General
How Prof. Kyeyune’s Gifted hands got him to Pope Francis
A life changing experience
On 27th November, Pope Francis made his maiden visit to Uganda. Among the particular areas he visited was the Catholic Shrine at Munyonyo and the Uganda martyrs shrine at Namugongo. It is at Munyonyo that Prof. George Kyeyune, a member of Staff of Makerere University met and shook hands with the Pope.
Prof. Kyeyune made the sculpture of Andrea Kaggwa, one of Uganda’s martyrs, killed at Munyonyo during the reign of Kabaka Mwanga. We caught up with Prof, Kyeyune, who is still living in the glow of the life changing experience of meeting one of the top religious leaders in the world- Pope Francis.
Getting started
Prof. Kyeyune, a proud Professor of Fine Art in the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Art, Makerere University is all smiles after successfully executing the assignment to make a monument of one of Uganda’s martyrs, Anderea Kaggwa that Pope Francis blessed and unveiled at Munyonyo. He successfully bided for the project alongside other sculptors.“The Polish Priest at Munyonyo, Father Marian Kajubi Golab, wanted a sculpture to commemorate Anderea Kaggwa who was martyred at Munyonyo. Several sculptors were contacted and asked to present marquees, and budgets. I emerged winner of the contract,” explains a jovial Prof. Kyeyune.
Throughout the interview, Prof. Kyeyune had a sparkle in the eye and smiled a lot especially when talking about Pope Francis. Prof. Kyeyune is from the catholic faith and dedicatedly wears his Rosary. He was delighted to take on the job, which he says gave him an opportunity to come close, so close to the Pope that he could make out the pores of his (Pope) skin.The sculpture in 
question is thus far the biggest piece of work that Prof. Kyeyune has laid his gifted hands on. It was sponsored by two catholic families; the family of Mr. Joseph Yiga- a known business man in town and the family of Rtn. Emmanuel Katongole of Quality Chemicals. It took him two and a half months to finish this work, which he considers to be one of his masterpieces. The seven feet highsculpture depicts a closer to life image of the deceased Kaggwa. It stands tall at Munyonyo for all to see. “I recommended seven feet. I wanted a monument that would not be dwarfed and one that would not be too big for the building, but also something I would manage to do. When it was done, people swarmed it, kissed it and did all sorts of things. I was gratified,” he reminisces.
Prof. Kyeyune emphasises that the sculpture is designed to bring out the last moments of this particular martyr who is said to have been tied on a log and his hands cut off moments before his death. “He died a painful death but at the same time he was not resigned. He was hopeful, looking forward to a better afterlife. That kind of resilience is what I wanted to infuse in the monument and maybe this is what people were responding to,” Prof. Kyeyune contentedly explains. The monument is made in bronze, a mixture of copper and brass.
Meeting the Pope
“We were made to rehearse and told to walk in a certain way, not too fast, not too slow,” Prof. Kyeyune gives a hearty laughter as he recalls the drills. “As a staunch catholic, I was very much part of the entire experience of the Pope’s visit and the climax for me was when I was able to get very close to him and shake his hands,” he adds.
The Pope was given an explanation of this particular project especially the history on how Anderea Kaggwa met his death because of his commitment to the Christian faith. “What we gave him was a small version of the big sculpture to take home. He asked some questions for clarity especially in relation to the death. One of the sponsors of this sculpture explained to the Pope that Kabaka Mwanga insisted not to have any meals until Anderea’s hand had been cut off and brought before him,” he narrates. History has it that the King’s order was executed by Mukaajanga– the Executor.
It was during this dialogue and explanations that Prof. Kyeyune took a keen look at the Pope. “I had a close look at the Pope because of this extended discussion and it was spiritually uplifting. I was a different person after. He is very ordinary in the human sense, but he has this clout of a Pope which makes the spiritual dimension overwhelming. In this presence, I quietly said a prayer to God, thanking Him for so much,” he asserts.
