General
Mak marks national breast cancer awareness month: Students join fight against breast cancer
Over 400 Makerere University students assembled in the Freedom Square on Sunday 23rd October 2016 to participate in the Breast Cancer Awareness Run.
The Breast Cancer Awareness Run kick started the “MAK Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign” organized by Makerere University 82nd Guild Cabinet to disseminate information on breast cancer screening and treatment in several parts of Uganda.
A renowned local artist Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu aka Bobi Wine together with his wife Barbra Kyagulanyi, flagged off the Runners. The Mak Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign is also aligned to the commemoration of the National Breast Cancer Awareness month.
According to the Makerere University Guild President H.E Roy Ssembogga, the Mak Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign which is aligned to the commemoration of the National Breast Cancer Awareness month provides a platform to Makerere University students to join the fight against breast cancer, encourage people to go for cancer screening and to train them on self breast cancer check up and monitoring.
“Statistics from the Uganda Cancer Institute supported by the World Heath organizations show that for every 1000 women, 45 do have breast cancer. The statistics show that the burden is going to continue and increase to the third world countries like Uganda with no strategic cancer treatment plan. Our aim therefore is to encourage people to go for the screening. Prevention is better than cure. It is important that people are diagnosed early and go for the treatment because cancer in its early stages is curable,” he said.
Highlighting the roll out of the screening exercise, the Guild President said: “We will carry out cancer screening at the National Cancer Institute and at Makerere University Hospital. We also hope to extend the screening activity to Halls of residence so as to reach everyone. Screening is free and we vehemently invite people from outside to come and check for cancer,” he said.
Ssembogga said that they will extend the campaign to reach different people in several areas of Uganda under the umbrella of FACE OF MUK when he said, “our target in this campaign is to reach out to 10,000 people in the next five years. Therefore through Face of MUK initiative, we want to select an Ambassador who will lead a team of selected and well trained people to traverse the country disseminating information on breast cancer. The team will also provide cancer screening services to the people.”
The Vice Guild President, H.E Maria Ledochowska Nattabi added that the Ambassador will lead an awareness campaign in secondary schools and higher institutions of learning in Uganda.
Speaking to the chummy audience, Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu who was the Chief Runner, applauded Makerere University students for joining the rest of the world to create awareness on Breast Cancer.
“I have been invited to such activities and events by elderly guys, NGOs, Government but today I am delighted to have been invited by young and energetic people to join hands and fight for a good cause,” the happy Kyagulanyi said.
He urged the participants to utilize their youthful age and make a positive impact in their societies. “These are times when you are most passionate about what you believe in. These are the times when you look at the future, these are times when you still have the time to shape the future. I want to challenge you to be more of critical thinkers. The leaders that are leading us today, never sat back because they knew that the future was supposed to be set by them. They gave their best contribution during their youthful years. This is your time to give your contribution,” he said.
In an interactive interview with the Makerere University Public Relations Office, Barbra Kyagulanyi called upon women and men, girls and boys to go for cancer screening. This bold step would help them to know their status as early as possible and take up the right measures.
“You cannot hide from a disease. If you have it that is the truth and this will never change. The earlier you know the better. It is not true that when you are diagnosed of cancer you will die tomorrow. There are high chances of surviving if it is detected in its early stages. Cancer takes on several stages, there is a stage where it is treatable, there is a stage where you can have a surgery and there is a stage that is beyond, so the longer time you take to go for a screen and know your status, the worse it becomes,” she explained.
The event was sponsored by Africell Uganda, Brussels Air line, Care Hearts-Uganda, Firebase Entertainment, Uganda Female Muslim Students’ Initiative among others.
Article by: Mak Public Relations Office
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.
-
General4 days agoUndergraduate Admission Lists 2026/2027
-
General7 days agoAdmission Lists for Postgraduate Programmes 2026/27
-
General2 weeks agoGulu University Benchmarks Makerere University’s Management of Mature Age Entry Examinations
-
General1 week agoMakerere, Southwest Minzu University and NARO Forge Strategic Partnership to Advance Livestock Research and Innovation
-
General1 week agoMakerere’s Research Billions Offer MUST a Blueprint for Managing Grants