We should think of Ali as a long distance runner from a continent that specializes in giving the world some of its best long distance runners. Ali ran to his last breath: the ink kept flowing and the corpus kept growing, and the voice was as booming as ever.
I first met Ali at Makerere University in 1972. I was a teaching fellow who had just embarked on my doctoral thesis. Ali was the professor. We came from two different generations. His was the last in the battle against colonialism. Mine was the first to enjoy the fruits of independence. It was a time of intoxication for both of us.
The young Mazrui had been catapulted from the position of a lecturer to that of a professor in a short span of time. This helicopter rise was a testimony to two facts. The first was that just as a newly independent country had to have its own flag and national anthem, an African university in a newly independent African country had to have an African professor. That Mazrui was chosen to be that professor pointed to a second fact: he was among the best of home grown timber.
Professor Mazrui’s story over the past decades has been one of tenacity and stamina under great pressure. I witnessed several moments in this journey, three in particular, each identified with a different place: Makerere, Dar es Salaam and Michigan.
The single most impressive aspect of Mazrui at Makerere was that, though he was a beneficiary of nationalism, he was not dazzled by it. He was, indeed, among the first to recognize the Janus-faced power of nationalism, in particular its tendency to ride roughshod over both minorities – ethnic and religious – and dissidents in the majority.
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.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (C) interacts with members of the 2nd Mak-HUC.
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.
All applications must be submitted electronically via the Makerere University Electronic Human Resource Management System through the above link (ehrms). Applicants will be required to provide the necessary information on the ehrms and attach the following documents:
An application letter clearly stating the job applied for and duly signed by the applicant.
An up-to-date curriculum vitae. The curriculum must also state the names and addresses of at least three referees.
Copies of academic certificates and transcripts.
A minimum of three recommendation letters duly signed by the referees.
The application should be addressed to:
The Chief Human Resource Officer Makerere University P.O. Box 7062 Kampala