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Meet Mak Professor with 10 Acres of Livestock Fodder for the December–February Dry Season

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Can Agriculture Professionals roll up their sleeves and blunt the biting effect of drought, occasioned by climate change, on livestock production through research, innovations and entrepreneurship?

The situation
Seasonality of forage is one of the major challenges in meeting nutritional requirements of dairy, beef and dual-purpose cattle, goats, sheep, horses and donkeys in Eastern Africa. Feed scarcity for the livestock is occasioned by frequent and erratic droughts some of which are prolonged. To address this challenge, fodder production and conservation technologies such as hay, silage and haylage production technologies have been introduced and promoted as a potential strategy to addressing feed scarcity among farmers. These technologies are aimed at increasing livestock feed availability during the dry periods in addition to diversifying income through sale of hay bales and grass seed among communities. However, while previous studies have shown an increasing trend of acceptance and adoption of forage and its conservation as hay among farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Somalia and Djibouti, farmers in Uganda have not fully embraced the fodder conservation technologies. Failure by farmers to adopt scientific innovations to solve the real challenges of feed scarcity that face livestock farmers during prolonged drought makes us wonder why?

Why the Need for agricultural professors to roll up their sleeves?
Despite the known benefits of fodder conservation, which has been taught at Makerere University and other institutions of higher learning for over 50 years, there is scarcity of information on fodder value chain that is crucial in informing development and up scaling the technology of hay production as a business among the communities.

Prof. Kabi, an animal scientist from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Makerere University has innovated an alternative way of taking the university lecture room to the communities. Prof. Fred Kabi has rolled up his sleeves and has dedicated his livestock science knowledge, skills and over 10 acres of land situated in Kapeka to production of Chloris gayana hay intercropped with Centrosema pubscens legume. This could also be a driver for aspiring farmers to open up and learn a new approach to growing pastures and its conservation as hay for livestock feed as a way of diversifying enterprises at the farm. He is optimistic that within four years , he should open up about 40 acres populated with Chloris gayana and  Cencherus ciliaris grasses together with Desmodium and Stylosanthes guianensis legumes all of which are drought tolerant pastures. In his words, this action is intended to blunt the biting effect of drought among dairy and beef farmers most of whom lose revenue during prolonged droughts when the milk prices are very high yet milk production drops due to insufficient fodder availability.

Assoc. Prof. Fred Kabi joins his farm employee to carry bales of hay

Ecological green gold for job creation and sustainable employment
High demand for milk and meat consumption in urban and peri-urban areas irrespective of seasons will be the major market driver for feeding hay to livestock as an alternative to the green chop of elephant grass during the dry seasons in Uganda. While elephant grass can be a promising source of fodder due to its prolific growth during the rainy season, its growth is seriously curtailed during the dry season leading to fodder deficiency. Moreover, it is during the dry season when the prices of milk go very high. Since the crude protein content of Chloris Gayana grass is comparable to that of elephant grass (about 9 to 12 %), Prof. Kabi thinks production of Chloris Gayana grass and the drought-tolerant legume pastures conserved as hay and their seeds needs to be exploited as an enterprise to meet the growing needs of farmers.  Uptake of hay and seed production by entrepreneurs with the necessary factors of production, knowledge and skills is one way of turning the challenge of erratic and prolonged droughts into an opportunity for job creation and employment especially for the youth and women.

Together with his graduate students, Prof. Kabi thinks innovation along the dairy and meat value chains can lead to cottage industries where pasture hay can be pulverized into small pieces and mixed with other ingredients such as maize, cotton seed cake and minerals as a total mixed ration. When bagged rather than baling, Prof. Kabi considers this as a practical application of innovative feed solution for not only peri-urban farmers but as a potential export to the region. This is where the University don is advocating for a deliberate effort and government policy to make sure that just like Tourism is advertised, a deliberate effort to create jobs for the youth can be made by advertising Uganda as a possible source of bagged hay as green gold. Production of hay for local, regional markets is one of those efforts that can meaningfully engage the youth in the dairy and beef value chains. For effective exploitation of pasture hay as green gold, there is need for deliberate effort to organize not only production but the market. It is the belief of the professor of animal nutrition that the future of the youth involvement in the dairy or beef value chain only belongs to the organized. But organization of the youth in any production enterprise along any given value chain will only be successful if such production is driven by the market incentives Kabi says.

