General

First Makerere Workshop on Social Systems & Computation

Published

15 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

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University Celebrates the Last Cohort of Phase One Graduates

Published

1 hour ago

April 2, 2026

Bernard Buteera

Ms. Reeta Roy receiving a gift from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars and alumni Community at Makerere University. Celebrating 13 years of a significant partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and honorary Doctor of Laws conferred upon Ms. Reeta Roy, the Founding President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, 27th February 2026, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

At the just-concluded 76^th Graduation Ceremony at Makerere University, which took place between 24^th and 27^th February 2026, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University celebrated the graduation of the final Cohort of 10 Mastercard Foundation Scholars from the first phase of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (2013-2023). This brings the total number of graduates from Phase One to 974 out of the 1,032 Mastercard Foundation Scholars recruited.

Who are these 10 graduates, and what are their dreams and aspirations?

Graduation of the final Cohort of 10 Mastercard Foundation Scholars from the first phase of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (2013-2023), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

ACOLA Jackline graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology from the College of Natural Sciences. Her passion for nature and commitment to addressing environmental issues, including degradation, pollution, and the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, have motivated her to pursue a career in conservation. As a conservation biologist, Jackline’s primary objective is to ensure that natural resources and the environment are preserved in their pristine state. She is dedicated to promoting sustainable resource utilisation and advocating for eco-friendly business practices. To achieve this, she plans to implement comprehensive conservation education initiatives for the general public.

AJIAMBO Eunice graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce. She is motivated and detail-oriented, with a strong academic foundation in accounting, taxation, finance, and business management. Her programme provided her with practical knowledge and analytical skills relevant to today’s dynamic commercial environment. During her academic journey, she developed a strong interest in taxation and financial compliance. She undertook coursework and case studies that enhanced her understanding of corporate taxation, value-added tax, financial reporting, and business decision-making. These experiences strengthened her ability to analyse financial information, interpret regulations, and apply commercial principles effectively. Eunice aspires to build a professional career in finance and taxation, with a focus on tax advisory, revenue administration, and corporate finance. She is passionate about ethical business practices and believes that effective financial management and tax compliance are essential for sustainable economic growth.

Dr. AKITE Flowrence graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, a testament to resilience and support. Losing her father at a young age could have derailed her aspirations, but instead, it fueled her determination to succeed. Throughout her academic career, she received encouragement and assistance from generous individuals who recognised her outstanding academic achievements. As a Mastercard Foundation Scholar, she not only excelled academically but also actively engaged in her community, treating animals as she gained experience as a vet student. In her hometown of Dokolo, Northern Uganda, she has played a vital role in treating animals and enhancing the health and welfare of local livestock.

AUMA Barbra attained a Bachelor of Arts with Education, representing a significant milestone in her educational journey. Hailing from a modest family of eight children, she faced numerous challenges on her path to higher education, particularly after her father, a security guard, was unable to fund her university tuition following her Senior Six. Consequently, her graduation not only signifies a personal accomplishment but also embodies a remarkable triumph over adversity. Her academic excellence earned her a place in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, a pivotal opportunity that enabled her to pursue her dreams. Barbra is particularly dedicated to advocating for girls’ education.

Dr. BABALANDA Immaculate is a dedicated veterinary professional who recently completed her Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine. Throughout her studies, she maintained a strong focus on animal health, food safety, and sustainable livestock systems. Passionate about agricultural innovation, she founded the Green Grub Revolution Project, which promotes black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to traditional poultry feed. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between scientific research and grassroots community needs. Currently, through her Fellowship at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI-Nairobi), Immaculate is strengthening her research and leadership in one health and climate-smart livestock production. She envisions a career at the intersection of veterinary medicine and agricultural innovation, where she can scale sustainable feed alternatives and contribute to resilient food systems across Africa.

MAZAPKWE Vicky proudly earned her Bachelor of Business Administration, showcasing the remarkable outcomes of determination and resilience in overcoming adversity. Having lost both parents at a young age, pursuing higher education seemed an unattainable dream. However, with her auntie’s unwavering support, she successfully completed her primary and secondary education. Her dedication and academic excellence earned her a place in the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, paving the way for her academic journey at Makerere University. Now equipped with her degree, Vicky has set her sights on becoming a successful businesswoman while nurturing her passion for storytelling as a film writer and director. She is grateful for the opportunities provided by the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, which not only empowered her but also inspired her to launch a project that supports orphans in her community.

