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Chinese Embassy awards 30 Scholarships to Makerere University students

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The Embassy of China to Uganda has awarded two categories Scholarships; the Ambassador’s Award for Excellence and the Ambassador’s Award for Friendship to Makerere University continuing students. Officially launched by the State Minister for Higher Education Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo on behalf of the Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni, the Scholarships Award was received by the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Prof. William Bazeyo on 8th August 2018.

The Scholarships Award worth UGX 85 million will enable 30 continuing students with a genuinely disadvantaged socio-economic background to pursue their studies at Makerere University for the academic year 2018/2019. The Scholarship process is being administered by the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate on behalf of Makerere University. According to the Chairperson of the Scholarships Selection Committee, Dr. Jessica Norah Aguti, the first cohort of the beneficiaries was selected from the 10 Colleges of Makerere University.
 

The excited beneficiaries posing for the photo.

“The selection exercise was handled with transparency and with the highest degree of integrity. Every college was given an opportunity and the gender element was considered. We were looking for candidates with great academic potential who were willing to commit to the selection process. We received 373 applications and the 30 students selected were the most deserving. I appreciate the selection committee for the commitment. The whole process was as open as possible, she explained. 

Representing Hon. Janet Kataaha-the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. John Chrysostom Muyingo, congratulated the award winning students upon meeting the necessary requirements for the scholarships and urged them to fully utilize the opportunity to achieve their goals.

“As you continue with your studies kindly bear in mind that this is Chinese tax payer’s money that has enabled you to realize your goals. Someone out there in China is paying your tuition, therefore use it well and ensure that when time comes and there is need to support a cause, you don’t hesitate to contribute towards somebody’s future,” Hon. Muyingo urged the students.  

He thanked the Ambassador of China to Uganda, H.E. Zheng Zhuqiang, for realizing the need to support Higher Education in Uganda and for offering 30 scholarships to Makerere University students.  He also commended the long term relationship between China and Uganda that has enabled the two countries to strengthen their areas of cooperation and development.

Hon. John Chrysestom Muyingo making his remarks.

“The scholarship offer is an indication of the greater and stronger corporation between the Chinese Embassy and Makerere University. This initiative also expresses the Ambassador’s love to improve Higher Education in Uganda. We appreciate your support and the support from the people of China,” he remarked.   

He applauded Makerere University for its tremendous academic research and innovations that have helped the country to find solutions to its social, political and economic problems. He called for zero tolerance to hooliganism and urged students to exercise the highest degree of discipline. 

The Minister appealed to the University Management to implement the policy on discipline and Morality to ensure a favorable learning environment at Makerere University.

“I strongly condemn the intolerable indiscipline and hooliganism at Makerere University and I am going to support the University Management to ensure that the policy on morality and discipline is implemented for the sake of creating a conducive environment for learning at the great institution,” he emphasized.

The Ambassador of China to Uganda, H.E. Zheng Zhuqiang, congratulated all the award winning students upon reaching the tremendous milestone. “It can be said that your dreams are the ‘Ugandan dream’, Makerere University is providing you knowledge as a tool to realize your dreams.  The Chinse embassy has provided the Chinese Ambassador Scholarship of Excellence and Friendship to set the journey for achieving this dream and chose Makerere University as the first cooperative partner of the scholarships because we think the best students from Uganda are here,” he said.

The Ambassador of China to Uganda, H.E. Zheng Zhuqiang addressing the congregation.

He commended Makerere University for being the key player in building human resource capacity in Uganda and saluted the various contributions the University has made towards Uganda’s development. According to the Ambassador, there is urgent need for strategic investment in the young generation in order to have the much needed human capital that is ready to drive the country’s planned growth and transformation.

“If the young are strong, the country will be strong: if the young are knowledgeable, the country will prosper. A nation will prosper only when its young people thrive; a country will be full of hope and have a greater tomorrow only when its young generations have ideals, ability, and a strong sense of responsibility,” he said. 

The Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Prof. William Bazeyo thanked the Chinese Embassy and the Government of China, for sponsoring Makerere University staff and alumni for post graduate studies. 

