General
SIMAD University Seeks to Collaborate with Makerere University
Engineer Mohamed Mohamud, the Deputy Rector for Academics of SIMAD University, Somalia together with Mr Abukar Nuktar Omar, the Dean Faculty of Education visited Makerere University last week. The visiting team interacted with Principals and Deputy Principals of Six (6) Colleges to learn more about Makerere University and explore possibilities of collaboration in specific areas.
SIMAD University was established in 1999 and started with a Department for Accounting and Information Technology. Currently, there are nine (9) faculties with a student population 3,700. The University has a good working relationship with the government, private sector and their former Rector is the President of the Somalia Government.
Somalia is a post-conflict country with SIMAD University having Nine (9) faculties and running 45 programmes offering bachelors and masters programmes. They have 450 staff, 300 of which are permanent. SIMAD University was founded by Direct Aid Organization and started as a Technology Institute. Direct Aid is a voluntary non-governmental organization assisting with development programmes in Africa. The Technology Institute transformed into SIMAD University and seeks to provide ample opportunities for high quality, advanced education in science, technology and arts for Somali students and adult learners in the greater Horn of Africa.
At Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), the visitors were received by Dr Anthony Gidudu who represented the Principal and Deputy Principal. In a presentation, Dr Gidudu highlighted the three Schools namely; School of Engineering; School of the Built Environment and the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts. He mentioned the Departments under each of the Schools. He pointed out the new Institute of Innovation for business incubation aimed at producing entrepreneurs and a Centre for Research in Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation.
Dr Gidudu is the Dean, School of the Built Environment. He suggested to the visitors that since Somalia was facing a number of land issues/challenges between different tribes, the best way to cooperate with Makerere University would be capacity building. He implored SIMAD University to encourage its students to apply for the Masters programme in Land Management and Administration which was recently approved by Makerere University Council and yet to be advertised by the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training. The programme is interdisciplinary bringing on board lawyers, planners, historians, economists as well as sociologists to learn how to handle land rights and ownership. There would be opportunities for staff and student exchanges. He advised SIMAD University to keep in touch for information about semester dates and give the information to their students.
Dr Amin Tamale, the Head, Department of Physical Planning and Architecture at CEDAT informed the visitors that they had come up with a programme of skilling masons in the country and pointed out a possibility of extending an invitation to SIMAD University to participate in the training next year in March. The College was in the process of establishing a Centre of Urban and Regional Planning that would attract urban planners and managers within the region for specialized training.
Responding to the presentation from CEDAT, the Deputy Rector Eng Mohamed Mohamud informed the Staff of CEDAT that the Rector was not able to come as earlier communicated due to an emergency call from the President of their country. He thanked the CEDAT team for the cordial reception and the informative presentation.
The Dean Faculty of Education at SIMAD University, Mr. Abukhar Omar informed the CEDAT team that the Architecture programme at the University commenced two years ago, and as such, the partnership with Makerere University would build more capacity in that area. He also suggested faculty exchanges to their university.
At the College of Education and External Studies (CEES), the visitors met with the Deputy Principal Associate Professor Ronald Bisaso, Dr Rosemary Nabiryo representing the Humanities and Language Education Department; Dr Sanya Rahman representing the Dean, School of Distance and Lifelong Learning and Professor Fred Bakkabulindi from the East African School of Higher Education Studies and Development (EASHESD). Dr Bisaso welcomed the visitors and informed them that College has a rich history with buildings constructed in 1923. The College has been grounded extensively in teacher education and conducts a wide range of research. There are 100 members of staff with PhDs and others are yet to complete.
In his speech, Eng Muhamed Muhamud, the Deputy Rector of SIMAD University appreciated the warm welcome. He highlighted that the University has nine faculties with most employees being graduates of the University. It is these members of staff who are sent to other universities for further studies and return to head Departments and Schools. The University has greatly contributed to the community transformation by training and producing social workers, medical doctors and other health workers, as well as graduate teachers in schools. All first year students at SIMAD University are required to take the English Skills Programme to be able to study in English at higher levels. The Rector expressed interest in cooperation in teaching and learning by way of sending experts to teach the English language; joint research in writing and publishing.
