After a lifetime of dedicated service to Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Maxensia Walusimbi, popularly known as Maxie announced she would join retirement from the university service. This after she clocked age 60, a mandatory age for civil servants to retire in Uganda.  

It was an emotional moment as fellow departmental members poured in their exciting memories of Maxie. Professor David Guwatudde said he had known Maxie sometime in 1996, even before she joined the School through a friend who was her workmate at Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH).

Joy and laughter filled the room as Professor Guwatudde described Max as a very dedicated, loyal hard worker and dynamic.

He said he became the Head of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Department in 2005, a time the Masters of Public Health (MPH) distance program had just been approved.

At the time, Professor Guwatudde says Prof. Joseph Konde Lule, the first Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics was putting up a team to manage the program.

“He had already identified Barbra Kirunda as the academic and field coordinator. We needed an administrator for the program, a materials developer for the program and a driver. When we advertised internally, one of the applicants for the administrator was Maxie. Because of her experience, she was the best, according to the interview committee,” Professor Guwatudde recalls.

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