General

First Makerere Workshop on Social Systems & Computation

Published

16 years ago

November 29, 2010

Summary Top researchers from Northwestern University (Chicago), University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and Makerere (Kampala) are teaming up to offer a workshop on cutting-edge methods for computational modeling of social systems, algorithm design, and machine learning. The sessions will take place between December 3rd and 10th, and there is no cost for attendance; however, registration is mandatory.

Summary Top researchers from Northwestern University (Chicago), University of British Columbia (Vancouver) and Makerere (Kampala) are teaming up to offer a workshop on cutting-edge methods for computational modeling of social systems, algorithm design, and machine learning. The sessions will take place between December 3rd and 10th, and there is no cost for attendance; however, registration is mandatory.

Attendance is limited to academic staff working at a Ugandan university; students doing research in related areas may also be given special permission to attend if space permits. Participants will have the opportunity to publish papers in official, reviewed workshop proceedings at a later date. A certificate of completion will be provided to participants who attend at least two thirds of workshop sessions.

Overview Traditionally, computer science has viewed data as coming from either an adversarial source or from nature itself, giving rise to worst-case and average-case design and analysis of optimization algorithms. In recent years with the advent of modern technologies like the Internet, it has become increasingly apparent that neither of these assumptions reflects reality. Data is neither adversarial nor average, but rather inputs to algorithms are constructed by a diverse set of self-interested agents in an economy, all aiming to maximize their own happiness. Thus the raw data is often not available to an algorithm designer, but must be solicited from the agents–that is, the designer faces an economic constraint. The primary goal of this workshop is to explore the implications of this observation. We will study the performance of algorithms in the presence of utility-maximizing agents and ask whether alternate designs might create incentives for agents to act more optimally. Simultaneously, we will look at other more traditional optimization problems such as approximation and learning and techniques to solve them, pointing out that these may often be leveraged to solve issues in the economic setting.

Related Research Areas Computer Science Theory; Artificial Intelligence; Economics; Business

Format The workshop will consist of six 3-hour lectures, plus meal/breakout sessions for informal research discussion. Spaces are strictly limited, and attendees must pre-register. We will aim to select topics and session times that are best for our participants. To register, and to indicate your preferences for topics and dates, please complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WWGMKZG.

List of Candidate Topics The workshop will consist of up to six of the following twelve topics.

Introduction to Game Theory
Game theory is the mathematical study of interaction among independent, self-interested agents. It has been applied to disciplines as diverse as economics, political science, biology, psychology, linguistics—and computer science. This tutorial will introduce what has become the dominant branch of game theory, called noncooperative game theory, and will specifically describe normal-form games, a canonical representation in this discipline. The tutorial will be motivated by the question: "In a strategic interaction, what joint outcomes make sense?"

Voting Theory
Voting (or "Social Choice") theory adopts a“designer perspective” to multiagent systems, asking what rules should be put in place by the authority (the “designer”) orchestrating a set of agents. Specifically, how should a central authority pool the preferences of different agents so as to best reflect the wishes of the population as a whole? (Contrast this with Game Theory, whichadopts what might be called the “agent perspective”: its focus is on making statements about how agents should or would act in a given situation.) This tutorial will describe famous voting rules, show problems with them, and explain Arrow's famous impossibility result.

Mechanism Design and Auctions
Social choice theory is nonstrategic: it takes the preferences of agents as given, and investigates ways in which they can be aggregated. But of course those preferences are usually not known. Instead, agents must be asked to declare them, which they may do dishonestly. Since as a designer you wish to find an optimal outcome with respect to the agents’ true preferences (e.g., electing a leader that truly reflects the agents’ preferences), optimizing with respect to the declared preferences will not in general achieve the objective. This tutorial will introduce Mechanism Design, the study of identifying socially desirable protocols for making decisions in such settings. It will describe the core principles behind this theory, and explain the famous "Vickrey-Clarke-Groves" mechanism, an ingenious technique for selecting globally-utility-maximizing outcomes even among selfish agents. It will also describe Auction Theory, the most famous application of mechanism design. Auctions are mechanisms that decide who should receive a scarce resource, and that impose payments upon some or all participants, based on agents' "bids".

