General
Mak Hosts Final 2019 Uganda Vice Chancellors’ Forum
Makerere University on Monday 9th December, 2019 hosted the Quarter Four (Q4) Vice Chancellors’ Forum 2019 in the Senate Conference Hall. The half-day event was addressed by the Executive Director, National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), Prof. Mary J.N. Okwakol. The University Leaders were received by the Acting Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Dr. Umar Kakumba together with the Academic Registrar, Mr. Alfred Masikye Namoah.
Dr. Kakumba expressed his delight at Makerere University hosting the last Forum of the year, noting that it was a good networking opportunity for University leaders to share experiences. “This a very important platform for the consolidation and harmonization of quality in Higher Education as it enables us to standardize and foster improvements in curriculum and training.”
The Acting Vice Chancellor further noted that the forum is a very useful umbrella for advocating for support for the Higher Education Sector from Government and other stakeholders. “Research shows that there are higher dividends from supporting Higher Education, especially for the production of informative and transformative research. The Vice Chancellors’ Forum is a great platform for advocating for this, especially as the Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs) of 1992 led to a lot of withdrawal of Government support from Higher Education, particularly Graduate Training.”
Delivering her paper, Prof. Mary Okwakol noted that the Higher Education sector currently faces a challenge of producing quality graduates, most of whom do not have the necessary competence and skills to meet industry demands. She therefore urged the Vice Chancellors to continue refining curricula to produce relevant academic programmes that can address the problem.
The Excutive Director NCHE further urged Universities to focus on research and commercialize the products generated from the same. Touching on the issue of resource mobilization, she urged Vice Chancellors to always benchmark the experiences of peers that have successfully attracted research grants to their institutions, “and I commend the Vice Chancellor, Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) Prof. Celestino Obua in this regard.”
She equally urged Universities to engage with communities, embrace quality assurance, regularly dialogue with the Government on matters relating to policy and ensure gender equity in the implementation of institutional programmes.
“The Council is open to dialogue with all heads of Universities so do not hesitate to seek guidance from my office should the need arise,” concluded Prof. Okwakol.
The Executive Director of Uganda Vice Chancellors’ Forum (UVCF) and Head UVCF Secretariat, Prof. Paul Mugambi shared that body is in charge of organizing the Forum’s quarterly meetings as well as the statutory committees. The Secretariat also communicates to Members about their obligations and organizes the Annual Vice Chancellors Conference from which the Annual Conference Bulletin is derived.
The 9th edition of the UVCF Conference was hosted by Kampala International University (KIU) on Friday 4th October, 2019 and emphasized the need to look into restructuring Higher Education in conjunction with the line Ministry. “We particularly examined the role of A-Level as students specialize too early, which is an ongoing discussion with the Ministry of Education and Sports and other bodies,” added Prof. Mugambi.
Rev. Canon Dr. John Senyonyi, the Vice Chancellor Uganda Christian University (UCU) is the current Chairperson UVCF (March 2018 – March 2020). He shared that the Q4 meeting had reached excellent consensus on a number of substantive issues raised. Particularly, the forum had agreed to write a paper on improving the process of conducting exams as well as mentorship of leaders.
“Universities tend to get their leaders out of classrooms but who prepares them for leadership?” Rev. Canon Dr. Senyonyi pondered, before adding “The Vice Chancellors’ Forum has appointed a taskforce chaired by Prof. Maud Kamatenesi, Vice Chancellor Bishop Stuart University, to write a paper on mentorship and present it at the next Forum on 23rd March 2020.”
The Vice Chancellors’ Forum sitting at Makerere University also appointed Dr. Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, Vice Chancellor Kampala International University (KiU) as its representative to the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB).
Please see Downloads for Prof. Okwakol's Remarks
Article by Public Relations Office.
On 20th August 2026, Makerere University welcomed another cohort of 258 recipients of the prestigious Mastercard Foundation scholarship for the 2026/2027 academic year with pomp and fanfare. The colourful Scholarship Award Ceremony was presided over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, who was represented by Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu, the Dean of the School of Economics and the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection sub-committee of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University.
While addressing the gathering, Prof. Nawangwe reminded the Scholars that the scholarship was both an honour and a responsibility, and that they ought to make the most of it to improve their lives and communities.
