General
Mak’s MPIM Nurtures Uganda Vision 2040 Change Agents
The Master in Public Infrastructure Management (MPIM) is a Pan-African Capacity Building Programme (PACBP), supported by the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the International Development Corporation (IDC) and the French Agency for Development (AFD). Launched on 30th March 2012 at Makerere University, the programme seeks to build capacity of the African Public Service by training a calibre of public service managers and supervisors who will provide effective leadership to the management of public affairs and infrastructure programmes.
The programme though housed by the School of Business, College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), is interdisciplinary in nature and is taught with support from the School of Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and the School of Social Sciences (College of Humanities and Social Sciences-CHUSS). The programme, held in partnership with University of Pretoria (South Africa) and the University of Dakar (Senegal) ensures that students incorporate the best practices in public infrastructure management through study tours to exemplary companies/projects both within and outside Uganda.
Following this year’s tours both internally; within Uganda and externally; to South Africa, the MPIM programme held the 3rd Study Tour Dissemination Seminar on Friday 14th October 2016 at the School of Business, CoBAMS. Welcoming participants to the seminar, The School Dean, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba noted that MPIM was raising a breed of professionals that would not only help establish but also sustain and better manage public infrastructure.
“It is a programme that takes on people from various backgrounds, and in terms of facilitation, we have a critical potential of human resources whereby we engage guest lecturers” remarked Dr. Kakumba. He nevertheless noted that the School has plans to enhance the delivery of the programme by requesting prospective stakeholder institutions to provide guest lectureship, and areas of learning through study tour sites.
Infrastructure for energy, transport, water, oil and gas and ICT were identified as the fundamentals that need to be strengthened in order to harness the abundant opportunities around the country so as to attain Uganda’s Vision 2040. The Uganda Vision 2040 statement is “A Transformed Ugandan Society from a Peasant to a Modern and Prosperous Country within 30 years”
Dr. Kakumba further commended current and former MPIM students for fronting the idea of a Consortium/Think Tank to provide consultancy, skills and capacity to various agencies. “This consortium or group of people may belong to different organizations but joining together under the patronage of the School of Business, will offer first-hand information on issues of water, solid waste management, roads and transport,” he said.
He further noted that these ideas will be shared with stakeholder institutions at a future engagement to enable them weigh in their opinions. The Dean further shared that with support from partner institutions, the School will be in position to progressively create executive short training programmes, tailor-made to address industry needs as they arise.
The 3rd Study Tour Dissemination Seminar tackled three sectors namely; Transport, Water and Energy. The Transport Group shared an overview of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and GAUTRAIN Integrated Transport System both based in South Africa, while the Water group evaluated Best practices and Lessons Learnt from Rand Water-South Africa and the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC)-Uganda. The Energy Group examined the various projects in the energy sectors of South Africa and Uganda.
The groups demonstrated passion for fulfilling the objectives of their respective study tours by presenting detailed overviews, informative comparisons on regulatory frameworks, product ranges and project costs as well as challenges, strategies and lessons learnt from the sectors. The moderator of the presentations and open discussion Dr. Godfrey Akileng commended the groups for a job well done and shared notable issues from the presentations that are critical to the discussion on a way forward.
• At least 1 20litre jerry can of water per day to be provided freely to each poor household
• Value Added Tax (VAT) should not be levied on water
• Government should compulsorily acquire land for infrastructure development
• Management of sanitation should be incorporated into the water sector
• A multi-sectoral approach should be adopted for infrastructural development and management to drive the middle-income status agenda of the country
• Efficient, Ugandan-run governance and management structures should be adopted for public infrastructure management systems
• Uganda should develop its own local Public-Private Partnership (PPP) capacity mindful of project costs, bid times, and issues to do with technology transfer
• Support the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) in developing bankable projects especially those in infrastructure
“These are critical issues of policy nature which we should write down in form of a framework paper and disseminate at another forum similar to this,” noted Dr. Akileng.
The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) is an agency that has witnessed a lot of institutional change in the recent past. The Chief Guest at the seminar and Head of Research and Development at UNRA-Dr. Henry Rubarenzya, thanked the CoBAMS leadership for organizing and hosting the event.
“Change is part of reality and we have to continually innovate in all dimensions of our work for improvement. At UNRA, we take innovation seriously and have structured it formally to ensure that the organisation does not stop challenging the status quo,” remarked Dr. Rubarenzya.
He further noted that public funds management presents a very challenging task for the weak hearted but is a simple task for managers of high integrity. He commended the MPIM programme for the human capital development initiatives within Makerere, other institutions and within the country. “I therefore applaud the milestones so far obtained in building management skills for existing and upcoming leaders in the infrastructure sector” said Dr. Rubarenzya.
At the conclusion of the seminar, the Day’s emcee and Coordinator, Graduate Programs & Research- School of Business, CoBAMS-Dr. Peter Turyakira noted that innovation is the only way to go as everything was constantly changing. “We must be seen to be change agents and therefore demonstrate effective managerial skills in public infrastructure management” he said.
Please see Downloads for the detailed presentations by the Groups
Article by Public Relations Office
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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