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.
Organised by the Makerere Debating Union – a student-led initiative, the Inter-college Debate Tournament was held on 11th and 12th April 2025 with a vision to leave no student behind by nurturing a community of confident, articulate, and visionary leaders who will drive positive change in society. The tournament was held in three preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and a grand finale.
The first round covered democracy and youth participation in politics, while the second round covered inequality and wealth distribution, and the third, the ban on export of raw materials. The semi-final round debated apprenticeship for blue-collar jobs, while the grand finale debated national budget allocations for healthcare and education. In the spirit of inclusivity, all colleges, including the Jinja Campus participated in the tournament.
Commenting on the choice of topics, the organisers noted Makerere University as a bastion of academic excellence has a profound responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of our nation. These leaders, they added, ought to be equipped with 21st century skills of self-expression, critical thinking, and problem-solving so as to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
On the whole, Makerere Inter-college Debates were conceived as a strategic initiative to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation. The Debating Union aims to empower the future leaders by providing a platform for students to engage in respectful discourse, articulate their thoughts, as well as develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the Debates serve as a platform for not only honing the intellectual prowess of students but also cultivating leadership skills, teamwork, and communication abilities that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is envisaged that this initiative will have a lasting impact on the lives of students, by exposing them to debates on topical issues that can shape the mindsets of transformative leaders our nation needs.
After a thrilling two days of debate, Daphine Kemigisha and Jibril Ssekandi from the School of Law (SoL) emerged as winners of the Makerere University Inter-college Debate Tournament 2025, while Olara Emmanuel George from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) was the Public Speech Champion, and Namujuzi Martha Mociita from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) was the Poetry Champion.
The 2025 Tournament was organized by Mayanja Owen and Nkalubo Oprah – 91st Guild Representative Councils (GRCs) of the Debate Union, Akatwijuka Arthur – Chairperson Debate Union, and Debate Union Representatives from colleges. The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) partnered with the Debate Union to deliver the 2025 edition.
Addressing students at the award ceremony, UNNGOF’s Mr. Derrick Baluuku encouraged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and think of solutions to inspire change in their communities.
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