General
Vice Chancellor’s Roster against Sexual Harassment Meets, Shares Milestones & Experiences
The Vice Chancellor’s Roster of 100 to investigate Sexual Harassment at Makerere University has called upon the University Leadership to reinforce its commitment and support toward elimination of violence, abuse and sexual harassment at the university. This was during the two days (14th– 15th June 2022) of the Refresher Training that was organized by Makerere University Gender Mainstreaming Directorate in partnership with UN Women.
In line with section 18 part (a) of Makerere University Policy and Regulations against sexual harassment 2006 (as amended), the Vice-Chancellor on 1st August 2019, appointed 100 members of the Vice Chancellor’s Standing Roster to investigate sexual harassment.
According to Makerere University Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment, the Vice Chancellor’s Roster of 100 includes well-selected persons of integrity from which ad-hoc committees will be drawn to investigate specific reported complaints of sexual harassment. The Roster represents all categories of groups in the University community that is; academic, administrative, and support staff, students (undergraduate and postgraduate) as well as all hierarchical ranks within those categories.
The team appreciated the University Management for taking a bold step aimed at breaking the power-authority chains that had acted as barricades to perpetrators and protected them as untouchables. They further appealed to the University leadership to always cooperate and support the teams/members investigating sexual harassment cases. “We need back up from the leadership to ensure that however powerful a person is, as long as they have been mentioned in any Sexual Harassment scandal, they are not protected.”
During the training, the team recognized the critical importance of their work and also highlighted the possible risks involved when investigating sexual harassment cases including death threats to both the victims and investigators. In addition, the team recorded the need to intensify sensitization campaigns in order to reduce the knowledge gap on Gender-Based Violence, abuse, and sexual Harassment that exists among staff and students as well as the wider University community.
Sharing milestones and experiences
The team also shared experiences, and progress achieved throughout the two years of executing their work. In a presentation made by Ms. Susan Mbabazi, the Principal Gender Officer -Gender Mainstreaming Directorate, since 2019, the VC’s Roster of 100 has been able to investigate to conclusion eight (8) cases out of the twenty-two that were reported.
“Twenty-two cases have been reported for the last two years, eight (8) were investigated to conclusion of which five (5) were successfully handled and three (3) were acquitted, one (1) case has been referred to the police; Three (3) cases were overtaken by events and they lost jurisdiction and one (1) case was withdrawn,” she said.
Ms. Mbabazi noted that the results indicate a stronger step that has been taken by the team to execute their duties amidst recognizable challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world for two years. She was optimistic that after the lockdown, their work will be much easier, highlighting the Nine (9) cases that are currently being investigated.
In the same training, participants also reflected on the Makerere University Gender Equity Policy and Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment as key tools in the fight against the vice at the university. In an interactive session conducted by the Director of Gender Mainstreaming, Dr. Euzobia Mugisha Baine, the team called for an enhancement in the dissemination and communication of the two policies to both staff and students.
“It is high time we utilize all the communication and information points of the university to communicate and emphasize the importance of the two policies. The extended knowledge of the policies should be one of the key performance indicators for the University and students’ leadership,” they noted.
In a speech read by Ms. Nina Asiimwe Byarugaba, the Deputy Country Representative of UN Women Uganda Ms. Adekemi Ndieli, commended Makerere University for the review and production of the Policy and Regulation Against Sexual Harassment; noting that the policy provides the much-needed institutional framework to effectively respond to sexual harassment issues in a well-coordinated, coherent fashion, one that will particularly promote perpetrator accountability.
“UN Women in Uganda is committed to ending all forms of violence against women and girls. We recognize that ending violence against women and girls is a critical move to ensure that they have access to justice. We emphasize that access to justice is an essential ingredient for effective, accountable, and gender-responsive to the realization of women’s and girls’ rights which cannot be denied,” she said.
