General
Chancellor Prof Suruma Rallies Stakeholders to take part in MakRun 2018
Makerere University Chancellor Prof. Ezra Suruma has called upon all stakeholders of Makerere University to join the Katikkiro of Buganda Ow’ekitiibwa Charles Peter Mayiga in the Makerere University Run that is scheduled to take place this Sunday 25th March 2018. Addressing journalists on 22nd March 2018, the Chancellor said that the Run is not only geared towards resource mobilisation but it is also a platform for building synergies among stakeholders.
“The run is part of our efforts for continuous engagement with our stakeholders to appeal to their philanthropic nature to contribute to the Makerere University Endowment Fund and the Students Centre project,” he said.
In the same spirit, the Chancellor appealed to students, staff, alumni and well-wishers of Makerere University to contribute to developments that will benefit future generations of students at the great institution.
“We expect to have 5,000 students, staff, alumni and other well-wishers to participate in the run. Brick by brick we are confident that we shall build the Students Centre that will not only make all our Alumni proud of their Alma Mater but also create a lasting impression on the young generation,” said the Chancellor.
According to Mr. Brian Nsubuga Miiro one of the Sports Tutors on the MakRun Technical team, designs for the MakRun2018 routes are already out and runners are expected to tackle 5km, 10km or 15km depending on their endurance. The starting point for all three routes will be the Makerere University Freedom Square. All runners taking part in the MakRun2018 will exit the Campus via the Main Gate, turn right at the Wandegeya junction to YMCA, then onto Buganda Road, cross to Lourdel Road, and take a left to join Yusuf Lule road.
At this point, the 5km runners will proceed to Mulago Roundabout while the 10km and 15km runners will turn right and proceed to the Fairway Hotel junction. 5km runners will proceed to Binaisa Road and at Kubbiri Round about, take a left along Bombo Road and re-enter the University through the Eastern Gate and proceed to the Freedom Square via Nsibirwa Hall and the Main Library.
Both the 10km and 15km runners will take the left at onto John Babiha (Acacia) Avenue and then separate at the Upper Kololo Terrace junction, where the 15km runners will turn right. The 10km runners will continue along John Babiha (Acacia) Avenue and at City Oil take a left onto Kira Road and proceed to Mulago Roundabout. At the roundabout they will turn right onto Binaisa Road and follow the rest of the route as the aforementioned 5km runners back to the Freedom Square.
“Then we have the 15km for the giants who will proceed along Upper KololoTerrace, turn left onto Lugogo By-pass, and then turn left onto Kira Road at the junction. They will continue along Kira Road until the Mulago Roundabout where they will follow the rest of the route back to the Freedom Square like their 5km and 10km counterparts” added Mr. Nsubuga.
Makerere University is seeking to raise UGX15billion through the alumni, well-wishers and development partners to construct the Student’s Centre that will enhance the quality of student life and experience. The Centre will serve as a collective place that reflects dynamism of the 21st century student in the digital age. It will be a one stop Student Information centre with a state of the art Auditorium with 2,000 seating capacity and a Wall of Fame.
According to the Director, Planning and Development Department (PDD) Dr. Florence Nakayiwa, the proposed Mak Students Centre will also accommodate Conference facilities, Cafeterias, Internet Kiosk, Memorabilia Shop, Bookshop, Recreational Sports Arena as well as Entertainment and Social amenities.
“The Centre is one of our strategies to create a versatile and holistic graduate of Makerere University that will serve national needs effectively. The auditorium, instructional spaces, banking halls and commercial entities will be the best-equipped and most accessible spaces available to the greater Makerere University community,” she added.
“We are calling upon students and former students of Makerere University to support the cause. As much as we have received free tickets from different people, let us also buy tickets to show our willingness to develop our university. The students Centre we are constructing is going to be of our own benefit. It might not benefit us now, but we are building for the future. Our children, brothers, sisters and friends will have to enjoy the fruits we left behind,” said outgoing Guild President, H.E Kato Paul.
