General
Guidelines to First Year students 2016-2017 Academic Year
More than 60 Student Safeguarding Champions have undergone intensive training to strengthen efforts aimed at preventing abuse, promoting inclusion and creating a safer learning environment for all students.
The two-day capacity-building workshop was organised by the Dean of Students’ Office in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University as part of the University’s broader strategy to strengthen safeguarding systems and ensure every student studies in a safe, respectful and inclusive environment.
While opening the workshop, the Dean of Students, Dr Winifred Kabumbuli, challenged the champions to become advocates for safety and respect within their colleges, noting that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Student Safeguarding champions are drawn from different colleges, and are expected to spearhead safeguarding awareness campaigns, support fellow students to access appropriate reporting channels and promote a culture where abuse and other safeguarding concerns are reported early.
“The knowledge you have acquired during this training should not remain in this room. As safeguarding champions, you are the eyes, ears and voice of your fellow students. You have been entrusted with the responsibility of becoming advocates for safety, respect and inclusion among your peers,” Kabumbuli said.
Students were equipped with practical skills to identify safeguarding risks, understand referral pathways, respond appropriately and raise awareness of the Makerere University Safeguarding Policy.
The policy which was launched in 2024 seeks to protect students, staff and visitors from abuse, exploitation, harassment, discrimination and neglect while promoting accountability and timely response to safeguarding concerns.
In his address, Dr. Rodney Rugyema, the Acting Principal Warden, urged the champions to support students who may fear reporting safeguarding concerns.
“Many students may not know where to report or may fear speaking out. Your role is to listen without judgment, guide students to the appropriate reporting channels and help create an environment where everyone feels safe to seek support,” he said.
Participants also received training on preventing and responding to sexual harassment and gender-based violence at the University.
Principal Gender Officer Ms Suzan Mbabazi said the University has established structures to prevent and investigate cases of sexual harassment and called on the champions to familiarize themselves with the University’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment.
“As champions, understand the policy and encourage students to report cases promptly so that appropriate action can be taken against perpetrators,” she said.
Security Officer Musa Mulindwa encouraged students to use the University’s reporting mechanisms, including the MakSafeSpace e-reporting platform, to report safeguarding concerns and remain vigilant about safety while on campus.
Throughout the workshop, the champions explored key safeguarding concepts, recognized common safeguarding risks at the University and discussed practical approaches to preventing abuse, harassment, discrimination, bullying and exploitation. Interactive sessions also equipped the champions with communication skills to effectively raise awareness among students and encourage timely reporting of safeguarding concerns.
The training forms part of Makerere University‘s ongoing commitment to embedding safeguarding into all Institutional activities and strengthening a campus culture where safety, respect and dignity remain everyone’s responsibility.
The trained champions will support fellow students during the 2026 Freshers’ orientation week.
Students hail the training
In an interview. Students said the workshop had changed their perception of safeguarding and prepared them to support fellow students.
Magrate Laja, a third-year Bachelor of Applied Psychology student, said the training showed her that safeguarding is a shared responsibility.
“I have learnt that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, not just the University Management. I can make a difference by speaking up when I notice something isn’t right. I also learnt how to use the MakSafeSpace,” she said.
Defender Ayebare, Third-year Bachelor of Population Studies student, said the training had broadened her understanding of behaviours that may make others feel unsafe.
“I didn’t know that some behaviours students consider normal can actually make someone feel unsafe. This training has opened my eyes to the importance of creating a respectful and supportive environment for everyone on campus,” she said.
Simon Tugoloze, a third-year Bachelor of Arts in Economics student, said he now understands the different forms of sexual harassment and how to support survivors by directing them to the appropriate reporting channels.
The Student Safeguarding Champions are expected to lead awareness activities within their colleges and encourage students to report safeguarding concerns through the University’s established reporting systems.
Makerere University staff have been urged to embrace servant leadership, integrity and compassion as they prepare to welcome students for the 2026/2027 Academic Year.
The call was made during the Makerere University Staff Prayer Breakfast held on 31st July 2026 at St. Francis Students Centre Upper Hall under the theme “Faithful Stewards: A Servant Heart with Integrity and Wisdom,” drawn from Colossians 3:23–24 and Mark 10:35–45.
The prayer breakfast brought together members of Council, University Management, academic, and administrative staff to dedicate the new academic year to God while reflecting on their responsibility of serving students with excellence, humility and integrity.
A Call to Seek God’s Wisdom
Host Rev. Dr. Lydia Nsaale Kitayimbwa reminded staff that no amount of professional experience or academic expertise can replace God’s guidance.