“Now that you have stepped through the gates of Makerere University, remember that a scholarship is both an award and a responsibility. You have been chosen because we believe in your potential to lead, innovate, and serve. Makerere University offers you world-class academic resources, mentorship, and networks—but the impact you make with these resources will depend on your discipline, integrity, and vision,” Prof. Nawangwe remarked.
A Call for Responsible Living
The Vice Chancellor further urged the new recruits to embrace university life responsibly and form lasting bonds that will support future networks.
“I encourage you to engage fully and responsibly in University life, build lasting bonds with your peers, and, equally important, keep your home communities close to your heart. Let the knowledge and skills you gain here become the seed for innovative solutions to the challenges facing your communities, our country, Uganda, and the African continent.” Prof Nawangwe emphasised.
Prof. Nawangwe further expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for recognising Makerere University as a worthy partner and pledged to continue supporting all the Mastercard Foundation’s initiatives at Makerere University.
Leadership starts with self
Mr. Adrian Bukenya, the Senior Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program globally and the Country Director for Uganda, urged Scholars to embrace leadership, particularly through self-leadership. He emphasised that the Scholars Program is fundamentally a leadership development program.
“The Scholars Program offers more than just a scholarship; it is a leadership development Program. I encourage you, Scholars, to embrace leadership, and leadership starts with leading yourself, then your community, your country and the continent,” Mr. Bukenya emphasised.
Mr. Bukenya expressed his gratitude to the Management of Makerere University for partnering with the Mastercard Foundation on various initiatives. He emphasised that the Foundation is committed to continuing this partnership to educate young people and nurture the next generation of leaders on the African continent.
Selection Process Highlights
On his part, the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection Committee, represented by Mr Charles Ssentongo, the Deputy Academic Registrar responsible for Undergraduate admissions, congratulated all the Scholars who had made it through a very competitive and watertight selection process. To illustrate how tight the selection process had been, he shared compelling statistics that clearly demonstrated its competitiveness.
“We received 3,664 Applications for the Scholarship; 2,904 Undergraduates and 760 master’s students. Of these scholarship applicants, 1,440 Undergraduates and 280 Master’s students were admitted to Makerere University on private sponsorship, and they were all eligible for the Scholarship,” Mr Ssentongo pointed out.
Mr Ssentongo informed the attentive audience that one of the biggest challenges the Committee faced was the very high number of applicants, while the number of scholarships available was always very small. Mr Ssentongo then highlighted further statistics that characterised the tedious selection process.
“For the Undergraduates, 650 applicants were shortlisted for interviews, while 58 Master’s applicants were also shortlisted. Of these, 245 undergraduates and 13 Master’s students were selected for the final award,” Mr Ssentongo highlighted.
Celebrating A Diverse Cohort
The Program Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere, Prof. Justine Namaalwa, used the occasion to highlight achievements made in the years gone by.
“Today, we are overjoyed to have successfully recruited 258 Cohort 9 Scholars—bringing us to the mark of 546 Scholars, 54.6% of the target recruitment of 1,000 Scholars under Phase II of the Program. To date, a total of 1,596 Scholars have been recruited since 2013, when the Scholars Program started at Makerere University,” Prof. Namaalwa announced.
Prof. Namaalwa showcased the diversity created by the Scholars Program, highlighting the arrival of international students from across the African continent at Makerere University through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
“For Cohort 9 Scholars, it’s time to celebrate our diversity in the Program. Let me call out the nationalities represented in the room: Lesotho (1 Scholar), Malawi (1 Scholar), Ghana (1 Scholar), D.R. Congo (13 Scholars), Cameroon (7 Scholars), Burundi (3 Scholars), Rwanda (10 Scholars), South Sudan (40 Scholars) and Tanzania (1 Scholar).” Prof. Namaalwa revealed.
Scholars Speak Out
Nathan Tamba, an international student from Cameroon, conveyed his enthusiasm regarding the opportunities afforded by the scholarship, particularly the prospect of pursuing his studies at Makerere University, recognised as one of the leading institutions on the continent.
“On behalf of my fellow scholars, I would like to express our gratitude to Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation for awarding us this scholarship. It has given me the opportunity to study at this prestigious university and to experience Uganda for the first time.” Tamba remarked.
Tamba, clearly delighted like his fellow scholars, committed to using the scholarship opportunity to gain knowledge and skills he will use to benefit himself and his community.
The function was punctuated by entertainment from the Makerere University Choir, networking, and plenty of joyous celebration.
Bernard Buteera is Principal Communications Officer for the Scholars Program at Makerere University.
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