On 16th October 2020, Makerere University Main Library conducted a training in library resources
and information access. The orientation was attended by 65 freshers from Uganda Military Academy
Kabamba; enrolled for the Bachelor of Arts in Defense Studies of Makerere University.

In 2017, The Government of Uganda commissioned Kabamba Military Academy into an East African
Military University offering a three years’ degree leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Defense Studies.
Affiliated to Makerere University, the institution works hand in hand with the School of Social
Sciences to ensure that the course is well administered.

The Bachelors of Arts in Defense Studies -degree program is run concurrently with a one-year
military program at Kabamba Military Academy. Attended by cadets from the East African countries,
the programme aims at professionalizing the Army through combating both military and academic
skills to tackle the ever growing societal and security challenges in the region.

According to the Dean, School of Social Sciences, College of Humanities and Social Sciences who is
also a member of the committee that oversees the Degree programme Dr. State Andrew Ellias, two
intakes have been so far undertaken. The pioneer class was enrolled in 2019 with 60 cadets drawn
from East Africa and the second intake is expected to start 19 th October 2020 with 65 cadets.

“As the University responsible for the course, we have ensured that the institution receives all the
necessary equipment and services including lecturers, internal and external examiners, tools and
resources to enable the students successfully complete their degree,” he said.

Every academic year, enrolled students at Kabamba Military Academy visit Makerere University on
an orientation program that enables them to acquaint themselves with the critical areas and
procedures of the University. Among these include; the Academic Registrar’s office, the College of
Humanities and Social Sciences where the degree is administered and the University Library.
On 16 th October 2020, cadets visited the Makerere University to understand the operations of the
library and how they can access both physical and online resources.

Speaking to cadets, Dr. Helen Byamugisha the University Library urged them to utilize the library
resources for their academic and research development. “We have ensured that you access the
library remotely at your institution. I therefore urge you to fully utilize the resources. The library is
one of the major instruments that help students to a achieve their academic goals, therefore it
should be a place you visit regularly,” she emphasized.

During the training, cadets were orientated on;

• Searching strategies and searching the library catalogue by Mr. Patick Sekikome
• Search library databases (JSTOR, ebooks) and remote access to the library by Ms. Rachael Nabbosa
• Using Grammarly and Academic Phrasebank by Ms. Martha Lyaka

Article by: Nabatte Proscovia