Responding to the request from SIMAD University, Dr Rosemary Nabiryo said the Department of Humanities and Language Education could assist in teaching pedagogical skills. Dr Rahman Sanya from the Distance and Lifelong Learning Department informed the visitors that a big component of distance learning deals with e-learning which cushioned the university during the Covid-19 pandemic. The School used distance learning mode both offline and online for lectures and examinations.
Office
At the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, the visitors were received by the Deputy Director, Associate Professor Robert Wamala who reiterated that Makerere University was focused on increasing the number of graduate students. He explained that the Grants Management and Support Unit (GAMSU) coordinates external research done by staff with other universities while the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) coordinates research done by students. Commending the move towards collaboration with Makerere University, Dr. Wamala said: “What you are doing is what every university that seeks to grow does. Somali students can apply for masters programmes here and will be admitted if they qualify. It is better to partner with the institution rather than particular units. Going forward, draft proposal of the partnership envisaged should be sent to us so that we start the dialogue.”
At the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), the Deputy Principal Dr Awich Ochen informed the visitors about the four major areas of the University’s Strategic Plan (2020-20230) namely; being a Research-led University responding to national, regional and global development challenges; Internationalization; innovation in teaching and learning; engaging the community. Makerere University cannot work alone but as a Consortium for research collaboration as well as student and staff exchanges. Makerere Staff can be invited as key-note speakers at their conferences. He added that the School of Linguistics and Languages would be ready to cooperate with SIMAD University once a general agreement is signed signed by the institution.
At the College of Health Sciences (CHS), the visitors interacted with the Deputy Principal Prof Isaac Kajja; the Dean of Health Sciences Prof Kamba Pakoyo; Dean School of Medicine Prof Annette Nakimuli; the Deputy Dean Public Health Associate Professor Elizeus Rutebemberwa and the Assistant Manager International Programmes Ms Norah Namirembe. The Deputy Principal welcomed the visitors to the College of Health Sciences-the oldest and a descendant of a long history. The highlighted that the College has four schools namely: Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Health Sciences and Public Health with a total of 27 departments. The College has the largest number of research outputs and it is highly ranked internationally. The major areas of collaboration are teaching; external examining, joint supervision, research, community service in the area of medicine and public health. The College is very selective and keen on the ranking of the collaborating partner internationally.
Responding to the highlights from the CHS team, the Deputy Rector informed the hosts that SIMAD University became fully fledged in 2011 with the Faculty of Medicine starting in 2014. They were visiting Makerere University College of Health Sciences to explore possibilities of collaboration in order to benefit from their vast and rich experience.
During the interaction, they noted that collaborations are demand driven. The partners would therefore generate the needs and the College of Health Sciences would find a way of assisting them. “It is important to know what the partners are bringing to the partnership and the benefits to each other. Since SIMAD Faculty of Medicine was still young, SIMAD needs to build capacity first by bringing their faculty for training and staff exchanges.”
Both parties (CHS and SIMAD) reached consensus that SIMAD develops a curricula involving specialists within Makerere University. They also noted the need for a clear roadmap of the collaboration to guide the flow of activities.
At College of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), the visiting team held a meeting with the Principal, Associate Professor Eria Hisali who briefed them on the College and Governance structure. “CoBAMs has three schools namely: Business, Economics and Statistics. We have 120 full time academic staff. 51 administrative and support staff. The College runs 25 undergraduate programmes in Economics, Statistics, Actuarial Sciences and Population Studies,” said Associate Professor Hisali.
In the meeting, Associate Professor Hisali highlighted that the strategic focus of the College is to be the best on the continent. The College has an elaborate Quality assurance system with indicators to check performance and an automatic process flow of activities for staff and students. The students are in position to follow the system from first year up to completion time. The College is student centered with incubation centres for students to develop business ideas. This is blended with infrastructure development and expansion of creating policy laboratories to produce policy indicators by researchers and policy makers who will engage government, manufacturers and decision makers. The College also embarked on monthly seminars at lunch time to present research findings and share experiences.
Writer: Martha Muwanguzi, Head-Mak International Office
Before becoming an optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, Timothy Khabusi walked barefoot to school along rough roads in Manafwa District, Eastern Uganda. For most of his primary school years, Timothy walked more than nine kilometres each day from his home to Bubulo Mixed Primary School in Manafwa District.
He would leave home at about 6:00 a.m., walk to the highway, and join other children on their way to school. On the murram road, sharp stones pressed into his feet. When the rains came, he sometimes arrived at school completely drenched. Occasionally, a truck carrying market vendors would stop and offer them a lift. “Those were few lucky days,” Timothy recalls.
At the time, however, Timothy did not see his life as unusual. It was simply how life was for many children in his village. What he did not yet know was that those long walks were helping shape a determination that would eventually take him from rural Manafwa to Makerere University and, later, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Timothy Khabusi is the sixth of eight children (5 boys and 3 girls). His father, 68, a retired primary school teacher, and his mother, 60, a small retail shop owner, had limited resources but were determined to give their eight children opportunities they had not enjoyed themselves.
The family tried several ways to make ends meet. His mother ran a small local brew joint, selling malwa, a traditional fermented cereal drink. When Timothy was about ten, the family closed the malwa joint and moved on, first trying farming and later, in 2009, opening a small retail kiosk with money earned from selling a small coffee harvest.
The family kiosk changed things. Timothy started taking snacks to school and also began developing an interest in business. He sold sugarcane and later teamed up with his younger brother, Mark, to make mandazi, a popular delicacy among schoolchildren.
Behind these modest ventures were sacrifices his parents made for their children’s education and health. His father took loans to support the family through school, while both parents repeatedly emphasised the importance of education.
Timothy’s own academic journey was far from perfect.
At rural Bubulo Primary School, Timothy performed very well and earned a place at one of the best secondary schools in Eastern Uganda, Mbale Senior Secondary School, in Mbale city.
At Mbale Secondary School, he became a strong academic performer and earned a renewable merit-based bursary that covered most of his school fees. Mr Mabaku, his Mathematics teacher, taught him to connect classroom concepts to real-life problems—a way of thinking that would later shape his interest in technology and programming.
Then came a setback.
Timothy’s A-level results (15 points in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) were far lower than he had expected. For someone who had always seen himself as a top student, the outcome was deeply disappointing, and he missed out on the much-coveted government scholarship. He even wondered whether university was still possible. He considered repeating his A-levels but instead applied to Makerere University on private sponsorship. He was admitted to study Optometry, although he had initially wanted to pursue Medicine and Surgery.
Then came the opportunity that changed everything.
In 2017, Timothy became a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at Makerere University, receiving support that enabled him to continue his university education. The financial uncertainty that had threatened his university education was resolved. What initially felt like failure became an opportunity that redirected him towards a field he had not planned to enter. Through optometry, he discovered a profession that linked clinical care with science, technology, research and public health.
His career journey after graduation.
After graduating from Makerere University in January 2022, Timothy set out to fulfil his ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda. His career began far from his village home in Manafwa: he started at a private clinic in Arua town, West Nile, hundreds of kilometres from Manafwa in Eastern Uganda. Asked why he didn’t find a job in Kampala, as most of his peers did, Timothy quickly explained that his mission is to provide the best eye health care to communities with limited access to these services.
After working for one year in Arua, he returned to Kampala. He first worked at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital from 2023 to 2025, then moved to Med-Optics, another popular eye clinic in Kampala. In February 2026, he opened his own eye clinic, Khabusi Vision Care Centre, a modern optometry centre dedicated to providing eye care services at subsidised rates to individuals and families who may face financial barriers to accessing these services.
His leadership journey
For Timothy, leadership is not about collecting titles. At Mbale Senior Secondary School, he led the Science Club, organising seminars and holiday revision programmes. At Makerere, he served as a minister at the College of Health Sciences and as a leader in the Optometry Students’ Association. Those experiences shaped a simple philosophy: leadership means seeing what needs improvement, taking responsibility, and bringing others along.
That philosophy now drives his ambitions for Khabusi Vision Care. In the coming years, he aims to strengthen the organisation’s clinical, public health, digital and research work. His longer-term vision is to build a major Ugandan eye health organisation with branches across the country, comprehensive services, research programmes and locally developed diagnostic and ophthalmic technologies.
Impact in the community
Asked about his impact in the community, Timothy quickly pointed to the number of patients whose sight he has helped restore at a modest cost they otherwise couldn’t have afforded.
“I am proud to have treated more than 10,000 patients and enabled them to see better since I began my optometry practice in 2022. Among the patients, I vividly remember a police woman who was on the verge of going completely blind due to a misdiagnosis she had received at different facilities she had visited in Kampala, until she came to Khabusi Vision Care Centre in Kyanja, where I was able to help correct the optical issue she was grappling with.” Timothy proudly states.