“I applaud H.E. Zheng Zhuqiang for securing fifteen (15) ‘Chinese Ambassador’s Award for Excellence’ and fifteen (15) ‘Ambassador’s Award for Friendship’ scholarships. These scholarships will enable 30 Ugandan children achieve their dream. If you ask the award winning students here, you will realize that each one of them has a very big dream. Today we are witnessing the fulcrum for the journey to the long awaited dream,” he stated.

Some of the beneficiaries excited to meet the  Ambassador of China to Uganda, H.E. Zheng Zhuaiang.

On behalf of Makerere University Management, Prof. Bazeyo assured the Chinese Embassy of the necessary support to the award winning students. He acknowledged the long term relationship Makerere University has with the People’s Republic of China, the various institutions and universities in China and the Chinese Embassy in Uganda that has contributed to Makerere University’s research and academic excellence.

In the same spirit, he appreciated the support from the Government of Uganda that is enabling over 2000 Uganda students to access university education at Makerere University and other institutions of higher learning every year. 

“Since 2001 Makerere University has been offering scholarships to students who excel academically but are unable to afford University Education because of their poor social economic background. With the various partners including; the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the MasterCard Foundation, the Governments of Sweden and Norway, a total of 1029 both male and female students have successfully graduated and are selflessly serving mother Uganda as Lawyers, Chief Executive Directors, Programme Mangers, Bankers, Lecturers, Teachers, Medical Doctors, Church Ministers, Social workers and many others. The Chinese 30 Scholarship Awards sums it to 1059 scholarships,” he stated. 

The Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Prof. William Bazeyo thanked the Chinese Embassy and the Government of China, for sponsoring Makerere University staff and alumni for post graduate studies

He commended the good work done by the Gender and Mainstreaming Directorate to screen and select not only the best students, but also students who genuinely deserve the scholarship awards.

The Acting Director of Gender Mainstreaming, Dr. Euzobia M. Baine, said that the Directorate will make a follow up on the academic performance of the students to ensure that they maintain their good grades. She appreciated the sponsorship from the Chinese Embassy and called for more support towards helping young Ugandans realize their dreams. 

“Numerous bright but socio-economically disadvantaged children in Uganda still face challenges in accessing higher education. Many children from less privileged, geographically disadvantaged districts and locations, children from refugee/displaced communities, ethnic minority groups and youth with various disabilities still face financial challenges,” she mentioned.

Chairperson of the Scholarships Selection Committee, Dr. Jessica Norah Aguti.

Ms. Ritah Namisango, the Principal Public Relations Officer at Makerere University encouraged students to join the Chinese language and culture learning course at Makerere University Confucius Institute. “Learn the Chinese language and widen your opportunities and networks. This is a generation of social networking with various business developments, and hence, an international language like Chinese is vital,” she said. 

On behalf of the beneficiaries, Ms. Agaba Vanita, a student of the College of Natural Sciences; pursuing a Bachelor’s degree of Science physical thanked the Chinese Ambassador for the tremendous support. Also Mr. Khisa Emma, a student at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-security, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree of Biomedical Laboratory Technology said that, “I thank the Chinese Embassy for the opportunity and we promise that we shall not let you down.”

Article by Mak Public Relations Office
 

Proscovia Nabatte

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The 3rd Fundis and Technicians sensitization event and exhibition held successfully

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The 3rd annual Fundis and Technicians sensitization event and exhibition by manufacturers of building materials organized by the Department Architecture and Physical Planning at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), Makerere University came to a close with a call for increased partnerships between training institutions and the community.

The event that attracted 200 participants including masons, fundis, painters, builders, metal and electrical fabricators ran from Thursday 24th to Friday 25th October 2024 at CEDAT. It was supported by several stakeholders and was characterized by training sessions and an exhibition of building materials by different companies that make cement, paint, water tanks tiles and many more.

Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Makerere University.

Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe at the opening of the training. In his remarks, he extended appreciation to the technicians for accepting to take part in the training which he said was key in ensuring that they gain from continuous learning. Prof. Alinaitwe observed that although some of them did not get through formal training, it was important that they took part in such training programs to keep abreast of the developments in the construction industry where they undertake the bulk of the work as masons, technicians, plumbers, and metal fabricators.

