The 1st Joint Doctoral School attracted over 100 participants from five public universities in Uganda and was held from 18th to 29th April 2016 at Makerere University. During the training participants tackled two cross cutting courses on Philosophy of Methods and Writing and Publishing an article. The Joint Doctoral School is a result of discussions held between Makerere University and Stellenbosch University in June 2015. DRGT hosted Mr. Christoff Pauw, Manager, International Academic Networks and Ms. Corina Du Toit, Head, African Capacity Programme both of the Postgraduate and International Office at Stellenbosch University. After the meeting, it was agreed that cross–cutting courses through Joint Doctoral Schools should be conducted at Makerere University.
Opening the Joint Doctoral School on Monday 12th September 2016, the Deputy Director DRGT, Professor David Owiny, on behalf of the Director DRGT, Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza welcomed the facilitators from SU and thanked them for offering their time to train at Makerere University. Identifying himself as an Alumnus of SU, Prof. Owiny thanked the African Doctoral Academy (ADA) for funding the joint doctoral school. Professor Owiny also recognized the sacrifice that participants had made to attend the courses, especially on the first day which was a public holiday. He encouraged participants to stay hroughout the entire one-week course.
Commenting on the course, the Director, Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza noted that over years, DRGT has realized the need to develop joint doctoral training programmes with other well ranked Universities in Africa. “To achieve our goal, we are implementing a collaborative doctoral school programme with the African Capacity Programme and International Office at Stellenbosch University, South Africa” he said. In her remarks, Ms. Du Toit informed participants that Stellenbosch University’s long term collaborative partnership with Makerere University was the basis of hosting the Joint Doctoral Schools at Makerere. She expressed her pleasure conducting the second Joint Doctoral School and thanked DRGT for coordinating the school. She then wished participants a fruitful week of training.
The course on Doctoral Supervision was facilitated by Prof. Jan Botha from the Stellenbosch University, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST), while the second Becoming a Lecturer: Teaching and Learning in Higher Education was by Prof Magda Fourie-Malherbe, Centre for Higher and Adult Education, SU and Dr Sonja Strydom, Centre for Learning Technologies, SU. The course concluded today Friday 16th September with a ceremony where participants in the two courses were awarded academic certificates by Stellenbosch University.
The Office of the Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released the admission lists for Bachelor of Laws for the Academic Year 2025/2026.
Please note that the list includes Government Sponsorship for Bachelor of Laws i.e A-Level (Direct Entry), Bachelor of Laws-Day – (LAW) and Bachelor of Laws-Afternoon – (LAA)
Makerere University has received 700 digital tablets from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), aimed at enhancing statistical research, teaching, and data-driven decision-making across the institution.
The donation was made on June 30, 2025, as part of UBOS’ broader initiative to distribute a total of 3,025 tablets to ten government-funded institutions of higher learning. The handover ceremony was attended by Makerere’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi and Mr. Simon Kizito, the Deputy University Secretary among other Vice Chancellors and accounting officers.
Vice Chancellors from government-funded institutions of higher learning that received the donation of tablets from UBOS.
Dr. Allen Kabagenyi, a UBOS Board Director, who coordinated the distribution of the tablets to the respective 10 Public universities, underscored the significance of inter-institutional collaboration in fostering a data-literate and innovative generation. “This initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships between public institutions. In a country like Uganda, with one of the youngest populations globally, equipping our future leaders with the right tools is critical to achieving both national and global development goals,” she remarked.
The tablets had initially been procured and deployed during the recently concluded National Population and Housing Census. UBOS Executive Director Dr. Chris Mukiza explained that their redistribution marks the beginning of the Bureau’s post-census utilization strategy.
Dr. Chris Mukiza (L) flanked by his Board Director Dr. Allen Kabagenyi (R) addressing the meeting.
“We acquired 120,000 tablets to conduct the census, and as we committed earlier, we are ensuring that these resources continue to serve the country even after the census,” said Dr. Mukiza. “Our expectation is that these tablets will strengthen data collection, teaching, and research in universities and higher institutions. We want to see a culture where statistics are not only produced but also actively used to influence development outcomes.”
Dr. Mukiza encouraged academic institutions to take full advantage of the extensive data available at UBOS, emphasizing that greater use of statistical resources will translate into more impactful research and policy interventions.
Some of the accounting officers who attended the handover ceremony.
During the same event – cultural institutions also received tablets.
With this donation, Makerere University is well-positioned to further empower students and researchers in statistical analysis, evidence-based planning, and innovation-driven teaching.