The Bernard Onyango Academic Excellence Ace (B.O Ace) Awards were successfully kicked off with two students from St. Peters College Tororo as first beneficiaries. Isaac Munu, the best O-level student in this school sat for UCE exams in 2013, scoring distinctions in all eight subjects. The best A-level student Ernest Wandera scored 21 aggregates in his U.A.C.E exams. In their acceptance speeches during an award ceremony held at Silver Springs Hotel, both students pledged to stay committed to their studies. They were presented with plaques, certificates and cash prizes to cater for school fees and pocket money.
The historic day started with a memorial public lecture at Makerere University, presented by Uganda's former Prime Minister, Prof. Apolo Nsibambi on 'Promoting Academic Distinction, Administrative Excellence and Enduring Integrity in Contemporary Uganda.
"There are many honest people who have failed to make a mark in any field. So it is the ability to combine both excellence and integrity that is being celebrated today, and it is a quality we need to commend whenever we see it, because it is a rare commodity and even becoming more scarce by the day," he said.
The Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu, commended the late Bernard Onyango for laying a firm foundation for the Academic Registrar's Department. "During his tenure as Academic Registrar, the late Bernard Onyango put a lot of emphasis on effectiveness and efficiency of the management of records, particularly students' records. Through him, the team in the Academic Registrar's Department learnt the value of efficiency, customer satisfaction and integrity. The late Bernard Onyango is also remembered as a strong force in the process that led to the highly successful affirmative action scheme for girls joining Makerere University," he said.
He was grateful to St. Peters College Tororo Old Boys Association, SPECTOBA, for initiating the memorial lecture and the inaugural Bernard Onyango Academic Excellence Awards' adding that Makerere University, through the Department of the Academic Registrar, is committed to hosting the lecture annually.
Speaking at the dinner, a representative of the Bernard Onyango family, Prof. Joseph Oloka-Onyango challenged SPECTOBA to see to the sustainability of the awards so that they do not come to an end prematurely.
The Chairman SPECTOBA, Wilbrod Owor, was grateful to all sponsors and well-wishers who have so far supported the cause. Makerere University pledged 5m shillings towards the BO Ace Awards. Bernard Onyango was the first Academic Registrar at the time this Institution became a fully-fledged University in 1970.
72 undergraduate students of Makerere University have successfully been admitted to the Millennium Fellowship Class of 2026, an initiative of the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) and United Nations Academic Impact. Makerere’s Fellows were selected from a record-breaking 76,000 applicants from over 6,000 campuses across 174 countries to participate in the ambitious programme.
According to the Fellowship website, the programme aims to make the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Academic Impact Principles a reality on campuses, in classrooms and throughout communities. Millennium Fellows are university undergraduates selected for their leadership on sustainable development projects in their communities. As Fellows, they complete a semester-long leadership development programme that strengthens their student organizing, partnership-building and community-impact skills.
In his congratulatory message to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Sam Vaghar the Executive Director, MCN shared that Over 330 campuses across 60 nations have been selected to host 2026 Millenium Fellows. “Congratulations to you and Makerere University for having a cohort of Millennium Fellows from your student body again this year!”
Below is a sample of the work of the Class of 2026.
At Harvard University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in the United States of America, Millennium Fellows are expanding OpenDoor, an AI-powered platform that helps people navigate retraining, job opportunities and pathways into high-demand careers. The project grew from their work with people experiencing homelessness and from seeing how difficult workforce programmes can be to navigate even when support exists. Advancing SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, it expects to reach about 7,500 people during the Fellowship.
At the University of Ilorin, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Nigeria, Millennium Fellows are building what they describe as Africa’s first green AI policy framework, helping policymakers and developers understand how artificial intelligence can advance while reducing energy use, pollution and material waste. Aligned with SDG 13: Climate Action, it expects to reach about 75 people during the Fellowship.
At BRAC University, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Bangladesh, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production through a start-up replacing single-use products with environmentally friendly alternatives. Its current focus is a paper pen that uses roughly 90 per cent less plastic than a conventional pen, with a seed built in so it can grow into a plant when properly disposed of. The project expects to reach about 450 people.
At Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, a UN Academic Impact member institution in Moldova, a Millennium Fellow is advancing SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being by studying how environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity may affect recovery after brain surgery. By bringing simple digital monitoring tools into postoperative care, the project aims to help doctors make timelier decisions.
We wish our Millennium Fellows an impactful fellowship.
The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released admission lists of candidates admitted under the Talented Sports Men & Women, Disability and District Quota Schemes with Government sponsorship 2026/27 Academic Year including appeals and remarked cases.
Other admission lists released include A-Level Applicants with Ugandan and those with Foreign Qualifications, Diploma in Performing Arts, Mature-Age Entry and Bachelor of Education (EXTERNAL Batch 2) for the Academic Year 2026/2027 under self sponsorship.
Makerere University‘s position in the July 2026 edition of the Webometrics Rankings has improved from 925th to 776th globally and from 13th to 11th on the Continent, compared to the January 2026 edition. Makerere remains the top-ranked University in Uganda and East Africa.
The new rankings are as a result of improved performance in the Impact Rank, which measures the number of external domains referring/linking to Makerere (from 1,593 to 1,185) and the Excellence Rank, which measures Research papers in the top 10% most cited between 2019 and 2023 (from 1,095 to 715).
Please see the attached screenshots for details or view Makerere‘s rankings online using the link below:
The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities aims to recognize and promote the digital transformation of higher education institutions by evaluating how effectively they reflect their academic, research, and societal contributions online.
We remain committed to ensuring that all our good work in teaching and learning, research, knowledge transfer, and partnerships continues to be reflected online through various journals and other platforms.