‘Keep improving, we need to up our game in terms of quality’, he said while making reference to the need for quality output.  He cautioned them on issues of cost and cheating of their clients by making realistic costs.  ‘We need to cost the work well taking into account the materials, the labor, the equipment used, and the overheads’.  The other area that needed to be taken care of by the technicians included time management, which reflects on attitudes towards work, team work.   While addressing the gathering in his capacity as Chairman of the Engineers Registration Board, Prof. Alinaitwe said the upcoming engineering Registration Bill, if approved, has a provision for the registration of all artisans and hence the need to have the minimum requirements for the stakeholders to be registered. He also stressed the need to bring on board as more women as possible.  ‘We want to see more women, who can do some aspects in construction better than men like painting.

Prof. Moses Musinguzi, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University.

Prof. Moses Musinguzi, the Principal of the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology while welcoming the trainees to the college said the training is a good initiative that will help address challenge of skill and work match.  He encouraged the trainees to do smart work, and take due consideration of ethics and customer care. He encouraged the department to extend the training opportunity to other units of the college and the university and also make it more formal, as part and parcel of the training program of the college in liaison with bodies like UBTEB.

Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule, the Deputy Principal CEDAT while appreciating the initiative of the department said countries like Germany have apprenticeship training that help the training of students to gain skills equivalent to those acquired while in formal institutions of learning.  He said the academia in Uganda is increasingly recognizing the importance of the informal sector in the growth of the country. ‘We need to learn from you. Almost 90% of the people in the construction industry have been informally trained’. He said by learning from each other, the two sectors jointly make a contribution towards the development of the country.

Dr. Amin Tamale Kiggundu, the head of the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning said the initiative, a community outreach program of the college started three years ago in the year 2022 with 60 Fundis and masons, in 2023, the number was increased to 120 Fundis and the current 2024, was 200 Fundis of various categories, including painters, builders, metal fabricators, plumbers and electrical fabricators. He said this community outreach program aims at sharing the accumulated scientific knowledge in building, design and construction technologies at CEDAT, sharing the expertise, knowledge and experiences with communities in greater Kampala and hence bridging the existing knowledge and skills gap between the training institutions and the communities.

Dr. Amin Tamale Kiggundu, the head of the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, Makerere University

The 21st century is characterized by collaboration, partnerships, and establishment of knowledge economies.  He said based on the trainings held so far, it is clear that partnerships between the training institutions and the communities were possible especially the Fundis who are closer to the communities. ‘We also want to learn from the Fundi’s experiences, how they are able to connect to the communities in some cases better than those who have gone through the training institutions’, he said. He further noted that the majority of fundis are young people that need to be supported with skills and other ways of nurturing them. The dream of the department, he said is to introduce an open door policy that allows fundis and other university students to come to learn.  

Several organizations supported the event and participated in the exhibition and they included Habitat for Humanity, Uganda, Green Building Council Uganda, The National Building Board, Uganda Clays Limited, Centenary Bank, Steel and Tube Industries Ltd, Simba Cement, Plascon, Goodwill, Cresttanks among others.

Alex Isemaghendera

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MURBS has declared 13.40% interest on members’ balances for the financial year that ended on 30th June 2024.

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By: Ritah Namisango

Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga, Chairperson of the Makerere University Retirement Benefits Scheme (MURBS) Board of Trustees, announced this milestone during the 14th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the year 2023/24 held on Thursday, 24th October 2024, at Makerere University Main Campus, School of Public Health Auditorium.

The AGM attracted various stakeholders, including trustees, Audit Committee Chairperson CPA David Ssenoga, Board Evaluation Consultant Vincent Kaheeru, URBRA Representative Mark Lotukei, Audit Committee members, co-opted members, and university administrators.

Presenting the performance report, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Nansubuga highlighted that this is the highest interest declared by the scheme in the past five years, and she anticipates continued improvements. She noted that for the previous financial year, which ended in June 2023, the Board of Trustees declared an interest an interest of 12.34%.

Dr Nansubuga also announced that the scheme has achieved a Net Investment Income of UGX 44.6 billion, far higher than the UGX34.4 billion collected in Contributions during the year.

The Chairperson of the Board also revealed that the fund value had grown from UGX352.4 billion recorded at the end of the last financial year to UGX409.2 billion, indicating an increase of 16.1%.