Constraint Satisfaction Problem Solving
This hands-on tutorial will teach participants about solving Constraint Satisfaction Problems using search and constraint propagation techniques. This is a representation language from artificial intelligence, used to describe problems in scheduling, circuit verification, DNA structure prediction, vehicle routing, and many other practical problems. The tutorial will consider the problem of solving Sudoku puzzles as a running example. By the end of the session, participants will have written software (in Python) capable of solving any Sudoku puzzle in less than a second.

Bayesian methods and Probabilisitic Inference
Bayesian methods are commonly used for recognising patterns and making predictions in the fields of medicine, economics, finance and engineering, powering all manner of applications from fingerprint recognition to spam filters to robotic self-driving cars. This session will show how principles of probability can be used when making inferences from large datasets, covering issues such as prior knowledge and hyperpriors, the construction of "belief networks", and nonparametric methods such as Gaussian processes. Several applications will be demonstrated.

Computer Vision

It is useful to be able to automatically answer questions about an image, such as "is this the face of person X?", "how many cars are there on this street?" or "is there anything unusual about this x-ray?". This session will look at some of the current state of the art in computer vision techniques, including methods for representing the information in an image (feature extraction), and to recognise objects in an image given such a representation. We will particularly spend some time looking at approaches which have been found to work well empirically on object recognition, such as generalised Hough transforms, boosted cascades of Haar wavelet classifiers, and visual bag-of-words methods. Locally relevant applications in crop disease diagnosis, parasite detection in blood samples and traffic monitoring will be demonstrated as illustrating examples.

Learning Causal Structure from Data
Until a few decades ago, it was thought to be impossible to learn causes and effects from purely observational data without doing experiments. Sometimes, however, it is impossible to do experiments (e.g. in some branches of genetics), or experiments may be costly or unethical (e.g. situations in climate change or medicine), so the emergence of computational methods for distinguishing causes, effects and confounding variables is likely to have wide implications. Some principles are now understood for learning the causal structure between different variables, and this session will explain the most successful current approaches, their possibilities and their limitations.

Internet Search and Monetization
The internet is one of the most fundamental and important applications of computer science. Central to its existence are search engines which enable us to find content on the web. This module focuses on the algorithms like PageRank that these search engines use to help us find webpages. It also studies how these engines make money through advertising.

Social Networks
Social networks describe the structure of interpersonal relationships and have many alarmingly predictable properties. While most people have just a few friends, most social networks have at least a few very popular people. Furthermore, most people are closely linked to every other person so that a message (or an idea or a disease) can spread rapidly throughout the network. Finally, social networks tend to be fairly clustered — i.e., if two people share a common friend it is quite likely that they are also friends. This module will discuss the typical structures of social networks, models that explain these structures, and the impact of these structures on activities in the social network such as message routing or the adoption of new technologies.

Two-Sided Matching Markets
Many markets involve two “sides'' that wish to be matched to one another. For example, a marriage market matches women to men; a job market matches workers to employers. In such settings, people on each side have strict preferences over the options on the other side of the market. Hence, a woman Julie may like David best, John second best, and Christopher third. David on the other hand may prefer Mary to Julie. In such settings, what matches might we expect to form? Can these matches be computed by a centralized algorithm, a match-maker for example, and what are the corresponding incentives of the participants? These questions are of fundamental importance as such centralized algorithms are in use in many important markets. In many countries, medical students are matched to hospitals using such algorithms, or school children to schools.