Timothy further enumerates the number of young people he has mentored and continues to mentor in optometry. He also offers graduate internships at his clinic and employs five young people as permanent staff. He also conducts regular community outreach activities, offering free eye check-ups in the community and subsidised treatment for those who need it.
A word to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Community
Timothy expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and Makerere University for giving him the opportunity to pursue a quality university education at a time when he had lost hope of attending university after failing to secure a government scholarship.
“I am forever grateful to Mastercard Foundation and Makerere University for giving me a scholarship that changed my whole life; without the scholarship, I would not have been able to afford the university fees; therefore, I wouldn’t have become what I am today,” Timothy points out.
Asked what advice he would give to current Mastercard Foundation Scholars, Timothy urges them to take advantage of the additional skilling and development programmes the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers.
“I urge my young brothers and sisters on the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program currently to take the capacity-building training the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers; it is what will give you an advantage over others in the job market,” Timothy advises.
Looking ahead
Beyond healthcare, Timothy is a writer, programmer, and researcher. He has published “From the Slopes of Mount Elgon”, a novel about a young girl who confronts poverty and betrayal while pursuing education and dignity. Timothy’s story is not a straightforward journey from challenge to success. It is about unexpected turns: the barefoot walks, the disappointing A-level results, the unexpected scholarship, and the career he never originally intended to pursue. His advice to young people comes from that experience: one disappointing result or difficult season need not decide the rest of your life. Sometimes, you have to keep walking.
“Keep learning, keep improving, and when opportunity comes, use it—not only to change your own life, but to create opportunities for others,” Timothy advises.
Timothy is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors at the University of Edinburgh. The programme has reshaped his approach to healthcare. Rather than focusing solely on individual mistakes, he examines the systems that allow failures to occur and how to redesign them to improve patient safety.
On October 5, 2026, Makerere University welcomed Mrs. Anne Twinomugisha Muhairwe, the Deputy Inspector General of Government (DIGG) and her delegation for a courtesy visit ahead of the International Ombuds Day 2026 commemoration under the theme “Ombuds: Office of Options”.
The delegation was received by Professor Barnabas Nawangwe the Vice Chancellor of Makerere University in his office where they discussed the Ombuds Day theme, the university’s successful reconciliation-based conflict resolution, ongoing infrastructure projects, and a renewed commitment to institutional partnership.
Mrs. Twinomugisha Muhairwe, who also spoke as the President of the African Ombudsman and Mediators Association (AOMA), emphasised that her office aims to be a partner in building and strengthening public institutions rather than merely a critic. Therefore, this visit marked a big step in the evolving relationship between public institutions and the Office of the Ombudsman at the Inspectorate of Government, where it is headed by Director Kakooza Savio Ntensibe, who was also part of the delegation.
The DIGG shared that the office provides essential options for resolving grievances such as administrative injustice, where people feel victimised, and unheard.
Reconciliation Underscored
While addressing the delegation, Professor Nawangwe, framed the visit as a turning point in the institution’s relationship with oversight bodies. He welcomed the DIGG, an alumna of Makerere, and commended the Ombuds methodology that prioritizes reconciliation as initiated by neutral persons or bodies to resolve disputes.
“The style of reconciliation has worked very well for us as well, ever since we started talking to the students, it has kept peace in the university,” the Vice Chancellor remarked.
“We started talking to the students and… eventually, they started to understand. Today, if you come and begin talking of strike, fellow students will tell you, ‘We came here to study’”, added the Vice Chancellor.
The engagement also discussed the practical realities of student welfare. Mrs. Twinomugisha Muhairwe, with specific interest, probed the Vice Chancellor on the status of hall renovations. In response, the Vice Chancellor explained the phased approach to renovations, noting that the university is systematically upgrading facilities to improve the living conditions.
The Vice Chancellor thereafter invited Mrs. Twinomugisha Muhairwe and her team to visit the university museum, as a gesture to underscore the spirit of the day where the Ombudsman and the university stand together.
About Ombuds Day
Ombuds Day is an international observance held annually on the second Thursday of October to raise public awareness of the ombuds profession.
According to the International Ombuds Association, an ombuds is an independent, neutral, and confidential professional who helps resolve disputes, investigate complaints, and address systemic issues within an organization, government agency, or institution.
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