General
Prof. John Muyonga Hands Over Office of Dean School of Food Technology
Prof. John Muyonga has handed over office to Dr. Abel Atukwase, the new Dean-elect School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering. The handover ceremony was held on Thursday, 17th January 2019 at the School’s Conference Hall.
Prof. Muyonga has served as Dean for two four-year terms since 2011 when the university turned collegiate. His term expired on 31st December 2018.
Presiding over the function, the Principal, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Prof. Bernard Bashaasha commended Prof. Muyonga for running the School for eight years and doubling the graduate programmes in terms of curriculum design.
“In terms of research, your School has the second largest chunk of research resources in the College and some outstanding infrastructure. The Food Technology and Business Incubation Centre (FTBIC) is a flagship both at Makerere University and the East African region”, the Principal said.
Professor Bashaasha hailed the outgoing Dean for keeping the Human Resource Team united, conflict-free and maintaining a good working relationship with the Principals office. He congratulated the incoming Dean, Dr. Abel Atukwase upon his victory adding that he has some work to do in terms of harmonizing the school.
“Just be yourself, serve everybody regardless of who rallied behind you. Bear in mind that you are serving not because you are the best but because you were trusted to serve in this particular time and you will hand over the mantle to another person. Your mission is to add value to what Prof. Muyonga has done because the foundation has been set”, He advised.
The Principal also advised staff to treat pledges as ideas which can be picked, reshaped and achieved afterwards. He described pledges as promises, well thought ideas and good indications subject to assessment.
Prof. Bashaasha described leadership as God-given and welcomed Dr. Atukwase to the College management. He said the college works as a family and there is room for discussion.
Outgoing Dean, Prof John Muyonga described the handover as a happy moment and thanked college staff and university management for being supportive.
He said when the school begun, they came up with a mission, discussed it and came up with six goals to increase visibility.
He highlighted the achievements under his tenure including; an increased number of courses, acquisition of an additional building and equipment as well as upgrading the engineering workshop at MUARIK. Other achievements according to Prof. Muyonga include enhanced collaborations with national and international partners, improvement in research and acquisition of three motor vehicles.
Some of the challenges he said include limited space for lecture rooms and staff offices. He highlighted areas that the new Dean needs to look into including; follow up with NCHE on the new courses, renovations, letters of staff appointment, FTBIC contract staff, staffing gaps, evening programs for MSc and incubation programs and improving the level of laboratory productivity among others.
Based on his personal experience, Prof. Muyonga advised the incoming Dean on a number of issues pledging his continued support.
“As head, it is good to have a big project other than waiting for the Principal to take care of the things the center cannot. On enrolment figures, you need to attract numbers and quality.
We have reasonable equipment for food processing but you can do more by bringing the Private Sector on board. Ensure technicians can operate equipment and have relevant expertise”. Prof. Muyonga advised.
The incoming Dean, Dr. Abel Atukwase referred to the election process and handover as great days and a slightly new age for the school. He thanked the staff for choosing him as Dean and the Principal for facilitating all the processes in School.
Dr. Atukwase also appreciated the outgoing Dean for steering the team for the past 13 years both as Head of Department and Dean.
“I promise that through the support of colleagues, I will keep it a very active School. I am inheriting a firmly laid foundation and hopefully I will get it to better heights”, stated the new Dean.
Dr. Atukwase thanked Prof. Archileo Kaaya for mentoring him as his teacher and supervisor both at undergraduate and PhD levels and giving him the opportunity to act as Head of Department when he became Lecturer. This he said gave him the confidence and opportunity to meet people in management. Prof. Kaaya lectured and mentored both the incoming and outgoing deans.
“As we move forward, I count on your support. We have a strategic plan under development and I pledge that my School will work towards supporting the strategic plan of the College and University. I will be there to fulfill the objectives and keep activities moving to ensure we don’t backslide”. Dr. Atukwase said.
Atukwase pledged to work hard and together with staff, add value to the School. He reported that Prof. Muyonga had been mentoring him to better understand leadership issues.
“I am more energized now that I have been given the responsibility to steer the school and I won’t let down the School program down. I promise consensus to avoid crisis. My leadership ingredients are integrity, honesty and focus”. Dr. Atukwase pledged.
He appreciated his campaign team for the job well done and promised to serve everybody.