Turning the challenge into an opportunity
The CAES Communication office followed up Professor Kabi to Kapeka to establish the motivation behind his involvement in pasture grass establishment for livestock among the communities.  The Don says that after careful analysis of the beef and dairy value chains from the perspective of an animal nutritionist, he has established that there were so many people who want to do dairy or beef farming business but lack pasture feed resource for their animals. Moreover, the scarcity of pastures is more prominent among peri-urban farmers with a good market of their milk and beef but with limited land to produce fodder for livestock. So, he took on that challenge as an opportunity.

“Secondly, during prolonged dry seasons which are due to the challenge of climate variability, livestock farmers cannot sustain the same number of animals at the farm kept in the wet season due to limited access to feeds.  Since the consumers’ demand for milk and meat has gone up yet the farmers who produce milk and meat for one reason or the other cannot adopt technology for producing feeds for the milking animals during the dry season, someone has to close the gap but at a cost.  

Assoc. Prof. Fred Kabi rolled up his sleeves to practice what he preaches

Scientists who preach the science of fodder conservation and nutrition in lecture room can now innovate and participate in value addition to pastures to bridge the gap of limited milk and meat supply during the dry season.  Producing hay in Kapeka is like constructing a lecture room among the communities. This was one of my incentives to go into pasture production for hay.  This will not only demystify the science of fodder production and conservation but will also create jobs among the youth, help in diversification of income and help build market for the hay and seed”, Prof. Kabi explained.

The don cites the experience of farmers in Uganda who planted maize and had to sell it at a price of UGX200 a kilogram. But a kilogram of hay goes for UGX500-700 or a bale of 10 to 15 kg from UGX5,000-7,000 while a kilogram of Chloris Gayana seeds fetches up to UGX3,000-4,000 while that of green leaf desmodium can fetch up to UGX150,000. This puts a farmer’s land and knowledge to good use and contributes to the dairy and beef value chain.

Clad in his blue overalls, the Professor cuts the mature Chloris Gayana, pauses and says, “Here, we are with the question – Can agricultural sciences, innovations and entrepreneurship blended with policies be able to solve the challenge of youth unemployment?”
The answer according to the Professor can be yes or no.

Prof. Kabi observed that farming in Uganda has been mainly on a small-scale subsistence without organized markets and this can never appeal to the youth as a cool engagement. In the affirmative, however, once there is organized market, this will be the driver for accepting scientific innovations and a way of igniting entrepreneurial skills among the youth for as long as they can be able to earn from their engagement in agriculture.

However, Kabi explains that understanding the whole dairy or beef value chains at the local, regional or at international level is crucial for positioning agriculture as a source of employment to the youth. For instance, about 50 years ago, Africa commanded about 6% of the global trade volume. This has been declining over the years and right now, Africa transacts about 2.4% of the global trade volume. To be specific, the current trend now indicates that the volume of trade of Africa excluding South Africa, Egypt and Morocco i.e. Sub Saharan Africa is 1.7% of the entire global trade. According to the Professor, this creates a worrying challenge of unemployment because there is an imbalance of trade.

Assoc. Prof. Fred Kabi harvests Chloris Gayana manually in the absence of machinery

“So how can agricultural sciences, innovations and entrepreneurship be able to take us back into commercial trade and export that was enjoyed by Africa in the 1950s? This is where export drive livestock production is so crucial to the nation Uganda. Uganda needs to understand the dairy, and meat value chains so that we can be able to position ourselves to penetrate the international market.  This can be through non-conventional agricultural produce such as hay and pasture seed production”, explained the Professor as he pointed at the garden.

