , A. Steigen & A. Miyingo-Kezimbira.
The Makerere University Guest house compound played host to yet another book launch on Tuesday 17th November 2009. The newly published book is titled Sharing Water: Problems, Conflicts and Possible Solutions – The case of Kampala (2009) and authored by P. Larsson , E. Kirumira , A. Steigen & A. Miyingo-Kezimbira.
In his remarks, Prof. E. Kirumira welcomed the gathering to the book launch and thanked all the contributing authors for their input into this book, which discusses how nature, people and society in Kampala handle water issues. This book is a result of a multidisciplinary research project on the theme Nature, Society and Water funded under the Norwegian Research councils’s programme “Development Paths in the South”.
Prof. Petter Larsson, Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway and co-author of the book emphasized the importance of packaging such information into books that can be used as a Future reference.
In giving an overview of the book Andreas L. Steigen, Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Norway thanked all the contributing authors for their efforts in making this book a diverse resource covering a wide range of societal issues from planning, conflict management to Ecology. He however challenged them to advance from contributing chapters to books to writing entire books that can be published.
Dr. Robert Kabumbuli , Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology in the Faculty of Social Sciences Makerere University remarked the challenges in Planning, conflicts and management as covered by the book. Citing the fluctuating population of Kampala, which more than doubles during the day, he noted that the unplanned nature of the city inevitably puts a strain on available resources like piped water. Some of the residents have to make do with protected springs, where conflicts are unavoidable due to growing numbers competing for the scarce resource. He concluded by challenging all stakeholders involved to use concept papers and research findings published in books such as these to manage conflicts that are bound to arise.
Prof. Kirumira then invited Dr. Luyiga Susan from the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science Makerere University to remark on the Ecosystem challenges as covered by the book. Focusing on the Nakivubo Channel, Dr. Luyiga revealed how city planning had led to the eventual widening, deepening and cementing of the channel, which though aimed at preventing floods in the city, led to the deposition of silt and sediment in wetlands downstream. This eventually leads to increase in suspended solids in the Murchison Bay, where NWSC collects water for treatment.
Odong Robinson reviewed the Health Challenges addressed by the book noting that although colonial plans of the city had designated the hills for settlement and the wetlands uninhabitable, population growths had led to the eventual reclamation of wetlands for settlement. This inevitably increased the likelihood of human to vector interaction and easier spread of diseases like Malaria and Bilharzia.
The Guest of Honor and Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba thanked the University of Bergen representatives and Makerere University Staff for their collaborative efforts, which led to the publishing of a rich and diverse book covering pertinent issues like water. He then challenged the team to tackle other contentious issues like Land.
Furthermore, he thanked the media for covering the event and publicizing the launch of such books, which can act as guides for policy makers. He then challenged the Academic staff of Makerere to not only carry out research and write books but also launch them so as to disseminate information to the public. He then officially launched the book and received a copy signed by all the authors.
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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