NAMATOVU Noeline graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration. A daughter of a single mother, her graduation is both a joy and big relief to her mother.

After the loss of her father, she received invaluable support from a priest, a friend of her late dad.

“The priest took me to school and covered my fees until I completed Senior Six. Although he couldn’t help with university expenses, it motivated me to seek a scholarship, and the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University enabled me to pursue my university education.” Namatovu shares. Initially aspiring to be a doctor, she found the sciences challenging and shifted her focus to accounting, where she plans to major and pursue professional qualifications. Her achievements have inspired young people in her community.

NAMIYINGO Christine graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Education, majoring in Economics. Her academic journey has been challenging, particularly given her experience with bipolar disorder; however, she is grateful for the support she has received from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program team at Makerere University. She is keen to pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) to strengthen her expertise in Business Management and realise her aspiration of becoming an entrepreneur. Beyond her academic pursuits, Christine is deeply committed to her faith, which she considers a significant factor in her success. She is also dedicated to assisting those in need, guided by a belief that acts of generosity are rewarded. Inspired by accomplished individuals, she actively seeks mentorship to foster her personal development.

NAMONGIN Alice is a dedicated development practitioner, climate justice advocate, and youth leader from Uganda’s Karamoja region. As a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at Makerere University, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Statistics, with a focus on research and social entrepreneurship. She founded the Nurture HER Initiative, a youth-led venture that promotes climate resilience and girls’ education in Indigenous communities. She has trained over 70 Indigenous youth volunteers, supported climate education in schools, and promoted sustainable solutions. With interests in climate policy, entrepreneurship, and community solutions, Alice aspires to influence policies that prioritise Indigenous knowledge and youth participation. She enjoys mentoring young girls, public speaking, and using storytelling to drive social change.

NVIRI Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Education. Throughout his academic career, he has demonstrated a strong commitment to education, leadership, and community development. His enthusiasm for teaching and empowering his peers has motivated him to pursue a career dedicated to improving Uganda’s education system, focusing on integrating modern teaching methodologies and digital tools to enrich the learning experience. Robert aspires to become a transformative educator who inspires students to engage in critical and creative thinking. He is particularly passionate about improving access to education for under-served communities and firmly believes in education’s capacity to foster social change. In addition to his academic endeavours, Robert has actively tutored children facing social and economic barriers and organised mentorship programmes for young people, thereby reinforcing his dedication to community service.

How did the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program journey start at Makerere University? The Program Director, Prof. Justine Namaalwa, shares the highlights.

Phase One of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (2013-2023)

In 2013, Makerere University entered into a transformative partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to nurture the next generation of leaders in Africa. This initiative is designed to empower young people to drive positive change in their lives, their communities, and across the continent. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program places strong emphasis on enabling young people to shape new narratives and pursue meaningful aspirations.

Prof. Justine Namaalwa, the Program Director, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Makerere University. Graduation of the final Cohort of 10 Mastercard Foundation Scholars from the first phase of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (2013-2023), Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa. — ***Prof. Justine Namaalwa, the Program Director, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Makerere University.***

Through this collaboration, Makerere University has successfully implemented two phases of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. The first phase of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program was implemented from 2013 to 2023. Under this phase, 1,032 Mastercard Foundation Scholars were recruited and educated at Makerere University, of which 974 graduated and are contributing in various capacities within their communities.

Phase Two of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program (2023-2034)

In December 2023, the partnership was renewed, and the second phase of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is currently being implemented at Makerere University and will run through 2034. Building on the first phase, the University is committed to fostering inclusion and ensuring equitable access in this phase. To support this goal, specific scholarship quotas have been established for the following groups:

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (25% of the Scholarships)
Young People living in Refugee-Hosting Communities (5% of the Scholarships)
Young People from Underrepresented Ethnic Groups in Uganda (5% of the Scholarships)Young People Living with Disabilities (25% of the Scholarships)
International Students (10% of the Scholarships)
Other Ugandan Nationals facing financial barriers to pursuing University Education (30% of the Scholarships)

What has been the individual impact of Phase One graduates of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program?

To date, 974 Mastercard Foundation Scholars have graduated, proudly joining the Makerere University Alumni community.

