General
Makerere starts training in soft skills among Uganda police officers
Participants posing for a group photo after the workshop Makerere stats training in soft skills among Uganda police officers Makerere University through the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (Mak-RIF) is set to impart soft skills in all Police Officers in Uganda. The idea is in a bid to strike a balance between the hard skills and soft skills in their police work.
While presiding over a training workshop in Bwebajja last week, Dr. Badru Musisi, the Principal Investigator in this project dubbed, “soft skilling initiative for effective community policing” said, the project came in the wake of the public outcry concerning surging police brutality which was manifested in form of news and torture pictures which went viral on social media. The project he revealed, is expected to be rolled out next year.
“There was a growing disconnect between the police and the Wanainchi. The idea of community policing is for police to work hand in hand with the community to keep law and order.” He said, during a Police officers’ training workshop held at the Senior Police Command College in Bwebajja.
He said when Makerere University tasked him to write projects that fall under the government priority areas, one of the priority areas was about defense, security and peace.
“We expect to have community-friendly, wanainchi-friendly and people-friendly police officers in the country. It is going to improve the image of Uganda police and the cooperation between the police force and the communities,” Dr. Musisi added.
Dr. Musisi said they will be training police officers in the training schools and colleges, who will then pass on the skills to the cadets across the country. He revealed that the whole project will cost more than Shs.700m to traverse all the stakeholders needed.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Grace Mutono, Director staff at the Senior Police Command College, Bwebajja said the soft skills will help to establish a good relationship between police and the public.
“We hope for a free flow of information. There will be handling of criminality with a lot of ease. Where a police officer does not use soft skills, it becomes hard because they will use a hard lined approach only,” he noted.
Prof. Christopher B. Mugimu, CO-Principal Investigator of the project said this will change the mindset of people and bring them closer to the police. And it will ease handling of sensitive issues with a lot of professionalism.
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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