General
Ngugi revitalizes Pan-Africanism as Mak honours Nyerere
It is the 29th June 2013 at 2:00pm, the Makerere University Main Hall is bustling with activity as alumni, friends, staff members of Makerere University and well wishers stream in to join the historic commemoration of the University of East Africa, UEA, (1963 – 1970). The Main hall is filled with laughter as alumni greet each other with warm passionate hugs and handshakes. It has been years since they last saw each other. It has been years since they last shared a seat in this Main Hall. It has been years since they last returned to Makerere University, where it all started. Some of them have started graying and as they smile, the wrinkles on their faces emphasize the wisdom that only comes with age. All protocol is ignored for now. The alumni of UEA are simply happy to be back home. They walk in and out of the Main Hall to view the exhibitions on the side; as displayed by the three participating universities: Makerere University, University of Nairobi and University of Dar es Salaam. They finally settle in the Main Hall to participate in the other activities of the day.
The University Main Hall is at this moment transformed into what it was in the 1960s, when scholars from the continent and beyond came here to participate in powerful public debate and discourse. It was in this Main Hall that a strong spirit and sense of Pan Africanism was nurtured; a spirit that was to spread throughout the continent and cause major political paradigm shifts and result into independence of some of the African States. To bring this out clearly is the perfect choice of Africa’s celebrated writer, Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o, who is set to give a keynote address on ‘Makerere Dreams: Language and New Frontiers of Knowledge.’ Before the Keynote Speaker comes on stage, the Chairperson of Makerere University Council Eng. Wana Etyem welcomes all to Makerere University.
He reminds the gathering that this commemoration is part of the wider celebrations of 90 years of Makerere University and he is grateful for the initiators of the celebrations including former Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba. He is in the same vein grateful to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu for steering the commemoration to such a tremendous moment. The Chairperson of Council is particularly grateful to the Government of Uganda for the continued support to higher education in the upcoming student loan scheme.
Amidst a thunderous applause, Eng. Wana Etyem then requests the alumni of the University of London and alumni of the UEA to stand up for recognition. They rise to their feet and wave to the crowd with wide jovial smiles. It is a happy hour.
The Keynote Speaker is introduced by the Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera. “I was one of the first students to register for the UEA degrees. I went to the University of Nairobi. UEA must have been an innocent victim of political ignorance. Is it possible to resurrect the UEA in one form or another?” he wonders. “It is now my singular honour and pleasure to invite Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o to give the key note address,” he adds, as the crowd gives a befitting welcome to this illustrious son of Africa, who confidently walks to the podium clad in a white long sleeved shirt and a smile on his face. The Main Hall is filled to capacity, the gallery overflows. In the audience are Government officials including the former Prime Minister Hon. Apolo Nsibambi, cultural representatives like the former Katikiiro of Buganda Eng. J.B Walusimbi, Political leaders like the UPC President Olara Otunnu, Members of Staff from MUASA, MASA and NUEI, representatives from the diplomatic missions and students from both Makerere University and neighboring Secondary Schools.
“I find it interesting that people ask me where I was educated every now and then. They hope I will say an American or British University. But I always say I was educated at Makerere University, and I wrote my books in Makerere, Kampala,” said Prof. Ngugi in his opening remarks. “I feel truly grateful for the honour of bringing me back to the scene of many incredible memories. It was on this hill that year after year beginning in 1961, we celebrated the realization of a dream fought for in the streets of Dar, Nairobi and Kampala for over sixty years. The Makerere Student’s Guild with its tradition of free and fair elections had already undermined the colonial practices but anticipated this moment. I entered Makerere University in July 1959, a colonial subject of white settler state and left in 1964, a citizen of an independent black Republic. In a way, Makerere of my time was a personal paradise. Makerere opened the space of my imagination,” he reminisced.
Prof. Ngugi decried the absence of continuous works in native languages. “What we can question is the fact that our various fields of knowledge of Africa are in many ways rooted in the entire colonial tradition of the outsider looking in. Our knowledge of Africa is largely filtered through European languages and their vocabulary. How many historians, Africans and non-Africans alike, have ever written a single document in an African language? How many researchers have even retained the original field notes in words spoken by the primary informant? I have seen prizes being announced for the promotion of African literature but only on condition that the entries are not in an African language. Can you imagine the horror it would raise if someone offered a prize for the promotion of French literature but only on condition that the participants write in Zulu?” he added. He rebuked African governments for turning their backs on African languages by denying them resources.