Noting that violence against women and girls is highly pervasive, entrenched and normalized in Uganda, Ms. Ndieli, stressed, that although efforts have been put in place to abate it, through legislation and sensitization of the relevant duty bearers on how to effectively manage gender-based violence cases, obtaining full protection and accountability of GBV crimes remains a challenge.
“We are mindful of the fact that efficient and effective management of gender-based violence cases requires extensive preparation, specific skills, substantive knowledge and resources, and the Policy and Regulation Against Sexual Harassment is a critical solution to these needs,” she noted.
She extended sincere appreciation to the Gender Mainstreaming Directorate and Makerere University for conducting a refresher training for members of the Vice Chancellor’s Roster of 100 as a follow-up on progress as well as re-equipping the team with skills and techniques for addressing some of the persistent challenges of access to justice for women and girls.
Members also highlighted the role of men in the elimination of gender-based violence and particularly, sexual harassment among communities. In a presentation made on Male Engagement in Gender equality interventions: What can men do to work with women in challenging sexual harassment and gender-based violence at Makerere University, Dr. Julius Kikooma noted the manner in which the socialization processes are embedded within the men’s sexuality and their psyche is ill-explored. According to him, the socialization processes that men undergo in their sexual development can lead them toward normalizing sexual violence.
He called for collective efforts to harness positive masculinities to promote an educational environment that is free of sexual harassment. In the same spirit, Dr. Kikooma urged the Makerere University community to open up opportunities to question hegemonic beliefs and practices upon which harmful forms of masculinities in Higher education institutions are constituted.
“We need to rethink and re-imagine institutions of higher learning as intellectual spaces with Institutionalized structures and spaces that promote conversation on progressive male behaviors and practices,” he stated.
Participants were also engaged on:
- Legal and Policy Frameworks for Gender-Based Violence and Violence against Women and Girls by Mr. Mayanja Idi Mubarak, Principal Women in Development Officer- Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development
- Sexual Harassment Prosecutions; Lessons from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions by Samali Wakooli, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions and Head of Gender Children and Sexual Offences Department.
- Sexual Harassment Investigations; Lessons from the Uganda Police Force by Rose Nalubega, Commissioner, Sexual, Children Offences and Trafficking in Persons Department, Directorate of CID, Uganda Police Force.
- Strategies for effective staff and student mobilization against sexual harassment by Prof. Fred Babweteera
The Senior Program Director, Higher Education and Research in Africa, International Program, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Prof. Omotade Akin Aina on 23rd May 2025 visited Makerere University during his short trip to Kampala. Prof. Aina was received on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe by Prof. Tony Oyana, Principal of the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS).
During his visit, Prof. Aina met with the Project Implementation Committee, representatives from the Consolidating Early Career Academics Programme (CECAP) phase I Fellowship Cohort, and current Fellows of phase II. The meeting discussed the progress of CECAP II, which focuses on fostering academic development and research among early-career academics.
CECAP II is being implemented by Makerere University in collaboration with four other Ugandan public universities, including; Busitema University, Gulu University, Kyambogo University and Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Prof. Mukadasi Buyinza, the Project Principal Investigator was represented at the meeting by the Director of Graduate Training, Prof. Julius Kikooma.
By Moses Lutaaya
The Directorate of Graduate Training at Makerere University has equipped several Senior ranking lecturers with expert knowledge in a Training of Trainers’ workshop on “Philosophy of Methods”.
In his remarks at the opening of a 3-day training workshop at Level4 Conference Hall – Senate Building, the Director of Graduate Training Prof. Julius Kikooma said, “The teaching of Philosophy of Methods gives all participants the fundamentals to extend knowledge to other learners, hence its importance in upholding the Makerere University values.”
Kikooma urged and challenged the participants to also attend and actively participate in the follow up of learners’ training of students, stating that the PhD students need support as the directorate continues to coordinate the curriculum of PhD by-research that was approved by the senate recently.
“To holistically implement the senate approved PhD curriculum, we are coordinating capacity building trainings of all stake holders in a structured approach with the different units of the University. Many more trainings including Training of Trainers in advanced research methods course are on the way.”