The aftermath
“Some people suggested that I should not wash my hands. Many came to shake my hand to get the first experience of the Pope’s blessings. My sister, Catherine Namyalo was the first to call. She was astounded seeing me on television while following the proceedings of the Pope’s visit. Other people came to hug me in the days that followed the Pope’s visit. It was as if I had carried some attributes of the Pope with me,” Prof. Kyeyune recounts amidst laughter. The Pope gave him a Rosary which he has since decided to frame and hang in his house. He is grateful to the project sponsors for considering him for the historic opportunity.
The benefit to Makerere University
“One of the reasons I suffered a lot with this work is because our studios are not well facilitated. We lack a lot of basic equipment. We certainly can do much more with some financial aid. I thank the Presidential initiative, it has given us some materials and tools but we need more,” says Prof. Kyeyune. He explains that the project was ambitious, necessitating some components to be done outside Makerere University. He worked with a team of students to accomplish the task and is grateful to Makerere University for allowing him to use the facilities. And as such, Prof. Kyeyune has committed to giving back a percentage of the proceeds towards renovation of the studio at the Margarett Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Art.
The project also presented an opportunity for him to try out a mixture of beeswax, paraffin wax and sap from a tree to mould the sculpture. “I used this combination for the sculpture. It makes the wax softer and easier to mould. This is an ongoing experiment. At the moment I am still trying to establish the right proportions. This is going to be my next level of research,” he says.
Other works
Prof. Kyeyune is part of the team that sculpted the CHOGM monument and the monument of 50 years of Uganda’s independence. Both these monuments proudly stand at Uganda’s Parliamentary gardens. He worked with Maria Naita on these pieces. He was also the overall in-charge of the team that designed the current legal tender in circulation, right from the 1,000/= note to the 50,000/= note. Within Makerere University, some of his works are visible in the monument of the late President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.
Story by Marion Alina
General
MURBS has declared 13.40% interest on members’ balances for the financial year that ended on 30th June 2024.
By: Ritah Namisango
Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga, Chairperson of the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Board of Trustees, announced this milestone during the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2023/24 held on Thursday, 24th October 2024, at Makerere University Main Campus, School of Public Health Auditorium.
The AGM attracted various stakeholders, including trustees, Audit Committee Chairperson CPA David Ssenoga, Board Evaluation Consultant Vincent Kaheeru, URBRA Representative Mark Lotukei, Audit Committee members, co-opted members, and university administrators.
Presenting the performance report, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nansubuga highlighted that this is the highest interest declared by the scheme in the past five years, and she anticipates continued improvements. She noted that for the previous financial year, which ended in June 2023, the Board of Trustees declared an interest an interest of 12.34%.
Dr Nansubuga also announced that the scheme has achieved a Net Investment Income of UGX 44.6 billion, far higher than the UGX34.4 billion collected in Contributions during the year.
The Chairperson of the Board also revealed that the fund value had grown from UGX352.4 billion recorded at the end of the last financial year to UGX409.2 billion, indicating an increase of 16.1%.
“By 30th June 2023, MURBS had a fund value of UGX 352.4 billion. The Board of Trustees targeted Fund growth of 17%, and I am glad to inform you, that the fund value of MURBS, as per the Audited Financial Statements of 30th June 2024 is UGX 409.2 billion, which is an increase of 16.1%. This achievement was made possible by strategic periodical activities undertaken by the Board and our fund managers, supported by the strong oversight committees of the Board,” she reported.
She attributed the positive growth to factors such as improved debt recovery, operational efficiency, timely remittance of contributions by the sponsor (Makerere University), an increase in project and contract contributions, and the recovery of UGX8.85 billion in debts.
Dr. Nansubuga also expressed gratitude to Makerere University, the scheme’s sponsor, for consistently remitting contributions, a key factor that has significantly contributed to MURBS’ smooth operation. “I am happy to announce that the sponsor-Makerere University remitted your retirement benefits for the financial year 2023/24,” she said.
