General
Cambridge Trust Explore Collaboration with Mak
Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is one of the oldest in the world, with a student population of 21,000; 58% being undergraduate and 42% postgraduate. 11% of the undergraduate student population and approximately 53% of postgraduate applicants originate from outside the European Union (EU). The Cambridge Trust is the principal provider of scholarships at the University of Cambridge supporting around 1,200 students at any one time.
Despite the focus on international graduate students, Cambridge Trust receives few applications from Uganda and Makerere in particular. This nagging question therefore prompted Dame Barbara Stocking, and Mrs. Helen Pennant to visit Makerere University and interact with the Management, Leadership, Staff and Students on 12th September 2017. Dame Barbara Stocking is the President of Murray Edwards College and Trustee of both the Gates Cambridge Trust and the Cambridge Trust, while Mrs. Helen Pennant is the Director of the Cambridge Trust.
Welcoming the delegation, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the ladies for seeking to strengthen and extend the existing connections between Makerere and the University of Cambridge. He noted that just like Cambridge, Makerere is a collegiate university with 10 constituent colleges and is home to the best and most vibrant faculty on the African continent, with over 60% PhD holders.
“Makerere is also a vibrant research institution and is ranked second in Africa in terms of research output and publications. Our research agenda targets both national and regional challenges such as climate change, high population growth rates, food security and emerging diseases,” said Prof. Nawangwe.
The Vice Chancellor added that as a result, Makerere is world renowned for research in tropical diseases and the breeding of fast maturing, drought tolerant and disease resistant crop varieties. “Makerere University went collegiate to streamline her academic and research functions. Our research output has increased as a result and a college review is underway to see how we can perfect the system.”
Dame Barbara Stocking in her remarks expressed her happiness at visiting Makerere and congratulated the Vice Chancellor and staff upon the fruitful collaborations with Cambridge and all other universities. She noted that the Cambridge-Africa programme had serious ongoing partnerships in the names of THRiVE (Training Health Researchers into Vocational Excellence) and CAPREx (Cambridge-Africa Partnership for Research Excellence) and these were going to be further strengthened.
She added that despite the availability for PhD and Masters scholarships tenable at Cambridge, there were few applicants from sub-Saharan Africa. “Our visits to Kenya and Uganda this month are to help us clearly understand why scholars from this region aren’t successfully taking up these opportunities.”
Reiterating her colleagues point, Mrs. Helen Pennant shared that the Cambridge Trust and Gates Cambridge Trust are an opportunity to address the imbalance of few Graduate students from sub-Saharan Africa in general and Makerere in particular.
“The Gates Cambridge Trust offers 100 fully funded scholarships for PhD study which cover tuition fees and other allowances and for the Ugandan scholars, the offer also covers the airfare” enthused Mrs. Pennant. She however recognised the importance of the Alumni chapter engaging directly with prospective students and shared that sessions for applicants to be held later on the same day would feature four former students, including Dr. John Kitayimbwa an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics.
“The Gates Cambridge scholarship further looks at how much leadership potential the applicants have and how much they have already done for their communities” said Dame Stocking, further adding “There is no reason why we should have more Ugandans securing these opportunities.”
Prof. Nelson Sewankambo is the Director of the THRiVE Consortium at Makerere University. Weighing in on the day’s discussion, he observed that his last nine years at the helm of the consortium had been the most exciting and rewarding of his years spent at Makerere. THRiVE has been able to sponsor a number of PhD students from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda and currently has four PhD and two Postdoctoral students on scholarship.
“The reason why students from Uganda and Makerere in particular are not featuring highly in Cambridge’s scholarship awards is because they imagine that the standards are too high. It is therefore important that members of the alumni share their personal experiences with these applicants” said Prof. Sewankambo.
CAPREx is a tripartite collaboration involving the University of Cambridge, University of Ghana, Legon and Makerere University. The programme started in 2012 and has so far supported 65 Academic Fellowships, 34 from Makerere University and 31 from the University of Ghana. The Director of Research and Graduate Training-Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza who coordinated the visit acknowledged that Dame Stocking’s and Mrs. Pennant’s coming to Makerere brought the foundations of the application process closer to Uganda. He observed that although the CAPREx programme started at a slow pace, it has since picked up as applicants are better informed of the opportunities.
