General
Mak creativity behind IBNS 2010 Award Winning Note
A team of three lecturers from the Margaret School of Industrial and Fine Arts (SIFA) formed part of the team that won the International Bank Note Society’s (IBNS) ‘Banknote of 2010’ award.
A team of three lecturers from the Margaret School of Industrial and Fine Arts (SIFA) formed part of the team that won the International Bank Note Society’s (IBNS) ‘Banknote of 2010’ award.Prof. George Kyeyune, former Dean SIFA, Patrick Sserunjogi, Raymond Nsereko and Joseph Sematimba formed part of the creative synergy that produced the award winning piece of currency, Uganda’s 50,000-shilling note.
According to an article published on Banknotenews.com; a website that publishes breaking news on international paper and polymer money, this year, for the first time, the award was decided by a popular vote by members of the IBNS, rather than by a committee, and the award shows a strong appreciation of the 50,000-shilling note among a large community of banknote enthusiasts. From thirteen nominations, voting indicated a strong preference for the Ugandan note from the time voting was made available to members on the IBNS web site (www.theIBNS.org) in mid February.
The highest denomination in a series of six notes introduced in May 2010, the 50,000-shilling note has strong design elements consistent with the series. These elements include the watermark of the head of a crested crane, an outline of a map of Uganda (highlighting the equator), the profile of man wearing Karimojong head dress, patterns based on indigenous basket work and, at the far right on the back, the Independence Monument. Erected to celebrate Ugandan independence in October 1962, the statue is of a woman wrapped in bonds lifting a child above her head, celebrating the birth of the nation.
On the front of the award-winning note the ‘Stride Monument’ is at the left, the Bwindi tropical rain forest is illustrated at the centre left, a foil strip with the denomination and images of shields at centre right and an area for the watermark at the far right. The Stride Monument was erected to celebrate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Kampala in 2007. Depicting a husband, wife and son stepping forward, the monument symbolizes the countries of the Commonwealth progressing as a family.
The back of the note is dominated by illustrations of silver back mountain gorillas and undoubtedly these 
amazing animals attract people to the notes and their depiction is one of the reasons the 50,000-shilling note was so popular amongst the IBNS members voting for the award. Apart from the gorillas, there is much which is attractive about the note, such as the good use of colour – particularly the brown, which might have made the note appear dull if used inappropriately, and the golden highlights which capture attention. Strong images, well depicted, add to the quality design of the note and good use of security features for a high-denomination note enhances the overall effect.
Printed by British security printers De La Rue, the note was designed in co-operation with the Bank of Uganda. This successful collaboration has seen an impressive series of banknotes introduced to Uganda and it has produced the award-winning note in the competition for the IBNS Banknote of 2010. The IBNS congratulates the Bank of Uganda and De La Rue for its achievement.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on 20th April 2026 inaugurated the Second Makerere University Health User Committee (Mak-HUC). The Committee was established by the Vice Chancellor in 2022 as part of his strategic mandate to strengthen and oversee the University Hospital services delivery.
Chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), Mak-HUC has as its members; Prof. Josaphat K. Byamugisha-Director Makerere University Health Services (MakHS) and Dr. Daniel Ronald Ruhweza-Department of Law and Jurisprudence, School of Law.
Other members include; Dr. Arthur Kwizera-Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, College of Health Sciences (CHS) and Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Representative, Dr. Lillian Tukahirwa-Makerere University Administrative Staff Association (MASA) Representative, Mr. Godfrey Othieno- National Union of Educational Institutions (NUEI) Representative, and as Secretariat, Ms. Kevin M. Nabiryo-Directorate of Human Resources.
The 2nd Mak-HUC has been appointed for a period of four years effective 1st January 2026 with a mandate to: Guide, monitor and oversee delivery of health services by MakHS; Represent the interests and concerns of staff and students that use MakHS; Advise on alignment with sustainable health financing and insurance models; Strengthen systems for fraud prevention, digital transformation and access to specialized treatment, among other responsibilities.
The 1st Mak-HUC was chaired by Dr. Allen Kabagenyi and had as members; Prof. Josaphat Byamugisha, Dr. Fred Mayambala, Dr. Zahara Nampewo, Mr. Othieno Godfrey, Mr. Apunyo Paul Okiria and Ms. Ikiriza Racheal. Milestones during the first era included; Outpatient Department visits growth from 4,802 (2022) to 7,388 (Nov 2025) for staff and 14,641 (2022) to 19,069 (Nov 2025) for students.
Others milestones included; Commissioning of a fully equipped Operating Theatre, Establishment of a modern Imaging Hub, Development of a fully functional Audiology Unit, Expansion of the Temporal Bone Laboratory, Launch of the Olink Proteomics Platform and Enhancement of the Dental Unit with 32 dental chairs and experienced personnel.
Related article: https://news.mak.ac.ug/2025/12/three-years-of-impact-makerere-university-health-user-committee-presents-status-report/
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