General
Makerere Protects Bwaise land from Encroachers
The Makerere University Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration (DVC FA), Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, has directed all encroachers on the 4.9 acres of University land located in Bwaise to vacate within two weeks. “It has been observed that there are tenants who have constructed illegal structures such as kiosks, wooden structures and all others which were not constructed by Makerere University. This is against the university policy. The purpose of this letter is to instruct you to remove all illegal structures on University land within a period of two weeks from the date of this letter,” reads part of the letter dated 31st October 2014.
The land, located in Bwaise Makerere zone1 and Banda zone along Bombo road, is to be fenced off using barbed wire and security personnel will be placed to guard it.
On the above date, the University called for a meeting with all illegal occupants and the area LCI Chairperson to discuss this matter. In his submission, LCI Chairman Njuba Leo, shared that many of the illegal occupants took refuge on this land after being displaced by the construction of the Northern bypass. “In its recent clean up exercise, Kampala Capital City Authority asked these illegal occupants to vacate the University land in Bwaise and many of them obliged. But now, they are beginning to return with small businesses,” he added.
Detective Sam Paul Nabende, who is investigating this matter observed that, “there has been laxity on the side of the University by taking long without giving notice of caution to the encroachers, trespassers, illegal occupants, which gave them room to increase in number and widen business activities.” Many of these encroachers have occupied the land for not less than 20 years.
A report filed by the University Legal Officer, Goddy Muhumza on 3rd November 2014 after visiting the land, highlights a number of encroachers. One of them is Planet Petrol station, which uses part of the land as an extension for both the petrol station and provision of parking space. Other encroachers own garages, and make shift structures on the land. Some of these structures, like kiosks and other small business entities, are owned by Staff members of Makerere University.
Story by Marion Alina
Organised by the Makerere Debating Union – a student-led initiative, the Inter-college Debate Tournament was held on 11th and 12th April 2025 with a vision to leave no student behind by nurturing a community of confident, articulate, and visionary leaders who will drive positive change in society. The tournament was held in three preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and a grand finale.
The first round covered democracy and youth participation in politics, while the second round covered inequality and wealth distribution, and the third, the ban on export of raw materials. The semi-final round debated apprenticeship for blue-collar jobs, while the grand finale debated national budget allocations for healthcare and education. In the spirit of inclusivity, all colleges, including the Jinja Campus participated in the tournament.
Commenting on the choice of topics, the organisers noted Makerere University as a bastion of academic excellence has a profound responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of our nation. These leaders, they added, ought to be equipped with 21st century skills of self-expression, critical thinking, and problem-solving so as to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
On the whole, Makerere Inter-college Debates were conceived as a strategic initiative to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation. The Debating Union aims to empower the future leaders by providing a platform for students to engage in respectful discourse, articulate their thoughts, as well as develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the Debates serve as a platform for not only honing the intellectual prowess of students but also cultivating leadership skills, teamwork, and communication abilities that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is envisaged that this initiative will have a lasting impact on the lives of students, by exposing them to debates on topical issues that can shape the mindsets of transformative leaders our nation needs.
After a thrilling two days of debate, Daphine Kemigisha and Jibril Ssekandi from the School of Law (SoL) emerged as winners of the Makerere University Inter-college Debate Tournament 2025, while Olara Emmanuel George from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) was the Public Speech Champion, and Namujuzi Martha Mociita from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) was the Poetry Champion.
The 2025 Tournament was organized by Mayanja Owen and Nkalubo Oprah – 91st Guild Representative Councils (GRCs) of the Debate Union, Akatwijuka Arthur – Chairperson Debate Union, and Debate Union Representatives from colleges. The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) partnered with the Debate Union to deliver the 2025 edition.
Addressing students at the award ceremony, UNNGOF’s Mr. Derrick Baluuku encouraged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and think of solutions to inspire change in their communities.
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