Research
Mak-RIF Inaugurates New Grants Management Committee Members
By Harriet Adong
On Wednesday August 3rd, 2022, Makerere University’s Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor Prof. Henry Alinaitwe presided over the inauguration of the new Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (Mak-RIF) Grants Management Committee (GMC) Members. Prof. Alinaitwe was representing Makerere University’s Vice Chancellor; Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe at this engagement. The engagement took place at the Mak-RIF gardens; Quarry Road Plot 70, Makerere University. It was attended by the Mak-RIF Grants Management Committee Members including Prof. Umar Kakumba, Makerere University’s Deputy Vice Chancellor In-Charge of Academic Affairs, Head and Staff of the Makerere University Grants Administration and Management Support Unit, Directorate of Research and Graduate Training and Mak-RIF staff.
The New Mak-RIF GMC Members include the following;
| 1. | Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi | Chairperson |
| 2. | Dr. Sabrina Bakeera Kitaka | Vice – Chair Person |
| 3. | Assoc-Prof. Isa Kabenge | Member |
| 4. | Dr. Zahara Nampewo | Member |
| 5. | Prof. Frank Mwiine | Member |
| 6. | Dr. Robert Wamala | Member |
| 7. | Dr. Roy Mayega William | Member |
| 8. | Dr. Michael Owor | Member |
| 9. | Dr. Stephen Wandera | Member |
| 10. | Dr. Mercy Amiyo | Member |
| 11. | Dr. Hellen Nkabala | Member |
| 12. | Dr. Dorothy Kabagaju Okello | Member |
| 13. | Dr. Eddy Walakira | Member |
| 14. | Prof. Umar Kakumba | Member |
| 15. | Mr. Yusuf Kiranda | Member |
Prof. Masagazi Masaazi, Mak-RIF Chairperson welcomed all participants to the engagement noting that Mak-RIF is now implementing Year 4 activities and throughout the period, several achievements had been registered. He said, among these achievements was the fact that;
- Multidisciplinary stakeholders had been and have continued to be engaged by the Mak-RIF Secretariat, researchers and innovators.
- Many groups of individuals including faculty and students had benefited from Capacity Building sessions on Research Project Management, Finance and Administration, Accountability, Communication, Dissemination including Policy and Knowledge Briefs development, Intellectual Property Rights acquisition processes among others.
- In addition, currently over 700 multidisciplinary research and innovation projects are being funded and supported by the Government of the republic of Uganda through Mak-RIF. “Join me to sincerely thank the Government of the Republic of Uganda for funding research and innovations at Makerere University. This funding has yielded spillover effects since the researchers and innovators partner with individuals in and from other institutions including Universities, Ministries, Community Based Organizations and Private Sector among others”, Prof. Masagazi said.
- He also noted that the Mak-RIF round 4 call for proposals attracted 296 applications and these had been cleaned and sent out to a pool of multidisciplinary internal and external reviewers.
Prof. Henry Alinaitwe, Ag. Deputy Vice Chancellor In-Charge of Finance and Administration at Makerere University speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellor thanked the new GMC members for accepting to serve and thanked the formerly serving members for a job well done. He also thanked the Government of the Republic of Uganda for the continued support noting that it is such initiatives like Mak-RIF which are contributing to Makerere University’s efforts to move towards being research led university. He also thanked Prof. William Bazeyo, the former Mak-RIF Chairperson (even if he was not part of this engagement) for diligently serving Makerere University, other institutions and Uganda. He noted that Prof. Bazeyo’s commitment to looking out for resources to support research, innovations and other aspects of the university and country at large were immensely felt and cannot go unrecognized. He also thanked the University Management for creating and ensuring that there is an enabling environment for research and innovations to flourish at Makerere University.
He noted that to-date, it is fulfilling that no funds or resources have disappeared or have not been accounted for. Indeed, the activities of the Mak-RIF GMC and Secretariat help in galvanizing Makerere University towards research led university. In addition to this, the knowledge generation and transfer happening plus the partnerships created and being created as a result of Mak-RIF cannot go un mentioned. “Thank you, colleagues at Mak-RIF, for contributing to products, processes among others to positively impact our communities” he added.
