General
A winning team: Bernard Onyango (R.I.P) and Gershom Eyoku (R.I.P)
The two were part of the formidable team that oversaw the successful implementation of the affirmative action for more girls to attain University education in Uganda
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The Department of the Academic Registrar (AR) lost two former Academic Registrars, credited with laying a firm foundation for the Department. The late Bernard Onyango served in the Department from 1963 to 1992, first as a Deputy Registrar and later as Academic Registrar. He was laid to rest on Thursday 17th October 2013. The late Gershom Eyoku served in different capacities from August 1978 to Jan 1992, then as an Acting Academic Registrar until his retirement in June 1996. He was laid to rest on Friday 4th October 2013 in Asamuk, Amuria District.
Below is a tribute to them as told by a former workmate, Mr. James G. Okello, Deputy Registrar, Head of Senate Division. Mr. Okello had the privilege of working in the Academic Registrar’s Department under both men, who were a strong force; driving the Academic Registrar’s Department forward even throughout the turbulent political times of the 1970s.
One of the most outstanding contributions of the late Bernard Onyango was the initiation of the 1.5 scheme to enable more female students’ access University education. Mr. James Okello recalls how a speech was drafted for the President to read out at the Graduation ceremony in…. Part of this speech emphasized that Makerere University should initiate a mechanism to ensure that more girls are admitted without compromising the merit system. Bernard Onyango was the brain behind this speech.
“He came to me and asked me to initiate a draft which he improved. Everything happened so fast because the late Onyango knew how to lobby. The speech was sent to the President a week before graduation. He approved the idea and read it out during the Friday graduation; which was the only day reserved for this ceremony then. On Saturday morning, Onyango came to my house. He was happy that the President had read the speech with the female scheme idea in it. He suggested that we head to office and start drafting a proposal for Senate to consider in the coming week,” recalls a jovial Mr. Okello who was then serving as Personal Assistant to Onyango. After drafting the document for Senate, the two went for a drink to celebrate this partial achievement. “There were no posh bars by then. We just went to a pub in the vicinity of the University and had a beer each,” adds the nostalgic Okello.
By combining his excellent lobbying skills and powers as Secretary to Senate, Onyango managed to get Senate to accept the proposal for the 1.5 additional points to female students applying for the Government scholarship. Then University Senate then tasked the Academic Registrar’s Department to detail how the scheme would work. The late Prof. William Ssenteza Kajubi who was then Vice Chancellor and Chair of Senate complemented the efforts of this great team by ensuring that this scheme was successfully implemented after all parties had been brought on board regarding its dynamics.
In the Academic Department was another brilliant and highly committed person, the late Mr. Gershom Eyoku, who was tasked with coming up with the mathematical formula on how exactly the scheme would work. “Eyoku was initially hesitant because he feared that the scheme would compromise the merit system, but after Onyango explained the intention and merits, he (Eyoku) got started on the math. He came up with the 1.5 points which were discussed at other fora and thereafter adopted,” explains Okello.
The Scheme took effect in 1990 and continues to significantly contribute to the increased enrolment of female students. The graduation records show that only about 25% of the graduands were female compared to 75% of their male counterparts prior to the scheme’s introduction. The pattern has changed drastically courtesy of this policy and the private admission scheme; for example, during the last graduation held in January 2013, the figures were 46.7% of female students compared to 53.3% of male students. The successful implementation at Makerere attracted other countries to come to Uganda to benchmark with Makerere. These countries; Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, have lowered admission cut-off points for female candidates.
As Academic Registrar, Bernard Onyango did not tolerate any examination malpractice. Culprits of the same (both students and staff) were dismissed if found guilty and also publicized in the press. Okello recalls that before exams started, Onyango would issue a strongly worded letter to all faculties cautioning against examination malpractice and stating that names of culprits would be publicized in the press.
“Onyango had a policy that University affairs should not be managed in the press and any negative stories about Makerere University in the press were treated as a tip for internal investigations to start. But when it came to examination malpractice, Mr. Onyango besides getting them dismissed from the university would publicize the names of the culprits in the national newspapers. This served as a big deterrent for those who would have otherwise been involved. We sometimes referred to him as IGG because he did not tolerate any form of malpractice,” asserts Okello.
Onyango in an effort to ensure that persons in leadership in the Academic Units are accountable to staff Members in their units, initiated a policy of election of Deans and Heads of Department. This practice is now enshrined in the universities and other tertiary institutions act and resulted in many young academician taking up leadership positions in the university. Initially such positions fell vacant after the departure by retirement or death of the Office bearers.
