General
MURBS Prepares Members for Retirement and Launches Biometric Registration
![[L] Mr. Dennis Mugalya - Investment Manager, PineBridge Investments, Second Left is Mr Joseph Njuguna the Schemes Operations Manager, Octagon Africa at the training.](https://news.mak.ac.ug/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/field_image_Nugalya-and-Njuguna.jpg)
“Financial planning leads to financial freedom. A financial plan is very important for every successful worker. Some of us work very hard, but we don’t find time to plan for the money we get. You have to plan for your money to ensure that you have a rest and peace of mind. You should not spend more than what you earn,” highlighted Mr. Joseph Njuguna, the Manager of Scheme Operations at Octagon Africa, a Pension Consultancy firm.
Mr. Njuguna emphasized the importance of a financial plan in the course of preparing for retirement during the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Sensitization Seminar held on Tuesday 26th April 2016 at Makerere University.
“We all need to do something, save as much as you can in the pension scheme. To continue with the same standards of living before and after your retirement, you must plan now. After retirement, have a residential home and let other assets you have been working for work for you,” Mr. Njuguna emphasized.
Focusing on the theme, Members actively involved in securing their retirement, which was derived from the Board’s strategy to boost accountability and client focus, Members listened to insightful presentations focused on securing a proper retirement.
During the Sensitization Seminar, participants were equipped with valuable knowledge and tips on financial planning, saving now for retirement, investment, the relevance of tracking expenditure, ensuring a proper diet as well as living a healthy life to avoid diseases that would affect them after their retirement. The Members were also enlightened on the MURBS Investment Policy Statement, the current Investment climate and its implication for the MURBS fund.
“I encourage members to undertake investments, most especially, in fixed assets like land, infrastructure, and equipment. These assets are not likely to be converted easily into cash. And their future economic benefit is probable to flow into the entity, whose cost can be measured reliably,” said Mr. Dennis Mugalya, who is an Investment Manager with PineBridge Investments E.A Ltd, and, also, the Chairman of the Investment Management Association of Uganda.
Focusing on the investment climate, Mr. Mugalya revealed that where one invests his/her money, will determine the amount of return to be yielded. He advised members to consider equity investment. This involves buying and holding shares of stock on a stock market in anticipation of income from dividends and capital gains, as the value of the stock rises. He also encouraged members to invest in treasury bills and bonds.
“Investment always comes with risks, including the interest rate. In investment, we have a number of risks. The more risk you take, the more return you expect. Risk is not losing your money, but it is because your return is volatile,” said Mr. Mugalya.
Dr. Paul Kasenene, a qualified Medical Doctor, Nutrition Educator, and a Member of the Technical Working Group of Non Communicable Diseases in the Ministry of Health and Managing Director of Wellcare Health & Wellness Clinic Kampala sensitised members on how to live healthy and prevent diseases that would affect them before and after their retirement.
“To enjoy any aspect of your life, you have to be alive and healthy. Despite more access to information and more advances in research and technology, people are actually getting unhealthier than before,” said Dr. Kasenene.
Dr. Kasenene mentioned that a person’s health is determined by the choices they make every day. “What we do daily either helps us to fight or feed the diseases. Some of us may already have health problems, but the good news is that most of those problems can be slowed, reversed or even stopped. No matter what kind of life you have lived, ill-health is reversible. The solution lies not with doctors, but with you making the right choices in your life,” he said.
He discouraged the habit of going for medical checkups only when people feel sick. He informed participants that such habits have complicated treating diseases like cancer which have no immediate signs and symptoms. He urged members to frequently go for medical tests, eat health diets, take plenty of water and do physical exercises. He appealed to participants to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. He advised members to focus on the cause of the problem in order to avoid it, than treating the problem or its symptoms.
During the Seminar, the Chairperson of MURBS, Hajati Fatumah Nakatudde, launched a web-based Member Biometric Registration System that will be used to register Scheme members in real time. This was aimed at further streamlining the benefits administration process and improve client self service. . The system will biometrically recognise and verify registered members and avail them with information through the Scheme servers. The members will be able to access information about their benefits from anywhere electronically.
A team of developers from Zedek Pro demonstrated the working mechanism of the Member Biometric Registration System and how the registration can be done in real time. According to the Principal Pension Officer, Ms. Susan Khaitsa, “the pilot registration is planned to commence in May 2016 and, in order to speed up the registration process, Members will be required to pre-fill two forms, that is, the Registration Form 0516A and the Dependants and Nominees (Beneficiary) Form 0516B. The forms will be circulated to Members online.”(The forms can be accessed from the links below)
The Secretary, Board of Trustees, Dr. John Kitayimbwa, shared key updates on the progress of the Scheme since last year. “One of the key updates I should bring to your notice is that, the agreements we had with the Service Providers were expiring in November last year [2015]. We extended their contracts to 31st January 2016 so that we comprehensively review the performance and our agreements with them,” he said.
Dr. Kitayimbwa introduced the new Scheme Service Providers to the Members. Stanbic Bank was appointed the new Scheme Custodian, whose role is to receive and keep in safe hands the funds, title deeds, securities and income accruing to the Scheme; PineBridge Investments Ltd retained its role of Fund Manager and GenAfrica Asset Managers Ltd was appointed Fund Manager – the two investors assist the Board of Trustees to make a prudent investment policy, invest the fund subject to the investment policy of the Scheme and manage the Scheme funds; Octagon Uganda Ltd, a Pension Consultancy firm, was appointed as the Scheme Administrator to handle mainly the Accounting and Benefits Administration.
MURBS was established by Makerere University Council under an irrevocable trust to provide pensions and other benefits for University employees who are admitted to membership under the provision of the Trust Deed and Scheme Rules. On 23rd April 2010, Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme was registered as a corporate body under the Trustees Incorporation Act, CAP 165, under certificate T. 37561, C.I. NO.670. Following the establishment of the Uganda Retirement Benefits and Regulatory Authority (URBRA) Act of 2011, MURBS was licensed as a Retirement Benefits Scheme under the new Act and holds license number RBS 0005.
MURBS is a Defined Contribution Scheme where both the employees and the employer contribute a percentage of the employees’ monthly salary.
To be entitled to join this Scheme, an individual must be aged at least 18 years but not more than 50 years old and should be appointed under permanent terms of service at Makerere University. All persons who were in University Service by 31st March 2009 were deemed to have joined the Scheme. Persons who were appointed in University service after 31st March 2009 and to-date are enrolled into the Scheme through the due procedures.
Article and Photos by: Mak Public Relations Office
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
-
General2 days agoUndergraduate Admission Lists 2026/2027
-
General1 week agoMakerere Hands Over CCE Hall to NEC for Renovation
-
General1 week agoFees Waiver Female Scholarship 2026/2027
-
General2 weeks agoMakerere University Set to Develop Curriculum to Transform Graduate Supervision and Mentorship
-
Education2 weeks agoMakerere University Signs MoU with Fukui University to enhance Research, Teacher Development and STEM Education