“By 30th June 2023, MURBS had a fund value of UGX 352.4 billion. The Board of Trustees targeted Fund growth of 17%, and I am glad to inform you, that the fund value of MURBS, as per the Audited Financial Statements of 30th June 2024 is UGX 409.2 billion, which is an increase of 16.1%. This achievement was made possible by strategic periodical activities undertaken by the Board and our fund managers, supported by the strong oversight committees of the Board,” she reported.

Dr. Elizabeth Patricia Nansubuga(Centre) responding to questions from members.

She attributed the positive growth to factors such as improved debt recovery, operational efficiency, timely remittance of contributions by the sponsor (Makerere University), an increase in project and contract contributions, and the recovery of UGX8.85 billion in debts.

Dr. Nansubuga also expressed gratitude to Makerere University, the scheme’s sponsor, for consistently remitting contributions, a key factor that has significantly contributed to MURBS’ smooth operation. “I am happy to announce that the sponsor-Makerere University remitted your retirement benefits for the financial year 2023/24,” she said.

In the same development, Dr. Nansubuga reported that MURBS registered a legal victory against Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) over a real estate investment in Sonde undertaken in 2019, and which URA sought to tax heavily. She notified the AGM that MURBS won the case and was awarded costs which also set a precedent.

Consultant Mr. Vincent Kaheeru and CEO of Profiles International

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to inform you that during the financial year, we received a favorable outcome on a key court case. How did we end up with this case? In 2019, MURBS invested in real estate, we bought land in Sonde,” Dr Nansubuga explained.

“Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) then charged us with a tax assessment worth UGX600 million. It has been four (4) years in the tax appeals tribunal. Since then, the lawyers, the former and current trustees, have been appearing before the appeals tribunal, but in December 2023, MURBS won the case. We challenged URA, and this case was awarded with costs. URA has to pay MURBS. We therefore saved UGX600 million,” she added.  

In terms of governance, Dr Nansubuga said that the scheme made changes in the board. Initially, the trustees were six and they needed a seventh member, and following a competitive race, they recruited another trustee; CPA Edina Rugumayo who has over thirty years in accounting.

Part of the MURBS members who physically attended the Annual General Meeting

“In terms of governance, we continue to uphold good governance practices and we align with international standards. Last year during the presentation, I said we were six and we needed to have the seventh trustee because the Board composition is supposed to be seven,” she explained.

“So, following a competitive process, we recruited an independent trustee. It was a very competitive position. You must have served on board which has over UGX50 billion. So, from that process, we were able to recruit CPA Edna Rugumayo Simbwa. She is a certified public accountant with over thirty years of experience in accounting, taxation, and corporate governance,” she mentioned.

She also thanked other stakeholders for making sure that MURBS activities run smoothly. These entities include Makerere University, KPMG, Gen Africa, Arcadia Advocates, Zamara, URBRA, and Stanbic Bank among others.

While discussing investments, Dr. Nansubuga mentioned that 86% of MURBS’ funds are currently invested in government bonds, but added that the Board is exploring diversification to reduce risks. 

“86% percent of our money is invested in government bonds, and sometimes, you do not have to put all your eggs in one basket, there is a high concentration of risk. so that is one of the key material risks that we want to address to reduce the amount we have in government securities. We want to diversify our portfolio and avoid investing heavily in government securities. The Board will venture into other fields in order to earn money or return on investment from the diverse undertakings,” she said.

Mr. Mark Lotukei, represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority

In terms of membership, Dr. Nansubuga reported a 4.4% increase, with the number of members rising from 8,229 to 8,590. She attributed this growth to the reinstatement of in-house beneficiaries and an increase in project and contract staff.

Dr. Kakuba also thanked the sponsor-Makerere University for remitting the membership contributions timely which has helped the scheme to grow.

Dr. Godwin Kakuba -Secretary, MURBS Board of Trustees, who presented the record of the 13th Annual General Meeting stressed that the AGM climaxes a financial year and the Board of Trustee has been vigilant on this and has not missed any AGM for 14 years now.

“We applaud the sponsor because many of these positives in the chairperson’s report can only be attributed to the support by the sponsor through fulfilling the obligation of remitting members’ contributions to the scheme,” he added.

Dr. Godwin Kakuba (L) and Asad Ssenoga

Partner Asad Ssenoga, an independent auditor who audited the scheme said that he was impressed with the level of compliance that the scheme exhibited in all aspects. He said they focused on ensuring that the member contributions are supported with statements and allocated to members appropriately.