Approximation Algorithms
In the field of algorithms, many tasks turn out to be computationally difficult. That is, the time to complete the task is fundamentally large compared to the size of the problem. For example, consider the problem of finding the optimal way to visit 10 cities, visiting each exactly once. To minimize travel time, one could test all possible travel schedules, but for 10 cities there are already 3.5M of them! Unfortunately, there is not a significantly quicker way to find the optimal solution. However, one can find an approximately optimal solution quickly. That is, with just a few things to check, one can design a schedule that takes at most 50% more time than the optimal one. In this module we showcase a few general techniques for computing approximate solutions to hard problems, including the use of randomization and linear programming.

Graph Theory
A graph is a combinatorial object consisting of nodes and edges, and is a extremely valuable abstraction of many practical problems. For example, nodes might represent jobs and edges might connect pairs of jobs that can not be performed simultaneously. Alternatively, nodes might represent electronic components on a circuit board and edges the wiring that connects them. Many questions that arise in such domains can be cast as an optimization question in the corresponding graph. The number of workers required to complete all jobs in fixed time frame in the first example is at its heart a graph coloring problem. Asking whether one can lay out the circuit board so no two wires cross becomes the problem of determining which graphs have planar representations. This course defines graphs, shows how to solve a few fundamental graph problems, and applies them to practical settings.

Speaker Bios

Nicole Immorlica is an assistant professor in the Economics Group of Northwestern University's EECS department in Chicago, IL, USA. She joined Northwestern in Fall 2008 after postdoctoral positions at Microsoft Research in Seattle, Washington, USA and Centruum voor Wiskunde en Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She received her Ph.D. from MIT in Boston, MA, USA, in 2005 under the joint supervision of Erik Demaine and David Karger. Her main research area is algorithmic game theory where she investigates economic and social implications of modern technologies including social networks, advertising auctions, and online auction design.

Kevin Leyton-Brown is an associate professor in computer science at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He received a B.Sc. from McMaster University (1998), and an M.Sc. and PhD from Stanford University (2001; 2003). Much of his work is at the intersection of computer science and microeconomics, addressing computational problems in economic contexts and incentive issues in multiagent systems. He also studies the application of machine learning to the automated design and analysis of algorithms for solving hard computational problems.

John Quinn is a Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at Makerere University. He received a BA in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge (2000) and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (2007). He coordinates the Machine Learning Group at Makerere, and his research interests are in pattern recognition and computer vision particularly applied to developing world problems.

General

Hundreds attend Sylas Ruhweza’s Requiem Mass

Published

6 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Carol Kasujja Adii

Sylas Ruhweza's casket lies in the chapel. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Hundreds of mourners gathered at St. Augustine Chapel, Makerere University on May 30, 2026 to pray for the soul of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University.

The requiem mass was filled with emotional tributes celebrating Ruhweza’s life of service, leadership and dedication to community causes. Ruhweza passed away on Friday, May 29, 2026, at Mildmay Uganda Hospital.

Speaker after speaker described him as a humble and visionary leader who was passionate about uplifting others and deeply committed to excellence.

Rt. Hon. Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki addresses mourners. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Rt. Hon. Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki addresses mourners.***

“We thank God for the life of Sylas, for the years he granted him among us, and for the impact he made on countless lives. He carried himself with humility and grace, and wherever he went, he built friendships, inspired confidence, and left people better than he found them,” Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister, Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki, said during the Mass.

Mr. Rwomiire urged mourners to honour Ruhweza’s legacy by embracing the values he stood for, including integrity, compassion, hard work, service to community, and his unwavering love for Tooro Kingdom.

The main celebrant, Rev. Fr. Charles Lwanga Makoboza, echoed the message in his homily, reminding Christians to remain rooted in Jesus Christ throughout their lives.

Rev. Fr. Charles Lwanga Makoboza. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Rev. Fr. Charles Lwanga Makoboza.***

“Sylas has gone to be with God, in a place where there is no pain, missed calls, struggle, corruption, betrayal, jealousy and tears. He is in a place with absolute peace. So, in life, never be the cause of someone’s tears, and if you do, seek reconciliation,” Fr. Lwanga, said.