The representative of Director Internal Audit Makerere University, Mr. William Ssebanakitta described the outgoing Dean as a well-informed person and challenged the incoming dean to emulate Prof. Muyonga and to be cooperative.
Prof. Archileo Kaaya said both deans were his students and thanked Prof. Muyonga for steering the school along the right course.
“He has been transparent and this is a legacy he is leaving. Abel, you have seen. Administration is complicated.
You need to be very calm and transparent. Make the Dean’s office simple. Let us come to your office. Remain free and interact with all staff so as to forge togetherness.
You still need to grow academically. We need to see you above the rank of Senior lecturer and therefore this position needs balancing”, Prof. Kaaya who is also Head, Department of Food Technology and Nutrition advised.
Kaaya also advised that administration sometimes requires hands-on supervision. He told the incoming Dean not to think about those who never gave him the vote, but to serve above self.
Speaking on behalf of the technical team, Mr. Balamaze, who is currently undertaking a PhD, thanked the outgoing Dean for contributing to his MSc.
“Abel, you have been with us. You know all the potholes and I am sure you are going to do a good job. We would like to see labs become more vibrant”, he said
Report compiled by;
Jane Anyango
Principal Communication Officers, CAES
General
Makerere University Pushes for Stronger Support for Research Ethics Committees amid Growing Research Demands
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has intensified efforts to strengthen research governance and ethical oversight, with university leaders calling for greater institutional support for Research Ethics Committees (RECs), whose role has become increasingly central to the institution’s research-led agenda.
The call was made during a high-level meeting between University Management and Chairpersons of Research Ethics Committees held at the Vice Chancellor’s Boardroom at the Makerere University Main Building on May 25, 2026.
Opening the meeting, the Director of Research Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), Prof. Robert Wamala, highlighted a number of operational and administrative challenges affecting the effectiveness of RECs at Makerere University.
Prof. Wamala observed that RECs continue to operate with gaps in institutional framework outlining their position within the university governance structure, a gap he said has affected institutional support and long-term sustainability.
According to Prof. Wamala, inadequate facilitation continues to affect the operations of several committees, especially in areas of staffing, administrative coordination, and remuneration for REC administrators.
He also pointed to challenges arising from new regulatory requirements governing the appointment of REC members, particularly the need for appointment letters to be authorized or signed by the Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Wamala further raised concern over the high cost of mandatory accreditation and training processes required by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST), especially the Good Research Regulatory Practice (GRRP) training undertaken every three years. “Payment for training is too high for individual RECs to cover,” he noted, adding that many committees are struggling to independently raise the money to undertake the training for all their members.
He also emphasized the need for stronger institutional monitoring systems to support timely submission of accreditation renewal applications, oversight of approved research activities, and coordination of REC operations across the university.
In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, commended the growing contribution of RECs in advancing Makerere University’s research agenda and acknowledged the concerns raised by Prof. Wamala and committee members.
“There were not very many RECs,” Prof. Ssali said. “So now that we are 10, it is really impressive because it speaks to our cause for a research-led university.” She admitted that despite their importance, many RECs still operate outside the formal university establishment, making staffing and operational support difficult.
“The only challenge that I see is that they are not fully institutionalized. So it is upon units to start them or not to start them,” she explained. Prof. Ssali added that because RECs are not fully integrated into the public service structure of the university, recruiting and remunerating staff through conventional university systems remains complicated. “Hiring for them staff will be a little bit cumbersome because the university will say they are not part of our structure,” she said.
She nevertheless emphasized that university management recognizes the strategic importance of RECs in strengthening ethical research oversight and supporting Makerere’s position as a research-led institution. “RECs are doing a great job of furthering our strategic agenda of being a research-led university,” she noted.
Prof. Ssali explained that the growing reliance on institutional RECs by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology demonstrates the trust placed in Makerere University’s ethical review systems.
Addressing concerns about the cost and frequency of mandatory training, Prof. Ssali acknowledged the financial burden on RECs but explained that many of the requirements are set by national regulators. “Many of the things you have raised are with National Council, they are not with us,” she said. “We can only pledge to lobby.”
To address logistical challenges associated with training senior academics, she proposed more flexible scheduling arrangements. “For a professor to give you a whole day is going to be a challenge,” she said. “Maybe you can do half days throughout the week.”
