General
Mak rolls out Government Research and Innovations Fund
Makerere University has announced its work plan of rolling out and management of the Government Research and Innovations Fund for the financial year 2019/2020. This was at the Sensitization meeting held on 23rd August 2019 in the University Main Hall. The meeting was attended by Management, Heads of Academic and Administrative Units as well as researchers and PhD students.
Makerere University received special funding worth UGX 30 billion (equivalent to US$ 8,100,000) from the Government of the Republic of Uganda under the Research and Innovations Fund (RIF); to support high impact Research and Innovations. This unique initiative was a climax of strategic meetings and continuous engagements involving Makerere University Management and the Government of Uganda.
The Chairperson of the Grants Management Committee (GMC) who is also the Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Prof. William Bazeyo re-affirmed to the Makerere University community that the Government had committed UGX30 Billion of which UGX15 Billion Uganda shillings has been disbursed by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and is already on the Makerere University Account.
According to Prof. Bazeyo, the money will be directed towards increasing local generation of translatable research and scalable innovations that address key gaps required to drive Uganda’s development agenda. The Research and Innovations Fund is aimed at complementing available research funding to address unfunded priorities critical to accelerating development across different sectors of the economy in Uganda.
“To ensure continuity, Government has committed to providing this funding for at least three Financial Years. Available funds are obligated to be spent within the current Financial Year, with actionable results that speak to national priorities,” he said.
He congratulated Makerere University Council, Management, staff and students upon this big achievement. He urged researchers and innovators to fully utilize the grant to develop research and innovation initiatives with the aim of transforming societies.
Prof. Bazeyo recognized the support from the government of Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports towards improving Makerere University research. He thanked the University Council and Management for ensuring that the Grant is secured.
A multi-sectoral Grants Management Committee (GMC) to guide the implementation of all the Research and Innovations Fund activities was appointed by Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe in consultation with all the Colleges. The Grants Management Committee (GMC) will be chaired by Prof William Bazeyo, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor for Finance & Administration and the other members include;
| INDIVIDUAL | POSITION |
|---|---|
| Dr. Umar Kakumba | Member |
| Mr. Yusuf Kiranda | Member |
| Dr. Betty Ezati | Member |
| Dr. Helen Nambalirwa Nkabala | Member |
| Dr. John Mutenyo | Member |
| Dr. Josephine Nabukenya | Member |
| Prof. Moses Joloba | Member |
| Prof. David Serwadda | Member |
| Dr. Frank Mwiine | Member |
| Dr. Isa Kabenge | Member |
| Dr. Sabrina Kitakka | Member |
| Dr. Charles Masembe | Member |
| Dr. Robinah Kulabako | Member |
| Dr. Robert Wamala | Member |
| Dr. Roy Mayega | Member |
The Grants Management Committee therefore plans to source, vet, select and issue grants to teams that demonstrate a clear link to Government and its implementing partners’ key development research gaps.
The grant implementation will be in a phased approach. For the present round (Round 1), applications were opened on Monday 26th August 2019. Submission of applications is being done via an online platform: https://rif.mak.ac.ug. The Grants Committee will not consider applications submitted by any other means. Applicants are therefore advised to prepare their submissions on-time. If an applicant experiences any challenges in the submission process, they should send an email to: info@rif.mak.ac.ug.
Who is eligible for the grant?
According to the Assistant Secretary to the Committee and Grants Coordinator Dr. Roy William Mayega, the Research and Innovations Grant targets researchers and innovators from Makerere University. This includes Makerere University appointed academic staff (Assistant Lecturers, Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Associate Professors and Professors) and research staff who hold a valid and current appointment (research fellows and senior research fellows).
“Academic staff from all academic colleges of Makerere University are eligible to apply as well as senior staff from the administrative units such as Library, Gender Mainstreaming, Quality Assurance, and the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training,” he said.
In a presentation, Dr Mayega highlighted that individual researchers or research teams will be required to have a letter of support from the Head of the Department under which the lead researcher is tenured. He also mentioned that researchers from other institutions of higher learning are not eligible to apply as principal investigators. However, they can be included as co-investigators or resource persons. In such cases, their role on the team in terms of the expertise they add ought to be clearly articulated.
“Government Research Grants target staff and not students. Students’ research proposals will therefore not be funded under these grants. However, students may be part of a research team. Collaboration with research personnel with a minimum of a master’s degree from civil society organizations, independent research institutions, business and industry is encouraged,” he emphasized.
To be eligible for funding therefore, a research team should meet the following criteria:
- The Principal Investigator (PI) should be an academic or research staff of Makerere University on permanent or fulltime contract or a senior staff member from one of the administrative units linked to research (Library, Gender Mainstreaming, Quality Assurance, and the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT))
- The PI should be actively in service (not on study leave or sabbatical leave)
- The PI should obtain a letter of support from his/her department/school or College (any one of the three)
- The PI should attach a copy of his/her appointment letter or most-recent letter of promotion issued by the Directorate of Human Resource of Makerere University
- A researcher cannot be a PI on more than one application but it is allowable for a person to be on multiple applying teams
- Researchers from Makerere University are encouraged to collaborate with resource persons from civil society organizations, government sectors, other universities within Uganda, independent research institutions, business and industry as part of their teams; in such cases, the external team members will provide a letter of support from their institution to be included as an attachment
For more information, kindly download the Document attached
Follow the link provided below to access the Research and Innovations Fund website;
http://rif.mak.ac.ug/application
Article by Mak Public Relations Office
General
Are We Giving Enough Attention to the People Around Us Who Quietly Influence Lives Every Day?