Notably, 48% of these Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni have secured formal employment, demonstrating successful integration into the workforce. Furthermore, 18% have launched their own businesses, not only creating jobs for themselves but also generating opportunities for other young people and driving local economic transformation. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund (SEF) supported 46 ventures by the end of 2025, proving that start-ups are indeed a crucial solution to combating youth unemployment.

In addition, 8% of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni are gaining essential work experience through internships facilitated by Transition Partners. Meanwhile, 5% are pursuing further study in Master’s, Postgraduate Diploma, and PhD programmes, reflecting their commitment to personal and professional growth.

In total, 72% of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Alumni are actively engaged in productive employment or entrepreneurship. This data clearly shows that investing in young people generates tangible economic and social returns.

The remaining 12% are part of other young people in Uganda with university degrees who are facing challenges entering the world of work. These young people need support and systems to translate their career navigation journeys into meaningful engagements.

What has been the impact on the Communities?

Communities have greatly benefited from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars’ Give Back initiatives, including the establishment of safe water sources, the construction of classrooms, and the planting of trees for environmental protection. These efforts reflect a commitment to empowering young people, positively impacting communities, and showcasing the potential of African universities for a sustainable future. Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni implement one impact project each year on the Annual Day of Service, which allows them to showcase skills in organisation, mobilisation, and teamwork. Since 2014, Mastercard Foundation Scholars have implemented various community projects, as highlighted below.

In 2023, Achukudu Primary School in Napak District made significant strides by constructing a two-room classroom block, complete with desks and benches, enhancing the learning environment for its students.
In 2022, St. Katherine Primary School in Agago District contributed to its community by building a two-room classroom block alongside a new pit latrine, improving facilities for both students and staff.
In 2021, the Bulamwaki community in Iganga District saw valuable initiatives: a borehole was completed, and 56 jerrycans were donated to local women, promoting access to clean water.
In 2020, Mastercard Foundation Scholars made a positive impact in the Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Kikuube by providing essential COVID-19 protective materials, distributing sanitary pads, promoting tree planting, and offering career guidance to the community.
In 2019, efforts at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono included planting trees and erecting a protective fence around the school, creating a safer and more welcoming environment for students. At Kibaale Primary School in Mityana, activities included general cleaning, tree planting, and the completion of a two-room teacher’s residence.
In 2018, Mastercard Foundation Scholars donated learning materials, nappies, and food items, supported feeding activities and carried out general cleaning at Kampala School for children living with disabilities.in Kampala.
In 2017, Mastercard Foundation Scholars constructed and renovated classroom blocks, dug a rubbish pit, and cleared a community well at Muzinda Primary School, and raised awareness on hygiene at Mbuya Gizaza Community in Nakawa. Additionally, they built a wooden classroom, renovated a latrine, cleaned the area, and planted trees at St. Charles Lwanga Primary School in Mukono.
In 2015, Mastercard Foundation Scholars planted trees, undertook general cleaning, painted the buildings, and carried out electrical installations and repairs at Kireka School of Children with Special Needs in Kampala.
In 2014, the first cohort of Mastercard Foundation Scholars dug a rubbish pit and a borehole trench, washed children’s clothes, supported feeding activities, carried out general cleaning and compound slashing, and donated foodstuffs, nappies and laundry detergents to Mercy Child Care Centre in Wakiso.

Giving back to the community has been, and continues to be, a core aspect of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, which fosters a culture of giving through individual and group initiatives. As Nelson Mandela rightly puts it:

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead”. He also championed community service, noting that “we can all do more to reach out, take care, and serve the well-being of others”.

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

General

Application for Admission to Graduate Programmes 2026/27

Published

2 days ago

March 31, 2026

Mak Editor

Update 31^st March 2026: Application Deadline Extended to Thursday 30^th April 2026

The Academic Registrar, Makerere University invites applications for admission to Graduate Programmes (Postgraduate Diplomas, Masters and Doctoral Degree Programmes) for the 2026/2027 Academic Year.

Applicants should have obtained at least a first or second class degree (or its equivalent) from a Chartered University at the time of completion. Applicants should also possess a Uganda Certificate of Education (or its equivalent) and a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (or its equivalent).