She noted that the University’s mission can only be fulfilled when staff continually seek God’s wisdom in serving students and one another.
“There is no amount of experience or expertise that can replace God’s wisdom.”
Rev. Dr. Kitayimbwa observed that students remain the reason universities exist and challenged staff to approach their work as a calling rather than merely employment.
“Without students, there is no university,” she said, encouraging members of staff to remain united, avoid unhealthy competition and trust God as they begin another academic year.
She further urged staff to become faithful stewards who work together in harmony, which she summed up as, “United we stand; divided we fall.”
A Community, Not Just a Centre of Research
In her remarks, Dean of Students Dr. Winnie Kabumbuli welcomed the Council Chairperson, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Members of Management to the breakfast, and reminded staff that a university’s value cannot be measured by research and innovation alone.
She described Makerere as a community held together by the spiritual as well as academic wellbeing of its people, and called on staff to renew their commitment to one another as much as to the institution they serve.
Draw Inspiration From Stewardship
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Prof. Sarah Ssali told staff that this year’s breakfast carried special significance.
“This is the first prayer breakfast we are having ever since we launched our strategic plan,” she said, referring to the University’s new Strategic Plan, launched on 2nd July 2026.
She encouraged staff to hold on to the morning’s reflections as a guide for implementing the plan over the next five years, describing Makerere as an institution many families choose above all others for the vision and training it offers their children. She urged staff to see themselves as stewards of that trust rather than simply employees carrying out a job.
Compassion and Discipline Must Go Together
Delivering her remarks, Makerere University Council Chairperson Dr. Lorna Magara challenged staff to strike a balance between compassion and discipline when dealing with students.
She observed that many students face different personal and academic challenges, making encouragement and timely support essential throughout their university journey.
“A word of encouragement can restore hope and prevent costly mistakes,” she noted.
Dr. Lorna encouraged lecturers and administrators to respond promptly to students’ concerns, explaining that delays, insensitive decisions and abuse of authority can discourage students and negatively affect their academic experience.
She reminded staff that students often remember how they were treated long after they have forgotten what was taught in class.
“Students may eventually forget what we teach them, but they will always remember how we treated them.”
She added that education goes beyond transferring knowledge.
“Education is more than knowledge. We communicate life, character and values.”
Quoting Mark 10, Dr. Lorna called upon staff to embrace servant leadership by exercising authority with humility, integrity and accountability.
She encouraged members of staff to ask themselves whether they would treat every student the same way ashey would treat their own child.
“We may not always have all the answers,” she said, “but we can communicate honestly, take responsibility and treat every student with dignity.”
She concluded by urging different colleges and administrative units to work together instead of operating in isolation, noting that unity strengthens the University community.
Referring to Galatians 6:2, she reminded staff to carry one another’s burdens and remain faithful stewards of the responsibility entrusted to them.
Servant Leadership Begins with Faithfulness
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. James Magara, husband to Dr. Lorna Magara, called on members of staff to embrace servant leadership grounded in humility, faithfulness and service to others.
Drawing from Mark 10:35–45, Dr. Magara reflected on the account in which James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour in His kingdom, prompting discontent among the other disciples. He observed that despite walking closely with Christ, the disciples continued to struggle with the desire for status and recognition. He noted that such competition remained evident even during the Last Supper, where concerns over positions and prominence persisted.
Dr. Magara said that Jesus responded to these human tendencies by redefining leadership through service rather than authority. He described Christ’s act of washing the disciples’ feet as the ultimate demonstration of servant leadership, explaining that genuine leaders are willing to undertake even the humblest responsibilities in service of others.
Referencing Philippians 2, he urged staff to emulate Christ’s humility and selflessness, contrasting it with the pride and self-exaltation illustrated in Isaiah 14. He emphasised that lasting influence and greatness are not measured by titles, positions or recognition, but by one’s willingness to serve faithfully and put the needs of others before personal ambition.
Drawing on his own leadership journey spanning several decades, Dr. Magara challenged leaders across the University to cultivate humility, integrity and a servant heart in the execution of their responsibilities. He cautioned that leadership driven by pride and personal ambition undermines both individual effectiveness and institutional progress, whereas servant leadership strengthens organisations and fosters lasting impact.
The prayer breakfast concluded with a call for unity and collective commitment as Makerere University prepares to begin a new academic year. Organisers noted that the reflections on stewardship, integrity and servant leadership would provide a strong foundation for the University community as it advances the implementation of the Makerere University Strategic Plan 2025–2030.
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