Onyango also worked hard to attract scholarships and would go to embassies and make a case for scholarships at Makerere. He was a leader who mentored some of the Vice Chancellors too and would encourage colleagues with leadership qualities to take up positions. He particularly encouraged all employees in the AR’s Department to read each and every document of the University, irrespective of its content or discipline. He emphasized that the team in AR’s Department had to be informed in order to ably contribute and give guidance to whatever was discussed in meetings.
“The pass mark was initially at 40%. He would encourage us to read what the situation was like in other universities and compare with Makerere. Eventually he initiated a policy that the pass mark be raised to 50% as was the practice in other first-class universities. He trained the late Eyoku to take up after him,” adds Okello.
With this continuity ball set rolling, the shift from Onyango to Eyoku was seamless. Onyango informed colleagues in the AR’s Department that he was going on leave but would not come back. That signaled his end of service, as he had clocked 60 and was due for retirement. It also paved way for the fruits he had sown in the Department to be tried and tested in the able leadership of Eyoku. “As a trained mathematician, Eyoku’s style of leadership was either a ‘Yes’ or a ‘No.’ He was highly principled,” explains Okello. “Mr Eyoku was actually approached by the Minister of Education by then to take up the mantle from Mr. Onyango but he declined explaining although he had amassed enough experience, he couldn’t fit in the big shoes Mr. Onyango left behind,” adds Okello.
The two men are remembered for having shown interest in all affairs of the University and were involved in almost all processes of the University right from admission of students, registration, graduation and teaching.
Mr. Alfred Namoah is the current Academic Registrar, having joined the Department in 2000 as a Senior Assistant Registrar. He confirms that the late Onyango and the late Eyoku’s records are impeccable.
“They worked at a time when record management was a purely manual process with no aid of ICTs and yet they had a highly organized system of tracking all records. What they did is admirable,” asserts Namoah. The AR’s Department now handles bigger numbers of students compared to the times then.
“Onyango highly stood out in terms of all University processes, where he emphasized integrity at all levels. Eyoku on the other hand had all the policies of the University on his finger tips. He knew the time a particular policy had come into effect and at what meeting of the Senate,” adds Namoah. This insight is also shared by Dr. Jessica Aguti, a senior lecturer in the College of Education and External Studies, who also doubles as a relative to the late Eyoku. ‘Eyoku is remembered for his sharp knowledge and memory of Senate minutes and was fondly referred to as the Senate encyclopedia,” she says. Eyoku is said to have guided senate by researching on various options and laying them before senate to make a decision. Most of the decisions were hardly challenged in the courts of law because they were well thought out and based on evidence.
The AR’s Department still upholds integrity as a core value. “You need people of high integrity to work here because we deal with very sensitive documents. There are students who will want to change their documents if they see a loophole in the system. I am glad that we have maintained our integrity. The team in the AR’s Department is highly professional, although there is need for improvement in customer care in some of our sections,” concludes Namoah.
Onyango and Eyoku certainly laid firm ground and set high standards.
Their legacies live on. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
By Marion Alina
Public Relations Office
On 20th January 2025, the blazing afternoon sun was temporarily obscured by cloud cover as a convoy complete with VVIP security detail quietly made its way to the Main Building. As the convoy came to a stop at the Main Building’s Eastern staircase, all eyes were peeled to see who this VVIP was. As she emerged, there was no fanfare whatsoever as she proceeded to pleasantly greet the welcoming party. Princess Zahra Aga Khan, graceful by all standards, had arrived at Makerere University, an institution fondly talked about by her father His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV.
It was indeed humbling that Princess Zahra Aga Khan, a Member of the Board of Directors of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Trustee of the Aga Khan University (AKU) could include Makerere University on her itinerary. She had earlier on the same day paid a courtesy call on the President H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni at State House Nakasero, and presided over the graduation of 120 students of the Aga Khan University-Kampala.
Princess Zahra who was received by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and the Dean Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze was thankful for the warm reception and Makerere’s unwavering legacy.
“My whole life, my father always told me that Makerere was the best University in Africa,” relayed Princess Zahra, before adding “And my whole life he told me how sad it was that tertiary level degrees had been de-funded and what fragility that bred in these countries.” She went on to explain that her father’s philosophy was that if a country cannot train its upper degrees, it cannot build a free, fair and successful economy.
Princess Zahra nevertheless expressed how glad she was to see that Makerere still remains a beacon of higher education, and that the Main Building that was gutted by fire was reconstructed to perfection. “So to come here and see it looking so amazing and beautiful is really good.”