Prof. Ssali also encouraged colleges and schools to allocate part of their enhanced research budgets toward supporting REC activities, including staffing, training, and operational facilitation.
She suggested that colleges and schools hosting RECs should directly take responsibility for sustaining them. “For me, that’s the way out — to ensure that the colleges and schools that have RECs take them as their responsibility,” she noted.
The DVC-AA also addressed concerns related to intellectual property rights, Material Transfer Agreements (MTA), and the need for researchers to formally communicate scientific discoveries and innovations to the university to ensure institutional protection and benefit-sharing. “All you are saying is true, but it depends on you as researchers informing the institution that we have made this discovery,” she said.
Prof. Ssali reiterated Makerere University’s commitment to strengthening research governance systems and pledged continued engagement with both university management and national regulatory bodies to address the concerns raised by REC members. “Where they are, they enable research, publication and growth,” she said of the RECs. “Most importantly, they enable us to be ethical with the way we do our things.”
The meeting was attended by chairpersons of the various Research Ethics Committees across Makerere University and affiliated institutions. These included Dr. Ponsiano Ochama from the School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (SOM-REC), Dr. Moses Ocan from the School of Biomedical Sciences Research Ethics Committee (SBS-REC), Dr. Paul Kutyabami from the School of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, Dr. David Kyaddondo from the Uganda Cancer Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Stella Neema from the School of Social Sciences Research Ethics Committee (MAKSS-REC), Dr. Joseph Kagayi from the School of Public Health Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Joseph Kateete from the Infectious Diseases Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Fred Okuku from the Uganda Heart Institute Research Ethics Committee, Dr. Kassim Sadik from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Research Ethics Committee, and Dr. Eddy Walakira from the College of Business and Management Sciences Research Ethics Committee.
The discussions reflected Makerere University’s broader ambition to consolidate its position as a leading research-intensive institution while ensuring that ethical standards, accountability, and innovation protection remain central to its academic mission.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has appointed Makerere University Chancellor Dr. Crispus Walter Kiyonga as Uganda’s Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business in Parliament.
The appointment was announced on May 26, 2026, as part of the cabinet reshuffle for the 2026–2031 government term. Dr. Kiyonga now assumes one of the senior leadership positions in government while continuing to serve as Chancellor of Makerere University.
Dr. Kiyonga is both Chancellor and alumnus of Makerere University. He studied at Makerere University School of Medicine from 1973 to 1978, graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB). He later obtained a Master of Health Science in Population Dynamics from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in 2004.
Born on September 19, 1952, in Kasese District, Dr. Kiyonga attended Bwera Primary School, Nyakasura School, and Kings College Budo before joining Makerere University.
He was appointed Chancellor of Makerere University in August 2024 and formally installed in October 2024, succeeding Professor Ezra Suruma.
Political and Public Service Career
Dr. Kiyonga entered national politics during Uganda’s 1980 elections, where he won a parliamentary seat on the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) ticket. He later joined the National Resistance Movement during the liberation struggle and subsequently served in several senior government positions after 1986.
He represented Bukonjo County West in Parliament from 1980 to 2016 and was also a member of the Constituent Assembly that drafted the 1995 Constitution.
Over the years, Dr. Kiyonga has held several ministerial portfolios, including:
- Minister for Cooperatives and Marketing
- Minister of Finance
- Minister of Internal Affairs
- Minister of Health
- Minister without Portfolio
- Minister of Defence
During his tenure as Minister of Health, he played a key role in Uganda’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Gulu in 2000.
From 2016, he served as Uganda’s Ambassador to China, where he represented Uganda during a significant period of Uganda-China relations.
Dr. Kiyonga’s appointment marks a return to frontline government leadership after several years in diplomatic service and university leadership.
Significance for Makerere
As Chancellor, Dr. Kiyonga serves as the titular head of Makerere University and presides over major ceremonial functions, including graduation ceremonies.
His appointment reflects the longstanding contribution of Makerere University alumni to public service and national leadership in Uganda and across the region.
Speaking during his installation as Chancellor in 2024, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet K. Museveni, noted that Dr. Kiyonga’s experience and networks would support the advancement of the university.
Makerere University congratulates Chancellor Dr. Crispus Walter Kiyonga upon his appointment and wishes him success in his new role.
The Writer is a Volunteer in the Public Relations Office, Makerere University and the Mak Sharks PRO | Est. 2014
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