General
Mak-students’ career day: finalists tipped on the employment trends in Uganda
On 13th March 2018, the Mastercard Scholars Program at Makerere University together with Counselling and Guidance Centre organised a Career day to guide students in their final year of study on how they can effectively prepare themselves for the competitive job market in the world. Officially opened by the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the well-attended event aimed at ushering finalist into the world of work as well as providing a platform for students to understand the employment trends in Uganda under a theme: “understanding the employment environment in Uganda.”
In a speech ready by the Dean of Students Mr.Cyriaco Kabagambe, the Vice Chancellor thanked the Mastercard Scholars Program at Makerere University and Counselling and Guidance Centre for their commitment to prepare students as they transit from an academic to an employment world.
“Makerere University is interested in preparing its students for the world as change agents, good workers, great entrepreneurs and great leaders. As the University we want to enhance our partnership with the private sector so that we learn from each other and make the world and Uganda a better place,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor mentioned that for years, the world has produced more young people who are eagerly looking for employment opportunities. He also noted that many young people get anxious when they think of work after university. The anxiety is understandable but can be avoided when students are prepared to face the world of work.
“Makerere University is proud when its alumni are successful. Opportunities like these where you receive employers to speak to you are very important and should be cherished. Take time to listen to these speakers, interact with them, ask questions and follow them up after today. All these speakers were once like you. They want you to be like them and even do better than them,” he stated.
“The truth is, there are few jobs and many job seekers but there are also few people who do well at work. The world needs excellent entrepreneurs and there are thousands of opportunities which you need to harness. I can guarantee you that if you are found to be a good worker, employers will be looking for you, if you have the needed skills, you will enrol in the job industry much easily,” he added.
Dr. Fred Muhumuza, a Lecturer at the School of Statistics and Planning; Makerere University advised scholars to always be open to job opportunities with regardless of their academic specialisation. In a presentation on the employment trends in Uganda, Muhumuza said that the employment trends in Uganda have been totally changed by the highly evolving technological trends, high migration rates, increasing population and increasing rates of the educated people. He therefore, encouraged students to utilize each and every opportunity and equip themselves with skills that will attract the employers’ attention to add them to their employment lists.
“The employment environment has been narrowed down due to the growing technologic evolution, unemployment is a problem to the youth but also a problem to the old. Human labour has been replaced by machines, Apps among others. We therefore need to revise means on how we can stay relevant on the job market. Be multitasking, multilingualistic and have unique skills,” he emphasised.
Taking students through the different employability skills, Mr. Joachim Masagazi, the Organisational Development Manager at MTN Uganda, encouraged students to always find a niche in the competitive market. He urged students to acquire skills that would go beyond their experience and academic qualification. “Attain skills that will support your getting and keeping the job. Skills that will build your personal brands in the employment environment. You must have your own brand, if you don’t, it will be very difficult to be employed. Have skills that support you to create your own opportunities,” he said.
Mr. Masagazi also advised students to always be knowledgeable and have the capacity to articulate issues that develop the sector. He encouraged them to make strong and relevant decisions that will map their career. He called upon all students to be innovative, proactive, creative and critical thinkers.
“Always have unique new ideas, be original, think out of your boxes, and aim at solving problems. Stay focused and carry a sense of credibility, integrity, reality, honesty.Accept your status and do not be greedy. We must have a positive attitude if we are to be employable. Avoid complaining and gripping at almost everything,” he said.
Dr. Eunice Naigaga Adubango, a successful entrepreneur and an expert in engineering, said that students need to be competent and informative. Through her personal experiences in academia and business, Dr.Adubango who owns a Food Company and an Engineering Firm said that students need to understand the company or business to which they are applying.
“When you are applying for a place, give yourself some time to find out about your potential employer. Read up about them online: check out their website and find out what reputable news sources have to say about them. Who are their customers and who are their competitors? There are places where your competence will speak so loudly that blood will not speak against it. You should be observant and use your eyes and ears to help you open opportunities,” she said.