She confessed that her itinerary, though involving many hops to preside over graduations in Kenya, Tanzania and finally Pakistan, was testimony of how much Aga Khan Institutions had evolved over the past twenty years. Princess Zahra explained that partnerships with Makerere and other universities, especially in the aftermath of events such as CoVID-19, were crucial in helping Aga Khan Institutions to adjust. “An institution can become far stronger and more resilient,” she explained.
In his welcome remarks, Prof. Buyinza thanked Princess Zahra for including Makerere on her eventful itinerary. “We are more than a century old and have greatly impacted the development and economy of this country, not on our own, but with the big network of our partners in many respects. Your coming reinforces the resolve that we must work together for the good of humanity.”
The Acting Vice Chancellor equally welcomed members of Princess Zahra’s delegation who included; her daughter Sarah Boyden, Mr. Zakir Mahmood-Chairman Board of Trustees AKU, Mr. Amin Mawji, OBE-Trustee AKDN, Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin-President and Vice Chancellor AKU, Dr. Tania Bubela-Provost and Vice President Academic AKU, Zeenat Shahabuddin-Regional CEO for Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) in East Africa, and Joseph Mwizerwa-Associate Vice Provost AKU-Uganda.
Contributing to the day’s discussion, Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin the President and Vice Chancellor AKU who has been in Kampala for the last twenty years, admitted that the new campus in Nakawa heralds a new era of growth as they commence student activities in June 2025.
“Makerere has been and is a distinguished University in Africa. We look forward to engaging and discussing how best we can come up with programmes that can benefit Uganda and Ugandans” he remarked.
As a rejoinder, Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze admitted that AKU’s and Makerere’s academic programmes present a number of potential synergies both in training and research. “Cancer clinical care and research is a big issue for us here; the burden is growing and we need to do more work to be able to characterize exposures and what it is that’s driving it.”
Other areas singled out in the discussion as potential for collaboration included; the environment, climate change and its linkage with health and other issues, and harnessing of the potential Electronic Medical Records (EMR). Makerere University currently partners with the Ministry of Health to roll out EMR systems nationwide, so as to optimize health service delivery in line with the Uganda Vision 2040.
“We have already done quite a number of facilities across the country for HIV, probably more than 1,000, but right now we are moving towards having an integrated electronic system for all care, the interoperability of multiple systems that exist, and being able to scale that up” complemented Prof. Wanyenze.
Prof. Buyinza who brought the lively discussion to a close concurred that a lot of potential areas for collaboration exist between the two partners and reassured Princess Zahra Aga Khan and her delegation of the Makerere’s readiness to undertake joint activities for the good of humanity. He also used the occasion to observe a moment of silence in honour of His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, who passed away on 4th February 2025.
Following the signing of the Vice Chancellor’s Visitors Book, Princess Zahra Aga Khan and her delegation proceeded to the Makerere University Innovation Pod (Mak UniPod), where they received a guided tour from Dr. Cathy Ikiror Mbidde, the Director.
Prof. Henry Alinaitwe on 20th February 2025 officially handed over the Office of Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration)-DVCFA to Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta at a ceremony presided over by the Acting (Ag.) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi. The handover was witnessed by the University Secretary-Mr. Yusuf Kiranda, Chief Human Resources-Mr. Deus Tayari Mujuni, Chief Internal Audit-Mr. Patrick Akonyet, University Bursar-Mr. Evarist Bainomugisha and Chief Legal Affairs-Ms. Nanyondo Sumaiyah Sebuta.
Equally present to witness the ceremony were the Chief Estates and Works- Eng. Okuk Geoffrey, Dean of Students-Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli, Deputy University Secretary-Mr. Simon Kizito, Mr. Juma Katongole-Representing Director ICT Support, Ms. Susan Mbabazi-Representing Director Gender Mainstreaming, Ag. Manager of Planning and Development-Mr. Emmanuel Kitamirike as well as staff from the Vice Chancellor’s and Deputy Vice Chancellors’ Offices.
Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi in his remarks thanked Prof. Alinaitwe for the effort and support rendered to the University through the DVCFA’s Office and prayed that Makerere could continue tapping into his knowledge.
“As colleagues we have a shared agenda and a common destination as we do the best for Makerere. I thank Prof. Henry Alinaitwe for being a hardworking colleague of great humility, collegiality, and being open-heartedly committed to the principle of trust” remarked Prof. Buyinza, who also expressed belief that God has bigger plans for him as he exits office.
In the same breath, Prof. Buyinza congratulated Prof. Ireeta on his new role, admitting that he has what it takes to carry on from where his predecessor left off. “Thank you for accepting to take on this appointment; it takes a person of great responsibility to accept the huge mandate of this office.”