Fr. Lwanga also reminded mourners that what Ruhweza needs most are prayers, not wreaths.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Ms. Grace Kabasita, Ruhweza’s maternal aunt, described him as a loving and dedicated young man whose life touched many people.

Ms. Grace Kabasita. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Ms. Grace Kabasita.***

“Sylas was a counsellor, teacher, and a brilliant, loveable young man who fitted into every society. His life was marked by service, friendship, dedication, and commitment to the wellbeing of others and his culture,” she said.

Addressing mourners, Prof Justine Namaalwa, the Coordinator of the Mastercard Foundation Initiatives at Makerere University, noted that though Sylas’s life was cut short, he leaves behind a lasting legacy of service, leadership and impact on the communities he served.

“Sylas, you have gone too soon. But it is well with our souls. May your legacy of Transformative Leadership live on,” Prof. Namaalwa, said.

R-L: Prof. Prof. Justine Namaalwa, a mourner, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga and Ms. Jolly Okumu. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***R-L: Prof. Prof. Justine Namaalwa, a mourner, Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga and Ms. Jolly Okumu.***

She thanked the Mastercard Foundation for supporting his education through BRAC Uganda, supporting his university education through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, and nurturing his leadership journey through the Youth Advisory Board.

Ruhweeza at glance

Born on 19^th July 1994 to the late Mr. Paul Tinkasimire Paul Adyeeri and Ms. Ategeka Margret Abwooli of Bunyangabu District.

The ninth born of eleven children attended Kaboyo Primary School for his Primary Education, and later joined Fort Portal Secondary School where he sat for his O-Level. He then proceeded to A-Level at Hannah International School.

Sylas Ruhweza, then Team Lead, AlumNet Foundation addressing his fellow alumni on 5th April 2025. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — **Sylas Ruhweza, then Team Lead, AlumNet Foundation addressing his fellow alumni on 5th April 2025.**

He joined Makerere University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production in 2022, supported by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at Makerere University.

At the time of his passing, he was pursuing a Master’s degree at Victoria University.

Leadership, Service and Professional Contributions

Mr. Ruhweza served as Chairperson of the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network at BRAC from 2020 to 2022, demonstrating transformative leadership and commitment to social change.

Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga with scholars that attended the Mass. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Gorettie Nabanoga with scholars that attended the Mass.***

He later became the President of the Makerere AlumNet Foundation, an umbrella organization that brings together the Scholars Makerere Alumni chapter.

He worked as an eLearning Support Officer at the College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) under the e-learning initiative at Makerere University.

He was a member of the Steering Committee of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, representing the Scholars Makerere Alumni chapter.

Scholars mourning Sylas. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Scholars mourning Sylas.***

At the time of his passing, he was serving as the Minister of Information in the Tooro Kingdom, Strategy and Engagement Lead for the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network-Uganda Chapter, and Programme Associate at the Africa Climate Collaborative, one of the Mastercard Foundation initiatives at Makerere University.

Legacy

Ruhweza is remembered for his dedication to education, leadership, mentorship, and community service. He passionately championed youth empowerment, collaboration, and social responsibility.

The Requiem Mass in progress. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***The Requiem Mass in progress.***

His life reflected the transformative power of education, servant leadership, and a commitment to uplifting others.

May Sylas’s soul rest in eternal peace.

Rt. Hon. Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki with mourners that included Deputy Lord Mayor Emeritus Nyanjura Doreen. Requiem Mass in respect of Mr. Sylas Ruhweza, the first President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Community at Makerere University, 30th May 2026, St. Augustine Chapel, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Rt. Hon. Calvin Armstrong Rwomiire Akiiki with mourners that included Deputy Lord Mayor Emeritus Nyanjura Doreen.***

General

Makerere University Pushes for Stronger Support for Research Ethics Committees amid Growing Research Demands

Published

9 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Mak Editor

Seated: Prof. Sarah Ssali (2nd L) and Prof. Robert Wamala (2nd R) with Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees on 25th May 2026. High-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) held in the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom, Makerere University Main building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on May 25, 2026.