Sponsorship:
All Graduate Programmes are PRIVATELY-SPONSORED. Therefore, applicants seeking sponsorship should have their applications endorsed by their respective sponsors where applicable. Applicants should note that the various fees payable to the University indicated for the various programmes EXCLUDE functional fees, accommodation, books, research and other expenses.

The available programmes including the tuition fees applicable can be found in the following document:

Advert-Post-graduate-programmes-2025-2026 Download

Procedure of Submitting an Application:

Visit the Makerere University’s Admissions URL https://apply.mak.ac.ug
Sign up using full name, e-mail and Mobile No. Please note that your name must be similar to the one on your supporting academic documents for your application to be considered valid.
A password will be sent to both your e-mail and mobile number.
The system will prompt you to change the password to the one you can easily remember.
To fill a form (all form sections must be filled) the applicant clicks on the APPLY NOW button (for first time applicants) or MY PORTAL button (for renewal of application) displayed on the appropriate scheme i.e. Taught PhDs, Masters & Postgrad Diplomas OR PhD by Research.
All academic transcripts/certificates and passport photos should be scanned and uploaded on the system.
You can access the referees’ letter by following the following link: https://dgt.mak.ac.ug/resources/referees-letter-of-recommendation-for-admission-to-a-graduate-programme/ These should be filled, scanned and uploaded.
Obtain a payment reference number [PRN] by clicking on “Pay for Form” button
Make the following payments at any of the banks used by URA
i) Application fee = UGX 50,000 (East African applicants) or UGX 151,500 (International Applicants)
Account Name: UGANDA REVENUE AUTHORITY COLLECTIONS
Account No: 003410158000002
For INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS, application fees can be transferred either by EFT
or any other means in UGX to a designated
URA collection account in Bank of Uganda as follows:
Swift Code: UGBAUGKAU
Bank Name: BANK OF UGANDA
Bank Address: KAMPALA, UGANDA
Currency: UGANDA SHILLINGS
Strictly observe the closing date on 30^th April 2026.
All Applicants for Master of Laws (LLM) will do a Graduate Admission Test (GAT) consisting of an oral Interview and written test on dates and other requirements to be communicated by the School.
All Applicants for Master of Business Administration (College of Business and Management Sciences and Makerere University Business School) will do a GMAT test on dates to be communicated by College of Business and Management Sciences and Makerere University Business School respectively.
For further information regarding admission requirements for the specific
programmes, visit our website https://dgt.mak.ac.ug.

General

Celebrating a Life of Loyal and Distinguished Service

Published

6 days ago

March 27, 2026

Mak Editor

Celebrating Pastor John M. Ekudu-Adoku, Dean of Students (1995-2010). Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa

The Makerere University community has with great sadness received the news of the passing on of our long serving Dean of Students, Father figure and Mentor to thousands of our alumni, Pastor John Ekudu. Please accept our sincerest condolences.

If loyal and distinguished service had a face, that face would be Pastor John Ekudu. A concurrent graduate of the Bachelor of Science (Botany/Zoology) and Diploma of Education of Makerere University in 1974, he, like many in that turbulent era, could have chosen to flee, but he didn’t.

Instead, he chose to stay, and along with many fresh graduates and senior staff, graciously accepted the title of “economic war lecturers/professors”, whose selflessness kept Makerere’s gates open during unpredictable times. In 1982 he was appointed Warden of Kabanyolo Hostel and thereafter Warden of University Hall in 1989, where he was promoted to the rank of Senior Warden.

In 1995 he was promoted to Dean of Students and whereas this would marked the beginning of a time to seat back and relax, it turned out to be a baptism of fire. The introduction of private sponsorship and cost-sharing which dealt away with “boom” incensed students. And then came the nightmare serial killings of students in 1996 and 1997. Dealing with strikes became his daily bread but still he chose to stay.

But he did more than stay. He thrived, improving students’ meals with the introduction of much-needed animal protein, not to mention the daily dose of bread and rice. Pastor Ekudu was the true embodiment of taking the stumbling blocks that life throws at you and trusting God to help you turn them into stepping stones.

We therefore stand with the family during this trying time and pray that the God Almighty, who knows the plans He has for each and every one of us will continue to comfort and strengthen you.

May Pastor John M. Ekudu-Adoku’s soul rest in eternal peace.

Makerere-Pastor-John-Ekudu-Adoku-Death-Announcement Download