General
Mak Council Visits Kiira Motors Vehicle Production Facilities
The Chairperson of Makerere University Council Mrs. Lorna Magara on 6th August 2019 together with Council members visited the Kiira Motors Vehicle Production Facilities in Jinja. On arrival, they were welcomed by the Executive Chairman Kiira Motors Corporation, Prof. Sandy Stevens Tickodri-Togboa together the Company’s CEO, Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi.
Prof. Tickodri explained to Council that the Kiira Vehicle project was hatched by Makerere University lecturers and students at the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), and thanked Council and Management for their innumerable support that has enabled the project to construct the production facilities.
The CEO Mr. Paul Isaac Musasizi was happy to note that Council has been able to come and see the fruits their support. Mr. Musasazi led the Council on a tour of facilities which included the Main access road, and the Power line, both sponsored by Makerere University Council. He informed Council that the Kiira Motors Vehicle Production Facilities are hosted on a 100-acre piece of land of which the Assembly plant occupies 1.5 acres, expected to expand to 5.3 acres in total upon completion of the project. Mr. Musasizi further revealed to Council that production will start in 2021 with 150 Vehicles Annually and when the total facility is completed, a production of 5,000 vehicles per year is expected. “We are destined to start with the production of Buses because this is much more needed in the easing of transport for our people” Musasizi.
On the choice of location for the Plant, Mr. Musasizi said that Jinja was chosen due to its proximity to the Source of Hydroelectric Power, as well as its location along the northern corridor which makes it easy to import raw materials and export products to the market.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor Professor Barnabas Nawangwe thanked the Management of Kiira Motors for the big progress so far made on the establishment of the production facilities. He reechoed the importance of building synergies and good cooperation between Council, Management and Government, that has realized the establishment of a huge facility that was started as a research project by Makerere University lecturers and students. Prof. Nawangwe was also happy that the core team at the Facilities are former lecturers and students at CEDAT.
He thanked the Chairperson for accepting to tour the Kiira Motors Vehicle Production Facilities, and holding a Council meeting in Jinja after touring both the Kiira Motors site and Makerere University Jinja Campus. He further appreciated the Council initiative of reaching out to the various facilities of the University to establish the status, solve the emerging challenges and uphold the quality and standards of Makerere as a Premier university.
In her address to the hosts and members of the University Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara expressed her appreciation to the Management of Kiira Motors Corporation for providing clear evidence of success. She was also happy that the teaming up of Makerere students and researchers has demonstrated that they have the ability to transform classroom knowledge into products that can provide solutions to the country’s needs.
The Chairperson thanked the Management of Kiira Motors and Makerere University for responding to the President’s call of emphasizing science and industrialization as key factors to building social transformation, and further thanked the government of Uganda for taking up Makerere University innovations as a means of building the country’s economy. Mrs. Magara reaffirmed Council’s commitment to promoting quality and standards that will uphold Makerere’s brand and challenged Faculty to become more innovative.
Article by Public Relations Office
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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