General
Mak Search for Chancellor Commences
The search process for the next Makerere University Chancellor has officially kicked off today-Tuesday 25th August 2015. The Search Committee is calling upon members of the public to participate in the search process by nominating qualified and reputable Ugandans for the position of Chancellor of Makerere University.
“Members of the public with consent of the Nominee may send in letters of nomination, and curriculum vitae signed by the Nominee, copies of academic qualifications; testimonials; names and full addresses of three referees. Nominations with the Nominees’ contact details should reach the Office of the University Secretary by 5:00pm on Wednesday 9th September, 2015,” highlighted the Chairperson of the Search Committee, Mr. Bruce B. Kabaasa.
The Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act stipulates that the Chancellor is the Titular Head of the University and presides at all assemblies, confers degrees, other academic titles and distinctions of the University.
The new Chancellor will succeed Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera who has served as a Chancellor of Makerere University for two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2015.
“Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera’s second and final four year term as Chancellor of Makerere University will come to an end on 23rd October 2015. The Makerere University Council, which is the supreme governing body of the University, approved the commencement of the Search Process for the next Chancellor,” said Associate Prof. Ernest Okello Ogwang, Acting Vice Chancellor of Makerere University.
Associate Prof. Okello Ogwang added that the Makerere University Council set up a Committee comprising five (5) Members to search for the next Chancellor of Makerere University. The Search Committee comprises the Chairperson-Mr. Bruce B. Kabaasa, and four Members namely-Mr. Stephen B. Maloba, Mr. John Chris Ninsiima, Dr. Euzobia Baine Mugisha and Dr. Sarah Ssali. The Chairperson of the Search Committee, Mr. Bruce Kabaasa expressed the readiness of his team to perform the task assigned to them, exhibit the highest level of integrity and confidentiality throughout the search process and submit a report to the Makerere University Council before 23rd October 2015.
Mr. Kabaasa emphasized the need for those nominating candidates for the position of Chancellor to ensure that they are eligible for nomination.
For a candidate to be eligible for nomination, he/she must:
a) Be a citizen of Uganda
b) Have at least a Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) from a recognised institution of higher learning
c) Have relevant managerial experience
d) Be a person of high integrity, and should have good public relations with the ability to market and internationalise the University
e) Be aged not less than 55years and not more than 75 years at the time of nomination
The Chancellor of Makerere University does not receive regular emoluments but he/she is facilitated whenever he/she comes to the University for Official Duties. The Chancellor holds office for a period of four years but shall be eligible for reappointment for one more term.
Members of the public are however advised not to nominate serving Chancellors and Vice Chancellors of Universities as well as any individual currently registered as a student in any University.
The next Chancellor will be the third Non-Head of State Chancellor of Makerere University. He/She will succeed Prof. George Mondo Kagonyera-the Second Non-Head of State Chancellor of Makerere University. Prior to Prof. Mondo Kangonyera’s term as Chancellor, Prof. Apolo Robin Nsibambi served as the first non-Head of State Chancellor of Makerere University from 2003 to 2007.
The Secretariat to the Search Committee comprises Mr. Charles Barugahare, Acting University Secretary and Mr. Goddy Muhumuza, Senior Legal Officer, Makerere University.
Please see Downloads for the Committee’s Terms of Reference and more details.
The deadline for nomination of suitable candidates is 5:00pm on Wednesday, 9th September 2015.
Article by: Mak Public Relations Office
Downloads
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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