General
Mak 69th Graduation Kicks Off: President Museveni Honoured
Makerere University has awarded the President of the Republic of Uganda and Visitor, H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni with her Outstanding Scholarly Authorship Award. Handed over to him by the Makerere University Chancellor, Prof. Ezra Suruma during the first session of the 69th Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday, 15th January 2019, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni was recognized for his authorship of Katondoozi, the first ever Thesaurus in the sub-Saharan region.
Katondoozi is a Thesaurus of Runyankore-Rukiga written in an indigenous African language. It is a complete granary for the Runyankore-Rukiga, that shows the richness of a language, by displaying a rich and unique vocabulary. This great and original publication was product of a team of scholarly co-authors, namely, Dr. Gilbert Gumoshabe, Prof. Manuel J.K.Muranga and Ms. Alice N. Muhoozi.
President Museveni is one of the few Africans that have championed the documentation of indigenous languages to ensure their survival, as cultures that face global pressure. His authorship of the book of a magnitude 20,000 words is an eye opener to the entire African community that African languages, cultures and values can be preserved and promoted.
“We have to note that there is no way you can preserve a language if it is not written. This publication can stimulate other writers to publish books in the indigenous languages and these books would be used as references in the education system in order to benefit the future generations,” said Prof Elly N Sabiiti when reading the President’s Citation.
In his acceptance speech, the President thanked Makerere University for recognizing his work. He appreciated his co-authors for doing a great job to ensure that the book is up to standard.
This year 2019, a total of 13,350 students will be awarded degrees and diplomas of Makerere University in various disciplines. Of these, 56 will receive PhDs, 1,254 Masters Degrees and 101 Postgraduate Diplomas, while 11,939 will receive undergraduate diplomas and Bachelors Degrees. 49.7% of the graduands are men and 50.3% are female; and 364 students will be graduating with First Class Honours.
During the first session, graduands from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), College of Health Sciences (CHS) and the College of Education and External Studies (CEES) were conferred upon degrees and awarded diplomas of Makerere University. Among these, was the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze who graduated with a Masters degree in Public Health and H.E. Kato Paul, the former Makerere University Guild President who graduated with the Bachelors of Arts in Education.
President of Museveni congratulated the graduands upon reaching the remarkable milestone. He commended staff and community for shepherding students throughout the course of studies.
He advised students to understand their field of study and focus on their area of priority if they are to succeed professionally. “Whether you are studying sciences, social sciences or humanities, you need to understand your field, prioritize your interests and focus on the achievable goals,” he said.
According to President Museveni, there is need for students to organize themselves both academically and professionally to have a successful career paths.
“If you don’t fall under sciences; the categories that can easily get you a job, do not be despondent. You can progress by joining a youth program and access a grant or an interest free loan or a loan with interest from the government and you start up a maize processing operation. This way, you would have created a job and employed people,” he said.
The President further cited the need to streamline the education system emphasizing the importance of teaching and learning of Africa’s history and wellbeing. According to him, if teaching is done purposefully and correctly in the African way of understanding, then the continent shall have rapid growth and developments.
“Our education system should have very clear aims. The disciplines of social sciences philosophy, history should dwell more on African history and developments. Even if you are a scientist you should understand the history of Africa before you understand, manipulate and tame the natural forces and laws for the benefit of man,” he explained.
He acknowledged Makerere University’s leadership in fighting the war of capacity building and reinforcing discipline among staff and students at the great institution.
The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataaha Museveni congratulated H.E the President upon his outstanding recognition. She thanked him for his tremendous support towards building the education system of the country; leading by example in scholarly writing and also developing the African culture through preserving its language.
She commended Makerere University for being at the forefront of Uganda’s education and human resource development through academic excellence, research and innovation.
“Makerere University is reclaiming its position in providing solutions to African challenges through the commendable innovations and research that have relevance and a positive impact on the wellbeing of the people of Uganda,” stated the First Lady.
The Chancellor, Prof. Ezra Suruma commended Makerere University staff and students for the cutting edge research they are conducting that has led to distinguished awards and maintained Makerere University’s global reputation as a leading research institution.
He thanked His Excellency the President and the Government of Uganda, for being the single most important financier of Makerere University. In the same spirit, he recognized the contributions of the development partners and other stakeholders of Makerere University when he said, “In addition to the growing financial support from the Government, contributions from our development partners are also on an upward trend. This support has enabled Makerere to achieve additional improvements in infrastructure as well as in staff and student welfare.”
The Chancellor extended sincere gratitude to the parents, guardians, teachers, mentors and friends of the graduates. He urged graduands to cherish and honor the sacrifices their parents, teachers, sponsors and guardians have made to achieve the great milestone.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe emphasized the need to maintain discipline among students.
“No university can fully utilize her potential in an environment where indiscipline prevails. We will never realize our full potential if we do not focus on our mandates of teaching and learning, research and community engagement and instead spend time on activities that do not build our university and Country,” he said.
“Finally, a word to our beloved graduands. You entered the gates of Makerere University with a purpose. That purpose was to be a contribution to your nation through making yourselves and your families and communities better. You will succeed in life if you put a few ideals ahead of you. These are self-discipline, respect for self and others, love for your Country and love for God. The opportunities out there are immense, but only the disciplined will find them,” the Vice Chancellor added.
During this year’s first session, Makerere University Convocation recognized Mr. Galiwango Kasozi Steven for the outstanding academic achievement of graduating as the Best Overall Science Student at Makerere University. Mr. Galiwango graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Techonology (First Class Honors), scoring a CGPA of 4.84.
At the 69th Graduation Ceremony, the President of the Republic of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Pledged to sponsor the completion of the Makerere University Perimeter wall. The Chairperson of the Makerere University Convocation Dr. Tang Odoi thanked the entire community for their generous contributions towards the perimeter wall project.
Article by Mak Public Relations Office
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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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