General
Mak PhD Forum Inaugurates New Executive
On April 20, 2022, the Phd Fellows at Makerere University also known as Pf@Mak held a meeting at Senate Building where the outgoing executive members handed over to a new executive.
The purpose of this Fellowship is to cultivate and promote an enriching environment for conducting Doctoral Research that is of both academic and applied nature for Makerere University and the entire globe. Enshrined in the Pf@Mak Constitution, the forum’s mission is:
To bring together PhD fellows to actively provide each other with mutual academic support, producing timely high quality research through networking, peer reviewing, sharing funding opportunities and timely study completion.
The Pf@Mak has 500 registered students from the 10 Mak Colleges and Makerere University Business School (MUBS). The Fellowship Executive is comprised of a President, Vice President, General Secretary, Speaker, Finance Secretary, 11 College Representatives including MUBS, 3 Members of Academic Affairs Committee and 3 Members of Welfare Affairs Committee. The Pf@Mak objectives are to:
- Establish fora for the members to provide academic peer support at University,
- College/School and Departmental levels,
- To cultivate long term relationships that are vital for continued multidisciplinary research and academic work,
- Represent the opinions of the student body to the appropriate authorities,
- Assist one another to identify potential funders/research grants,
- Serve as an avenue/platform through which PhD fellows can network (academically and socially), share ideas, engage in collaborative research/ and access relevant information.
The Fellowship’s Patron and Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza said that the University acknowledges and appreciates this Forum as a springboard for Peer Learning where students take stock of shared challenges and benchmark amongst themselves best practices. He promised to continue engaging University Top Management to support PhD students with a Common Room for PhD Colloquium and provide orientation to new students. He thanked the outgoing executive for the many achievements despite the COVID-19 pandemic. He wished the incoming executive the best of success in their tenure.
The outgoing Pf@Mak Speaker Mr Nathan Tumuhamye thanked his colleagues for providing extra effort in advancing the Fellowship’s objectives and urged the incoming executive to leverage on the goodwill of University Management to ensure PhD Students learning landscape is enhanced.
The incoming Pf@Mak President Mr. Gerald Zihembire Ahabwe, a PhD Fellow in the Department of Sociology, School of Social Sciences, on behalf of the Executive Committee promised to build on previous successes to work tirelessly towards a vibrant PhD Community at Makerere University in line with the University’s strategic direction of being a research-led institution. He promised to constructively engage Management and other stakeholders within Academia, Government and Industry for a turn-around in the way PhD students are organized and supported in their doctoral journeys for the socio-economic transformation of their communities.
The meeting ended with the outgoing executive members receiving certificates of appreciation from Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza for their efforts in steering the Fellowship .
Organised by the Makerere Debating Union – a student-led initiative, the Inter-college Debate Tournament was held on 11th and 12th April 2025 with a vision to leave no student behind by nurturing a community of confident, articulate, and visionary leaders who will drive positive change in society. The tournament was held in three preliminary rounds, followed by semi-finals and a grand finale.
The first round covered democracy and youth participation in politics, while the second round covered inequality and wealth distribution, and the third, the ban on export of raw materials. The semi-final round debated apprenticeship for blue-collar jobs, while the grand finale debated national budget allocations for healthcare and education. In the spirit of inclusivity, all colleges, including the Jinja Campus participated in the tournament.
Commenting on the choice of topics, the organisers noted Makerere University as a bastion of academic excellence has a profound responsibility to cultivate the next generation of leaders who will shape the future of our nation. These leaders, they added, ought to be equipped with 21st century skills of self-expression, critical thinking, and problem-solving so as to navigate the complexities of an ever-evolving world.
On the whole, Makerere Inter-college Debates were conceived as a strategic initiative to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity, creativity, and innovation. The Debating Union aims to empower the future leaders by providing a platform for students to engage in respectful discourse, articulate their thoughts, as well as develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Furthermore, the Debates serve as a platform for not only honing the intellectual prowess of students but also cultivating leadership skills, teamwork, and communication abilities that are essential for success in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. It is envisaged that this initiative will have a lasting impact on the lives of students, by exposing them to debates on topical issues that can shape the mindsets of transformative leaders our nation needs.
After a thrilling two days of debate, Daphine Kemigisha and Jibril Ssekandi from the School of Law (SoL) emerged as winners of the Makerere University Inter-college Debate Tournament 2025, while Olara Emmanuel George from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) was the Public Speech Champion, and Namujuzi Martha Mociita from the College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) was the Poetry Champion.
The 2025 Tournament was organized by Mayanja Owen and Nkalubo Oprah – 91st Guild Representative Councils (GRCs) of the Debate Union, Akatwijuka Arthur – Chairperson Debate Union, and Debate Union Representatives from colleges. The Uganda National NGO Forum (UNNGOF) partnered with the Debate Union to deliver the 2025 edition.
Addressing students at the award ceremony, UNNGOF’s Mr. Derrick Baluuku encouraged the youth to step out of their comfort zones and think of solutions to inspire change in their communities.
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