By Marion Apio
On March 21, 2026, I felt a strong urge to reconnect with a close colleague and passionate leader, Owekitinisa Sylas Ruhweza Atwooki. We had not spoken since I moved to the United States to pursue my dream of becoming a journalist. The following day, I learned that he had been quietly undergoing treatment in and out of the hospital. True to his character, he had chosen to keep his condition private. I was shocked and saddened, wishing I had known earlier so I could offer support.
At first, reports from family and friends were encouraging. He had been diagnosed with malaria and low blood platelet counts and was receiving treatment. Respecting his wish for confidentiality, members of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni community at Makerere University rallied discreetly around him.
However, on April 29, his condition worsened. He was transferred between medical facilities and underwent extensive tests, including a biopsy, as doctors searched for answers. Sadly, on May 29, Sylas passed away.
His death sparked an extraordinary outpouring of love and solidarity. Friends, colleagues, and former scholars mobilised to support his family, settle medical expenses, organise virtual vigils, and plan a dignified farewell. Hundreds gathered at St. Augustine Chapel to pay their respects. Within three days, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni community raised approximately UGX 11 million, a testament to Sylas’ impact on countless lives.
In the days that followed, I found myself wrestling with difficult questions. In a world where we spend so much time following people online, are we paying enough attention to those quietly transforming lives around us? Why do we invest so much emotional energy in distant personalities while overlooking the people God has placed right in front of us?
Sylas lived with humility and served with grace. His death left more than 1,500 Mastercard Foundation scholars and alumni grieving, alongside many others around the world who knew him. Yet his passing also exposed a contradiction in modern life.
We live in an age of unprecedented connectivity. Uganda has millions of internet users and WhatsApp subscribers, while globally, people spend hours each day on social media. We have more tools than ever to stay connected, yet many of us are becoming increasingly disconnected from the people who matter most.
Sylas resisted this trend. Through mentorship, service, and community-building, he remained deeply present in others’ lives. While many people retreat into individual pursuits, he consistently chose connection.
This challenge is especially relevant for Mastercard Foundation scholars and alumni. Every year, young Africans leave home to pursue education and professional opportunities abroad. Distance, time zones, visa restrictions, and rising travel costs make it difficult to maintain relationships and remain actively involved in the communities that helped shape us.
For Sylas, the answer was simple: show up. Celebrate others. Offer support. Stay connected.
He never allowed geographical or personal barriers to become excuses for disengagement. Even while facing his own struggles, he invested in others. He embodied the values the Mastercard Foundation seeks to cultivate—ethical leadership, service, and community empowerment.
Sylas did not wait for a perfect platform to create change. He simply served where he was. He helped build bridges between education, culture, and professional development while remaining grounded in his values. He dreamed of creating a stronger alumni ecosystem and brought both passion and compassion to every initiative he touched.
Since his passing, social media has been filled with memories of his infectious smile and unwavering commitment to others. Those tributes reveal an important truth: people gave generously because Sylas had first given himself generously to them. People from different backgrounds, generations, and communities showed up because he had spent his life showing up for them. His legacy now challenges all of us.
The greatest tribute we can offer is not simply to mourn his loss but to continue his work. That means supporting the causes he cared about, helping the children whose education he championed, strengthening alumni networks, and pursuing the dreams we discussed with him.
The tragedy of modern life is not that we follow people online. It is that too often our attention to distant lives comes at the expense of meaningful relationships nearby. Yet strong relationships are as essential to our well-being as physical health.
As Ugandans, we take pride in our faith, culture, and sense of community. We contribute to fundraisers, attend ceremonies, and support family members in times of need. But increasingly, genuine connection is being replaced by passive digital interaction. Families and communities cannot thrive on likes, retweets, and emojis alone.
They require presence—phone calls, visits, conversations, and the willingness to notice when someone is struggling.
Before spending another hour immersed in the lives of strangers online, look around. Call the friend you have not spoken to in years. Check on a family member. Reach out to a colleague who seems withdrawn. Communities are not built by algorithms or celebrities. They are built by ordinary people who choose, day after day, to care for those within their reach.
Uganda needs more people like Sylas. At just 32 years old, he achieved what many spend a lifetime striving for. He served as Minister of Information in the Toro Kingdom and as President of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Alumni Association in Uganda. More importantly, he dedicated himself to serving others.
While his death is deeply painful, his life remains a powerful example of how we should live. My prayers and condolences go to his family, friends, and the entire Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni community.
Rest in perfect peace, Owek. Sylas Ruhweza Atwooki.
The author is a Mastercard Foundation Alumna from Makerere University and the University of California, Berkeley. She is a journalist based in Southern California and the CEO of the Debunk Media Initiative.
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