Borrowing from the Ethiopian experience, Professor Kabi said, at the last quarter of the year 2018 there was a deliberate effort in Addis Ababa for the country to access regional markets in terms of hay. Demand for hay market could go as far as the Middle East as a result of climate change, a development that entrepreneurs were taking advantage of.

In the middle East, Kabi cited that the market is interested in live meat goats of a given conformation. Finishing such goats on processed hay seems like a plausible way of meeting standards for such external markets. Relatedly, in an international meeting organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) under the auspices Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the representatives of Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) opined that some countries can indirectly participate in the dairy and meat value chain by producing fodder that is required for the industry.

Prof. Kabi asserts that Uganda too, can have a cottage industry to process hay and make it ready for farmers who keep dairy and beef animals, spearheaded by professors who are the proponents of feed conservation but driven by the youth. The whole of Kampala for example has small holder farmers practicing zero grazing.  The 10 acres of land under Chloris Gayana pasture production for hay is equivalent to 4 hectares. Each hectare can yield 25 to 35 tons of hay dry matter per year, which is estimated to annually feed 5-6 mature cows.

 Kabi says, if we have several of such hay farmers organized into a cooperative, we can feed the dairy industry at a local level but with excess available for export to countries like Kenya which are yearning for feeding materials. But is there a deliberate effort by Uganda to organize both production and market of non-conventional produce so that people do not only look at growing priority crops such as maize but diversify to fodder as an alternative source of foreign exchange?” He asked.

Dr. Kabi demonstrates how the harvested hay is pressed into bales

Prof. Kabi notes that Uganda can be able to export hay to Kenya and middle east but this requires a deliberate effort to get both production and market organized. This he said is what happened when colonialists were able to organize markets for coffee, minerals and cotton.

“This explains why paradoxically the African share of the global trade almost a sixth of what it was 50 year back. The decline in the volume share of trade from Africa as a proportion of the global trade is certainly a reflection of the real poverty on the continent and together with unemployment for the youth”, He said.

The professor thinks that the only way to solve the challenge of imbalance of trade is to think beyond conventional trade especially of agricultural produce and to diversify it with alternative ecological exportable produce including processed hay for income and employment creation for the youth. Value addition through cottage industries where science, innovation and entrepreneurship is blended with deliberate policy of production driven by export trade is needed. Uganda can surely be marketed and known to be a hay basket for the whole region.

Prof. Kabi further notes that if a deliberate effort is not taken to create the markets for unconventional products, then the country can never have its agriculture produce access regional and international markets. However, he emphasized the need to export produce in a sustainable way, where sustainability means making use of low input natural resources like the Chloris Gayana intercropped with Centrosema as a legume that is naturally occuring but with value addition to be competitive in the market. This can be the basis for inspiring the youth to get involved in agriculture.

Nutritional value of Chloris Gayana
The high yield of Chloris Gayana of 25 to 35 tons per ha per year coupled with its high crude protein content of between 9-12% is comparable to that of 10 to 50 tons of elephant grass with crude protein content of 10 to 13 %. The most important point is that Chloris Gayana can withstand dry conditions making it the right crop in the face of climate change. It simply rejuvenates after cutting unlike elephant grass which is only prolific in growth during the rainy season. Besides, Chloris  Gayana  can be intercropped with legumes such as centrosema , desmodium  (both green and silver leaf), siratro (Bishops purple), stylosanthes and glycine.

Dr. Kabi uses an improvised storage place for the dry hay

Farm management practices
The seedbed for Chloris has to be a fine tilled just as is the case for millet, because the seeds of the pasture are quite small. After seedbed preparation, you have to ensure that you plant at the onset of the rains in the same planting season of maize. Furrows are dug either manually or mechanically. Chloris Gayana is planted in rows like maize at spacing of 2ft from one row to another to allow ease of weeding because while young it can easily succumb to weeds. The   seeds are mixed with sand, black soil or preferably composted cattle manure and broadcast within the dug furrows. A thin layer of soil is used to cover the seeds so that they do not fail to emerge and to protect them from being systematically eaten up by birds. After some 7 to 14 days, the seed will germinate. However, if it is dry, it may fail to germinate. If the germination percentage of the seed is 50% and above, the seed bed should be entirely covered by three months. If the germination percentage is below 50%, allow the seeds to shutter in the garden. With proper weeding and rains, the next ratoon will be ready for seed harvesting after 30 to 50 days. After harvesting you weed and manure the grass to that it can maintain the growth vigor.

