French Ambassador to Uganda-H.E. Jules-Armand Aniambossou (C) flanked by Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng (2nd R), Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (2nd L) and Prof. Damalie Nakanjako (L) listen as Dr. Misaki Wayengera (R) unveils the COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Kits on 17th March 2021, CHS, Makerere University.
The afternoon of Wednesday March 17th, 2021 saw Makerere University’s Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Health Sciences (CHS) launch the homegrown COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Kits. The COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Kits developed domestically aim to address challenges related to affordability/cost using imported items, promote research and innovation in the medical/health field and Makerere University in general.
This project was spearheaded by Dr. Misaki Wayengera, Director Biomedical Research at the Department of Immunology and Molecular Biology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. Dr. Wayengera is also the Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the COVID-19 Taskforce in the Ministry of Health. These efforts are directed towards enhancing the fight against the spread of the Corona Virus not only at Makerere University but also in the entire country. Explaining the advantages of the project, Dr. Wayengera said “Makerere University has developed an affordable (costing less than US $1), easy to use (requiring minimal expertise, user guide), rapid (yielding results within 2-5 minutes) point of care test platform for COVID-19 suited for use within remote equatorial African settings. This will enable rapid testing for Coronavirus and considerably lower the cost of testing currently standing at USD 65, which is prohibitive for developing countries like Uganda. This could not have been achieved without the financial support of Partners and Institutions such as Supervised Financial Institutions under their umbrella body Uganda Bankers Association, Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda, and Government of the Republic of Uganda, the French Embassy in Uganda and Uganda’s Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation’’.
The Test Kit involves using a swab-tube dipstick to do an antigen test by use of a nasal sample. With this quick test, once the nasopharyngeal sample is obtained, it is placed back into its tube containing reagents that detect the virus surface protein.
French Ambassador to Uganda-H.E. Jules-Armand Aniambossou (2nd L) cuts the tape to unveil the Test Kits as Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng (2nd R), Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (2nd L) and Dr. Misaki Wayengera (R) witness.
This event was attended by Uganda’s Minister of Health; Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero, Uganda’s Minister of Science Technology and Innovation; Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, French Ambassador to Uganda; His Excellency Jules-Armand Aniambossou, the World Health Organization Country Representative; Dr. Yonas W. Tegeny, Uganda’s Director General at Ministry of Health; Dr. Henry Mwebesa and the Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Health; Dr. Diana Atwine. The funders were also represented at the event and these included; Makerere UniversityResearch and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) represented by Dr. Roy William Mayega, Mak-RIF Coordinator, Uganda Bankers Association represented by Mr. Wilbrod Owor, the French Embassy and Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation like earlier listed among other dignitaries.
At the occasion, Prof. Damalie Nakanjako, Principal Makerere University College of Health Sciences represented Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe. She welcomed all scientists, innovators and the media fraternity (representing the community) to witness yet another stride in and by faculty in Uganda’s leading higher institution of learning-Makerere University. In her remarks, she noted that, the University has through College of Health Sciences built extensive expertise, experience and eco-systems across the academia and partnerships for Research and Development of pathogen diagnostic. “This kit will carry out antibody tests. It will also be used in early detection of COVID-19 cases, used in screening of travelers for COVID-19, detection of symptoms as well as aid in sero-prevalennce studies to determine previous exposure to COVID-19. Makerere University is hopeful that this will enable Uganda and other African countries to cost-effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Makerere University is grateful for the SEED funding (UGX 65, 527, 020) from the Government of the Republic of Uganda through Makerere UniversityResearch and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) which aided initialization of this project. The Government of the Republic of Uganda is funding cross disciplinary research and innovations (over 500 projects now, up to a tune of Uganda Shillings 60 billion only for the last two financial years). Makerere University faculty and students have through this initiative engaged with other institutions, organizations, disciplines and Ministries enhancing research and innovations in and outside the institution. For all this support, we are truly grateful to the Government of the Republic of Uganda and all our other funders/partners, Prof. Nakanjako added.
Minister of Science Technology and Innovation-Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye (R) chats with the Host and Principal College of Health Sciences (CHS)-Prof. Damalie Nakanjako (L) at the event. Centre is MoSTI’s Dr. Maxwell Onapa Otim
Hon. Dr. Elioda Tuwesigye, Minister of Science Technology and Innovation in Uganda noted that such strides like the launch of Makerere University homegrown COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Test Kits was only a wake-up call to all of us that the virus is still with us and we can together do so much to up the fight against further spread and effects. He thanked the Government of the Republic of Uganda for funding research and innovations in Makerere University and other institutions too. “It is through research that we garner additional knowledge to enable us to be and remain creative. Embracing Research and Innovation is the way to go if we are to realize development in our country, Africa and the globe’’, he added.
