General
Students Champion the Campaign Against Sexual Harassment
Makerere University Gender Mainstreaming Directorate (GMD) in partnership with UN women, Swedish Embassy and NBS TV capped the 16 days of Women Activism by celebrating the late Susan Oregede who was a key champion in the struggle of ending violence Against Women and Girls.
In the annual event of the Two4One Talent for change Against sexual Harassment contest grand finale on the 9th December 2020 at Next Media conference Center, the Director Makerere Gender Mainstreaming Directorate Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine, noted that the Two4One campaign is aimed at increasing awareness of the problem of sexual harassment and tapping into student’s innovativeness to strength their agency in the prevention and response to sexual harassment, through thinking and doing what they love most (edutainment) where students either individually or in groups, work on innovative songs, drama skits, poems and dances which are used as ambassadorial messages within their Universities and communities. And that unlike last year’s grand finale, where 15,000 students filled Makerere University Freedom Square in just one night, this year’s campaign was affected by the COVID-19 challenges and thus the concert was largely virtual with majority following through the NBS TV live cast and all the social media handles of the organisers.
Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine noted that for purposes of having more students from other universities in the campaigns, a Two4One campaign website was created (two4one campaign.mak.ac.ug) through which students from all Universities and tertiary institutions created accounts, uploaded videos and mobilized their fellow students to participate through voting. Makerere University, Gulu University, Uganda Christian University (UCU), Bugema University, Kyambogo University, Buganda Royal Institute, Busitema University, Kampala University, Muteesa 1 Royal University and MAT Abacus business School, Mbarara University Science and Technology (MUST) registered to participate in the contest. And that 167 students registered, 62 of these were females and 105 were males. Out of these, 50 were able to compose and submit their pieces within a period of three weeks. Out of the 50, 15 were females and 35 were males and on the 1st December 2020, these were presented to the judges and out of the 50 contestants presented 15 were recommended to the grand finale.
Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine recognized students from universities and tertiary institutions for responding to the call and revealed that Makerere University and GMD would like to partner with those institutions to implement programs that end sexual and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV).
Remarking the relevance of the GMD at the mighty hill, Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine thanked Makerere University Management through the Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawange for the commitment to the zero tolerance to sexual harassment and noted that currently Makerere University is taking on the lead in fighting against sexual harassment.
She also showed gratitude to the UN Women and the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda for their unfailing partnership in prevention and response to sexual harassment at Makerere University and for their efforts to make the event happen.
“I want to thank UN women and the Swedish Embassy in Uganda for your strong and consistent partnership in prevention and response to sexual harassment at Makerere University. I thank you particularly for making this event happen,” expressed Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine.
Speaking on behalf of UN Women, Ms. Evely Letiyo echoed that sexual harassment robs off girl’s dreams and that it doesn’t only affect them physically but also emotionally thus called upon everyone to stand out against sexual violence.
She further reflected on her past 15 years as an Assistant lecturer, where students would approach her in office and report to her cases of sexual harassment and she had no solution to them, but after joining UN Women, with the responsibility of Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWA) in Uganda, sexual harassment and Gender Based Violence, she can now fight against as well as sensitize others about the evil. She added that students’ voices matter a lot thus calling upon all universities to stand up and respond positively by having an open to the students say.
Speaking on behalf of the judges, Ms. Eleanor Nabwiso applauded GMD for boldly standing against the sex for marks vice by helping the victims.
She commended the students from all universities who participated in the challenge and congratulated the 3 winners upon the big achievement and urged them to continue passing on the message to others and noted that the coaches did a grateful job in polishing of the contestants’ composition. Amidst the chants, the winners were awarded as follows:
Ms. Angel Kene a 3rd year student at Makerere University doing Bachelors of Social Works and Social Administration merged the winner and was awarded the Susan Oregede Award of Excellence, 5 million Uganda shillings.
Timothy Mutebi a 3rd year student at Makerere University pursuing Bachelors of Arts in Music emerged the 2rd runner up and was awarded the Susan Oregede Award of Excellence of 4 million Uganda shillings.
Bint Kasedde a 3rd year student at Makerere University pursuing Bachelors of Education emerged the 3rd winner and was awarded the Susan Oregede Award of Excellence of 3 million Uganda shillings and a certificate of participation.
All the contestants were awarded a certificate of participation.
The Minister of Gender in the 85th cabinet of Makerere University Students Guild Ms. Marion Kirabo enlightened that in their tenure of office as leaders of the University, the Guild President HE Julius Kateregga and his team decided to come up with a solution of having students sensitized about sexual harassment and that’s how they came out with the two4one challenge/ campaign. The campaign was organised by Gender Mainstreaming Directorate and UN Women which has turned into an annual event.
During her performance, singer Spice Diana, reflected back on her days while at university, and revealed that she once faced sexual harassment while at the university but she stood firm and said no to the oppressor and called upon everyone to stand out and kick the vice out of the universities.
“Don’t keep quite when you see or hear sexual harassment. Speak out,” She said.
The event was crowned by entertainment from the B2C who also called for an end of the Gender Based Violence.
Mr. Eric Tumwesigye, Senior Gender Officer at GMD expressed appreciation to all the students who participated in the competition amidst end of Semester exams. He congratulated the winners and urged others not to give up as more campaigns are still coming up.
Mr. Tumwesigye concluded his remarks by thanking the judges; Mr. Benon Mugumbya, Ms. Elneor Nabwiso and Ms. Naava Grey for accepting to take on the role. He further recognized the Department of Performing Arts Makerere University particularly Dr. Branco Sekalega, Mr. Phillip Luswata and Ms. Juliet Sessanga for the great job they did in training the 15 students and ensuring that they were ready for the grand finale.