He further urged the participants to be intentional in their teaching profession and in whatever they were doing, adding “Apart from focusing on practices as teachers and researchers, we can engage in wider philosophical debates in our research areas so that we are relevant in the society and in the empowerment of PhD research students.”
The participants for the Philosophy of Methods training were from College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Education and External Studies, Makerere University Business School among others.
During the same training, Dr. Dickson Kanakulya stressed the need to train senior lecturers in the Philosophy of Methods, saying, “The biggest connection is that societal problems require concrete research to find solutions. Our challenge in Africa is that we employ a short barrow approach to find solutions to problems. This cannot work. We need consistent researchers to solve problems. Lasting solutions to societal issues can only be got through training such as Philosophy of Methods, where researchers come up with new models for societal solutions.”
Dr. Kanakulya said that Makerere University remains the biggest research University in Africa and philosophy of Methods helps to come up with good research tools that produce good research outputs. “Research has shown that the higher the number of PhD researchers in any given country, the higher the levels of development of that country e.g. the USA, China etc., adding that research is not limited to only medicinal or agricultural related issues.”
He said philosophy of methods, encourages philosophical creativity in research, “It is meant to bring out philosophical generation of concepts, theories and ideas. It is meant to encourage students to question the existing philosophical assumptions and status quo in a given field of knowledge such that new philosophical concepts are created.”
For successful rollout of government programs like the National Development Plan 4, Dr. Kanakulya said that Philosophy of Methods training needs to be integrated into such systems. “Philosophy of Methods focuses on ethical thinking aspects. For example, for a better rollout of the Parish Development Model, we need implementers to be ethical.” He added.
Prof. Sulait Tumwiine, the associate Dean of Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at MUBS said, “This is a discussion where new ideas are shared to guide and gauge applicability in the current knowledge diversity coupled with lots of technological development including Artificial Intelligence and Chat GPT.”
He added, “As professors of Universities, we need to understand how we leverage on what comes up so that it does not take our space, but also appreciate how we can support growth of knowledge. The Philosophy of Methods training is the answer.”
Dr. Jim Spire Ssentongo highlighted that Philosophy uses more of the critical mind than Science. He added that philosophy is more of speculation of the mind.
“Sustainability of philosophy Education encourages us to continue training. Philosophy being the oldest discipline retained special status in the academia as a pinnacle of pursuit of knowledge. All disciplines have major elements of philosophy citing examples in the philosophy of Mathematics and Physics.
Dr. Spire added, “If you do not understand philosophy, you cannot deeply investigate anything because philosophy is the reality of understanding everything. Philosophy is the basis of understanding what knowledge is and how it is arrived at.”
Also participating in the workshop was Prof. Joseph Ntaayi from MUBS, in his remarks he said PhD students need the philosophy of methods training to understand how to best to create knowledge. He added that ontological and epistemological questions that lead to good research design methods can only be answered by this training.
Dr. Robert Kakuru, a Lecturer in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences said that the Philosophy of Methods training is needed by every graduate student as well as supervisors to critically determine the choice of methods to use in academic research. For example, “If one wants to use a questionnaire as an interview approach, one should understand, why that approach and yet without this training, the why cannot be answered.” He added.
The Philosophy of Methods training was organized by Directorate of Graduate Training with funding support from the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA).
-
Education1 week agoAdmission List to Bachelor of Education External (BED) 2025/26 -Private Sponsorship
-
Agriculture & Environment2 weeks agoClimate Resilience and Sustainability Collaborative: 30 Masters, 6 PhD Scholarships 2025/2026
-
General1 week agoMaster’s Scholarship Opportunities: Call For Applications – Faculty Initiated Ideas
-
Research2 weeks agoUganda’s National ID Delivers $1.35 for Every $1 Invested
-
General2 weeks agoDirectorate of Graduate Training Conducts a Training for Trainer of Trainees in Scholarly Writing & Communication Skills