“Overall we were satisfied with the work we did on the audit, the numbers that were presented by the Chairperson are the correct numbers that we audited. We were comfortable with those numbers, due process was followed during the audit,” he said.

Mr. Mark Lotukei who represented the CEO of Uganda Retirement Benefits Regulatory Authority (URBRA) thanked the Trustees for always prioritizing governance, which has helped them to reach several milestones.

Members of the MURBS Secretariat led by Ms Susan Khaitsa(Centre)

“As URBRA, we look at governance as the biggest component of our compliance. MURBS Trustees from the former to the current, have taken governance as the most important aspect. We really encourage them to continue with this good practice because governance informs all the other aspects,” he said.

Mr. Arthur Kibira, a member in attendance, expressed his appreciation for the Board’s efforts. He urged them to explore higher-risk investments for potentially greater returns. He expressed concern over the scheme’s heavy reliance on government bonds.

“Dr Elizabeth Nansubuga, I want to congratulate you, and your team and also congratulate ourselves. But, I want to believe that there is room for improvement. I am one of those who do not believe that the sky is the limit, we are limited by our own thinking. I am thinking that high risks give high returns. Is there a way of managing those risks, so that we could push this 13.40% interest to a figure much higher? If we do so, we shall say we have learnt how to manage risks,”, he guided.

Ritah Namisango

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Makerere University at the 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

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Uganda’s Chair elect, Prof. David Meya of Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences (extreme left) and other O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs

The Research Chairs concept is similar to Centers of Excellence (for instance in supporting world-class research in a priority area), but also has many distinguishing features. Most notably, it recognizes individual excellence, leadership and talent. The O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Initiative (ORTARChI) builds on the work of Oliver Tambo, a prominent South African and pan-Africanist with a science education background, who believed in creating change through education and in cooperation and solidarity among African nations. The Initiative focuses on celebrating his legacy in building knowledge-based economies for the advancement of Africa.

ORTARChI builds on and leverages existing continental frameworks and interventions geared towards institutional capacity strengthening; recruitment and retention of excellent researchers; and incentives to support research that contributes to socio-economic and transformative development. 

Ten (10) O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs across seven (7) countries in Africa, namely; Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia have been selected for funding through a rigorous and competitive two-stage review process. These research chairs are focused on research priorities identified by each host institution in conjunction with, especially the Science Councils, and in alignment with AU Agenda 2063 and STISA 2024.

[L-R] Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (DVC F&A, Mak), Dr. Dorothy Ngila (Director, NRF), Ms. Natasha Allie (CEO Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation), Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST), Associate Professor David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI) and Assoc. Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, DRGT)

Prof. Noble Banadda from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences had been inaugurated as one of the first 10 (ten) Oliver Tambo (ORTARChi) Chairs. Unfortunately, Prof. Banadda (R.I.P) passed on in July 2021, which created a vacuum. To ensure that Uganda and Makerere University continue to tap into the ORTARChi, we are glad to announce the appointment of Associate Professor David Meya from the College of Health Sciences at Makerere University for the purpose. The appointment will attract USD 170,000 annually for 5 years for graduate research with a target of training 5-6 PhDs, 10-15 Post-doctoral fellows and 10-12 Masters of Medicine and Master of Science Students at Makerere University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

Makerere University has had the pleasure of attending 2024 O.R. Tambo Africa Research Chairs Annual Gathering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The annual gathering is co-hosted by the Joseph Ki-Zerbo University, National Research and Innovation Fund for Development (FONRID) and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. The theme for this year’s gathering is: African Sovereignty: A Catalyst for Research Collaborations and Social Impact in the Continent“. At the annual gathering, Uganda was represented by Associate Prof. David Meya (Uganda Chair Elect, ORTARChI), Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Mak), Associate Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Research and Graduate Training) and Dr. Martin Ongol (Ag. Executive Secretary, UNCST). Assoc. Prof. David Meya – ORTARChI Chair Elect – is from Makerere University’s School of Medicine at the College of Health Sciences.  

[L_R] Prof. Henry Alinaitwe (DVC F&A, Makerere University), Dr. Dorothy Ngila (Director, NRF), and Assoc Prof. Robert Wamala (Director, Mak DRGT)

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