The event was hosted by Mr. Obed Obedgiu Kwokuboth Jalmeo a third year student at Makerere University and Ms. Sheila Salta of NBS TV
Makerere University has officially launched its Strategic Plan 2025-2030, marking a major milestone in its commitment to strengthening research, innovation, and human capital development in line with Uganda’s national development priorities.
The launch brought together senior government officials, university leadership, and development planners, including the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, and a representative from the National Planning Authority (NPA), alongside the University Vice Chancellor.
A Vision Anchored in National Transformation
Speaking at the launch, the Vice Chancellor underscored the University’s ambition to significantly expand graduate training and strengthen its contribution to national development. He noted that the institution is targeting a return to pre-COVID enrolment levels and a substantial increase in postgraduate numbers by 2030, with a focus on producing highly skilled graduates, innovators, and researchers.
He emphasized that the Strategic Plan positions the University as a key driver of Uganda’s transformation through knowledge generation, innovation, and entrepreneurship, aligned with national priorities.
“The staffing distribution is shown here. Under the approved establishment, we intended to have 419 Professors, but we currently have only 75. We planned for 473 Associate Professors, but currently have only 144. This clearly demonstrates that we still have considerable room for growth in strengthening our academic staff profile,” the VC said.
The VC appreciated researchers and research centres, that continue to attract substantial research funding. He highlighted the Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI) and the Makerere University Walter Reed Project which attracted approximately US$70 million in international research funding into Uganda.
“When you combine the grants won by all our researchers through competitive international funding, the total exceeds US$200 million,” he said.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of the University Council, Dr. Lorna Magara, described the Strategic Plan as more than an institutional roadmap, calling it “a public covenant with the people of Uganda.”
She noted that the Plan marks “the launch of Makerere University’s next chapter,” adding that decisions taken over the next five years will shape not only the future of the institution, but also Uganda’s development trajectory through graduates, research, innovations, and leadership.
Dr. Magara emphasized Makerere’s unique national role as Uganda’s premier public university, entrusted with public resources and public confidence.
“Every investment made in Makerere must produce measurable value for the people of Uganda,” she said, underscoring the need for accountability, integrity, and impact.
Ambitious Targets for Transformation
The Council Chairperson and the Vice chancellor outlined bold performance targets under the Strategic Plan, including doubling postgraduate enrolment, increasing STEM enrolment from 30% to 55%, improving PhD completion rates from 10% to 35%, and more than doubling peer-reviewed research output, alongside a significant rise in patents and innovations.
Dr. Magara stressed that these targets are not aspirations alone but binding commitments against which institutional performance will be measured.
“Ambition is precisely what this moment demands. A strategic plan is not measured by the elegance of its language, but by the lives it transforms,” she said.
Call for Stronger Governance and Legal Reform
Dr. Magara also highlighted the need for reform of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap. 262, noting that the current legal framework has not kept pace with the evolving realities of university governance and innovation.
She called on Government and Parliament to support a timely review of the Act to enable universities to better optimise knowledge systems, productive assets, and innovation capacity in support of national development.
Government Endorsement and Strategic Alignment
Hon. Henry Musasizi commended the University for developing a forward-looking Strategic Plan aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV), which serves as the foundation for the country’s Tenfold Growth Strategy.
He explained that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy from about USD 50 billion to USD 500 billion requires accelerated growth driven by productivity gains, innovation, and strong human capital development.
“Universities are central actors in national transformation. They are engines of knowledge creation, innovation, and human capital development,” he said.
The Minister stressed that government priorities include strengthening research, promoting industrialization, and ensuring that knowledge generated in universities is translated into practical solutions that support economic growth. He further highlighted the importance of accountability, efficiency, and value for money in public investments in higher education.
Universities as Drivers of the Tenfold Growth Strategy
In his presentation, the Senior Planner at the National Planning Authority, Samuel Kasule, emphasized that the Strategic Plan is firmly anchored in Uganda’s comprehensive development framework under Vision 2040 and NDP IV.
He noted that the Tenfold Growth Strategy seeks to accelerate Uganda’s economic growth into double-digit territory, enabling the country to achieve structural transformation and reach upper middle-income status.
Kasule underscored that universities play a critical role in this transformation through labour productivity, research, and innovation. He pointed out that priority sectors such as agriculture, tourism, minerals, oil and gas, and ICT depend heavily on skilled graduates and strong research ecosystems.
He also highlighted the importance of competency-based education, alignment of academic programmes with national human resource needs, and strengthening postgraduate training and research outputs.
A Shared Commitment to Transformation
Across all speeches, a strong message emerged: universities are central to Uganda’s development agenda and must evolve into research-intensive institutions that directly contribute to economic transformation.
The Strategic Plan 2025-2030 was widely commended for its focus on innovation, industry collaboration, digital transformation, and the commercialization of research outputs.
Government leaders reaffirmed continued support for higher education institutions through research funding, innovation ecosystems, and strengthened university–industry partnerships.
Conclusion
The launch of the Strategic Plan 2030 signals a renewed commitment to positioning the University as a key partner in Uganda’s development journey. With strong alignment to national priorities, the Plan is expected to accelerate research, innovation, and skills development necessary for achieving Uganda’s long-term economic ambitions. The Strategic Plan may be accessed at: https://mak.ac.ug/about/strategic-plan
-
General1 day agoUndergraduate Admission Lists 2026/2027
-
General1 week agoMakerere Hands Over CCE Hall to NEC for Renovation
-
General1 week agoFees Waiver Female Scholarship 2026/2027
-
General2 weeks agoMakerere University Set to Develop Curriculum to Transform Graduate Supervision and Mentorship
-
Education2 weeks agoMakerere University Signs MoU with Fukui University to enhance Research, Teacher Development and STEM Education