The Vice Chancellor-Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe (R) launches the #MakAdvance System as the DVCAA-Prof. Umar Kakumba (2nd R), MakEF Board Chairperson-Prof. Margaret J. Kigozi (2nd L) and System Development Team Lead-Joshua Muhumuza (L) witness on 2nd August 2022, Frank Kalimuzo Central Teaching Facility, Makerere University.
Makerere University Endowment Fund on Tuesday, 2nd August, 2022 launched the MakAdvance System at the Frank Kalimuzo Central Teaching Facility. The system aims at not only automating and streamlining efforts by the University to raise funds towards different purposes and causes, but also building a digital and interactive alumni database.
The event was attended by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and a member of the Endowment Fund, Assoc. Prof. Umar Kakumba, the Chairperson of the Board of the Makerere University Endowment Fund, Prof. Margaret J. Kigozi and many other people from the university administration and media houses.
Prof. Nawangwe using the MakAdvance System to donate to the Makerere Endowment Fund during the launch
The university intends to engage its many alumni and members of the extended Makerere community to give back to their alma mater and participate in building Makerere for the next hundred years as it celebrates its first centennial anniversary.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Nawangwe highlighted that one of the causes that will be supported by the MakAdvance system is the scholarship scheme.
“We are introducing scholarships for minorities in Uganda. We have some groups in Uganda where none of the members has ever accessed university education,” he said.
The scholarship program will benefit from the resource envelope which will have been mobilised through this new system.
He also emphasised that the activities of the Makerere University Endowment Fund were not new, having their origin in the 1930s when a group of former Makerere teachers living in Britain decided to set up the fund for Makerere University.
Prof. Umar Kakumba (R) shares a light moment with Prof. Margaret Kigozi (L) at the event.
With real-time updates on events and projects going on at the University, the MakAdvance system has been purposed to improve the relaying of information to stakeholders and consequently the mobilisation of the requisite resources for ongoing projects in the university.
Prof. Umar Kakumba intimated on the necessity and importance of the endowment fund.
“All higher institutions worth their names across the globe heavily thrive on endowments. So this is an opportunity for Makerere to redeem its endowment and I am confident that the MakAdvance system will play a vital role,” he said.
Makerere University Top Administration together with the team that developed the MakAdvance System.
Dr. Margaret Kigozi appealed to all alumni to participate in this endeavour. She intimated that this was an opportunity for them all to give back to the university that has impacted their lives. “Your endowment fund is moving, let your former classmates know about this, if your name is not in the database, let us know,” she added.
The system is going to cover the alumni and stakeholder management and profiling by managing the information through registering the alumni, enrolling different alumni chapters, allowing different alumni societies to register and listing a full alumni directory. As of this moment, information of over 300,000 alumni has been obtained.
With regards to donations to the university from the alumni and public at large, it will also cover Payment Management and Donor Ranking. The former option provides convenient payment options for soliciting donations towards the different causes in the university whereas the latter recognizes donors in different categories based on the amounts they donate.
It will also be useful in organising the activities taking place at Makerere through its Cause Management option which will distinguish between those that are time sensitive and those that are long term. The Events and Webinar Management option will also facilitate these efforts.
Makerere University members of administration and journalists present at the event.
Communications of the MakAdvance system will be coordinated by the Dashboard, Social Media Management and Fund Profiling options which will enable the administration of information in the system and the generation of reports on the ongoing activities.
Finally, it will also provide access to the university Souvenir and Gift shop which has a number of memorabilia and University branded materials for sale to students, alumni and the general public. The Souvenir and Gift Shop has both an E-commerce and online presence and a physical address which is the ground floor of the Frank Kalimuzo Central Teaching Facility.
Makerere University has noted with concern the article titled “Mak Drops Marks” published by the Daily Monitor Newspaper on 8th July 2025. The article raises issues that require clarification to ensure accurate information is shared with our stakeholders and the public. We wish to address the following key points:
1. Misrepresentation of Ranking Data
The article inaccurately combines the Sub-Saharan African University Rankings and the World University Rankings to portray a misleading performance trend for Makerere University. For clarity, Makerere University was ranked 8th in the 2024 Sub-Saharan African University Rankings. However, the 2025 Sub-Saharan African Rankings have not yet been released, making any comparison with the World University Rankings is misleading. This is a misrepresentation of facts aimed at tarnishing the University’s reputation and causing alarm among stakeholders.
2. Omission of Impact Rankings Achievements
The article fails to acknowledge Makerere University’s outstanding performance in the 2025 Impact Rankings, which assess contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Makerere University significantly improved its global standing, moving from the 601–800 band in 2024 to the 301–400 band in 2025. Notably, the University ranked 17th globally in Decent Work and Economic Growth and within the 401–600 band for Quality Education. These achievements reflect Makerere’s commitment to societal impact and sustainable development, which the article conspicuously ignores.
3. Balanced Perspective on World University Rankings
While Makerere University acknowledges a decline in certain parameters in the World University Rankings, we view these as areas for improvement. At the same time, we celebrate our strengths, including high-quality research output and a robust international outlook, which continue to position Makerere as a leading institution globally.
Makerere University remains committed to excellence in teaching, research, and societal impact. We urge our stakeholders and the public to rely on verified information from credible sources and to engage directly with the University for clarity on such matters. We acknowledge the Daily Monitor’s interest in Makerere University and implore them to report more accurately in the future.
The Academic Registrar, Makerere University invites applications from Ugandan, East African, and international applicants for the undergraduate programmes under Self Sponsorship Scheme for the 2025/2026 Academic Year.
Each applicant should:
a) Have the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) with at least five passes, or its equivalent and at least two principal passes at Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE) obtained at the same sitting. For day programmes, only candidates who sat A’ Level in 2024, 2023 and 2020 are eligible to apply. For evening, afternoon, and external programmes, a candidate is not restricted on the year of sitting A’ Level.
OR
d) Degree from a recognised /Chartered Institution
Further details on the re-advertised programmes , fees structure, and the procedure of submitting applications can be accessed from the document below:
The Office of Academic Registrar, Makerere University has released lists of Successful appeals and supplementary lists. Below is a list arising from appeals of Government Sponsored candidates who have been admitted: