General
Student presents gift to Prof. Nawangwe: He acknowledges VC’s efforts in maintaining the University’s pride and importance
“I present this gift to you as a sign of appreciation for your tremendous role in nurturing students and your efforts in maintaining the University’s pride and importance. Your relationship with students is indeed well paying. This is my work, through which I have been able to pay my tuition and facilitate myself for the three years I have been here.” This is how overwhelmed Joseph Kayongo started his conversation when he met his Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe.
Mr. Kayongo Joseph, hitherto an undergraduate student of Social Sciences, visited the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe on Friday, 11th May 2018 at his office. He acknowledged the Vice Chancellor’s love and dedicated efforts towards a better Makerere when he said, “I have been following your work ever since I joined Makerere University. By then you were the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration. Your passion for this institution’s wellbeing is well expressed in your speeches and writings. That is why I have decided to present this gift to you Professor.”
The Vice Chancellor thanked Mr. Kayongo for recognising his efforts at the University and equally appreciated his visit. Overjoyed to see his branded gift, labelled Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof Nawangwe acknowledged Kayongo’s talent and creativity. He strongly commended his brilliance and zeal to start a business that has enabled him to meet his academic goals.
“I am so happy that this early morning, I am receiving a wonderful gift moreover from my student. My weekend is well made. The story about your academic journey is so inspiring. I am happy that you did not sit back but rather looked for opportune ways of supporting yourself,” he said.
Prof. Nawangwe recognised Kayongo’s innovative ideas and acclaimed the quality of the products he makes. Through various research and innovation programs, Makerere University has supported students’ innovations with the aim of finding solutions to community challenges. “I am impressed that Kayongo is not going to look for jobs. He created his own job and he is ready to employ more people. I really acknowledge his hard work,” he said.
Born in 1994 in Kayunga District, Joseph Kayongo’s parents never got a chance to see their son grow into the hardworking and inspiring young man he is today. In an exclusive interview with Makerere University Public Relations Office, Kayongo revealed that he was not able to receive the basic needs any child could desire to have after his father died in 1995 and his mother followed shortly in 1996. He was left in the hands of his paternal grandmother who used to sell agricultural products to raise his school fees and cater for the household needs. Through his grandmother’s efforts, he was able to finish senior six at YALE Secondary School Kayunga. Although he passed with good grades, he had little hope of joining university since he missed out on government sponsorship.
According to Kayongo, his dream was to join Makerere University and study Social Sciences with the aim of serving communities. The long vacation after senior six examinations gave him room to prepare himself for university.
“During my S.6 vacation, I engaged in agricultural activities. My grandmother had a big chunk of land where I planted maize. I was able to get a reasonable amount of money to help me start with registration at campus and to come to Kampala and start a life. I knew I could not sustain myself and raise school fees while digging in the village. I knew that I needed a job in town. So I had to budget the money I got from selling my produce well,” he narrated.
Joining the shoe making business
Kayongo said that he picked interest in making craft shoes during his senior six vacation. He bought the idea from a neighbour in Kayunga who was doing the same business. “When I approached Mr. Sserwadda, he was willing to teach me how to make craft shoes. It is this idea that first crossed my mind when I thought of a business in Kampala that would sustain my academic needs. My focus was on high quality products, so I made a survey and realised that I could only get good leather and rubber materials from Jinja. That is how I started the business,” he said.
“I made shoes and vended them around campus. I decided to also penetrate markets around the university. Vending is not easy but I persisted. I just needed to plan my time well, well knowing that I needed both money and books. I had to balance the two because the main reason why I joined the business was to raise school fees. I could not see myself failing to excel in my exams or failing to raise the tuition. I had to ensure that I raised the tuition while finding time for my books,” he added.
With his degree in the bag, Kayongo has no plans of looking for a job. He is focused on expanding his business and tapping into both local and international markets. He has been able to introduce his products to different shops and supermarkets where he has been assured of market because of their good quality.
Kayongo ensures that he uses pure leather and rubber materials as that is what makes his products unique. Additionally, he has been able to secure a good machine that guarantees his quality. He is looking at employing more people when the business expands. He has so far trained 7 peers who help him make his products.
How he meets the market demand?
Kayongo said that, in the beginning the market was limited; he had to look for clients and only produced based on the market demand. However, today he even receives special orders from clients. “Shoe making is an easy task; all it needs is interest and purpose. I can make a pair of high quality shoes in just 3 hours. Secondly I have introduced other products such as wallets, belts, and hand bags to meet the demand. I hope for the best and my dream is to own a very big business of leather products with more employees. After this, I can safely say that I have impacted my community,” he concluded.