According to the Coordinator of MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University Dr. Florence Nakayiwa, students should acquire requisite knowledge and skills and have a positive attitude towards work if they are to have a competitive edge in the world of work. She thanked the facilitators for the informative sessions and equally thanked the organisers for the successful event.
The Manager-Counselling and Guidance Centre, Makerere University, Mr. Henry Nsubuga encouraged students to stay healthy and free from problems that will deter them from achieving their goals and objectives. He encouraged them to utilize the counselling and guidance service to build a healthy and wealthy mind.
Article by Mak Public Relations Office.
General
CHS Registrars, Heads of Departments Embrace RIMS as Makerere Deepens Digital Shift in Graduate Supervision
By Moses Lutaaya
The College of Health Sciences (CHS) at Makerere University has taken a significant step toward strengthening graduate training and research oversight following a hands-on training in the Research Information Management System (RIMS) held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, at the CHS premises.
The training brought together over 25 Heads of Departments and College Registrars from the School of Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, and School of Public Health, in a strategic push to digitize and streamline graduate supervision.
Leading the CHS team, Associate Professor Annettee Olivia Nakimuli, Dean of the School of Medicine, described RIMS as a transformative tool that will redefine how graduate students are tracked and supported.
“RIMS is definitely the way to go. It will help us track students in real time,” she said. “We have struggled to know how well students are progressing, and sometimes we are not even sure who needs help along the way.”
Prof. Nakimuli emphasized that the system will enhance accountability on both sides of the supervision divide.
“It will facilitate supervision for both the supervisor and the student. Supervisors will be more accountable, but students too will be more accountable. At any one time, we shall know exactly what is happening between student-supervisor pairs.”
Addressing concerns about possible resistance or tension arising from increased transparency, she noted that RIMS would instead clarify longstanding challenges affecting completion rates.
“Completion challenges are multifactorial—sometimes it is the supervisor, sometimes the student, and sometimes both. This system will make it clear where the problem is so it can be addressed,” she explained, adding that mindset change—not technical ability—remains the biggest hurdle for some staff transitioning from analog systems.
She further aligned RIMS with Makerere University’s broader agenda of becoming a research-led, graduate-focused institution.
“This is how we begin to walk the talk of being a graduate training university,” she added.
Representing the Director of Graduate Training, Mr. Nestor Mugabe underscored that RIMS is part of a larger, evolving digital ecosystem aimed at strengthening research management across the university.
“RIMS is a comprehensive system that captures the entire research process, but today we are focusing on the e-supervision component,” he said.
He noted that the system has been rolled out progressively across colleges, with CHS engagements tailored to accommodate the demanding schedules of health professionals.
“A student cannot progress if their supervisor is not on the system. That is why we are bringing everyone on board—supervisors, administrators, and students—so that the system works seamlessly,” Mugabe emphasized.
To ensure sustainability, he revealed that dedicated technical personnel have been deployed to provide on-site support.
“We now have resident technical staff who can support you directly in your offices, ensuring that no one is left behind in this transition.”
From a technical standpoint, Arthur Moses Opio of the Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) highlighted RIMS as a critical pillar in Makerere’s digital transformation journey.
“This system is about bridging the gap between supervisors and students,” he said. “It logs activities, tracks feedback, and ensures that no academic guidance is lost or disputed.”
He explained that RIMS allows students to upload research milestones—from concept notes to final theses—while enabling supervisors and examiners to engage within a transparent, traceable system.
“Before, a student could get lost in the process. Now, every comment, every revision, every step is recorded. It brings clarity and accountability.”
Opio also noted that RIMS is integrated with key university systems, including the Human Resource Management System and the Academic Management Information System (ACMIS), ensuring data consistency and institutional oversight.
CHS College Registrar Mr. Herbert Batamye welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention in addressing inefficiencies in graduate supervision.
“RIMS is going to be a wonderful addition to our academic processes. It will accelerate supervision and improve efficiency if fully adopted,” he said.
He observed that the system had already received strong buy-in from participants.
“We brought together over 25 Heads of Departments and registrars, and the response has been very positive. Staff appreciate its potential.”
