Makerere University Academic Registrar Mr. Namoah Masikye has urged students to immensely engage in the university academic activities and develop life-long passion for learning in order to succeed in academics. This was during the Makerere University new Students’ Orientation that was held on Friday 18th August 2017 in Makerere University Freedom Square.
According to the Academic Registrar, developing a culture of studying, consultation as well as engaging in the academic activities of the university will not only enable the students achieve their academic goals but also provide a platform to attain good grades.
He warmly welcomed the students at Makerere University and encouraged them to maintain a self-disciplined character while at campus. The Academic Registrar mentioned the university commitment to help students create a positive university experience and he assured students of quality academic service deliverance with international standards.
“We are proud you chose to pursue your university education with us, and we are excited to help nurture your academic strengths, encourage your personal growth, and inspire your creativity. As students you are the cornerstone of our campus community and our partners in advancing Makerere University‘s stature as a preeminent world-class research driven university,” he remarked.
He encouraged students to always keep an open mind to the unique gifts, interests and needs of those with whom they interact with. According to him, such relationships build a stronger sense of community coupled with the richness that comes from learning in a diverse environment.
He urged students to always tap into the different opportunities offered by the institution when he said, “Makerere University provides a unique opportunity for you to develop a lifelong passion for learning. We hope you will contribute your time and talent by being involved in sports activities, community services, cultural and religious activities, and many other important activities.”
At the beginning of each academic year, Makerere University organizes a New Students Orientation Meeting which presents an opportunity to the University Administration to interact with new students. According to the Head Undergraduate Admissions Mr. Charles Ssentongo, during the orientation meeting students are given a comprehensive package that appeals to their academic and social wellbeing. The Management and staff interact with students in order to provide relevant information and knowledge crucial to students’ stay at the University.
“The orientation also provides you with a chance to meet other incoming students. Helps you to meet new people, and to make new friends,” he said.
Leading the opening prayer Mr. Mubiru John-a student from the College of Education and External Studies dedicated the Orientation meeting for students of academic Year 2017/2018 to the Almighty God, prayed for wisdom and academic excellence during their stay at the University.
Representing the Dean of Students Mr. Cyriaco Kabagambe, the Deputy Dean of Students Mr. Stephen Kateega encouraged freshers to read, understand and strictly follow the rules and regulations governing the University.“We have rules and regulations you must observe. These regulations apply to all students of Makerere University,” he vividly said. He encouraged students to read the Makerere University Anti Sexual Harassment Policy. In addition the Deputy Dean of Students also encouraged students to register so that they can fully be recognized as Makerere University students.
Emphasizing the need to register, the Director, Makerere University Hospital, Dr. Margret Wandera called upon the new students to register with Hospital in order to access health services. “Our responsibility is to see that students stay healthy while at the University. I therefore encourage you to report to the University Hospital for medical services,” said Dr. Wandera.
In the same spirit Dr. Ruth Nalumaga from Makerere University Library who represented Dr. Helen Byamugisha-the University Librarian called upon students to register with the Makerere University Library and the college Libraries.
Representing the Makerere University Bursar Mr. Augustine Tamale, the Manager Grants and Revenue Mrs. Jackie Keirungi Ayorekire sensitized students on the importance of timely payment of University dues, proper record keeping and advised them to keep all receipts for every payment they make at the university. She warned students on forgery, impersonation and falsification documents and said, “The University emphasizes zero tolerance to forgery and it is considered as a criminal matter.”
The Manager-Counselling and Guidance Centre, Makerere University, Mr. Henry Nsubuga encouraged students to fully utilize the counselling and guidance services provided at the centre to free their mind of any problems that will deter them from achieving their academic goals and objectives.
In the same spirit the Dr. Barbra Streets- a Fulbright Scholar attached to Makerere University Counseling and Guidance Centre reminded students of the importance of utilizing the counseling and guidance services saying that, “Counseling and Guidance provides a supportive environment towards career development, it helps in building ones emotion and improving relationships. Counseling and guidance also helps you renew, restore and revive who you already are,” she said.