Prof. Alinaitwe also said, “Now that you are in your own home and enjoying a good working environment, we urge you to succinctly think about commercialization of the research and innovation outputs from the ongoing work. You should also pay keen attention to accountability related issues and ensure to account both physically with tangible outputs and otherwise. In addition to this, please work together with the team at DRGT to secure patents for the products coming out of this good work”. He once again congratulated the Mak-RIF leadership and staff for acquiring a befitting home which also houses the Makerere University Grants Administration and Management Support Unit.
To the incoming Mak-RIF GMC members, he said “I urge you to serve diligently, remain transparent at all times and ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied with what we are doing as a university.
To the outgoing Mak-RIF GMC members, Prof. Alinaitwe said “Please do not shy away from taking on more and other responsibilities including assignments once you are called upon. You did so well and the university relies heavily on efforts and abilities like yours. Thank you so much for offering yourselves to serve when you were called upon to do so”.
The incoming GMC members then took on the oath committing to serve without fear and favor and calling upon God to help them.
“We wish all the new Mak-RIF GMC Members the very best as they embark on serving humanity and we are grateful to all the previously serving GMC Members for the work well done” noted Prof. Fred Masagazi Masaazi, Mak-RIF Chairperson.
More photos are shared on https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1BBm3g6mOHbQ-Lq0zl7Nevv41RbdobQdf
Research
Makerere Strengthens Research Ethics as Leaders Call for Reforms in Governance, Integrity, and Student Support
By Moses Lutaaya
KAMPALA — Leaders at Makerere University have renewed calls to strengthen research ethics, governance, and integrity systems, as the institution positions itself as a leading research-driven university in Uganda and the region.
The call was made during a high-level workshop that brought together regulators, academic leaders, and research ethics committees, with a shared focus on improving coordination, efficiency, and accountability in research oversight.
Dr. Fredrick Nakwagala, Chairperson of the Accreditation Committee at the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, commended Makerere for hosting nearly a quarter of Uganda’s approximately 40 accredited research ethics committees. He described this as a strong indicator of the university’s leadership in scientific research and training.
He noted that Uganda has made significant progress in building local capacity for research, moving away from reliance on foreign expertise. However, he raised concerns about gaps in institutional governance across the country, including weak research funding structures and limited administrative support in some institutions.
Dr. Nakwagala emphasized the need for standardization across ethics committees, expansion of ethical frameworks into emerging fields such as gene editing and environmental research, and stronger institutional mechanisms to address research integrity issues such as plagiarism, misuse of funds, and exploitation of students.
Echoing these sentiments, Prof. Edward Bbaale, Principal of the College of Business and Management Sciences, stressed that ethical review is central to credible and impactful research. He warned that fragmented systems lead to delays and inconsistencies, calling for harmonization and collaboration among research ethics committees.
Prof. Bbaale also highlighted the need for efficient and responsive review processes, continuous training in emerging research areas such as artificial intelligence and climate studies, and stronger compliance systems to meet national and international standards.
On his part, Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of the Directorate of Research Innovations and Partnerships, underscored the importance of research integrity, noting that excellence must be measured not only by output but also by ethical rigor and societal relevance.
He said the workshop aimed to strengthen coordination among research ethics committees, align university systems with national requirements, and enhance institutional governance through clearer guidelines, capacity building, and collaboration with regulators.
However, concerns about the impact of current systems on students were raised by Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of Graduate Training. He revealed that many graduate students face delays in receiving feedback from ethics committees, which affects their academic progress.
Prof. Kikooma also pointed to complaints about the cost of ethics review, noting that most graduate students are self-funded and struggle to meet the required fees. He cited the example of the University of Ghana, where ethics review fees for graduate students have been waived, suggesting Uganda could consider similar reforms.
Participants at the workshop agreed that while ethical oversight remains essential for safeguarding research participants and ensuring quality, there is an urgent need to make systems more efficient, accessible, and supportive—particularly for early-career researchers.
The engagement concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen ethical standards, improve research governance, and reinforce Makerere University’s position as a hub for credible, impactful, and globally competitive research.
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