_{By Moses Lutaaya}

Makerere University has intensified efforts to strengthen research governance and ethical oversight, with university leaders calling for greater institutional support for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), whose role has become increasingly central to the institution’s research-led agenda.

The call was made during a high-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees held at the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom at the Makerere University Main Building on May 25, 2026.

Opening the meeting, the Director of Research Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), Prof. Robert Wamala, highlighted a number of operational and administrative challenges affecting the effectiveness of RECs at Makerere University.

Prof. Wamala observed that RECs continue to operate with gaps in institutional framework outlining their position within the university governance structure, a gap he said has affected institutional support and long-term sustainability.

According to Prof. Wamala, inadequate facilitation continues to affect the operations of several committees, especially in areas of staffing, administrative coordination, and remuneration for REC administrators.

Prof. Robert Wamala. High-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) held in the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom, Makerere University Main building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on May 25, 2026. — ***Prof. Robert Wamala.***

He also pointed to challenges arising from new regulatory requirements governing the appointment of REC members, particularly the need for appointment letters to be authorized or signed by the Vice Chancellor.

Prof. Wamala further raised concern over the high cost of mandatory accreditation and training processes required by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), especially the Good Research Regulatory Practice (GRRP) training undertaken every three years. “Payment for training is too high for individual RECs to cover,” he noted, adding that many committees are struggling to independently raise the money to undertake the training for all their members.

He also emphasized the need for stronger institutional monitoring systems to support timely submission of accreditation renewal applications, oversight of approved research activities, and coordination of REC operations across the university.

In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, commended the growing contribution of RECs in advancing Makerere University’s research agenda and acknowledged the concerns raised by Prof. Wamala and committee members.

“There were not very many RECs,” Prof. Ssali said. “So now that we are 10, it is really impressive because it speaks to our cause for a research-led university.” She admitted that despite their importance, many RECs still operate outside the formal university establishment, making staffing and operational support difficult.

Prof. Sarah Ssali. High-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) held in the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom, Makerere University Main building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on May 25, 2026. — ***Prof. Sarah Ssali.***

“The only challenge that I see is that they are not fully institutionalized. So it is upon units to start them or not to start them,” she explained. Prof. Ssali added that because RECs are not fully integrated into the public service structure of the university, recruiting and remunerating staff through conventional university systems remains complicated. “Hiring for them staff will be a little bit cumbersome because the university will say they are not part of our structure,” she said.

She nevertheless emphasized that university management recognizes the strategic importance of RECs in strengthening ethical research oversight and supporting Makerere’s position as a research-led institution. “RECs are doing a great job of furthering our strategic agenda of being a research-led university,” she noted.

Prof. Ssali explained that the growing reliance on institutional RECs by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology demonstrates the trust placed in Makerere University’s ethical review systems.

Addressing concerns about the cost and frequency of mandatory training, Prof. Ssali acknowledged the financial burden on RECs but explained that many of the requirements are set by national regulators. “Many of the things you have raised are with National Council, they are not with us,” she said. “We can only pledge to lobby.”

To address logistical challenges associated with training senior academics, she proposed more flexible scheduling arrangements. “For a professor to give you a whole day is going to be a challenge,” she said. “Maybe you can do half days throughout the week.”

Prof. Ssali also encouraged colleges and schools to allocate part of their enhanced research budgets toward supporting REC activities, including staffing, training, and operational facilitation.

The High-Level Meeting in session. High-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees (RECs) held in the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom, Makerere University Main building, Kampala Uganda, East Africa on May 25, 2026. — ***The High-Level Meeting in session.***

She suggested that colleges and schools hosting RECs should directly take responsibility for sustaining them. “For me, that’s the way out — to ensure that the colleges and schools that have RECs take them as their responsibility,” she noted.

