General
Bulk metering to save Makerere 100m monthly
The University is set to benefit from a lowered average tariff at the main campus, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UMEME and Makerere University at 10:00am today, 12th February 2010.
The University is set to benefit from a lowered average tariff at the main campus, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UMEME and Makerere University at 10:00am today, 12th February 2010.
Herbert Kanyali, UMEME District Manager – Wandegeya and project manager for the installation, appreciated the patience exhibited by the Makerere community during the final two weeks of intensive engineering work on the meter centralization project. He further revealed that with the successful installation of this unit, plans are underway to install a similar meter around the Makerere College School area.
Dr Da Silva, Director, Center for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC) Makerere University, expressed his pleasure at seeing this project, which started in November 2009 with Prof. Luboobi, finally being completed. He observed that whereas the university was a bulky consumer of energy, it was until Wednesday this week still being charged at the retail rate “The energy consumed at the main campus alone is more than four times the one consumed by large industries such as Roofings (U) Ltd.” He further revealed that Makerere was already benefiting from the installation, seeing as the institution had managed to save Nine million shillings in electricity bills, since Wednesday 10th February when the bulk meter was commissioned.
In his speech, Dr. Tickodri-Tobgoa, who represented the Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof. Baryamureeba was glad to see that both the engineers and members of staff who actively participated in the project were products of his Engineering classes over a twenty-four year span. As energy is a vital component of daily university operations, he noted that the improved tariff rates as a result of Bulk metering will guarantee sufficient energy for staff and students to enable them excel, as exhibited by the recently released world university rankings . He observed that with the adoption of bulk metering by Makerere and similar sized institutions, the days of load shedding would soon be a thing of the past as energy efficiency would be drastically improved.
Mr. Fredrick Kitandwe, UMEME Area Manager, Kampala Central, flanked by Ms. Charlotte Kemigyisha, UMEME Head of Corporate Relations, thanked the Makerere team for its cooperation, which saw the successful completion of the project. He reiterated UMEME’s commitment to lowering the cost of power to the end users, while managing energy losses. “It is through such innovative measures of working with our customers that we intend to make power cheaper and more affordable to our communities. In this initiative, we are working closely with the Small Medium Enterprises to enable them benefit from a better tariff category, which is billed at 184.8Shs per Kwh under code 30, down from 333.0Shs per Kwh under code 20.” He said.
Both parties then signed and exchanged the Memoranda of Understanding, before proceeding to the Eastern gate, where Mr. Kitandwe officially handed over the bulk metering facility to Dr. Togboa. Mr. Kahundha Muhwezi, The University Secretary, lauded UMEME for the timely installation, which will see the university save over 1.2billion shillings annually in electricity bills.
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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