Makerere University Senior Public Relations Officer, Ms. Ritah Namisango encouraged students to take a holistic approach to life. Speaking to the freshers in the Makerere University Freedom Square, the Senior Public Relations Officer encouraged students to balance academics with other aspects of life throughout the course of their stay.
“Learn to manage your time so that you are able to participate in University activities targeting students, the various sports disciplines, and community outreach activities. Furthermore, I encourage you to join students’ leadership at the School/college and Guild levels. I also appeal to you to continually harness the potential of the various networking opportunities that are freely available in the multidisciplinary multicultural Makerere Community.
On matters of security, the Chief Security Officer Makerere University , SP Jackson Mucunguzi warned freshers on conmen. Mucunguzi who has been at Makerere since 2005 cautioned female students who are likely to be lured into sexual activities over campus excitement.
Afande Mucunguzi advised students to report criminal cases and cooperate with the police officers in case of any information required. “Avoid fortune tellers and money lenders. Avoid keeping large sums of money and housing strangers in your places of residence. Report criminal cases to police officers and in case of any information required of you, be responsive,” he said.
On behalf of the 83rd Makerere University Guild, H.E Kato Paul- the Guild President welcomed the new students to the great and legendary Makerere University. He urged students to take their academic studies seriously and encouraged them to fully participate in the Guild activities. The Guild President also advised the students to always contact the Guild Office for guidance on different aspects including life at campus.
Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga, Chairperson of the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Board of Trustees, announced this milestone during the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2023/24 held on Thursday, 24th October 2024, at Makerere University Main Campus, School of Public Health Auditorium.
The AGM attracted various stakeholders, including trustees, Audit Committee Chairperson CPA David Ssenoga, Board Evaluation Consultant Vincent Kaheeru, URBRA Representative Mark Lotukei, Audit Committee members, co-opted members, and university administrators.
Presenting the performance report, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nansubuga highlighted that this is the highest interest declared by the scheme in the past five years, and she anticipates continued improvements. She noted that for the previous financial year, which ended in June 2023, the Board of Trustees declared an interest an interest of 12.34%.
Dr Nansubuga also announced that the scheme has achieved a Net Investment Income of UGX 44.6 billion, far higher than the UGX34.4 billion collected in Contributions during the year.
The Chairperson of the Board also revealed that the fund value had grown from UGX352.4 billion recorded at the end of the last financial year to UGX409.2 billion, indicating an increase of 16.1%.
“By 30th June 2023, MURBS had a fund value of UGX 352.4 billion. The Board of Trustees targeted Fund growth of 17%, and I am glad to inform you, that the fund value of MURBS, as per the Audited Financial Statements of 30th June 2024 is UGX 409.2 billion, which is an increase of 16.1%. This achievement was made possible by strategic periodical activities undertaken by the Board and our fund managers, supported by the strong oversight committees of the Board,” she reported.
She attributed the positive growth to factors such as improved debt recovery, operational efficiency, timely remittance of contributions by the sponsor (Makerere University), an increase in project and contract contributions, and the recovery of UGX8.85 billion in debts.
Dr. Nansubuga also expressed gratitude to Makerere University, the scheme’s sponsor, for consistently remitting contributions, a key factor that has significantly contributed to MURBS’ smooth operation. “I am happy to announce that the sponsor-Makerere University remitted your retirement benefits for the financial year 2023/24,” she said.
In the same development, Dr. Nansubuga reported that MURBS registered a legal victory against Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) over a real estate investment in Sonde undertaken in 2019, and which URA sought to tax heavily. She notified the AGM that MURBS won the case and was awarded costs which also set a precedent.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to inform you that during the financial year, we received a favorable outcome on a key court case. How did we end up with this case? In 2019, MURBS invested in real estate, we bought land in Sonde,” Dr Nansubuga explained.
“Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) then charged us with a tax assessment worth UGX600 million. It has been four (4) years in the tax appeals tribunal. Since then, the lawyers, the former and current trustees, have been appearing before the appeals tribunal, but in December 2023, MURBS won the case. We challenged URA, and this case was awarded with costs. URA has to pay MURBS. We therefore saved UGX600 million,” she added.
In terms of governance, Dr Nansubuga said that the scheme made changes in the board. Initially, the trustees were six and they needed a seventh member, and following a competitive race, they recruited another trustee; CPA Edina Rugumayo who has over thirty years in accounting.
“In terms of governance, we continue to uphold good governance practices and we align with international standards. Last year during the presentation, I said we were six and we needed to have the seventh trustee because the Board composition is supposed to be seven,” she explained.
“So, following a competitive process, we recruited an independent trustee. It was a very competitive position. You must have served on board which has over UGX50 billion. So, from that process, we were able to recruit CPA Edna Rugumayo Simbwa. She is a certified public accountant with over thirty years of experience in accounting, taxation, and corporate governance,” she mentioned.
She also thanked other stakeholders for making sure that MURBS activities run smoothly. These entities include Makerere University, KPMG, Gen Africa, Arcadia Advocates, Zamara, URBRA, and Stanbic Bank among others.
While discussing investments, Dr. Nansubuga mentioned that 86% of MURBS’ funds are currently invested in government bonds, but added that the Board is exploring diversification to reduce risks.
“86% percent of our money is invested in government bonds, and sometimes, you do not have to put all your eggs in one basket, there is a high concentration of risk. so that is one of the key material risks that we want to address to reduce the amount we have in government securities. We want to diversify our portfolio and avoid investing heavily in government securities. The Board will venture into other fields in order to earn money or return on investment from the diverse undertakings,” she said.
In terms of membership, Dr. Nansubuga reported a 4.4% increase, with the number of members rising from 8,229 to 8,590. She attributed this growth to the reinstatement of in-house beneficiaries and an increase in project and contract staff.
Dr. Kakuba also thanked the sponsor-Makerere University for remitting the membership contributions timely which has helped the scheme to grow.
Dr. Godwin Kakuba -Secretary, MURBS Board of Trustees, who presented the record of the 13th Annual General Meeting stressed that the AGM climaxes a financial year and the Board of Trustee has been vigilant on this and has not missed any AGM for 14 years now.
“We applaud the sponsor because many of these positives in the chairperson’s report can only be attributed to the support by the sponsor through fulfilling the obligation of remitting members’ contributions to the scheme,” he added.
Partner Asad Ssenoga, an independent auditor who audited the scheme said that he was impressed with the level of compliance that the scheme exhibited in all aspects. He said they focused on ensuring that the member contributions are supported with statements and allocated to members appropriately.
“Overall we were satisfied with the work we did on the audit, the numbers that were presented by the Chairperson are the correct numbers that we audited. We were comfortable with those numbers, due process was followed during the audit,” he said.
Mr. Mark Lotukei who represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) thanked the Trustees for always prioritizing governance, which has helped them to reach several milestones.
“As URBRA, we look at governance as the biggest component of our compliance. MURBS Trustees from the former to the current, have taken governance as the most important aspect. We really encourage them to continue with this good practice because governance informs all the other aspects,” he said.
Mr. Arthur Kibira, a member in attendance, expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts. He urged them to explore higher-risk investments for potentially greater returns. He expressed concern over the scheme’s heavy reliance on government bonds.
“Dr Elizabeth Nansubuga, I want to congratulate you, and your team and also congratulate ourselves. But, I want to believe that there is room for improvement. I am one of those who do not believe that the sky is the limit, we are limited by our own thinking. I am thinking that high risks give high returns. Is there a way of managing those risks, so that we could push this 13.40% interest to a figure much higher? If we do so, we shall say we have learnt how to manage risks,”, he guided.