Unlike the Chloris gayana seed which has to be harvested as soon as it is ready to avoid shuttering and its destruction especially by the birds, hay should preferably be harvested at dough stage when half way the garden is flowered. However, the harvesting should coincide with the onset of the dry season to avoid moulding. The cut grass should be raked to enable thorough drying to only 15 % moisture content like maize grain. The dried hay should then be baled using either tractor driven hay balers or hand-operated hay baler boxes. Baled hay should then be kept in a cool and dry shelter that is water proof  preferably raised on pallets or in a crib like maize. Failure to adhere to these conditions will lead to moulding.

Challenges of farming Chloris Gayana
Growing the fodder on ten acres requires machinery including a tractor and accessories such as a reciprocating mower, a rake, a tractor-operated baler and a drying shed for green curing so that customers end up with green rather than golden hay color before its storage. This is crucial in conserving the beta carotene or the precursor for vitamin A necessary for the yellowish creamy color of milk.

The other major challenge challenge is labor. Youth do not think hay is a lucrative business to be engaged in. However, professor Kabi thinks if organized and turned into an enterprise, the youth will realize hay production is green gold that is worth  getting  engaged in especially if the market is streamlined. This is the reason why the professors should roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty as role models for the youth and attempt to turn the challenge of prolonged drought occasioned to livestock by climate change into an opportunity.

Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango,
Principal Communication Officer, CAES

Mark Wamai

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Makerere Hosts EU Uganda Research and Study Fair

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Hon. Dr. J.C. Muyingo, Prof. Sarah Ssali and H.E. Jan Sadek (Centre) with Heads of Missions and other representatives at the Fair on 8th October 2026. European Union-Uganda Research and Study Fair, 8th October 2026, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Today 8th October 2026, Makerere University has hosted the EU Uganda Research and Study Fair 2026, bringing together government officials, European Union representatives, researchers, academics, students, and young professionals to explore opportunities in education, research, innovation, and international collaboration.

The fair also marked 50 years of partnership between Uganda and the European Union, providing a platform for participants to learn about scholarships, research funding, exchange programmes, fellowships and opportunities for collaboration with European institutions.

Officially opening the fair, Acting Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo commended the European Union, its member states, Makerere University and other partners for organising the event, describing international cooperation as important to Uganda’s education and research agenda.

Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo speaks at the Uganda EU Research and Study Fair at Makerere University.

The Minister said Uganda’s young population presents a significant opportunity for national development if supported with the right investments in education, skills, creativity, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

He encouraged universities and research institutions to strengthen links between education, research, innovation and the world of work, noting that research should not only generate academic knowledge but also contribute to policies, technologies and practical solutions to national challenges.

Dr. Muyingo also encouraged students and young professionals to engage with the European Union, its member states and alumni to understand the opportunities available and prepare themselves for future applications.

Makerere highlights value of partnership

The Acting (Ag.) Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Makerere University, Prof. Sarah Ssali said the fair provided an important platform for bringing education, research, innovation and international cooperation together.

She noted that the event was particularly significant as Uganda and the European Union celebrate five decades of partnership, with Makerere’s relationships with some European institutions extending even beyond 50 years.

Prof. Sarah Ssali (left), EU Ambassador to Uganda Jan Sadek (centre), and Acting Minister of Education and Sports Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo tour exhibition stands during the EU Uganda Research and Study Fair at Makerere University. European Union-Uganda Research and Study Fair, 8th October 2026, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Prof. Sarah Ssali (left), EU Ambassador to Uganda Jan Sadek (centre), and Acting Minister of Education and Sports Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo tour exhibition stands during the EU Uganda Research and Study Fair at Makerere University.