On the same day, the Rotary Club of Kampala City Makerere in conjunction with Nakasero Blood Bank has organized a blood donation drive targeting friends and well-wishers (who will be in the Freedom Square, but not run the 5km, 10km or 15km routes) to donate blood in order to save lives.
Article by Public Relations Office
Makerere University on 1st August 2025, the eve of the first year students’ arrival on Campus, held the 2nd Prayer Breakfast aimed at reiterating that staff service at the institution is a calling to pursue excellence and purpose under God.. Hosted in the St. Francis Chapel gardens, the meeting was presided over by Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta who represented both the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe. The day’s message “Integrating Faith, Learning and Service” was delivered by Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, former Vice Chancellor of Uganda Christian University who also served as Makerere staff member between 1978 and 1987.
“This is a very good initiative” remarked Prof. Ireeta as he began his remarks, noting that the University’s enjoyment of a strike-free academic year 2024/2025 could perhaps be attributed to having commenced it with prayer. He expressed the Chairperson of Council’s and Vice Chancellor’s apologies, whom he noted would have loved to attend the 2nd Prayer Breakfast as they did the 1st but were unfortunately caught up in other meetings and official travel respectively.
“As we gather today, let us reflect on our shared purpose and values in this University and may this time of prayer and fellowship inspire us to make a positive impact in our work and community” Prof. Ireeta urged, noting that it was important to exercise compassion, wisdom and kindness as staff worked with the youth who are constantly bombarded with information from social media and other sources.
Prof. Ireeta therefore urged staff to always listen to diverse perspectives and work together to achieve the institution’s goals. He reiterated the University Management’s support to the Dean of Students, Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli and the Chaplains who report to her, “We shall continue supporting you in all you do”.
“We are weak but God is strong” remarked the Chaplain St. Francis, Rev. Dr. Lydia Nsaale Kitayimbwa as a rejoinder to Prof. Ireeta’s remarks. “This is a demonstration that truly we need the strength of God – we cannot start this academic year without the divine hand of God.”
She went on to say that when we do not pray, we boldly declare that we do not need God’s divine guidance, “but in coming here today, we are boldly proclaiming that we need divine guidance, so thank you all for coming.”
Introducing the day’s speaker, Rev. Canon Dr. Senyonyi, the Chaplain admitted that she did not know any speaker who was better placed to address the topic, given his vast experience as an academician, theologian and university administrator. She added that the speaker in his exemplary style had come along with his wife, Canon Dr. Ruth Senyonyi, a lay Canon of the Diocese of Kampala, under whose jurisdiction St. Francis Chapel falls.
Commencing his address, Rev. Canon Dr. Senyonyi shared that he had an issue with the framing of the day’s topic, particularly the word “integrating” for it made it seem as if God, the author of faith and creator of heaven and earth was separate from the quest to “learn” about the very things he created and “service”, the act of people providing stewardship over the God-given talents, abilities and His creation. Referring to the theme scripture, Ephesians 4:10-12, he singled out three important conclusions to dwell on.
“And those are simply; 1) the sovereignty of the ascended Jesus Christ, 2) Jesus is the giver of every ability, talent, skill, gift, whatever you may call it, even your education, and 3) Jesus equips whosoever He calls for service to others” he remarked.
Rev. Canon. Dr. Senyonyi further broke the conclusions down by noting that 1) Jesus is placed above all things and as such is sovereign over everything as further illustrated by scriptures; Mathew 28:18 – all authority in heaven and on earth (including academia) has been given to Him, John 1:1-5 – all things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made, and Colossians 1:15-19 – by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth and for Him (including education and work). “If Jesus is sovereign, then our work in the universe, our education enterprise is a mission and that mission must be submissive to the mission of our sovereign.”
Proceeding to no 2) Jesus is the giver of every ability, and citing his personal experience, Rev. Canon Dr. Senyonyi said, “I left the teaching with this University because God was calling me to be an evangelist but I cannot say God gave me the gift of evangelism, that’s a mistake; that’s not how the scripture reads.” He added that the problem facing most people today is the tendency to think that everything is about them, and not recognizing that Jesus is the giver of the very things they call their own.