The Chief Human Resources Officer, Mr. Mujuni thanked Prof. Alinaitwe for steering the Office of the DVCFA and pledged to correspondingly support his new supervisor, Prof. Ireeta. The University Secretary, Mr. Kiranda equally thanked Prof. Alinaitwe for the guidance, support, and flexibility accorded to his office to fulfil its mandate.
“Although it is difficult for us to sit here and witness this handover, we are comforted to have previously worked with Prof. Ireeta and look forward to the continuity in service that his experience presents” added Mr. Kiranda.
The Chief Internal Audit Officer, Mr. Akonyet in his tribute thanked Prof. Henry Alinaitwe for his guidance as immediate supervisor, which helped shape the internal audit function. Like Mr. Kiranda, Mr. Akonyet thanked Prof. Ireeta for his support as a member of the University Council’s Audit Committee and expressed confidence that his passion for service would greatly benefit the University in his new role.
Presenting his handover report, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reflected on a number of achievements such as: Mobilising resources for the Makerere@100 Celebrations and other activities; establishing the Grants Administration and Management Support Unit (GAMSU); realigning Makerere’s Ten-Year Strategic Plan to the Five-Year NDP-recommended interval; Payment of outstanding In-house Benefits; Harmonization of staff salaries; as well as Recruitment, Promotion and Training of staff.
Prof. Alinaitwe equally highlighted achievements such as: Formulation of the ICT Policy and purchase of related equipment; Developing a Security Masterplan and enhancing surveillance, personnel numbers and equipment; Support to Student Affairs Management and Governance including overseeing the Emerging Leaders Program; Renovation of Student Halls of Residence; Establishment of the Disability Support Centre; Leading the Design Team for the Reconstruction of the Main Building; Improving Competitiveness of the Staff Housing Policy; Improving the University Fleet and Vehicle Access Control; Improving the Budgeting Process through Unit Ledgers and Accounts; among others.
He concluded by thanking the University Council and the Vice Chancellor for entrusting him with the role of DVCFA as well as all the support rendered to his office in the execution of his duties. “Whereas I have read out all these various achievements, they have largely been due to all your respective contributions and I thank you for that.”
In his acceptance remarks, Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta similarly thanked the University Council and Vice Chancellor for entrusting him with the responsibility of overseeing the Office of the DVCFA. He acknowledged that despite the fact that he was taking over from Prof. Alinaitwe on whose behalf he had acted a number of times, he still has big shoes to fill. “However, with my God, all things will work out” he prayed.
The incoming DVCFA requested Prof. Alinaitwe to always accept consultation on matters relating to the office and pledged to be as results-oriented as his predecessors. “Let’s all work together for the good of our University” he concluded.
Following the Handover Ceremony, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi on behalf of Members of Management presented a plaque to Prof. Henry Alinaitwe in appreciation of his dedicated service as Ag. DVCFA from 16th November 2021 to 19th February 2025.
In a pivotal meeting held earlier this morning, the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, met with project implementation partners from the Korea Institute for Development Strategy (KDS) and the Korea National Open University (KNOU) to discuss the upcoming Project for Enhancing the Distance Education Environment at Makerere University in Uganda (2024-2028). This collaboration, set to launch on February 27, 2025, is poised to revolutionize the university’s distance learning initiatives.
The project, which is generously funded by the Korean Government through KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency), will receive a substantial investment of USD 12.2 million. It aims to address critical areas in e-learning at Makerere University, with key components focusing on the development of a comprehensive e-learning master plan, capacity building for staff in Open and Distance eLearning (ODeL), equipping two state-of-the-art content development studios, and the development of necessary infrastructure.
Prof. Henry Alinaitwe expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “This project marks a significant milestone for Makerere University as we strive to enhance our distance learning capabilities. The integration of advanced technology and capacity building will not only improve the quality of education but also ensure greater accessibility for learners across the region. We are grateful for the generous support from the Korean Government and look forward to the successful implementation of the project.”
The delegation from Korea, led by Prof. Chun Se yeoung, also expressed their commitment to the success of the project. Prof. Chun Se yeoung remarked, “We are excited to partner with Makerere University on this transformative project. We believe that by enhancing the distance education environment at Makerere, we will not only benefit the university but contribute to the development of higher education in Uganda and the broader East African region. Our goal is to build a sustainable and scalable model that empowers educators and students alike.”
The project is expected to have a lasting impact, significantly strengthening Makerere University’s capacity to offer high-quality education remotely, thereby increasing access to learning opportunities for students across Uganda and beyond.
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