Deputy Katikkiro-Owek. Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa (Centre) and his delegation; Dr. Prosperous Nankindu Kavuma (2nd Left) and Owek. Noah Kiyimba (Left), are received upon arrival at CTF2, Makerere University by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (2nd Right) and DVCAA-Dr. Umar Kakumba (Right) on 1st October 2020.
A delegation from Buganda Kingdom led by the Second Deputy Katikkiro and Minister for Finance and Economic Planning-Owek. Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa on Thursday 1st October, 2020 paid a courtesy call on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe to express the Kingdom’s solidarity and sympathies following the fire incident that ravaged the Main Building on 20th September 2020. The Deputy Katikkiro was accompanied by Buganda Minister for Youth, Sports and Recreation-Owek. Dr. Prosperous Nankindu Kavuma and Buganda Minister for Information, Cabinet, Lukiiko, Protocol and Kingdom Spokesperson-Owek. Noah Kiyimba. Also present to receive the delegation was the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs)-Dr. Umar Kakumba.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor welcomed and thanked the delegation for not only sending messages of support when they heard about the fire incident but also taking time visit Makerere University and express their solidarity. He noted that there has been an outpouring of messages of sympathy and support from alumni and friends of Makerere University from all over the world ever since the shocking news of the fire broke early on that Sunday morning.
This, he noted, was a reaffirmation that “Makerere is possibly the most international University in the world owing to two factors i) if we consider the number of Memoranda of Understanding signed with most major institutions in the world and ii) that our staff do research and publish with researchers and academics in other institutions around the world more than any other university.”
Prof. Nawangwe shared that as a result of this support, a number of individuals and institutions have already sent in their contributions either to help restore the iconic Main Building or ensure business continuity for the affected departments. He informed the delegation that earlier in the day, the University Management had unveiled two bank accounts and an MTN MoMo Pay merchant code through which contributions to the restoration may be sent. The Vice Chancellor concluded by announcing that the official fundraising drive would be held at a later date.
In her brief remarks prior to inviting the Deputy Katikiro, Dr. Nankindu Kavuma shared that as an alumna and researcher who resided in Africa Hall and Quarry flats respectively, the news of the fire outbreak was both unbelievable and sad. She nevertheless reassured that the spirit of Buganda in donating the land on which the University was built is still alive and that the Kingdom remains committed to working with Makerere to nurture other Universities.
L-R: The Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Owek. Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa, Dr. Prosperous Nankindu Kavuma, Dr. Umar Kakumba and Owek. Noah Kiyimba (2nd Row Right) make their way past the Main Library to the Main Building site on 1st October 2020.
In his personal remarks prior to reading the Katikkiro’s message, Owek. Waggwa Nsibirwa said Buganda Kingdom’s contribution to Makerere has been well documented beyond the land donations in 1922 at the start of the Technical School and in 1949 when the institution became a College affiliated to the University College of London. He added that century-old collaboration between the two institutions can only grow stronger.
“Many of us serving in the Buganda Kingdom Government are alumni of Makerere University” remarked the Deputy Katikkiro before adding “I used to reside in University Hall while I did my Bachelor of Statistics and I returned for my second degree (Master of Arts) in Economic Policy and Planning.”
He added that as members of alumni, they were personally touched when they saw that the iconic Ivory Tower had been gutted by fire. However, this only served to strengthen their resolve. “We shall rise again and have an even more iconic Main Building.”
The Katikkiro’s Message of Solidarity noted that the gutting of the Ivory Tower was one of the saddest occurrences in Makerere’s 98 year old history and conveyed his personal and Kingdom’s sympathies to the Vice Chancellor, academic and non-academic staff, students, alumni and Government of Uganda upon this most tragic incident.
“I trust that the government will support management to establish the cause of the fire, and more importantly, to restore the Ivory Tower to its original state and appearance” concluded Owek. Charles Peter Mayiga’s message.
