General
New MUASA Chairperson Swears In: Emphasises Association’s Financial Sustainability
The newly elected Chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) Dr. Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi has vowed to use his term of office to create a MUASA SACCO with the aim of strengthening the financial position of the Association. Speaking to the joyful audience at the swearing in ceremony held on 15th January 2018, Dr. Kamunyu said that the New MUASA Executive is committed to resource mobilisation and strengthening the financial position of the Association beyond the current income generating activities.
To achieve this, he pledged to institute processes and procedures that are guided by approved operating manuals with an improved outlook to governance as well as increased trust in the Association‘s ability to handle finances and guide investments.
“This SACCO will increase our social cohesion, empower us financially and increase our love for the Association. MUASA SACCO will not compete with any available saving options in the university as many may anticipate, it will instead expand saving opportunities for members but this time with clear social development objective and governance structure. The two years which we have started today seem few but will endeavour to lay a foundation for most viable projects,” he said.
Dr. Kamunyu envisions a meaningful and stronger MUASA that focuses on not only uniting but also positively changing the lives of its members beyond salary enhancement and harmonisation. According to Dr. Kamunyu, his team is also ready to work with the University Management to improve governance and promote compliance to policies and regulations.
“We want consistent improvement in ethical standards especially in the handling of financial, administrative and academic matters. We want transparency in staff development and promotions policy and procedures, college financial management and improved budgeting and compliance budgets. We will continue to call for action towards a pro service delivery procurement system and one that guarantees good value for money,” he said.
After serving as the Association’s Public Relations Officer for two years, Dr. Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi was on Monday 11th December 2017, elected as the new Chairperson of MUASA replacing Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu-Musoke; his term officially starting on 5th January 2018. He pointed to the past two years of serving MUASA as a period of learning to; serve people selflessly, take MUASA’s position seriously, listen to others carefully and be open minded.
“I therefore believe that my victory as the MUASA Chairperson was not out of persuasive campaign but out of the trust that MUASA fraternity have in me. Even when I know that the tasks ahead are many and yet with no straight forward methods of accomplishing them, I will be reminded of your resolute trust in my ability and push forward,” he remarked.
Dr. Kamunyu Muhwezi who was in the company of his beloved wife Mrs. Mariam Kamunyu and children Charles and Rebecca Kamunyu thanked the Almighty God and the MUASA fraternity for allowing him to serve the Association as the Chairperson. He also thanked the outgoing Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu-Musoke and his Executive for steering the Association for the last five years. “Your leadership has brought various staff welfare achievements such as salary enhancement and health insurance. Together with my team, I promise to build on from where you have stopped. We hope that you will be available for consultation where need arises especially when we move to tap from your wealth of experience as MUASA leader” he said.
“I also thank the MUASA Electoral Commission for delivering a credible election. The election you organised has never been held in the history of MUASA. We are glad and honoured to have taken these respectable positions with undisputed mandate which we believe you made possible. We are partners in strengthening your mandate because we are aware that at some point, bad elections were threatening to undermine MUASA,” he added.
The swearing in ceremony was presided over by the Commissioner of Oaths His Worship Mr. Lawrence Tweyanze and witnessed by Jolly J. Sonko representing the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Service, the Representative from the Ministry of Educ ation and Sports, Makerere University Management and staff among others.
The Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe congratulated the new Executive and looked forward to their cooperation with the Management. He encouraged the team to consider looking for more aid and funds to boost the institution’s research.
“Research is one of the biggest pillars of Makerere University. This means that it needs to be heavily funded. We also have to enforce our policies that can keep the intuition’s research at the highest rank that is why I suggest that every PhD and Masters Student must begin to publish at least one publication before they finish. This is what the best universities do,” said the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Nawangwe appreciated Dr. Kiggundu-Musoke and his Executive for employing diplomacy to win the negotiations on salary enhancement.
In the same spirit the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. William Bazeyo thanked the outgoing Executive for the tireless efforts to defend the rights of teaching staff. Prof. Bazeyo congratulated the incoming Executive and urged them to be that strong bridge between MUASA and Management so as to foster positive change at Makerere University.
He challenged the MUASA Executive to explore the available opportunities within the university so as to improve their finances.