Prof. Ssali said the partnerships have supported education, research, skills development, innovation, institutional strengthening and human capital development, creating opportunities for Ugandans to acquire knowledge and skills, conduct research and establish international networks.

She called for the next chapter of the partnership to place knowledge, research, innovation, technology and young people at the centre.

“Research needs to move beyond publication of research, to influence policy, improve practice, create products and services, strengthen communities and contribute to the economic development of our country,” she said.

The Ag. Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs Academic Prof. Sarah Ssali

Prof. Ssali also encouraged participants to explore opportunities for scholarships, research, exchange programmes, doctoral studies, joint research and fellowships available through European partnerships.

She said the ultimate value of international education and research partnerships lies in how knowledge, skills, networks and technologies acquired through such opportunities contribute to Uganda’s development.

Human Response programme strengthens partnerships

The fair also showcased Makerere’s partnerships through programmes such as the Humanitarian Response, Health and Displacement Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Programme (Human Response).

Dr. Justus Twesigye, the Dean, School of Social Sciences, Makerere University and Co-Principal Investigator of Human Response, explained that the programme has created partnerships between Makerere and universities in Europe and Africa.

Dr. Justus Twesigye

These include the University Institute of Lisbon in Portugal, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Athens in Greece, University of Cape Verde and University of Rovuma in Mozambique, alongside associate partners including the Uganda Red Cross Society, Allied Uganda, Refugee Led Organisation Network and the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Twesigye said the partnerships have introduced new approaches to teaching and learning by involving practitioners directly in training and giving students opportunities for concurrent field practice.

He noted that organisations such as the Uganda Red Cross Society have participated in delivering classes, while students also gain practical experience in the field before returning to class for reflective learning.

Part of the audience at the Uganda-EU Research and Study Fair at Freedom Square, Makerere University

The programme is also promoting joint research between academics and practitioners, moving away from approaches where researchers and practitioners work separately.

CEES project supports competence based education

The College of Education and External Studies (CEES) also presented an EU supported project aimed at helping higher education institutions and regulators transition to competence based education.

Prof. William Tayebwa briefs Acting Minister of Education and Sports Dr John Chrysostom Muyingo as EU Ambassador to Uganda Jan Sadek and Prof. Robert Wamala look on during a tour of exhibition stands.

Assoc. Prof. Josephine Esaete, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Science, Technology and Vocational Education, said the project brings together nine partners from Uganda, West Africa and Europe.

She explained that the project seeks to strengthen the capacity of universities and higher education regulators in designing competence based curricula, teaching, assessment, monitoring and evaluation.

Makerere University is coordinating the four year project, with Mountains of the Moon University among the Ugandan partners.

Assoc. Prof. Esaete said the project is timely as universities work towards transitioning their programmes and curricula to competence-based education.

The project also seeks to strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions and industry so that students can acquire skills relevant to the world of work.

Fair creates opportunities for students and researchers

The exhibition brought together different EU supported research projects, academic programmes and institutional partnerships, allowing students, researchers and other participants to interact directly with project teams and representatives of European institutions.

The fair also provided opportunities for participants to learn from Makerere alumni who have benefited from international study and research opportunities.

Stella Kakeeto interacts with students during the EU Uganda Research and Study Fair

Prof. Ssali urged participants to use the opportunity to “engage, explore, connect, and discover” new possibilities while encouraging young people to dream boldly, seek knowledge, build networks and use what they learn to contribute to Uganda’s transformation.

Take ownership of your future

Officially closing the fair, the Director, Research Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), Prof. Robert Wamala urged the students and young professionals who had participated in the fair to take ownership of their future because the Fair had shown that opportunities are real.

“Do not be afraid to ask questions, do not be afraid to apply, do not be discouraged by your first unsuccessful application, build your academic profile, build your research skills, build your networks, and remain curious”, Prof. Wamala encouraged.