Uganda’s Minister of Health at the event in her remarks congratulated all scientists at Makerere University including Dr. Wayengera and his research for working closely with the Ministry to respond to diverse community challenges and in this case the Coronavirus. She noted that this virus is still with us and thus the need for us to continue observing the Standard Operating Procedures, researching ad innovating to carry on with the fight. She added that some countries were experiencing the second and third wave of Coronavirus and thus Ugandans must remain on the alert regardless of the circumstances at the moment so that these waves do not crop in and sweep away the population. Hon. Dr. Aceng said: “These rapid antibody testing kits come at a point when we are preparing for the next wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, thank you Dr. Wayengera and team.’’
His Excellency Jules-Armand Aniambossou, French Ambassador in his remarks noted that the French Embassy in Uganda was and is happy to collaborate with and further support Makerere University’s efforts to respond to the Coronavirus. He said “Uganda’s response to COVID-19 was and is strong, immediate ad efficient. We need to learn from Uganda. Uganda can compete globally. Well done Scientists, he said as he officially launched the homegrown COVID-19 Rapid antibody Test Kits’’.
L-R: Mak-RIF Representative-Dr. Roy William Mayega, Uganda Bankers’ Association (UBA) Executive Secretary-Mr. Wilbrod Owor and MoSTI’s Dr. Maxwell Onapa Otim showcase the unveiled kits
In the drive to raise funds towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and in response to Government’s call for support to join hands, Members of Uganda Bankers Association (UBA) and the Deposit Protection Fund contributed UGX. 200million to the project which was in advanced stages in 2020. Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Wilbrod Owor-Executive Director UBA applauded Makerere University for the research efforts as an academic institution and the quick turnaround invention. “The pandemic has had diverse effects on the economy and one of the most affected sectors are education, tourism & hospitality, real estate which ultimately have affected the banking sector by way of increase in Non-Performing Loans. In addition to the loan restructures that member banks have offered, as part of support to business community, we are also happy to have invested to support testing. Therefore, the affordability of this intervention is much welcome to address cost issues that would otherwise have to be so high for an average Ugandan” Owor said.
Dr. Roy William Mayega, Coordinator at the Makerere UniversityResearch and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) on behalf of Prof. William Bazeyo, Chair Mak-RIF thanked Dr. Wayengera and his research/innovation team for the work well done. He also thanked all funders for positively responding to the call for more resources to realize this project. He said “It is only when funders see such research and innovation outputs like the COVID-19 Rapid antibody Test Kits we are holding in our hands now that they will look further into their Bank Accounts to raise more resources to further support research and innovations. Thank you Dr. Wayengera and all the other Scientists for leading by doing. Let us continue with these efforts’’.
Dr. Wayengera acknowledged all the support/funding and gave each donor a pack of the COVID-19 Rapid Antibody Testing Kits.
Minister of Health-Hon. Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng (L) and Director General of Health Services-Dr. Henry Mwebesa (2nd L) lead the volunteers who experienced antibody testing after the Test Kits’ launch.
The event host, Prof. Nakanjako, Principal at Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences then thanked all participants and welcomed them to further engage in a cocktail as volunteers led by the Director General and Minister of Health experienced antibody testing using the newly launched kits. The rest of the COVID-19 Test Kits will be used in the Makerere University Medical School laboratories
Congratulations Makerere University and congratulations the Government of the Republic of Uganda!
Dr. Angelina Mwesige Kakooza, Associate Professor of Paediatrics in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) received the 2025 TWAS-Fayzah M. Al-Kharafi Award in Medical Sciences. She was recognised for her research on neurodevelopmental disorders – particularly epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and nodding syndrome – and for advancing policy and research, mentorship, as well as local community interventions to enhance children’s health.
The award was given at the recent 17th General Conference of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under the theme ‘Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation for Global Development.’ Organized in partnership with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and TWAS, the conference brought together leading scientists, policymakers, and institutional leaders from across the global South and beyond.
