The Makerere University Chancellor Prof. Ezra Suruma has urged the newly graduated Makerere University students to fight for and strongly defend the dignity of the African nations and the African people in particular from being openly attacked and abused in the name of searching for employment opportunities overseas.  

Presiding over the first session of the 68th Makerere University Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday 16th January 2018, the Chancellor revealed that Africans who cannot find jobs at home have been facing inhumane conditions and death in their attempts to immigrate to other continents while looking for greener pastures.

“The time for complacency in Africa is over. Every African has the duty to fight slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism. No one should think that these are just words. They are real forces that threaten the present and future of the African people. Everyone, without exception, has the duty to protect the dignity and life of our country and our continent,” said Prof. Suruma.

This year 2018, a total of fourteen thousand, eighty five (14,085) students will be awarded degrees and diplomas of Makerere University in various disciplines. Of these, 71 will receive PhDs, 996 Masters Degrees, 96 Postgraduate Diplomas, 144 undergraduate diplomas and 12,778 Bachelor’s Degrees with a total of 403 students attaining First Class Degrees in the respective disciplines.

On the first day of the graduation; Tuesday 16th January 2018, a total of 2,425 graduands from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) and the College of Education and External Studies (CEES) were conferred upon degrees and awarded diplomas of Makerere University.

The Chancellor, congratulated all graduands upon reaching this tremendous milestone and encouraged them to ask God for a vision to which they can be committed to live a life that is focused to a noble cause.

“Please keep going. Do not stop. We live in a competitive and often ruthless world. There is very little room for complacency. The battle for survival is just beginning. May you be blessed with the courage to try new things, the grace to endure hardships of life and the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor,” he said.

He thanked the parents and guardians for the support rendered to the students through the many years of toil and sorrow that made them finally reach the victorious moment. In the same spirit, the Chancellor recognized the support and financial contributions of Government of Uganda, sponors, development partners and all stakeholders of Makerere University towards the institution.

“It is this support that has enabled Makerere University to maintain its role as a leading regional and global university in teaching, learning, research and innovation. The role of funding for research and innovation for institutional development should not be underestimated,” Prof Suruma noted.

Speaking to the congregation, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe congratulated the graduands and members of staff that have taken the initiative and upgraded their academic experience. In a special way he congratulated the Members of staff that have been promoted to various positions.

He highlighted a number of achievements Makerere University has registered, in areas of Research and Innovation, Infrastructure Development during the year 2017.

“Makerere University won two World Bank Grants worth $12 million for two Centres of Excellence, one to be hosted in the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) and another at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). CEDAT will host the Africa Center of Excellence in Materials Product Development and Nanotechnology (MAPRONANO) while CAES will host the Centre for Crop Improvement,” he remarked.

“Makerere University has benefited from the AfDB-HEST funded project through a loan to the Government of Uganda. Two central teaching facilities, with a total area of 12,000 square metres have been built and a number of laboratories in five colleges have been renovated and upgraded under this funding. Re-construction of all our major roads has been completed. These infrastructure developments have greatly transformed the University’s landscape.  Street Lighting has also been installed on all major roads in the University and this has led to an improvement in security,” Prof. Nawangwe added.

This year, under the stewardship of the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate, 144 female scholars of the Female Scholarship Foundation are graduating with four (4) students graduating with first class degrees and sixty three (63) students attaining second class upper degrees. These are part of the 1,020 bright but socio-economically disadvantaged females that have been supported to study in various Colleges at the University since 2001. Seventy four (74) out of the 1,020 females have been directly financed by Makerere University through a tuition waiver scheme.

“I pay special tribute to the organizations that have supported the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate in this regard. These include Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Swedish Government (Sida), Norwegian Government, Mastercard Foundation, African Development Bank, Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda), MS JD Global Education Fund, DFCU Bank, Joshua Mugyenyi Foundation, among others. I call upon well-wishers to support the noble cause of assisting those disadvantaged socially and economically to access University Education,” said the Vice Chancellor.

The Vice Chancellor also recognized Ms. Claire Muga Akinyi, a Mastercard Foundation Scholar upon graduating with First class Honors degree in Community Psychology. In the same vein, he congratulated the first cohort Scholars of Mastercard Foundation who will be graduating this year 2018.

The Vice Chancellor was happy to announce the first Graduates of Chinese language and urged more Ugandans to take interest in Chinese, the language spoken by the largest number of people in the whole world. This first cohort will be conferred upon their degrees on Friday 19th January 2018.

During this year’s first session, Makerere University Convocation recognized Mr. Odong Brian Boniface for the outstanding academic achievement of graduating as the Best Overall Science Student at Makerere University.  Mr. Odong graduated with a first Class Honors Degree, scoring a CGPA of 4.94.

The Chairperson of the Makerere University Convocation thanked the entire community for their generous contributions towards the perimeter wall project. At the 67th Graduation ceremony, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uganda Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda and the Chancellor Prof. Ezra Suruma launched the Perimeter wall project. The project was estimated to cost UGX7.5 billion and through the generous contribution the team has been able to construct 600 metres of the 6 kilometre wall.

“To date UGX250 million has been raised through generous contributions of members of convocation, parents, students and friends of Makerere University. I call upon all well-wishers to continue contributing to the project,” remarked Dr. Tanga-Odoi.

On Friday 19th January 2018, Mrs. Winnie Madikizela Mandela will receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws of Makerere University in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the liberation struggle of South Africa and Africa at large. The decision to award Mrs. Mandela an Honorary Doctorate successfully went through all the vetting procedures following her successful nomination. Makerere University congratulates Winnie Madikizela Mandela upon this achievement and welcomes her to the Convocation.

Please see Downloads for Speeches

Article by Mak-Public Relations Office