Article by Nabatte Proscovia, Public Relations Office
Business & Management
PIM Centre Holds 9th Steering Committee Meeting, Set to Benefit from World Bank Support
The Public Investment Management (PIM) Centre of Excellence at Makerere University today, October 10th, 2025, held its 9th Steering Committee Meeting to review progress made in the first quarter of the financial year and plan for the months ahead.
The meeting was chaired by Ms. Getrude Basiima, who represented Mr. Hannington Ashaba, Director Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED). Ms. Basiima commended the Centre for its continued commitment to strengthening public investment management capacity across government institutions.
In her remarks, Ms. Basiima applauded the Centre for successfully hosting the Public Investment Management Conference held in August at Makerere University. The conference attracted key policymakers, development partners, and academics who deliberated on how to enhance the efficiency, sustainability, and impact of public investments in Uganda.
She further shared exciting news that the Government of Uganda has secured funding from the World Bank to support the public investment management function. The PIM Centre, she announced, will be among the key beneficiaries of these funds — receiving support for the construction and acquisition of a permanent home to enhance its institutional sustainability and training capacity.
Reviewing the Centre’s quarterly performance, Ms. Basiima congratulated the team for successfully conducting three specialized trainings in the first quarter, reaching officials from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies. These trainings continue to strengthen the technical competencies required for effective project preparation, appraisal, and implementation in line with Uganda’s National Development Plan.
She encouraged the Centre to integrate climate change considerations into its future training programmes, noting that sustainable public investment must now account for environmental resilience and climate adaptation.
The centre team presented the proposed structure/ organogram, the financial performance of 2024/2025, research areas for 2025/2026 and the strategic plan for 2025 – 2030.
The Steering Committee reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the PIM Centre’s vision of becoming a regional leader in building capacity for efficient, transparent, and sustainable public investment management.
A significant development unfolded at Makerere University during a strategic, hour-long meeting in the vice chancellor’s boardroom on 7th October 2025, marking a deepening bond with the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The primary goal was to move beyond existing collaborations and formalize a new Double Doctorate (PhD) program. Prof. Sarah Saali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, set the tone by emphasizing that institutional partnerships are crucial to Makerere University, which she proudly called the leading research and most collaborative university in the world.
The discussion promptly formed the core structure of the program: a four-year PhD (or three if the master’s was research-based), with supervision duties split 50-50% between the two institutions. A key feature is the mobility requirement, stipulating that PhD candidates would spend a total of six months in the Netherlands, potentially divided into two three-month periods. Crucially, the University of Groningen confirmed there would be no teaching requirement during this stay, allowing students full access to focus on their research. A major financial hurdle was overcome with the adoption of a fee-waiver policy; Makerere would waive tuition for incoming Groningen candidates, and Groningen would reciprocate for Makerere‘s students, significantly boosting the program’s financial viability.
However, the critical issue of the stipend remained. Dr. Anita Veltmaat explained that to meet the required living standard of approximately €1,875 per month in Groningen, the incoming candidate must secure a partial external scholarship of around €250 per month. The positive news is that if the candidate secures this minimum scholarship, the University of Groningen is prepared to top up the amount to the full living standard for the six months the student spends in the Netherlands. It was noted that this initial financial hurdle might be simplified for Makerere students, as many are already staff members receiving a salary, which could help cover the required €250.
The path forward was clear: it was to complete the agreement template guided by the setup committee from both institutions. The plan culminated in scheduling an online follow-up meeting for Tuesday, November 11th, to review the first revision of the agreement, capping a highly constructive discussion that solidified the two universities’ shared future in graduate education.
Makerere University was represented by Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academics Affairs; Dr. Ruth Nsibirano, Head of the Department of Gender Studies; Dr. Patricia Ndugga, School of Statistics; Dr. Stella Achen and Dr. Joseph Watuleke, School of Distance and Lifelong Learning; Agatha Ainemukama, School of Engineering; Racheal Nuwagaba, School of Psychology; Awel Uwihanganye, Martine Rugamba, and Hawa Ndagire from the Advancement Office; and Muhammad Kiggundu from the Institute of Gender and Development Studies.
The University of Groningen was represented by Dr. Dinie Bouwman, Senior Policy Advisor, Internationalization and Quality Assurance; Dr. Anita Veltmaat, Faculty of Social Behavior and Social Sciences, Department of International Studies, involved in mentorship programs for women; and Dr. Alette Arendshorst, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, working on graduation/collaboration for students/staff.
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