Prof. Robert Wamala (3rd R) with other officials at the closing ceremony. European Union-Uganda Research and Study Fair, 8th October 2026, Freedom Square, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Prof. Robert Wamala (3rd R) with other officials at the closing ceremony.

On behalf of Makerere University, he sincerely appreciated Team Europe, the European Union and its Member States in Uganda, for organising this important Fair and the Ag. Minister, Hon. Dr. J.C. Muyingo for presiding over the event and reiterating the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening education, research and international cooperation.

“At Makerere University, the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships remains ready to work with our European partners, the Ministry, researchers, students and other stakeholders to help translate the opportunities identified today into meaningful collaborations and outcomes” Prof. Wamala reassured.

The fair reaffirmed Makerere University‘s commitment to strengthening international partnerships that support research, innovation, human capital development and national transformation.

Allan Ainematsiko

Bachelors of Journalism and Communication

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Action Taken on Allegations Against Dr. Faisal Buyinza

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An older photo of the Main Building, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda as seen from across the Freedom Square. Date taken: 22nd October 2012. Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Further to the University’s statement of 1st October 2026, I write to inform the University community of the specific action Management has taken on the allegations against Dr. Faisal Buyinza, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Economic Theory and Analysis, College of Business and Management Sciences.

Management notes with deep concern the serious allegations made against a senior member of our academic staff, and the strong feelings this matter has raised among our students, staff, alumni and the wider public. We share that concern. We also recognise the courage it takes for anyone to speak about experiences of harassment or violence, and we assure everyone who has come forward, or who may yet do so, that they will be heard.

Makerere University does not tolerate sexual harassment, abuse of authority or gender-based violence in any form. Some of the matters now raised were the subject of police investigations and criminal proceedings between 2011 and 2014. Irrespective of those proceedings, the University has its own duty, under its Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment, its Safeguarding Policy and its Human Resources Manual, to establish the facts in this matter and to act on them.

Management has therefore taken the following steps:

1. Investigation Committee

I have appointed a Committee to investigate the allegations. The Committee is constituted as follows:

  1. Eng. Assoc. Prof. Dorothy K. Okello, Dean, School of Engineering, CEDAT – Chairperson
  2. Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, Principal, College of Computing and Information Sciences – Member
  3. Dr. Christine Mbabazi Mpyangu, Department of Religion and Peace Studies, CHUSS – Member
  4. Ms. Sumaiyah Nanyondo Sebuta, Legal Advisor – Member
  5. Dr. Joelia Nasaka, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, CoVAB – Member
  6. Mr. Deus T. Mujuni, Chief Human Resource Officer – Secretary

The Committee will hear every complainant and witness, and will give Dr. Buyinza the full opportunity to respond to each allegation, in accordance with the principles of natural justice. It is required to submit its report to the Vice Chancellor not later than Friday, 6th November 2026.

2. Stepping Aside from Leadership

With immediate effect and for the duration of the investigation, Dr. Buyinza has been directed to step aside from the headship of the Department of Economic Theory and Analysis and from any other leadership or administrative position he holds in the University. The Dean, School of Economics, will oversee the Department in the interim. Dr. Buyinza has also been directed not to contact, influence or interfere with any complainant or witness.

These are administrative measures to protect the integrity of the investigation and those who take part in it. They are not a disciplinary sanction and are not a finding of guilt. The University will not pre-judge the outcome. Should the Committee find that there is a case to answer, the matter will proceed to the Appointments Board, where Dr. Buyinza will be accorded a fair hearing in accordance with University procedures. The University will inform the community of the outcome of this process.

3. Submissions and Protection from Retaliation

Management encourages all complainants, and anyone with information relevant to this matter, to come forward and make submissions to the Committee.The Secretary to the Committee will shortly communicate the email address and telephone numbers through which submissions may be made. All information will be handled in strict confidence, and the Committee has been directed to protect the confidentiality, safety and dignity of everyone who comes forward.

