General
Prof. Nawangwe reiterates Mak’s Commitment towards Achieving Gender Parity
By Ritah Namisango
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has re-echoed Makerere University‘s commitment towards achieving gender parity.
“The increase of enrollment of female students in University’s undergraduate programs from less than 10 percent 20 years ago to 52% currently is a reflection of the commitment to achieving gender parity. Noting that women constitute 52% of Uganda’s population, we are doing the right thing. We are involved in engagements to improve the number of women in the academia, research and leadership,” he said.
Prof. Nawangwe made these remarks during the Opening ceremony of the 5th edition of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference at the Yusuf Lule Central Teaching Facility Auditorium on Tuesday 15th November 2022. Makerere University is hosting the two-day conference (15-16th November 2022) aimed at discussing current geopolitical questions and trends.
“We are making our humble contribution to the promotion of Human Rights and making the world a better place. We will promote the generation of knowledge through research,” he stated.
Acknowledging the fact that the 5th edition of Kampala Geopolitics Conference brings on board 15 panels with over 80 speakers to discuss contemporary issues on health, security, climate change, human rights, gender and environment, the Vice Chancellor said Makerere University is proud to be a pioneer and partner in the Kampala Geopolitics Conference.
“We value this conference as a major avenue to disseminate our research on major national and global issues. We believe it is our responsibility as a premier African university to avail the space for intellectual discourse on issues that affect the well-being of our country, continent, and humanity,” he remarked.
Speaking at the conference, Paulina Chiwangu, the UN Women Country Representative in Uganda decried the increasing violence that is inflicted on women and girls. She pointed out the burden of teenage pregnancies. According to Paulina Chiwangu, Africa has stalled far for too long in advancing and protecting the rights of women and girls. “We know violence against women is too high, teenage pregnancies are too high, and economically, the gaps between men and women are so wide and we are all losing because women are losing economically.”
“We need to be creative, innovative and to boldly think of our approaches to accelerate inclusive development and this is where we need more young people to engage.We really need young minds; we need you (young people) to be engaged to make Africa a better continent. As UN Women we support the implementation of sustainable development goals,” she stated.
H.E. Xavier Sticker, the Ambassador-Designate of France to Uganda said that the idea of the Kampala Geopolitics Conference came five years ago from one of his predecessors, and the idea was to partner with different stakeholders to debate on issues affecting humanity in general.
“We are here to build a common ground to identify what kind of action we can take together. We are here to listen to you and pass on your conclusions onwards in order to have that global discussion for global solutions to be found,” he said.
Nils Wörmer, the Director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Regional Program Security Dailogue for East Africa said that although the debate is of high quality on different topics, there is need to reach as many interested people as possible and discuss a spectrum of solutions.
“We are confident that together we shall make this year’s event a complete success like the previous events,” he said.
#KampalaGeopolitics
The Makerere University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe has today, Friday, 26th June 2026 handed over the CCE (Complex) Hall of Residence Site to National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) Managing Director and CEO, Lieutenant General James Mugira for renovation and overhaul works. The UGX 12billion Government of Uganda-funded works, expected to be completed within a year, are the fourth project to be undertaken by NEC. They were preceded by; construction of the University Perimeter Wall, Renovation of Lumumba Hall, and Renovation of Mary Stuart Hall.
NEC’s Record Lauded
Prof. Nawangwe in his remarks at the handover ceremony lauded these projects. “The quality of work done by NEC makes us proud because we can finally say that we have Ugandans who can do the things, which we previously depended on foreigners to do.” He therefore thanked the Government of Uganda for fully funding the projects and the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Museveni, whose visit set the renovation projects in motion.
The Vice Chancellor added that as the Alma mater for most members of both the Contractor and Project Management Teams, this was a moment of great pride as their expertise and skills have saved the country billions of taxpayers’ money. “Thank you for being patriotic”, he commended.
Prof. Nawangwe concluded by noting that CCE Hall, by virtue of its location, provides a first impression of Makerere University as a whole. He therefore urged the contractor to ensure that upon renovation, CCE Hall would create a memorable and lasting first impression, exceeding even that of the renovated Mary Stuart Hall.
A Project Fueled by Nostalgia
Speaking of impressions, Lt. Gen. Mugira, with nostalgia recalled that close to 42 years ago, he not only attended his first lectures in Hall 1 of the CCE Complex but also, on a more personal note added, “my wife was a resident, and so I have every motivation to put in a lot of effort and make sure that I deliver more than was done with Mary Stuart and Lumumba.”
He therefore extended heartfelt appreciation to his Alma mater Makerere University for the trust and confidence bestowed in NEC, which underscored their ability to deliver. “Trust is earned through performance, through integrity and consistency, and your decision to engage us motivates us to work even harder to exceed your expectations.”
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Finance and Administration) Prof. Henry Alinaitwe reechoed the need to ensure that the project is executed with adherence to the cost, quality, specifications and safety related issues as earlier shared by the Acting (Ag.) Chief Engineer of Estates and Works, Eng. Ezra Sekadde.
“NEC has already demonstrated this (with previous projects), and that is why we have all the confidence that you can deliver this project within 12 months” remarked Prof. Alinaitwe. He equally lauded the Project Management Team (PMT) led by Arch. Dr. Kenneth Ssemwogerere whose supervision ensures timely project completion.
Relatedly, Arch. Dr. Semwogerere was on 25th June 2026, the eve of the handover, promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, a milestone Prof. Alinaitwe attributed to his track record as Head of PMT. He therefore, on a light note, urged him to keep up the good work as this could equally contribute to his promotion to the rank of full Professor.
Also present at the handover ceremony was the Principal, College of Education and External Studies (CEES) Prof. Anthony Mugagga, whose unit will be greatly affected by the renovations. He nevertheless welcomed and reiterated his full support for the project, noting that just as renovation of Lumumba and Mary Stuart Halls had resulted in many alumni revisiting, the CCE Complex would upon renovation attract former residents and teaching professionals to give back or forge new partnerships.
Student Welfare at the Forefront
On her part, the Dean of Students Dr. Winifred Kabumbuli lauded the renovations of Halls of Residence as a clear demonstration of Government’s dedication to the improvement of student welfare, and creating an environment conducive for nurturing responsible citizens who can contribute to national development. She pledged her Office’s and the Student Leadership’s readiness to ensure that the renovated facilities used responsibly for the benefit of future generations.
As a resident of the recently renovated Mary Stuart Hall, 92nd Guild President H.E. Kadondi Gracious could not help but appreciate how impactful the renovation of CCE Hall would be to student welfare. “The female students will be very excited (to occupy CCE Hall) but the male students will be left complaining – so we shall be expecting more renovations, not just for the female but also the male students,” she amiably concluded.
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