In her remarks after receiving the award, Dr. Kakooza said, “This award highlights the importance of neurodevelopmental disorders which are a great health problem worldwide, often diagnosed late and treated poorly,” said Kakooza. “It affirms my contribution to science in Africa, strengthens advocacy for gender equity in science and education and makes me a role model for others, increasing my influence in the scientific community.”
Associate Professor Angelina Mwesige Kakooza.
Dr. Angelina Kakooza Mwesige is a Ugandan scholar with over 25years teaching experience whose research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders in children centred on their epidemiology, early screening, identification and community based interventions in Uganda. Her current areas of research cover studies on early detection and interventions for young infants at high risk of neurodevelopmental delay and disability in Nepal and Uganda; development of community engagement projects to empower adolescents living with epilepsy in Uganda reduce stigma in their communities; as well as development and testing of an interactive epilepsy smart phone application to improve resilience among them.
TWAS is a global merit-based science academy based in Trieste, Italy, and administered as a UNESCO Programme Unit. Read more here: https://twas.org/
In July this year, I joined a study tour to Imvepi Refugee Settlement in Uganda’s West Nile region under the RISK-WASH Project, led by Dr. Richard Mugambe. Established in 2017 in what is now Terego District, Imvepi is one of several settlements created to host people fleeing conflict in neighbouring South Sudan. Now home to more than 60,000 refugees, it reflects Uganda’s progressive refugee policy, anchored in the 2006 Refugee Act, which promotes the integration of displaced families within host communities, allocates land for livelihoods, and ensures access to national services. It remains a model both commendable and instructive for the region.
With nearly two million refugees and asylum seekers, most of whom are women and children, Uganda stands among the world’s leading examples of inclusive, community-based refugee protection. The RISK-WASH Project, implemented by the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) in collaboration with IHE-Delft, BRAC, and icddr,b, with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the three-day visit. The project builds evidence for better Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) decision-making in humanitarian settings, developing practical tools to assess how exposure to unsafe water, poor sanitation, and environmental hazards affects the health of both displaced and host populations.
The RISK-WASH Project team, together with officials from the Uganda Red Cross Society, meet the Imvepi Refugee Settlement Commandant during a field visit in July 2025.
In Imvepi, that evidence takes human form. Water points run dry under intense demand or drought; latrines overflow during rains; fragile health systems strain to contain preventable diseases that flourish in such conditions. One nurse may attend to hundreds of patients in a single day, treating malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases directly linked to inadequate WASH infrastructure. The images linger long after one leaves, especially when reflecting on the media’s role in shaping refugee narratives. What struck me most was how such realities are often reduced to statistics or fleeting headlines that reveal little about the lives behind them. I left Imvepi convinced that we, in the media, must not only report but listen differently.
When we cover refugees, we often begin with numbers. Yet behind every statistic is a heartbeat and a history the news cycle rarely pauses to hear. Refugee health, perhaps the most human measure of displacement, is still too often framed as a crisis rather than a continuum of resilience, policy, and rights. The World Health Organisation’s World Reports on the Health of Refugees and Migrants reminds us that refugees frequently experience poorer health outcomes than host populations, not because they are inherently vulnerable, but because access to care is often obstructed by law, language, and logistics. Health, like truth, then, becomes interestingly dependent on who is allowed to speak and who is heard.
Floods in Adjumani refugee settlement left shelters destroyed and water sources contaminated, heightening the risk of disease outbreaks and exposing the fragile health conditions faced by displaced families. Photo taken in 2024 during a MakSPH study on refugee health and climate change.
It was in this spirit that, on October 3, 2025, we convened the Media Training Workshop on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting at MakSPH. The one-day seminar brought together twenty journalists from Kampala, Kyaka II, Adjumani, and other refugee-hosting districts. Our goal was not to add another humanitarian angle to the news but to rethink how the media can report with depth, ethics, and empathy. Working with partners such as Africa Humanitarian Action, Emesco Development Foundation, and Farmamundi, we explored the subtle power the media wields to either dignify or diminish, to clarify or distort, the lived realities of refugees, particularly in the realm of health.
During my session, “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context,” I invited participants to view journalism through the lens of Paulo Freire, the celebrated Brazilian transformative educator who wrote the Pedagogy of the Oppressed while in exile in 1970. Through his influential work, Freire argued that oppression persists when those in power control language and narrative, when others are spoken for rather than heard. Liberation begins, he said, when people “name their world.” That principle remains profoundly relevant to our craft as journalism and communications practitioners. Refugees must not remain objects of our storytelling; they are its subjects. Journalism, in its truest public function, becomes liberating only when it is dialogic, when we report with people, not merely about them.