Turning to scriptures, Exodus 36:1 and Exodus 28:3 he explained that the craftsmen that Moses relied on to build the tabernacle and furnishings for His Temple were only able to excel because they were equipped by God. “In other words, what they had was a talent that God Himself gave… when we focus elsewhere, we forget what God has given us to… and your training is intended to be a gift to others.”
Rev. Canon Dr. Senyonyi then concluded with no 3) Jesus equips whosoever He calls for service to others, emphasizing the latter bit, the need to use all we are and have for the benefit of others. “If students are reporting tomorrow what are we going to do?” he challenged. “Are we going to facilitate soft landing or are we going to facilitate anger in their hearts?” he further pondered.
“If all of us are giving, if all of us are taking our faith where it should be, if all of us are showing the way, if all of us are ambassadors of Christ where we are, then everybody receives” the day’s speaker encouraged. “So your work is to equip the students until they graduate” he summed up, adding that one of the greatest joys is encountering former students whose faces light up with excitement when they see you.
The 2nd Prayer Breakfast would have been incomplete without prayer sessions, some of which were led by the Heads of the Joint Staff Fellowship Dr. Eve Nabulya and Mr. Moses Oluka. The final blessing was delivered by the day’s speaker Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi.
The Chairperson and Members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Board of the Higher Education Council on Tuesday 29th July 2025 paid a courtesy visit to Makerere University following the 5th Meeting of the IGAD Universities Forum held in Kampala from 28th to 29th July. The delegation was received by the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Edward Bbaale in the presence of Dr. Muhammad Kiggundu Musoke, Makerere University’s representative to IGAD.
In his welcome remarks, Prof. Bbaale on behalf of the Vice Chancellor and the University Management thanked the delegation for including a visit to Makerere on their Kampala itinerary, “It is an honour and privilege to host you here today,” he remarked. He equally thanked Dr. Kiggundu Musoke for representing the University on IGAD and facilitating the visit.
Prof. Bbaale acknowledged that IGAD continues to play a critical role in fostering regional cooperation, peacebuilding, and sustainable development in the Greater Horn of Africa. “The inclusion of higher education in IGAD’s strategic priorities speaks volumes about the importance you attach to knowledge, skills, and research as tools for transforming societies,” he supplemented.
The Acting DVCAA reiterated that Makerere University takes great pride in her IGAD membership, as well as the collaborative research partnerships, capacity-building initiatives, and policy dialogues that seek to harmonise and strengthen higher education in the region undertaken therein. He equally lauded the participation of regional Vice Chancellors and Senior Academic Leaders in IGAD’s activities, “Your presence affirms our collective resolve to build stronger institutions and knowledge systems that respond to the developmental needs of our communities.”
He noted that Makerere in pursuit of her strategic research-led agenda takes cognizance of the importance of partnerships at regional and international levels and urged the leaders present to nurture them. “We need to build a strong academic and research network so that we have seamless flow staff and students on the African continent,” adding that “We hope this visit will further deepen the bonds between our institutions and inspire new opportunities for collaboration in teaching, research, innovation, and regional integration.”
Dr. Kebede Kassa Tsegaye, the IGAD Senior Coordinator of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Program expressed delight at visiting Makerere, noting that the University and Republic of Uganda are strategic and extremely valuable partners of the regional body.
In her remarks, Dr. Victoria Anib Majur the Head, IGAD Health and Social Development Division thanked Makerere and other regional universities for promoting mobility among learners by endorsing the implementation of the IGAD Regional Qualifications Framework (IGADQF). “It is our pleasure that your institution and all other partner institutions in the region are joining IGAD in fulfilling the mission of regional integration through skills development and through qualifications.”
She reiterated IGAD’s commitment to push for; excellence in education, inclusivity of gender and persons with disabilities, and promotion of skills that will prepare learners, especially refugees, returnees, and those from host communities in the IGAD region for the marketplace. The IGAD Secretariat is hosted by the Republic of Djibouti and region covers the host country-Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
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