The outgoing Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu-Musoke congratulated Dr. Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi and his team upon being elected as the new MUASA Executive. He advised the new leadership to always use the appropriate solution for the situation at hand for the good of the people. “Leadership is not about doing a lot of talking, writing, striking, dialoguing, tweeting, whatsapping and mailing. It is about appropriate judgement that suits an environment to deliver services that promote the good of the community,” said Dr. Kiggundu-Musoke.
He urged the new leadership to create a close working relationship with the Government of Uganda and always engage Management when finding solutions to issues concerning the University.
“Makerere University is a Public Institution that demands close working relationship with the Government. Therefore, take this as important because the Government has a great stake…. In addition Management should not be treated as enemies but as a team that requires effective engagement. Both Academic and Non-Academic staff are great stakeholders and also require maximum respect as you deliver your services. Students are indispensable and they are the reason we exist,” he said.
He thanked the University Management, Council and members of staff for the support they have rendered to his Executive during the five years of his service. In a special way, Dr. Kiggundu-Musoke thanked the Government of Uganda, specifically H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his decision to enhance staff salaries.
“I thank the IGP Kale Kayihura for ensuring peace and stability at Makerere University and for his support that enabled us to meet the President on the salary issue. We thank the Ministry of Education and Sports for both moral and financial support towards our staff. I thank our fellow associations; Makerere University Administrative Staff Association, Non-Teaching Fraternity and NUEI for the generous support when we pushed the university and the Government to work on our demands,” he nostalgically said.
The newly elected MUASA Executive will be led by the Dr. Deus Kamunyu Muhwezi, the Chairperson and other remembers include:
• Assoc. Prof. Edward Nector Mwavu (Vice Chairman),
• Dr. Michael Walimbwa (General Secretary),
• Dr. Geoffrey Nuwagaba (Deputy General Secretary),
• Mr. Hussein Oria (Treasurer),
• Dr. Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala (Academic & Research),
• Mr. Arthur Mugisha (Welfare),
• Mr. Allan Ochieng (Public & External Relations),
• Assoc. Prof. John Bosco Lamoris Okullo (CAES college representative),
• Mr. Milton Wabyona (CHUSS college representative),
• Dr. Anthony Tibaingana (CoBAMS college representative),
• Dr. Andrew Tamale (CoVAB college representative),
• Dr. Amin Kiggundu Tamale (CEDAT college representative),
• Dr. Erem Geoffrey (CHS college representative) and
• Mr. Mwanje Aloysius Desire (COCIS college representative).
Article by Public Relations Office
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has challenged newly admitted postgraduate diploma and master’s students to take ownership of their academic journey, produce knowledge that addresses Africa’s challenges and use their training to create opportunities for society.
The call was made on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during the orientation of postgraduate diploma and master’s students held at the Main Hall, Main Building, Makerere University. The orientation was conducted under the theme “Harnessing the Power of Graduate Training to Transform Africa’s Research Trajectory.”
Addressing the students, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said admission to postgraduate education marked an important transition from undergraduate study and should come with greater independence, critical thinking and responsibility.
“Postgraduate study is not just the accumulation of knowledge. You are now active researchers, critical thinkers and creators of your own knowledge,” Prof. Ssali said.
She said postgraduate training should enable students to deepen their expertise, strengthen their analytical abilities and develop solutions to real-world problems.
“Through your projects, dissertations, innovations and professional practice, you have the opportunity to contribute knowledge that can influence policies, improve services and transform lives. Your research matters, and your contribution matters,” she said.
Prof. Ssali urged students to see their studies beyond the pursuit of a degree, encouraging them to ask themselves why they had chosen postgraduate education and what contribution they intended to make to their communities and professions.
“See your coursework as an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that will help you propose new solutions to real-world challenges,” she said.
She also encouraged students to embrace collaboration with communities and non-academic partners, saying many of them were already coming to the University with professional and community experiences that could enrich their research.
“Don’t think that your scholarship is only for those who look academic. Embrace community, embrace networks,” she said.
Prof. Ssali further cautioned the students against wasting time, noting that many postgraduate students have employment, family and other responsibilities alongside their studies.
“Make the most of your time and don’t waste it,” she said, urging students to use available study time productively even when there are changes in their lecture schedules.
She also emphasised the need for students to take responsibility for their progress instead of waiting for lecturers or supervisors to push them.
“Postgraduate education requires independence, independent inquiry, independent research, independent interrogation and also active participation,” Prof. Ssali said.
Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of Graduate Training, told the students that their admission was a significant achievement given the large number of applicants seeking postgraduate opportunities at Makerere.
“We received over 12,000 applications to our postgraduate programmes, but we are only able to take just a small percentage of that. That means you are just the few people who are able to do this,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He urged the new students to appreciate the opportunity and understand that graduate education carries responsibilities beyond attending lectures and completing examinations.
According to Prof. Kikooma, Uganda and Africa require highly trained human capital capable of driving national and continental development priorities.
“The country needs more highly trained people if it is going to achieve its aspirations and priorities for national development,” he said.
He challenged the students to consider what Uganda and Africa would look like in the coming decades and to question whether the continent would continue relying on ideas, innovations and creations generated elsewhere.
“Will it still be a country that always depends on ideas, innovations and creations that come from outside?” he asked, before urging the students to become part of the generation that develops home-grown solutions.
Prof. Kikooma said much of what Uganda would need in the future would depend on what the country invests in today, particularly in human capital and research.
He also explained that the Directorate of Graduate Training works with colleges, schools, departments and central University units to strengthen the quality of graduate education.
“We want to make sure that what you are taking away from here is of a certain quality,” he said, adding that the University has established policies, standards and systems intended to create an environment in which postgraduate students can succeed.
However, Prof. Kikooma stressed that the University cannot take responsibility for the entire academic journey on behalf of students.
“We will not replace your programme. We will not replace your lecturers. We will not replace your supervisors. Each of those has a different role to play along your journey,” he said.
He encouraged students to be proactive by understanding their programmes, colleges and the various support services available to them.
“Successful graduates tend to be proactive rather than reactive. So don’t wait until you have a problem, then you start running from it,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He further urged the students to work within the stipulated programme period, noting that most master’s programmes take about two years while postgraduate diploma programmes generally take one year.
Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, urged the newly admitted students to use their graduate training to produce knowledge capable of addressing challenges facing their communities, Uganda and Africa.
He challenged them to move beyond consuming knowledge generated elsewhere and instead become producers of knowledge and solutions.
Prof. Wamala emphasised the importance of connecting research to society, innovation and professional practice, encouraging students to identify problems within their workplaces and communities that could become areas for meaningful research.
He said Africa needed researchers capable of generating evidence, innovations and practical solutions to support development rather than simply importing solutions from other parts of the world.
The Director encouraged the students to build collaborative networks during their studies and to regard the University as an ecosystem in which researchers, professionals, communities and other partners can work together.
Dr. Kizito Ongaya, Deputy University Librarian, introduced the students to Makerere’s extensive library and information resources, urging them to make the library a central part of their postgraduate studies.
He said the University Library operates a hybrid system combining physical collections with electronic resources.
“We have over 200,000 types of books in our library, with 45 e-journal databases,” Dr. Ongaya said.
He encouraged students to make use of the University’s electronic databases, noting that substantial resources are invested in providing access to scholarly journals.
“If you don’t use e-journals, you are unacceptable,” he told the students, emphasising that postgraduate research requires extensive engagement with scholarly literature.
Dr. Ongaya also highlighted the University’s archival collections, specialised libraries and information centres located across its colleges.
He said students would be guided on how to access both physical and electronic resources and encouraged them to explore specialised collections that could support their individual research areas.
Dr. Mike Barongo, Team Leader ICT, Department of the Academic Registrar, told the new students that Makerere had increasingly digitised its academic and administrative processes and urged them to complete their online registration as an immediate priority.
He said students could access their provisional admission letters through the online application system and use the student number provided to activate their student portals.
“The student portal is very, very critical,” Dr. Barongo said.
He explained that students must enrol and register in order to access key University services, including institutional email and Wi-Fi.
“Once you enroll, you create an institutional email address. That institutional email address is the gateway for you to access so many things, like Wi-Fi,” he said.
Dr. Barongo also informed students that ICT support centres were available to assist those experiencing challenges with enrolment, registration or access to digital services.
He urged students to ensure they enrol and register every semester so that the University systems can accurately capture their academic and financial information.
Others senior members in attendance include the Deputy University Bursar Mr. George Mugabi Turyamureeba and Mr. Henry Nsubuga, the Manager Makerere University Counselling and Guidance Centre.
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