General
A New Look for the Main Hall
The Makerere University main hall has kicked off 2015 with a fresh and modern look, following a facelift sponsored by the School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences. The hall has been freshly painted, the floor sparkles with a rich brown varnish comparable to fine honey. The brand new high quality furniture was flown in from the Top class of China and is a dazzling blend of the Makerere University colours; red and green.
The University is also in the process of procuring a state-of-the-art Public Address System complete with cabinet speakers, power amplifiers, graphic equalisers, subwoofers, microphones and receivers among other components; large format projector screens and a stationary overhead projector to complete the setup all at a cost of about $38,000. These will be fitted in due course. The plan is to have blinds in the windows to reduce on the glare/dust, install air conditioners and replace the stage curtains too.
“The 520 modern conference chairs and repainting of the hall have been provided with the kind contribution of the School of Public 
Health at acost of about 300m shillings and we are sincerely grateful to the Dean Prof. William Bazeyo. We would like to have microphones for every few chairs so that we limit this business of moving around with a microphone for someone in the audience to make their submission. The translation box also needs to be repaired,” said the Deputy Vice Chancellor in Charge of Finance and Administration (DVC FA), Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
“Changing the look of the Main Hall has been a pending issue for some time and I am grateful that the School of Public health has weighed in on this. There are many crucial areas in the University that need urgent attention and improvement. Management is aware of these requirements and continues to devise means to address them. We nonetheless welcome such initiatives as demonstrated by the School of Public Health in improving these facilities. I am confident that it is just a matter of time and joint efforts for us to be in a better Makerere University readymade for the 21st century and comparable to no other in the region. This will take more than just infrastructure, but rather team work at all levels,” emphasised the Vice Chancellor Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu.
Prof. Nawangwe reveals that the School of Public Health was able to refurnish the Main Hall using funds from its overhead costs on research projects. “This College has a vibrant Grants Office, and I think the other Colleges can emulate this as opposed to entirely depending on the Centre, which is cash strapped. We pay tribute to units that have made efforts to improve their infrastructure like CoBAMS, CoCIS, CEDAT and encourage them to continue doing so. CHS has further demonstrated that a unit can support the University by providing the much-needed facilities. We will formerly launch the Main Hall new look once all the other components are in place but Colleagues are welcome to see the changes which have taken us about only two weeks to implement. We received the furniture in mid December 2014,” he adds.
The Main hall has indeed been restored to its former glory of the 1960s and 70s when Makerere University hosted trend-changing public debates. This is what Management is looking forward to. “We need to shape policy. We hope this will be the home of many policy debates and major conferences which were initially hosted in hotels. We will charge a reasonable fee for some of these as a way of generating income,” says Prof. Nawangwe.
Now with the Main Hall all looking glamorous, lectures that were initially conducted here will not be allowed 
anymore. These have instead been relocated to the lecture halls in residential halls of Livingstone, Lumumba and Mitchell. “The former dining halls in these places have now become lecture rooms and have been fitted with appropriate furniture for this purpose. I encourage the university Community to comfortably time table lectures in theses halls. Starting next Semester, Feb. 2015, we will not allow any more lectures in the Main Hall,” adds Prof. Nawangwe. It will be remembered that students now have joint meals in the halls of Mary Stuart, Africa, Nsibirwa and University Hall; provided through outside catering services, a policy that took effect in August 2014.
These changes are in line with creating a conducive environment at Makerere University. Other areas that will be looked at in the near future include improvements in lighting around the university, road repairs, tree planting and improvements in the general landscaping.
Story by Marion Alina, Public Relations Office
Waste Management efforts at Makerere University have been boosted by a donation of 30 waste bins by Centenary Bank’s Makerere Branch. The bins received on Monday 11th May 2026 in the Freedom Square by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe in the company of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, Deputy University Secretary, Mr. Simon Kizito and other officials were handed over by the Branch Manager, Mr. Sunday Julius.
Appreciating the donation from Centenary Bank on behalf of University Management, Prof. Nawangwe noted that Makerere University strives to maintain “the cleanest environment in Kampala”, especially as a good example to future leaders, the students.
Acknowledging earlier donations to the Halls of Residence by Centenary Bank, Prof. Nawangwe described the ceremony as “the beginning of a long journey of collaboration in environmental stewardship,” with separation of plastics from biodegradable waste earmarked as the next step in user education.
In his remarks, Mr. Sunday noted that the donation was in line with the Bank’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objectives, particularly the Social component, where supporting institutions with waste management facilities to enhance hygiene is key. “It is important for Centenary Bank to give back to the society where it makes money”, he emphasized.
Describing Makerere University as the “main institution that Centenary Bank operates a branch”, Mr. Sunday recognised the donation as a step in the right direction with a valuable partner.
The newly-donated bins will be placed in various public locations under supervision of the Estates and Works Directorate.
Makerere University and the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA (ND) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which opens opportunities for collaboration between the two historic and leading research institutions in the areas of staff and student exchange, joint research and training, joint supervision of graduate students, and others.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe signed on behalf of Makerere University and Rev. Robert A. Dowd, the 18th President signed on behalf of the University of Notre Dame. The ceremony, which was held at the University of Notre Dame campus at South Bend, Indiana was witnessed by Dr. Lorna Magara, the Chairperson of the Council of Makerere University, who led the Mak delegation.
Dr. Magara appreciated the institutionalisation of the collaboration between the two universities and the very warm hospitality accorded to the Mak delegation.
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