In the same development, Dr. Nansubuga reported that MURBS registered a legal victory against Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) over a real estate investment in Sonde undertaken in 2019, and which URA sought to tax heavily. She notified the AGM that MURBS won the case and was awarded costs which also set a precedent.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to inform you that during the financial year, we received a favorable outcome on a key court case. How did we end up with this case? In 2019, MURBS invested in real estate, we bought land in Sonde,” Dr Nansubuga explained.
“Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) then charged us with a tax assessment worth UGX600 million. It has been four (4) years in the tax appeals tribunal. Since then, the lawyers, the former and current trustees, have been appearing before the appeals tribunal, but in December 2023, MURBS won the case. We challenged URA, and this case was awarded with costs. URA has to pay MURBS. We therefore saved UGX600 million,” she added.
In terms of governance, Dr Nansubuga said that the scheme made changes in the board. Initially, the trustees were six and they needed a seventh member, and following a competitive race, they recruited another trustee; CPA Edina Rugumayo who has over thirty years in accounting.
“In terms of governance, we continue to uphold good governance practices and we align with international standards. Last year during the presentation, I said we were six and we needed to have the seventh trustee because the Board composition is supposed to be seven,” she explained.
“So, following a competitive process, we recruited an independent trustee. It was a very competitive position. You must have served on board which has over UGX50 billion. So, from that process, we were able to recruit CPA Edna Rugumayo Simbwa. She is a certified public accountant with over thirty years of experience in accounting, taxation, and corporate governance,” she mentioned.
She also thanked other stakeholders for making sure that MURBS activities run smoothly. These entities include Makerere University, KPMG, Gen Africa, Arcadia Advocates, Zamara, URBRA, and Stanbic Bank among others.
While discussing investments, Dr. Nansubuga mentioned that 86% of MURBS’ funds are currently invested in government bonds, but added that the Board is exploring diversification to reduce risks.
“86% percent of our money is invested in government bonds, and sometimes, you do not have to put all your eggs in one basket, there is a high concentration of risk. so that is one of the key material risks that we want to address to reduce the amount we have in government securities. We want to diversify our portfolio and avoid investing heavily in government securities. The Board will venture into other fields in order to earn money or return on investment from the diverse undertakings,” she said.
In terms of membership, Dr. Nansubuga reported a 4.4% increase, with the number of members rising from 8,229 to 8,590. She attributed this growth to the reinstatement of in-house beneficiaries and an increase in project and contract staff.
Dr. Kakuba also thanked the sponsor-Makerere University for remitting the membership contributions timely which has helped the scheme to grow.
Dr. Godwin Kakuba -Secretary, MURBS Board of Trustees, who presented the record of the 13th Annual General Meeting stressed that the AGM climaxes a financial year and the Board of Trustee has been vigilant on this and has not missed any AGM for 14 years now.
“We applaud the sponsor because many of these positives in the chairperson’s report can only be attributed to the support by the sponsor through fulfilling the obligation of remitting members’ contributions to the scheme,” he added.
Partner Asad Ssenoga, an independent auditor who audited the scheme said that he was impressed with the level of compliance that the scheme exhibited in all aspects. He said they focused on ensuring that the member contributions are supported with statements and allocated to members appropriately.
“Overall we were satisfied with the work we did on the audit, the numbers that were presented by the Chairperson are the correct numbers that we audited. We were comfortable with those numbers, due process was followed during the audit,” he said.
Mr. Mark Lotukei who represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) thanked the Trustees for always prioritizing governance, which has helped them to reach several milestones.
“As URBRA, we look at governance as the biggest component of our compliance. MURBS Trustees from the former to the current, have taken governance as the most important aspect. We really encourage them to continue with this good practice because governance informs all the other aspects,” he said.
Mr. Arthur Kibira, a member in attendance, expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts. He urged them to explore higher-risk investments for potentially greater returns. He expressed concern over the scheme’s heavy reliance on government bonds.
“Dr Elizabeth Nansubuga, I want to congratulate you, and your team and also congratulate ourselves. But, I want to believe that there is room for improvement. I am one of those who do not believe that the sky is the limit, we are limited by our own thinking. I am thinking that high risks give high returns. Is there a way of managing those risks, so that we could push this 13.40% interest to a figure much higher? If we do so, we shall say we have learnt how to manage risks,”, he guided.