Dr. Okello Ogwang, Dean of School of Languages and Literature and Dr. Susan Kiguli of the same School, presented Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o with a plaque for his keynote address and also as a prominent alumni of the school. He had paid a courtesy visit to the School earlier in the morning. The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs. Prof. Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, thanked Prof. Ngugi wa Thiong’o for the address adding that he had indeed sent the congregation into deep thought on the need to generate scholarly material in indigenous languages.
A key highlight of the commemoration was the launch of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere book, ‘Women’s Freedom: Women are Eagles, Not Chickens,’ and the unveiling of the Mwalimu bust by His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who was represented by Tourism Minister, Hon. Ephraim Kamuntu. The bust stands tall in bronze mounted on a white pedestal in the garden between Edge road and the Makerere University Main Road, overlooking the Freedom Square. From its position, one could rightly say that the late Julius Nyerere, with a smile on his face as seen in this bust, is staring at the historic Freedom Square, to remind all graduating from this Square to stay true to their heritage and carry on the spirit of Pan-Africanism. “With these accolades as the only Chancellor of the University of East Africa which we are celebrating today, it is worthy to have a Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere Monument on the Main Campus of Makerere University, his proud alma mater.
Mwalimu Nyerere’s efforts perhaps kicked off with his selflessness vision of a united Tanzania. President Nyerere and Sheikh Abeid Karume of Zanzibar were foresighted in uniting Tanganyika and Zanzibar to form Tanzania. The EAC later broke down in 1977 partly because the principled Nyerere was incompatible with Idi Amin,” said Hon. Kamuntu. The former Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Hon. Mathew Rukikaire, who doubles as a former Guild President of UEA in 1963, was grateful to President Yoweri Museveni for laboring to realize the dream of an integrated East Africa engineered by Julius Nyerere.
Hon. Charles Makongoro Nyerere, a son to the late Julius Nyerere and a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly, thanked the organizers for honouring his father and emphasized that if Nyerere’s book had been written in current times, it would have indeed brought out many more prominent women both at local and international levels, who have raised to high profile positions. He was also grateful that the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate at Makerere University had deemed it fit to dedicate the proceeds from the sale of Mwalimu Nyerere’s book to help bright but disadvantaged female students attain education. Hon. Makongoro made a humble appeal that something should be done to change the fact that his late father is still the only Chancellor of UEA. He said his father would not have been pleased to remain the only holder of this position forever. 99-year old Mzee Anania Akera, a former roommate of Nyerere in 1944, attended the function to the delight of all, especially the Nyerere family.
Two prominent alumni of the University of East Africa from each country were awarded for their service over the years. The awards were presented by Dr. Martin Aliker, the Chairperson Council of UEA assisted by David Kahundha Muhwezi, the Makerere University Secretary:
- From Makerere University; Prof. Charles Lwanga Mark Olweny, Professor Livingstone Sserwadda Luboobi and Mrs. Geraldine Namirembe Bitamazire, were awarded.
- University of Dar es Salaam awarded H.E President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and Prof. Issa Gulamhussein Shivji.
- University of Nairobi awarded Prof. (Mrs) Florida Amakobe Karani and Eng. Austin Salmon Kitololo
The Vice Chancellors of participating universities shared their prospects of higher education:
“It has been criminal to keep your child at home for the last 11 years in Kenya. This has been done diligently. A lot of money has been put into this. Kenya has a budget of 1.6 Trillion and education is going to take the biggest part of this budget. Government has invested highly in infrastructure and we now have 33 universities, 14 of which are fully chartered. This has expanded the capacity of the Kenyan students who are currently 370,000; both in private and public universities. Our greatest challenge is in Science and technology. The number of students doing science and technology is about 25% only,” said Prof. George Magoha, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi. “We have retained our staff because the government has been listening to staff unions. We collect six billion annually and are now focusing on training staff to write proposals. 25% of this budget comes from research,” he added
“The Uganda Vision 2040 provides plans and strategies to transform the Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern, prosperous and competitive upper middle-income country within 30 years. To attain this projected level of development, the country will have to exploit its enormous opportunities including oil and gas, tourism, minerals, ICT business, abundant youthful labour force, strategic geographical location, fresh water resources, industries and agriculture.
These opportunities can only be harnessed through strengthening the physical infrastructure; Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation (STEI); and above all through concentration on human capital development,” said Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.
