General
CAES Acquires another Agricultural Tractor Worth US$26,500
Makerere University College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) has acquired another MASCOR John Deere agricultural tractor worth US$26,500 (approximately shs.98, 050,000).
The tractor was purchased using college resources mainly from the project overheads.
The four wheel drive John Deere Agricultural Machinery, model 5075E with 75HP can be attached on a variety of farm implements including ploughs, harrows, planters, bailers and forage harvesters among others.
The machinery was supplied by John Deere MAS CORPORATION Company Ltd (MASCOR ) and delivered at the Makerere University Agricultural Research Institute Kabanyolo (MUARIK) on Tuesday, 2nd October, 2018.
The suppliers were represented by Ms. Hellen Atuhaire and Mr. Lwanga Mande.
The handover ceremony was witnessed by University Bursar’s representative Mr. Teefe Paul, the Principal CAES, Prof. Bernard Bashaasha, Acting Director MUARIK Dr. Alice Turinawe, the Acting Farm Manger Mr. Chrysostom Tweyambe, MUARIK security personnel and other university staff.
Receiving the equipment, the Principal CAES Prof. Bernard Bashaasha welcomed the suppliers to MUARIK saying, this was the second tractor delivered (following the MaRCCI one) and expressed hope for further engagement with MASCOR.
“I thank MASCOR for the delivery. I appreciate that you have been good to us and I thank you for the efficient responses to our emails.
We have this farm that needs a lot of machinery. We need to strengthen our relationship in terms of other inputs and repairs”, Bashaasha said.
The Principal hailed the University management for allowing the college to buy the machine using her resources.
“Thank you for the goodwill. We could not have signed the contract without the goodwill of the university.
MUARIK is our Jewel. We do a lot of training, research, production and outreach activities.
The place trains for the whole country and therefore needs technology so that people can appreciate when they see new developments like this tractor”, Bashaasha noted.
The Principal implored the machine operators and entire staff at MUARIK to maintain and handle the equipment responsibly.
“They are very expensive machines, so go an extra mile to be careful. We won’t be with you in the field but we rely on you. I insist, please, do regular servicing”, he said.
Ms. Hellen Atuhaire from MASCOR appreciated Makerere University for choosing John Deere MASCOR as a business associate. She described the John Deere tractor as a brand new machine that can work in all situations.
The company provided the service kit for free and will offer the first two tractor services. It will also offer free training to the tractor operators before using the machine and a warranty of 2years or 2000hours whichever comes first.
The Acting Director MUARIK Dr. Alice Turinawe described the new delivery as a blessing.
“I am excited to have a new tractor. We have a lot of activities and it is a good starting point to come in office with a tractor which is a sign of blessings. It is my hope that the university will secure more, including implements”. Dr. Turinawe said.
Dr. Turinawe welcomed the Bursar’s Representative Mr. Teefe Paul, the Principal CAES and MASCOR and thanked them for being good partners and delivering two tractors to MUARIK so far.
She reiterated the Principal’s request for MUARIK staff to be responsible, adding that the Institute was counting on them to look after the machinery well.
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
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