The University guarantees that anyone who takes part in, or provides information to, this process will be protected from intimidation, victimisation or retaliation. I also appeal to all members of the University community to engage on this matter responsibly, including on social media, and to avoid comments that could expose complainants, intimidate witnesses or prejudice a fair process.

The safety and dignity of every member of our community is not negotiable. I thank you for your support and cooperation as we see this process through fairly, thoroughly and without delay.

Professor Sarah N. Ssali
Ag. VICE CHANCELLOR

Access the official circular below:

Mak Editor

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Timothy Khabusi: From Barefoot Walks to shaping Uganda’s Eye health Future

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Mr. Buteera and Khabusi during the interview recently. Impact Stories: Timothy Khabusi, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus, optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, on an ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda, October 2026, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.

Before becoming an optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, Timothy Khabusi walked barefoot to school along rough roads in Manafwa District, Eastern Uganda. For most of his primary school years, Timothy walked more than nine kilometres each day from his home to Bubulo Mixed Primary School in Manafwa District.

He would leave home at about 6:00 a.m., walk to the highway, and join other children on their way to school. On the murram road, sharp stones pressed into his feet. When the rains came, he sometimes arrived at school completely drenched. Occasionally, a truck carrying market vendors would stop and offer them a lift. “Those were few lucky days,” Timothy recalls.

At the time, however, Timothy did not see his life as unusual. It was simply how life was for many children in his village. What he did not yet know was that those long walks were helping shape a determination that would eventually take him from rural Manafwa to Makerere University and, later, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Timothy Khabusi is the sixth of eight children (5 boys and 3 girls). His father, 68, a retired primary school teacher, and his mother, 60, a small retail shop owner, had limited resources but were determined to give their eight children opportunities they had not enjoyed themselves.

The family tried several ways to make ends meet. His mother ran a small local brew joint, selling malwa, a traditional fermented cereal drink. When Timothy was about ten, the family closed the malwa joint and moved on, first trying farming and later, in 2009, opening a small retail kiosk with money earned from selling a small coffee harvest.

The family kiosk changed things. Timothy started taking snacks to school and also began developing an interest in business. He sold sugarcane and later teamed up with his younger brother, Mark, to make mandazi, a popular delicacy among schoolchildren.

Behind these modest ventures were sacrifices his parents made for their children’s education and health. His father took loans to support the family through school, while both parents repeatedly emphasised the importance of education.

Timothy’s own academic journey was far from perfect.

At rural Bubulo Primary School, Timothy performed very well and earned a place at one of the best secondary schools in Eastern Uganda, Mbale Senior Secondary School, in Mbale city.

At Mbale Secondary School, he became a strong academic performer and earned a renewable merit-based bursary that covered most of his school fees. Mr Mabaku, his Mathematics teacher, taught him to connect classroom concepts to real-life problems—a way of thinking that would later shape his interest in technology and programming.

Then came a setback.

Timothy’s A-level results (15 points in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) were far lower than he had expected. For someone who had always seen himself as a top student, the outcome was deeply disappointing, and he missed out on the much-coveted government scholarship. He even wondered whether university was still possible. He considered repeating his A-levels but instead applied to Makerere University on private sponsorship. He was admitted to study Optometry, although he had initially wanted to pursue Medicine and Surgery.

Khabusi Timothy, during his time at the Scholars Program. Impact Stories: Timothy Khabusi, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus, optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, on an ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda, October 2026, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Khabusi Timothy, during his time at the Scholars Program.

Then came the opportunity that changed everything.

In 2017, Timothy became a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at Makerere University, receiving support that enabled him to continue his university education. The financial uncertainty that had threatened his university education was resolved. What initially felt like failure became an opportunity that redirected him towards a field he had not planned to enter. Through optometry, he discovered a profession that linked clinical care with science, technology, research and public health.

His career journey after graduation.

After graduating from Makerere University in January 2022, Timothy set out to fulfil his ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda. His career began far from his village home in Manafwa: he started at a private clinic in Arua town, West Nile, hundreds of kilometres from Manafwa in Eastern Uganda. Asked why he didn’t find a job in Kampala, as most of his peers did, Timothy quickly explained that his mission is to provide the best eye health care to communities with limited access to these services.