In her concluding remarks, Dame Stocking acknowledged that although Cambridge’s ancient buildings, application fees and English tests were a put-off for many applicants, it was important that the alumni help to walk the prospective applicants through the process. She also urged all academic referees to write helpful supporting letters as these greatly boosted the applicant’s chances of being selected.
The Vice Chancellor once again thanked Dame Stocking and Mrs. Pennant for their visit, noting that the tips they had shared during the interaction were very helpful. “Uganda is the centre of Africa. It has ethnic groupings from almost all parts of the continent and once you have studied Uganda, you have studied Africa. Makerere should be the coordinating centre for Cambridge in Africa as we look forward to exploring more collaborations” concluded Prof. Nawangwe.
At the end of the meeting attended by Members of Management, Directors and Principals of Colleges, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe handed over Makerere souvenirs to ladies and received a Cambridge souvenir from Mrs. Pennant.
Article by Public Relations Office
The Director of Makerere University Jinja Campus, Associate Professor Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala, has urged students to familiarise themselves with the Safeguarding policy aimed at creating a safer and more inclusive learning environment.
Speaking during the safeguarding policy sensitization meeting held today Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at the Civil Service College, Jinja, Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, emphasized the importance of awareness and adherence to the policy, which seeks to protect students, staff, and other stakeholders from all forms of abuse, harassment, exploitation, and discrimination.
“As Management we want every student to enjoy their stay at the University without being tormented and that can only happen, if students know their rights by reading about different policies on our website. You are meant to be living in a safe environment. We do not want anybody’s dream to be shattered or somebody to drop out from University,” Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, said.
In his speech, Prof. Kakungulu-Mayambala, also called upon students who have complaints but do not know the reporting lines, to approach staff safeguarding champions to make sure that they live in a safe environment.
Addressing guests, Emmanuel Muchake, the Guild Administrator at Jinja Campus, pointed out that the launch of the safeguarding policy is timely because as a University, without creating a conducive environment for teaching and learning, they will not have students graduate.
On Friday, April 4,2025, the Third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Right Honourable Lukia Isanga Nakadama, officially launched the Safeguarding Policy and commended Makerere University for crafting a policy that lays out the University’s framework for embedding viable safeguarding measures into its ethos and all institutional activities and processes to: Identify, detect, and act swiftly on safeguarding risks.
The Safeguarding Policy was developed in response to the growing need for institutions of higher learning to implement proactive measures that address concerns related to student welfare, mental health, gender-based violence, and power imbalances in academic settings.
Some of potential safeguarding risks in Institutions of higher learning include emotional distress, Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH); material loss, financial exploitation, discrimination and neglect, unfair and illegitimate response to civic engagements, cyber security/threats, psychological and emotional harm, substance abuse and physical assault. Discrimination and neglect which are often high risks for students with disabilities and international students.
The safeguarding policy sensitization meeting in Jinja Campus brought together students and staff in a meaningful dialogue on safeguarding issues affecting learning.
The event was graced by Dr. Rodney Rugyema, from the Dean of Students Office, who emphasized the University’s commitment to the well-being of all its members. In his remarks, he highlighted the importance of safeguarding policies in preventing abuse, harassment, exploitation, and other forms of misconduct within the Jinja Campus community.
“Safeguarding is not a one-time action, but a continuous culture of care and accountability. We all have a role to play in ensuring a safe and respectful space for learning and growth,” Dr Rugyema, said.
The sensitization session covered key topics including; recognizing signs of abuse, understanding reporting procedures on the MakSafeSpace and fostering mutual respect among peers.
Participants were encouraged to actively engage and reflect on their roles in upholding safety standards both on and off campus.
Students who attended the sensitization welcomed the initiative, with many expressing optimism that the policy would improve campus safety and encourage victims to come forward without fear of retaliation.
“We have seen issues go unreported in the past because students didn’t know where to turn. This policy provides clarity and assurance that the university is taking these matters seriously,” noted, a third-year student.
The University plans to conduct a series of sensitization workshops and distribute printed copies of the policy to ensure that every member of the campus community is well-informed. This initiative is part of Makerere University‘s broader strategy to reinforce its values of integrity, respect, and protection for all.
The Safeguarding Sensitization Meeting concluded with a collective pledge to uphold safety, dignity, and mutual respect within the University community.
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