General
Makerere University at the 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The Research Chairs concept is similar to Centers of Excellence (for instance in supporting world-class research in a priority area), but also has many distinguishing features. Most notably, it recognizes individual excellence, leadership and talent. The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity among African nations. The Initiative focuses on celebrating his legacy in building knowledge-based economies for the advancement of Africa.
ORTARChI builds on and leverages existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development.
Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven (7) countries in Africa, namely; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia have been selected for funding through a rigorous and competitive two-stage review process. These research chairs are focused on research priorities identified by each host institution in conjunction with, especially the Science Councils, and in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024.
Prof. Noble Banadda from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences had been inaugurated as one of the first 10 (ten) Oliver Tambo (ORTARChi) Chairs. Unfortunately, Prof. Banadda (R.I.P) passed on in July 2021, which created a vacuum. To ensure that Uganda and Makerere University continue to tap into the ORTARChi, we are glad to announce the appointment of Associate Professor David Meya from the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University for the purpose. The appointment will attract USD 170,000 annually for 5 years for graduate research with a target of training 5-6 PhDs, 10-15 Post-doctoral fellows and 10-12 Masters of Medicine and Master of Science Students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Makerere University has had the pleasure of attending 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The annual gathering is co-hosted by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, National Research and Innovation Fund for Development (FONRID) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The theme for this year’s gathering is: “African Sovereignty: A Catalyst for Research Collaborations and Social Impact in the Continent“. At the annual gathering, Uganda was represented by Associate Prof. David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Mak), Associate Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Research and Graduate Training) and Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST). Assoc. Prof. David Meya – ORTARChI Chair Elect – is from Makerere University’s School of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences.
Hoima and Kikuube Districts, Uganda – October 20, 2024
A group of third-year students from College of Business and Management Sciences’s Energy and Natural Resources Economics program visited the Kingfisher oil operations and Kabalega Airport in Hoima and Kikuube districts on October 20, 2024. Led by Dr. Peter Babyenda and Dr. John Sseruyange, and with authorization from the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, the visit offered the students an invaluable opportunity to connect classroom learning with field experience.
The primary objective of the field trip was to enhance students’ practical understanding of Uganda’s oil industry by observing the extraction and production processes firsthand. According to Dr. Babyenda, “Blending theory with real-world exposure is essential for these students, as it allows them to apply and expand their knowledge beyond the classroom.”
During the tour, students explored several key areas:
- Practical Exposure – Witnessing the operational procedures of oil extraction offered students a concrete understanding of how theoretical concepts play out in the field, enhancing their grasp of the industry.
- Economic Impact Analysis – Observing the economic role of oil production in Hoima and Kikuube allowed the students to explore its broader impact on local and global markets and its contributions to community development and Uganda’s economic landscape.
- Technical Knowledge – The students gained insights into the technical aspects of oil extraction, learning about the complexities of the operations, the innovations employed, and the challenges faced by the industry.
- Environmental and Social Considerations – Students observed the environmental practices in place and evaluated the social dynamics involved, gaining an understanding of how oil companies balance production with community and environmental sustainability.
- Career Insights – With opportunities to interact with professionals in the oil sector, students received guidance on potential career paths in the industry, helping them make informed decisions about their futures.
- Current Industry Issues – The group also delved into the status of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and discussed challenges in oil and natural gas production, examining where Uganda stands in terms of production timelines, obstacles, solutions, and the role they can play as future energy professionals.
Reflecting on the trip, Dr. Sseruyange highlighted the importance of this experience in solidifying students’ understanding of Uganda’s evolving oil industry. “This field experience not only complements what they’ve learned in lectures but also equips them with a real sense of the operational and societal impact of the energy sector,”he noted.
The students expressed their gratitude for the immersive experience, noting how it broadened their perspectives and deepened their knowledge. The field trip served as an essential step in preparing them for careers within Uganda’s energy and natural resources sectors, bringing them closer to the industry’s forefront and the future of sustainable energy in the region.
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