The delegation then proceeded to the Main Building site, where they somberly observed the gutted Ivory Tower before once again reassuring the Management of Buganda Kingdom’s willingness to support efforts to restore the iconic Main Administration Building.
Makerere University, in collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), Tufts University, and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), invites researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and community actors to submit abstracts for the National Symposium on:
Climate Migration among Youths in Uganda: Local Voices for Policy Impact
Date: Wednesday, 12th August 2026 Venue: Makerere University Main Hall
The symposium will examine the drivers, patterns, and impacts of climate-induced youth migration in Uganda, while advancing evidence-based and community-informed policy responses.
Theme: Climate-Induced Youth Migration and Urban Futures in Uganda: Evidence, Voices, and Pathways for Action
Submission Deadline: 9th June 2026
Submit Abstracts To: citiesofyouth@musph.ac.ug
Researchers and practitioners are encouraged to contribute research findings, case studies, policy analyses, and practice-based experiences. Abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations.
Makerere University, in partnership with Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Independent University of Bangladesh, Eduardo Mondlane University, and Pokhara University, with funding from Norwegian Programme for Capacity Development in Higher Education and Research for Development (NORHED), is implementing a project: ‘Co-creating Knowledge for Local Adaptation to Climate Change in LDCs (COLOCAL).
The expected outputs of the project include strengthened educational and research capacity, improved knowledge on inclusive Locally Led Adaptation (LLA) and Community Based Adaptation (CBA) including delivering skilled knowledge co-creators, and partnerships to support needs-driven, locally-based and contextually sensitive adaptation. The outputs are anticipated to influence policy, planning and practice around LLA and CBA through collaborative learning and knowledge translation.
In line with targets and activities for 2026/2027, COLOCAL project is offering research support for three (3) Master’s students who have completed their first academic year of taught classes at Makerere University and are interested in undertaking research under one of the following thematic areas. The students MUST have undertaken the course offered under the auspices of the project on Disability, Social Justice and Climate Resilient Development.
Requirements:
A first degree from a reputable university in a field related to the focus of the project
Ugandan citizen below 35 years
Good command of English (spoken and written)
Demonstrated interest in inclusive and climate resilient development
Evidence of practical experience in conducting relevant research during and after undergraduate level
Evidence of full payment of all university fees for the first academic year
The Masters programme being undertaken MUST have explicit content on climate change mitigation and adaptation
Special consideration will be given to students with disabilities, financial challenges, students from ethnic minority groups, internally displaced students, among others
Scholarship and study/research conditions
Availability to complete all research activities in a maximum of 10 months.
Scope of the scholarship
The project will specifically cover stipends and support for field activities only. Support with tuition fees, for the research year, will be provided for students who will complete and submit the research thesis for examination within 10 months from the date of receiving the scholarship offer letter.
How to apply
Interested and eligible candidates should submit the following documents: Application letter, research concept note of not more than 2 pages, academic transcripts/certificates, an updated CV (including contacts of at least two referees) and two recommendation letters.
Send applications via email to: colocal.caes@mak.ac.ug, not later than 20th May, 2026. This contact can as well be used for inquiries, where necessary.
The Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) Limited implemented a Gates Foundation training program dubbed “Principle of Management Excellence for Research training” PRIMER in francophone countries, namely, Mali, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This training was delivered by content experts and experienced practitioners, not professionally trained experts. As such, limiting the quality of slide decks, which were largely fragmented with text rather than graphical and infographic elements that suit a mature audience. To effectively deliver a research training program, advanced, engaging, and efficient tools are critical for fostering audience engagement and participation, and for learning and assessment in research management excellence. To achieve this, IDI seeks to hire an expert to:
design and deliver a set of integrated advanced slide decks combining text, visual learning materials (graphical and infographics) and case scenarios
develop a virtual bilingual community learning platform (VBCLP), i.e. with in-built French and English to engage alumni,
develop and automate a pre-course assessment system that potential trainees fill out, and it automates results that are presented in statistical form for easy interpretation and decision making.