I led a session titled “Refugee Health Reporting as Empowerment: Negotiating Accuracy, Dignity, and Context” on October 3, 2025, framing it around Paulo Freire’s pedagogical philosophy of liberation through dialogue and critical reflection.
This transformation begins with accuracy. In Uganda, refugees share the same health system as host communities, one already strained by staff shortages, drug stock-outs, and donor fatigue. Yet many stories stop at official statements or NGO press releases. Limited access, shrinking newsroom budgets, and bureaucratic gatekeeping tempt journalists to rely on polished humanitarian narratives. But when we do, we risk becoming megaphones for the powerful. Accuracy demands courage, the willingness to verify, to cross-check, and to step beyond curated camp tours. In refugee reporting, truth is not just a professional standard; it is an act of respect.
Still, truth without dignity can harm. Too often, images of refugees serve as shorthand for despair—dust, hunger, tents. Such imagery may evoke sympathy, but it often strips away humanity. From practice, I have seen journalists lower their lenses before asking names. I have also seen how a small shift in approach, say seeking consent, giving space, and listening before photographing, can restore dignity to both subject and story. Words matter too. Calling someone an “illegal immigrant” or describing an “influx” of refugees turns people into problems. Language should humanise, not flatten. To describe refugees as mothers, health workers, or students is to reassert their agency and affirm our shared humanity, something Freire would have deeply valued today.
Media trainer Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija facilitates a session on “Centring Humanity” during the Refugee Health and Migration Reporting Workshop at MakSPH, underscoring the media’s role in advancing accuracy, dignity, and context in refugee reporting. October 3, 2025.
And no story exists in isolation. Every health headline in a settlement echoes across systems of policy, climate, economics, and gender. A cholera outbreak in Kyangwali is not merely a medical event or isolated incident; it may be showing broken sanitation infrastructure and the politics of aid, which may result in a national disease outbreak. Context is the soul of credibility. Without it, even accurate stories can mislead. In Imvepi, I saw first-hand that refugees’ health challenges are inseparable from Uganda’s own development journey, from how budgets are made to how global partners value African hospitality. The more connections we draw, the closer we come to the truth.
By the close of the workshop, it was evident that empowerment in journalism is not a slogan but a discipline. It demands patience, humility, and persistence. It calls for the co-production of stories, revisiting them, verifying them, and allowing refugees to narrate their realities. It also calls on institutions to invest and fund field reporting, train correspondents in trauma-sensitive and peace journalism, and protect journalists pursuing uncomfortable truths. Without such support, even good intentions dissolve into soundbites.
I often return to Freire’s words of wisdom: “To speak a true word is to transform the world.” This means that words are not just passive descriptions but powerful tools for action and social change, especially when they are paired with critical reflection and a commitment to praxis (work and action). Refugee health journalism, at its best, is precisely that kind of speech: accurate, dignified, and deeply contextual. It is not merely charity reporting; it is solidarity reporting. For anyone, given the wrong circumstances, can become a refugee. And solidarity, unlike sympathy, does not look down; it stands beside. When we write from that conviction, our stories do more than inform. They humanise, connect, and remind us that telling the truth well is, in itself, an act of justice.
From right: Africa Humanitarian Action’s Mr. Yakobo Kaheesi and Emesco Development Foundation’s Mr. Patrick Ssentalo join facilitators and organisers Mr. Wilson Akiiki Kaija and Mr. Davidson Ndyabahika in awarding certificates to media participants after the successful training on Refugee Health and Migration Reporting on October 3, 2025.
Dr. Annettee Nakimuli, an Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Dean – School of Medicine at Makerere University College of Health Sciences was awarded by the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) for her outstanding contribution to improving the health of Women and children as a researcher and practitioner.
She received the award on the 6th Oct 2025 at the FIGO General Assembly/FIGO Congress that is ongoing in Cape Town, South Africa.
Professor Nakimuli is a leading maternal health researcher focused primarily on investigating the aetiology, treatment, prevention and long term outcomes of pregnancy complications among women in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is committed to building maternal and new-born research capacity in Africa and her aim is, with East African and International colleagues, to establish a multidisciplinary centre for African maternal and neonatal health research located at Makerere University in Uganda.