The DVC-AA also addressed concerns related to intellectual property rights, Material Transfer Agreements (MTA), and the need for researchers to formally communicate scientific discoveries and innovations to the university to ensure institutional protection and benefit-sharing. “All you are saying is true, but it depends on you as researchers informing the institution that we have made this discovery,” she said.

Prof. Ssali reiterated Makerere University’s commitment to strengthening research governance systems and pledged continued engagement with both university management and national regulatory bodies to address the concerns raised by REC members. “Where they are, they enable research, publication and growth,” she said of the RECs. “Most importantly, they enable us to be ethical with the way we do our things.”

The meeting was attended by chairpersons of the various Research Ethics Committees across Makerere University and affiliated institutions. These included Dr. Ponsiano Ochama from the School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (SOM-REC), Dr. Moses Ocan from the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (SBS-REC), Dr. Paul Kutyabami from the School of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, Dr. David Kyaddondo from the Uganda Cancer Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Stella Neema from the School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (MAKSS-REC), Dr. Joseph Kagayi from the School of Public Health Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Joseph Kateete from the Infectious Diseases Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Fred Okuku from the Uganda Heart Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Kassim Sadik from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Research Ethics Committee, and Dr. Eddy Walakira from the College of Business and Management Sciences Research Ethics Committee.

The discussions reflected Makerere University’s broader ambition to consolidate its position as a leading research-intensive institution while ensuring that ethical standards, accountability, and innovation protection remain central to its academic mission.

General

Sylas Ruhweza: A Brief Life Marked by Meaningful Accomplishments

Published

10 hours ago

June 1, 2026

Bernard Buteera

The late Sylas Ruhweza, 3rd President of the Scholars Association Makerere University (SAMAK). Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

On May 29, 2026, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Community learned of the passing of Sylas Ruhweza Atwooki, a remarkable Scholar of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University. At just 32 years old, Sylas had already made an indelible mark. He served as the representative of Makerere University on the Mastercard Foundation Advisory Board, contributing to vital decisions that shape the future. Additionally, he held the prestigious role of Minister of Information for Tooro Kingdom, an extraordinary achievement that set a powerful example for his peers and illuminated the potential for leadership and impact within the community.

Sylas was born on 19 July 1994 to the late Tinkasimire Paul Adyeeri and Ms. Ategeka Margret Abwooli in what is now Bunyangabu District. As the ninth of eleven children, he recognised early the power of education and the doors it can open. His academic journey commenced at Kaboyo Primary School, followed by Fort Portal Secondary School for his O-levels. With the backing of the Mastercard Foundation Scholarship, he confidently pursued his A-levels at Hannah International School and later enrolled at Makerere University, where he successfully earned a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production in 2022, once again bolstered by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.

Sylas actively contributed to the Scholars community as the 3^rd President of the Scholars Association Makerere University (SAMAK) and as the first Team Lead of the AlumNet Foundation, established in 2018, an umbrella organisation that unites all the alumni of the Mastercard Foundation at Makerere University. This organisation serves as a community of practice for Makerere University alumni, promoting agency and voice, peer mentorship, and community-impact initiatives. He demonstrated transformative leadership as Chairperson of the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network at BRAC from 2020 to 2022. At the time of his death, Sylas served as the Minister of Information in the Tooro Kingdom and as the Strategy and Engagement Lead for the Mastercard Foundation Alumni Network’s Uganda Chapter, where he continued to advocate for collaboration and social responsibility. He was a Programme Associate at Africa Climate Collaborative, one of the Mastercard Foundation Initiatives at Makerere University, and was also pursuing his Master’s degree at Victoria University. May his soul find eternal peace.

Bernard Buteera is the Principal Communications and Public Relations Officer of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme at Makerere University.