After working for one year in Arua, he returned to Kampala. He first worked at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital from 2023 to 2025, then moved to Med-Optics, another popular eye clinic in Kampala. In February 2026, he opened his own eye clinic, Khabusi Vision Care Centre, a modern optometry centre dedicated to providing eye care services at subsidised rates to individuals and families who may face financial barriers to accessing these services.

Khabusi Timothy on his graduation day in 2022. Impact Stories: Timothy Khabusi, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus, optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, on an ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda, October 2026, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Khabusi Timothy on his graduation day in 2022.

His leadership journey

For Timothy, leadership is not about collecting titles. At Mbale Senior Secondary School, he led the Science Club, organising seminars and holiday revision programmes. At Makerere, he served as a minister at the College of Health Sciences and as a leader in the Optometry Students’ Association. Those experiences shaped a simple philosophy: leadership means seeing what needs improvement, taking responsibility, and bringing others along.

That philosophy now drives his ambitions for Khabusi Vision Care. In the coming years, he aims to strengthen the organisation’s clinical, public health, digital and research work. His longer-term vision is to build a major Ugandan eye health organisation with branches across the country, comprehensive services, research programmes and locally developed diagnostic and ophthalmic technologies.

Impact in the community

Asked about his impact in the community, Timothy quickly pointed to the number of patients whose sight he has helped restore at a modest cost they otherwise couldn’t have afforded.

“I am proud to have treated more than 10,000 patients and enabled them to see better since I began my optometry practice in 2022. Among the patients, I vividly remember a police woman who was on the verge of going completely blind due to a misdiagnosis she had received at different facilities she had visited in Kampala, until she came to Khabusi Vision Care Centre in Kyanja, where I was able to help correct the optical issue she was grappling with.” Timothy proudly states.

Khabusi Timothy examining one his patients at his eye clinic. Impact Stories: Timothy Khabusi, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus, optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, on an ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda, October 2026, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Khabusi Timothy examining one his patients at his eye clinic.

Timothy further enumerates the number of young people he has mentored and continues to mentor in optometry. He also offers graduate internships at his clinic and employs five young people as permanent staff. He also conducts regular community outreach activities, offering free eye check-ups in the community and subsidised treatment for those who need it.

A word to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Community

Timothy expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and Makerere University for giving him the opportunity to pursue a quality university education at a time when he had lost hope of attending university after failing to secure a government scholarship.

“I am forever grateful to Mastercard Foundation and Makerere University for giving me a scholarship that changed my whole life; without the scholarship, I would not have been able to afford the university fees; therefore, I wouldn’t have become what I am today,” Timothy points out.

Asked what advice he would give to current Mastercard Foundation Scholars, Timothy urges them to take advantage of the additional skilling and development programmes the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers.

“I urge my young brothers and sisters on the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program currently to take the capacity-building training the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers; it is what will give you an advantage over others in the job market,” Timothy advises.  

Looking ahead

Beyond healthcare, Timothy is a writer, programmer, and researcher. He has published “From the Slopes of Mount Elgon”, a novel about a young girl who confronts poverty and betrayal while pursuing education and dignity. Timothy’s story is not a straightforward journey from challenge to success. It is about unexpected turns: the barefoot walks, the disappointing A-level results, the unexpected scholarship, and the career he never originally intended to pursue. His advice to young people comes from that experience: one disappointing result or difficult season need not decide the rest of your life. Sometimes, you have to keep walking.

“Keep learning, keep improving, and when opportunity comes, use it—not only to change your own life, but to create opportunities for others,” Timothy advises.

Timothy is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors at the University of Edinburgh. The programme has reshaped his approach to healthcare. Rather than focusing solely on individual mistakes, he examines the systems that allow failures to occur and how to redesign them to improve patient safety.

Bernard Buteera

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