The Research Chairs concept is similar to Centers of Excellence (for instance in supporting world-class research in a priority area), but also has many distinguishing features. Most notably, it recognizes individual excellence, leadership and talent. The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity among African nations. The Initiative focuses on celebrating his legacy in building knowledge-based economies for the advancement of Africa.
ORTARChI builds on and leverages existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development.
Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven (7) countries in Africa, namely; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia have been selected for funding through a rigorous and competitive two-stage review process. These research chairs are focused on research priorities identified by each host institution in conjunction with, especially the Science Councils, and in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024.
Prof. Noble Banadda from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences had been inaugurated as one of the first 10 (ten) Oliver Tambo (ORTARChi) Chairs. Unfortunately, Prof. Banadda (R.I.P) passed on in July 2021, which created a vacuum. To ensure that Uganda and Makerere University continue to tap into the ORTARChi, we are glad to announce the appointment of Associate Professor David Meya from the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University for the purpose. The appointment will attract USD 170,000 annually for 5 years for graduate research with a target of training 5-6 PhDs, 10-15 Post-doctoral fellows and 10-12 Masters of Medicine and Master of Science Students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Makerere University has had the pleasure of attending 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The annual gathering is co-hosted by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, National Research and Innovation Fund for Development (FONRID) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The theme for this year’s gathering is: “African Sovereignty: A Catalyst for Research Collaborations and Social Impact in the Continent“. At the annual gathering, Uganda was represented by Associate Prof. David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Mak), Associate Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Research and Graduate Training) and Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST). Assoc. Prof. David Meya – ORTARChI Chair Elect – is from Makerere University’s School of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences.
Hoima and Kikuube Districts, Uganda – October 20, 2024
A group of third-year students from College of Business and Management Sciences’s Energy and Natural Resources Economics program visited the Kingfisher oil operations and Kabalega Airport in Hoima and Kikuube districts on October 20, 2024. Led by Dr. Peter Babyenda and Dr. John Sseruyange, and with authorization from the Petroleum Authority of Uganda, the visit offered the students an invaluable opportunity to connect classroom learning with field experience.
The primary objective of the field trip was to enhance students’ practical understanding of Uganda’s oil industry by observing the extraction and production processes firsthand. According to Dr. Babyenda, “Blending theory with real-world exposure is essential for these students, as it allows them to apply and expand their knowledge beyond the classroom.”
During the tour, students explored several key areas:
Practical Exposure – Witnessing the operational procedures of oil extraction offered students a concrete understanding of how theoretical concepts play out in the field, enhancing their grasp of the industry.
Economic Impact Analysis – Observing the economic role of oil production in Hoima and Kikuube allowed the students to explore its broader impact on local and global markets and its contributions to community development and Uganda’s economic landscape.
Technical Knowledge – The students gained insights into the technical aspects of oil extraction, learning about the complexities of the operations, the innovations employed, and the challenges faced by the industry.
Environmental and Social Considerations – Students observed the environmental practices in place and evaluated the social dynamics involved, gaining an understanding of how oil companies balance production with community and environmental sustainability.
Career Insights – With opportunities to interact with professionals in the oil sector, students received guidance on potential career paths in the industry, helping them make informed decisions about their futures.
Current Industry Issues – The group also delved into the status of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) project and discussed challenges in oil and natural gas production, examining where Uganda stands in terms of production timelines, obstacles, solutions, and the role they can play as future energy professionals.
Reflecting on the trip, Dr. Sseruyange highlighted the importance of this experience in solidifying students’ understanding of Uganda’s evolving oil industry. “This field experience not only complements what they’ve learned in lectures but also equips them with a real sense of the operational and societal impact of the energy sector,”he noted.
The students expressed their gratitude for the immersive experience, noting how it broadened their perspectives and deepened their knowledge. The field trip served as an essential step in preparing them for careers within Uganda’s energy and natural resources sectors, bringing them closer to the industry’s forefront and the future of sustainable energy in the region.