General
Amb. Lindgarde Lauds Govt UGX30Bn Support to Mak Research
The Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda, H.E. Per Lindgärde has lauded the Government of Uganda’s recent allocation of UGX30Billion to support research at Makerere University, noting that this was a “testimony of recognizing the critical role that home-grown research plays in the development of Uganda as articulated in the NDP (National Development Plan) and Vision 2040.”
H.E. Lindgärde was speaking at the launch of the Makerere-Sweden Bilateral Research Programme Annual Review Meeting on 30th September 2019 in the Main Hall, Makerere University. The Ambassador noted that Sweden as a major long-term funder of capacity strengthening in Uganda had consistently raised the need to sustainably fund research, and the allocation by Government was welcome news.
The current and fourth phase of the Bilateral Research Programme is centred around 17 research projects and comes to an end in June 2020. The Ambassador therefore welcomed a continued discussion with his Embassy “on strengthening the ownership and securing the sustainability of the Swedish investment”, in Uganda’s Higher Education, particularly at Makerere University.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe appreciated the Royal Government of Sweden and its citizens for the support extended to Makerere University over the exceptionally successful 18 years of collaboration. He added that the Swedish Government played a fundamental role in augmenting the internally generated funds at Makerere University, which intervention helped to substantially tackle the chronic shortage of funds for research.
“The significant movement from individually-based projects to the integration of the programme within the broader research agenda at the Colleges, institutional and national level is itself appreciated as an invaluable lesson, opportunity as well as challenge” remarked Prof. Nawangwe, adding that Makerere and the various stakeholders would forever cherish this generous support.
The Vice Chancellor further paid tribute to the Government of Uganda for the allocation of UGX30Billion to Makerere University for Research and Innovations effective financial year 2019/2020, as well as securing over US$200 million from the African Development Bank to finance improvements and expansion of Higher Education Science and Technology (HEST) facilities. He nevertheless called for a strategic and continued investment by Government in Research and Development so as to enhance Universities’ contribution to economic growth and human capacity development in the country.
In his remarks, the Director, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) and Overall Coordinator of the Mak-Sida Bilateral Research Programme, Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi praised the Royal Government of Sweden as a strategic partner in building the next generation of researchers for Uganda. He reiterated the commitment of Makerere University and her Swedish collaborators to continue conducting a regular inventory and audit of the advances made in research through the Annual Review Meetings.
“Makerere University and the four Public Partner Universities (PPUs) of Kyambogo, Mbarara, Busitema and Gulu have greatly benefitted from the Bilateral Research Programme through building infrastructure and human capacity development. We appreciate the guidance and visionary leadership of His Excellency the Ambassador as well as the First Secretary Research Cooperation, Dr. Gity Behravan for being a good friend and colleague to the PPUs” remarked Prof. Buyinza.
This year’s Annual Review Meeting was held under the theme “Framing a Transformative Research Agenda”. Delivering a Keynote Address on The Impact of Sida Support to Makerere University, the Director, Quality Assurance, Dr. Vincent Ssembatya outlined the strides made by Makerere University since the year 2000 when the first Phase of Sida support was initiated.
In particular, he noted that; salaries of Professors had risen from US$1,000 to the current US$2,000 per month with more increments projected, PhD holders had increased from 225 to the current 825, and the number of female professors from three of the 43 Professors in 2008 to the current figure of thirteen of the 94 Professors. He also took note of the increased capacity to attract and mobilise funds for research as well as increase in the number of publications in citation indices from less than 50 in 2000 to the current over 1,000 per year.
He nevertheless outlined low gender parity between female and male staff, low graduation rates for PhDs, low funding for Graduate training especially at PhD and low funding of research especially in the humanities as work in progress. These, he noted, would need to be addressed before the University’s 100th Anniversary in 2022.
This year’s Science Day was organized by the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS) and featured exhibitions on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science to create insights for decision making. Other exhibitors were from the College of Health Sciences (CHS), College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) and the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB).
The Science Day also featured presentations by; Ms. Arinaitwe Irene on “A PPGIS-Based Framework for Municipal Solid Waste Management”, Ms. Nakasi Rose on “Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Microscopy-Based Point of Care Diagnostics” and Dr. Oyo Benedict on “Online Courseware Development in Public Universities in Uganda: The Precepts of Active, Passive and Exclusive Participation”.
Other presentations of the day were by Mr. Ongaya Kizito on “Towards a Spatial-Temporal Model of Prevalence of Nodding Syndrome and Epilepsy”, Dr. Joyce Nakatumba-Nabende on “Walking through the Method Zoo: Does Higher Education really meet Software Industry Demands?” and Mr. Kamulegeya Grace on “Characterization of Measurements and Tools in Early Stage Software startups”. The final presentation of the Science Day was made by Mr. Mugume Isaac on “Building a High Resolution Rainfall Monitoring Model using Mobile Signals”.
Please see Downloads for the Science Day presentations
Article by Public Relations Office
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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