“Some of the interviews for positions in the University of Dar es Salaam were held here. The instruments designed here, so Makerere was the cradle for Dar. Every visit here is an opportunity for us to extend our gratitude. I would like us to focus on the question of whether we still value quality education or we are simply focusing on big numbers of students. The numbers are high of universities, students, lecturers, etc, but we need to ponder on the quality. Do we appreciate the role of education in our emancipation? Yes the three universities are bigger but are they better? Are they universities or simply glorified high schools? Are our universities doing enough, like investing in cooperation amongst ourselves as opposed to cooperation with universities abroad only? Are we spending our meager resources wisely? The resources expended on administrative overheads could be spent in the active involvement of education? I am positive that we will prosper if we provide education in cooperation rather than competition,” advised Prof. Mukanadla Rwekaza, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam.
A souvenir magazine for 90 years of Makerere University, highlighting the strides taken in research and innovations across the nine colleges of Makerere University and the School of Law, was launched by Education Minister, Jessica Alupo, as part of the celebrations. The magazine, Mak@90, is a product of a partnership between the Public Relations Office of Makerere University and The New Vision. The commemoration was sponsored by UNESCO, which was represented by the Secretary General, Mr. Augustine Omare-Okurut, and the Swedish Government represented by the First Secretary Dr. Patri Pohjolainen.
The Guests were treated to a cocktail to wind down the commemoration and entertainment from the Department of Performing Arts and Film (PAF).
Article by Marion Alina
Photo selection by Elias Tuhereze
The 3rd annual Fundis and Technicians sensitization event and exhibition by manufacturers of building materials organized by the Department Architecture and Physical Planning at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Makerere University came to a close with a call for increased partnerships between training institutions and the community.
The event that attracted 200 participants including masons, fundis, painters, builders, metal and electrical fabricators ran from Thursday 24th to Friday 25th October 2024 at CEDAT. It was supported by several stakeholders and was characterized by training sessions and an exhibition of building materials by different companies that make cement, paint, water tanks tiles and many more.
Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe at the opening of the training. In his remarks, he extended appreciation to the technicians for accepting to take part in the training which he said was key in ensuring that they gain from continuous learning. Prof. Alinaitwe observed that although some of them did not get through formal training, it was important that they took part in such training programs to keep abreast of the developments in the construction industry where they undertake the bulk of the work as masons, technicians, plumbers, and metal fabricators.
‘Keep improving, we need to up our game in terms of quality’, he said while making reference to the need for quality output. He cautioned them on issues of cost and cheating of their clients by making realistic costs. ‘We need to cost the work well taking into account the materials, the labor, the equipment used, and the overheads’. The other area that needed to be taken care of by the technicians included time management, which reflects on attitudes towards work, team work. While addressing the gathering in his capacity as Chairman of the Engineers Registration Board, Prof. Alinaitwe said the upcoming engineering Registration Bill, if approved, has a provision for the registration of all artisans and hence the need to have the minimum requirements for the stakeholders to be registered. He also stressed the need to bring on board as more women as possible. ‘We want to see more women, who can do some aspects in construction better than men like painting.
Prof. Moses Musinguzi, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology while welcoming the trainees to the college said the training is a good initiative that will help address challenge of skill and work match. He encouraged the trainees to do smart work, and take due consideration of ethics and customer care. He encouraged the department to extend the training opportunity to other units of the college and the university and also make it more formal, as part and parcel of the training program of the college in liaison with bodies like UBTEB.
Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule, the Deputy Principal CEDAT while appreciating the initiative of the department said countries like Germany have apprenticeship training that help the training of students to gain skills equivalent to those acquired while in formal institutions of learning. He said the academia in Uganda is increasingly recognizing the importance of the informal sector in the growth of the country. ‘We need to learn from you. Almost 90% of the people in the construction industry have been informally trained’. He said by learning from each other, the two sectors jointly make a contribution towards the development of the country.
Dr. Amin Tamale Kiggundu, the head of the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning said the initiative, a community outreach program of the college started three years ago in the year 2022 with 60 Fundis and masons, in 2023, the number was increased to 120 Fundis and the current 2024, was 200 Fundis of various categories, including painters, builders, metal fabricators, plumbers and electrical fabricators. He said this community outreach program aims at sharing the accumulated scientific knowledge in building, design and construction technologies at CEDAT, sharing the expertise, knowledge and experiences with communities in greater Kampala and hence bridging the existing knowledge and skills gap between the training institutions and the communities.