Mr. Batamye pointed out that one of the key strengths of RIMS is its ability to synchronize multiple supervisors on a single student’s progress.
“If a candidate has several supervisors, each will clearly see what the other is doing. It ensures that everyone is accountable and that delays are minimized.”
As Makerere University continues to digitize its academic and research processes, the CHS RIMS training signals a growing institutional commitment to improving graduate completion rates, enhancing supervision quality, and positioning research at the heart of its mission.
There are farewells that pass quietly and then there are those that leave a lasting imprint on the hearts of all who attend. The retirement luncheon of Patience Mushengyezi held at the Senate Building University was unmistakably the latter.
Held in an atmosphere filled with warmth, gratitude, and reflection, the event brought together colleagues, friends, and family to celebrate a woman whose 26-year journey at the University has been defined by diligence, humility, and quiet impact.
From the moment she rose to speak, Patience set the tone, not with grandeur, but with gratitude.
“I thank God for the opportunity He gave me to serve,” she said, her voice steady but reflective. “Everything I have achieved has not been by my own strength.”
Her career began in the Transcripts Office as an Assistant Registrar, a role that would become the foundation of her legacy. Over the years, she rose through the ranks to Senior Assistant Registrar and later Deputy Registrar, serving in various units including the Senate. Along the way, she became not only a custodian of records but also a steward of institutional memory.
Colleagues recalled how, in earlier years, obtaining a transcript in a single day was nearly impossible. Today, that process has been streamlined, thanks in part to Patience’s innovation and persistence. Patience initiated the Digitalization of Academic Records and Processes (DARP) project to ease the storage, retrieval and acquisition of academic documents by stakeholders. What began as a simple concern about poorly kept records evolved into a transformative records management initiative that has since improved efficiency and safeguarded academic history.
“She is like a moving encyclopedia,” one colleague remarked, highlighting her deep knowledge of university policies, many of which, he noted, exist as much in her mind as they do on paper.
The luncheon was not just a celebration of professional achievement, but also of character. Speaker after speaker described Patience as calm, dependable, and deeply empathetic “a friend you can trust,” as her supervisor, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi, put it.
In his tribute, he reflected on his own transition from academia into administration, crediting Patience for guiding and mentoring him. “It is through her willingness to teach and support me that I became the administrator I am today,” he said.
Beyond the office, Patience’s impact extended into personal lives. Rev. Dr. Lydia Kitayimbwa – Chaplain, St. Francis Chapel spoke fondly of their friendship, describing her as a confidant and prayer partner. “She brings a sense of peace,” she said. “She listens, she prays, and she walks with people.”
Her sister, Alexandra Kalemera, offered an emotional reflection that captured the essence of the day. “It is a beautiful thing to serve in one place for 26 years and not simply disappear,” she said. “Today, we see the impact of a life well lived.”
Indeed, that impact was evident not only in speeches, but in the collective emotion in the room. There was laughter and moments of quiet introspection as colleagues reflected on their own journeys.
At the heart of Patience’s message was a call to action: to serve with integrity, to embrace small but meaningful change, and to value people above titles.
“Do not sit comfortably when things are not working,” she advised. “Do something.”
She also reminded colleagues of the importance of balance and self-care, urging them to find satisfaction in their work while recognizing the limits of their control.
As she steps into retirement, Patience is far from slowing down. She looks forward to pursuing personal ventures, including producing organic dairy products, and expanding her passion for mentoring young people, a calling she believes has already transformed lives.
“This is not the end,” Rev. Kitayimbwa noted. “It is the beginning of a new chapter.”
Perhaps the most profound reflection of the afternoon came from Prof. Buyinza, who posed a question to those gathered: When your time comes, will people come for you like this?
It was a moment that lingered, a reminder that legacy is not built on titles, but on relationships, integrity, and service.
As the luncheon drew to a close, one thing was clear: Patience Mushengyezi may be retiring from office, but her influence will remain deeply woven into the fabric of the Department of Academic Registry.
And in the words echoed throughout the room—this was not goodbye.
It was simply the beginning of another journey.
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