The 21st century is characterized by collaboration, partnerships, and establishment of knowledge economies. He said based on the trainings held so far, it is clear that partnerships between the training institutions and the communities were possible especially the Fundis who are closer to the communities. ‘We also want to learn from the Fundi’s experiences, how they are able to connect to the communities in some cases better than those who have gone through the training institutions’, he said. He further noted that the majority of fundis are young people that need to be supported with skills and other ways of nurturing them. The dream of the department, he said is to introduce an open door policy that allows fundis and other university students to come to learn.
Several organizations supported the event and participated in the exhibition and they included Habitat for Humanity, Uganda, Green Building Council Uganda, The National Building Board, Uganda Clays Limited, Centenary Bank, Steel and Tube Industries Ltd, Simba Cement, Plascon, Goodwill, Cresttanks among others.
General
MURBS has declared 13.40% interest on members’ balances for the financial year that ended on 30th June 2024.
By: Ritah Namisango
Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga, Chairperson of the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Board of Trustees, announced this milestone during the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2023/24 held on Thursday, 24th October 2024, at Makerere University Main Campus, School of Public Health Auditorium.
The AGM attracted various stakeholders, including trustees, Audit Committee Chairperson CPA David Ssenoga, Board Evaluation Consultant Vincent Kaheeru, URBRA Representative Mark Lotukei, Audit Committee members, co-opted members, and university administrators.
Presenting the performance report, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nansubuga highlighted that this is the highest interest declared by the scheme in the past five years, and she anticipates continued improvements. She noted that for the previous financial year, which ended in June 2023, the Board of Trustees declared an interest an interest of 12.34%.
Dr Nansubuga also announced that the scheme has achieved a Net Investment Income of UGX 44.6 billion, far higher than the UGX34.4 billion collected in Contributions during the year.
The Chairperson of the Board also revealed that the fund value had grown from UGX352.4 billion recorded at the end of the last financial year to UGX409.2 billion, indicating an increase of 16.1%.
“By 30th June 2023, MURBS had a fund value of UGX 352.4 billion. The Board of Trustees targeted Fund growth of 17%, and I am glad to inform you, that the fund value of MURBS, as per the Audited Financial Statements of 30th June 2024 is UGX 409.2 billion, which is an increase of 16.1%. This achievement was made possible by strategic periodical activities undertaken by the Board and our fund managers, supported by the strong oversight committees of the Board,” she reported.
She attributed the positive growth to factors such as improved debt recovery, operational efficiency, timely remittance of contributions by the sponsor (Makerere University), an increase in project and contract contributions, and the recovery of UGX8.85 billion in debts.
Dr. Nansubuga also expressed gratitude to Makerere University, the scheme’s sponsor, for consistently remitting contributions, a key factor that has significantly contributed to MURBS’ smooth operation. “I am happy to announce that the sponsor-Makerere University remitted your retirement benefits for the financial year 2023/24,” she said.
In the same development, Dr. Nansubuga reported that MURBS registered a legal victory against Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) over a real estate investment in Sonde undertaken in 2019, and which URA sought to tax heavily. She notified the AGM that MURBS won the case and was awarded costs which also set a precedent.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to inform you that during the financial year, we received a favorable outcome on a key court case. How did we end up with this case? In 2019, MURBS invested in real estate, we bought land in Sonde,” Dr Nansubuga explained.
“Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) then charged us with a tax assessment worth UGX600 million. It has been four (4) years in the tax appeals tribunal. Since then, the lawyers, the former and current trustees, have been appearing before the appeals tribunal, but in December 2023, MURBS won the case. We challenged URA, and this case was awarded with costs. URA has to pay MURBS. We therefore saved UGX600 million,” she added.
In terms of governance, Dr Nansubuga said that the scheme made changes in the board. Initially, the trustees were six and they needed a seventh member, and following a competitive race, they recruited another trustee; CPA Edina Rugumayo who has over thirty years in accounting.
“In terms of governance, we continue to uphold good governance practices and we align with international standards. Last year during the presentation, I said we were six and we needed to have the seventh trustee because the Board composition is supposed to be seven,” she explained.
“So, following a competitive process, we recruited an independent trustee. It was a very competitive position. You must have served on board which has over UGX50 billion. So, from that process, we were able to recruit CPA Edna Rugumayo Simbwa. She is a certified public accountant with over thirty years of experience in accounting, taxation, and corporate governance,” she mentioned.
She also thanked other stakeholders for making sure that MURBS activities run smoothly. These entities include Makerere University, KPMG, Gen Africa, Arcadia Advocates, Zamara, URBRA, and Stanbic Bank among others.
While discussing investments, Dr. Nansubuga mentioned that 86% of MURBS’ funds are currently invested in government bonds, but added that the Board is exploring diversification to reduce risks.
“86% percent of our money is invested in government bonds, and sometimes, you do not have to put all your eggs in one basket, there is a high concentration of risk. so that is one of the key material risks that we want to address to reduce the amount we have in government securities. We want to diversify our portfolio and avoid investing heavily in government securities. The Board will venture into other fields in order to earn money or return on investment from the diverse undertakings,” she said.
In terms of membership, Dr. Nansubuga reported a 4.4% increase, with the number of members rising from 8,229 to 8,590. She attributed this growth to the reinstatement of in-house beneficiaries and an increase in project and contract staff.
Dr. Kakuba also thanked the sponsor-Makerere University for remitting the membership contributions timely which has helped the scheme to grow.
Dr. Godwin Kakuba -Secretary, MURBS Board of Trustees, who presented the record of the 13th Annual General Meeting stressed that the AGM climaxes a financial year and the Board of Trustee has been vigilant on this and has not missed any AGM for 14 years now.
“We applaud the sponsor because many of these positives in the chairperson’s report can only be attributed to the support by the sponsor through fulfilling the obligation of remitting members’ contributions to the scheme,” he added.
Partner Asad Ssenoga, an independent auditor who audited the scheme said that he was impressed with the level of compliance that the scheme exhibited in all aspects. He said they focused on ensuring that the member contributions are supported with statements and allocated to members appropriately.
“Overall we were satisfied with the work we did on the audit, the numbers that were presented by the Chairperson are the correct numbers that we audited. We were comfortable with those numbers, due process was followed during the audit,” he said.
Mr. Mark Lotukei who represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) thanked the Trustees for always prioritizing governance, which has helped them to reach several milestones.
“As URBRA, we look at governance as the biggest component of our compliance. MURBS Trustees from the former to the current, have taken governance as the most important aspect. We really encourage them to continue with this good practice because governance informs all the other aspects,” he said.
Mr. Arthur Kibira, a member in attendance, expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts. He urged them to explore higher-risk investments for potentially greater returns. He expressed concern over the scheme’s heavy reliance on government bonds.
“Dr Elizabeth Nansubuga, I want to congratulate you, and your team and also congratulate ourselves. But, I want to believe that there is room for improvement. I am one of those who do not believe that the sky is the limit, we are limited by our own thinking. I am thinking that high risks give high returns. Is there a way of managing those risks, so that we could push this 13.40% interest to a figure much higher? If we do so, we shall say we have learnt how to manage risks,”, he guided.
General
Makerere University at the 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The Research Chairs concept is similar to Centers of Excellence (for instance in supporting world-class research in a priority area), but also has many distinguishing features. Most notably, it recognizes individual excellence, leadership and talent. The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity among African nations. The Initiative focuses on celebrating his legacy in building knowledge-based economies for the advancement of Africa.
ORTARChI builds on and leverages existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development.
Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven (7) countries in Africa, namely; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia have been selected for funding through a rigorous and competitive two-stage review process. These research chairs are focused on research priorities identified by each host institution in conjunction with, especially the Science Councils, and in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024.
Prof. Noble Banadda from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences had been inaugurated as one of the first 10 (ten) Oliver Tambo (ORTARChi) Chairs. Unfortunately, Prof. Banadda (R.I.P) passed on in July 2021, which created a vacuum. To ensure that Uganda and Makerere University continue to tap into the ORTARChi, we are glad to announce the appointment of Associate Professor David Meya from the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University for the purpose. The appointment will attract USD 170,000 annually for 5 years for graduate research with a target of training 5-6 PhDs, 10-15 Post-doctoral fellows and 10-12 Masters of Medicine and Master of Science Students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Makerere University has had the pleasure of attending 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The annual gathering is co-hosted by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, National Research and Innovation Fund for Development (FONRID) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The theme for this year’s gathering is: “African Sovereignty: A Catalyst for Research Collaborations and Social Impact in the Continent“. At the annual gathering, Uganda was represented by Associate Prof. David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Mak), Associate Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Research and Graduate Training) and Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST). Assoc. Prof. David Meya – ORTARChI Chair Elect – is from Makerere University’s School of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences.
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