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In Memory and Honor of Professor John Tuhe Kakitahi’s illustrious legacy | 16-02-1940 to 15-05-2024

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Professor John Tuhe Kakitahi, a luminary in the field of public health nutrition has left an indelible mark on the landscape of healthcare in Uganda and beyond. At the age of 84, Professor Kakitahi was called to heaven this morning at Mulago Hospital. 

Today, we celebrate a man who from his early career years, demonstrated exceptional intellect, clinical acumen, passion and complete dedication to combating hunger, malnutrition and human suffering. Throughout his tenure at Institute of Public Health (IPH), Dr. Kakitahi’s contributions were manifold. He in addition to teaching and mentorship conducted field investigations and community outreaches to improve human nutrition and maternal-child health. Kakitahi’s contribution and influence in nutrition transcended borders, as he represented Uganda with distinction at various international forums. 

As a lecturer and public health nutritionist, Prof. Kakitahi established and headed Mwana mugimu nutrition center in Mulago hospital in the 1990s. Mwanamujimu became pivotal in treating kwashiorkor aided by support from Rotary International. He later established additional nutritional units and sites throughout Uganda.

In 2008, he served as Deputy Principal of the Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Celebrating the life of Professor John Tuhe Kakitahi 16th February 1940 - 15th May 2024. Director, Institute of Public Health, Makerere University (1988-1991). Kampala Uganda, East Africa.
Celebrating the life of Professor John Tuhe Kakitahi 16th February 1940 – 15th May 2024. Director, Institute of Public Health, Makerere University (1988-1991).


But Who was Kakitahi? 

Prof. John Tuhe Kakitahi was born on February 16, 1940. His university appointment came in March 1973. Now, picture Dr. Kakitahi as a hardworking, intellectual house surgeon with clinical acumen who was a good clinician, pediatrician, researcher, and nutritionist. In the early years of his career at the Department of Preventive Medicine, he collaborated with individuals such as the late Prof. Suleiman Jabir Farsey and Professor Joseph Sekyala Winter Lutwama (RIP), who was the first African to hold the title of Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine. The individuals he collaborated with provided an accurate portrayal of his character.

From 1948 until 1958, Dr. Kakitahi studied primary education at Kigezi High School. He studied Secondary O’Level at Busoga College Mwiri from 1957 to 1961 and ‘A’ level at Kings College Budo from 1962 to 1963. In 1964, he attended Makerere University and earned an MBChB in 1970.

Kakitahi was Senior Casualty Officer in New Mulago Hospital’s Casualty Department for 1.5 years before enrolling in IPH’s Diploma Course in Public Health. He managed department operations and provided emergency patient treatment. The Senior House Officer position at Mulago Hospital was Dr. Kakitahi’s first job after his internship. For 1.5 years, he oversaw casualty department patient care and administration. He also managed the Nurses Health Unit for a similar time, exhibiting his healthcare administration versatility and dedication.

Kakitahi also ran a Nutritional Rehabilitation Clinic at Kasangati Health Centre, providing critical services to the community. He also helped the Pediatrics Department in managing the Old Mulago Hospital’s Nutrition Ward. He intensively treated acutely malnourished children, contributing significantly to their care and recovery.

In 1968-1969, he worked in the Lymphoma treatment center and Solid Tumor Centre during school breaks. He took part in research on chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients as well.

Using his medical background, he joined the Institute of Public Health (IPH) in 1972 and earned a Diploma in Public Health in 1973. 

In 1973, he joined Makerere University Service as an IPH Lecturer. He passionately taught human nutrition to undergraduate and postgraduate students, particularly Diploma in Public Health students, as part of the Maternal Child Health and Nutrition teaching programme. His focus was on MCH field investigations, particularly the Ankole PPP.

On July 1, 1977, Dr. Kakitahi became a senior lecturer. Later, for 45 days, Dr. Kakitahi replaced Dr. Kakande as IPH director on June 22, 1987. He was sitting in for the then director, Professor Namboze, who was on a special assignment for the Health Policy Review Commission. On August 1, 1984, he was appointed as an Associate Professor at the Institute of Public Health. On September 18, 1989, Dr. Kakitahi assumed the position of Head of the Institute of Public Health for a two-year term.

Dr. Kakitahi’s remarkable journey is interwoven with stories of dedication, expertise, and significant impact. As a young medical practitioner, he worked as a Medical Officer at Makerere Students Health Centre for several months in 1973, shortly after being hired as a Lecturer at IPH, where he laid the groundwork for the transformation of the then-Sickbay into the current University Hospital. Dr. Kakitahi pursued excellence by finishing his MSc in Nutrition at Cambridge on a WHO scholarship from 1974 to 1976. His abilities and commitment made him a well-known member of the Uganda Medical Association and the British Nutrition Society, both of which promote health locally and globally.

In 1977, he successfully represented Uganda at the 27th WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo. This was the first of several significant appointments, including leading the Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit in 1980 and representing Uganda at international gatherings such as the Inter-Country Nutrition Workshop in Gaborone, Botswana, and the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Accra, Ghana, and Libreville, Gabon.

In May 1985, he accompanied the Minister of Health to the 38th World Health Assembly, where Uganda demonstrated its commitment to global health and nutrition programmes. In 1991, he organised Kampala’s first public discussion on Urban Health, Environment, and Health, solidifying his reputation as a community and occupational health visionary.

Throughout his career, Dr. Kakitahi provided expert consultancy services to the Food and Agriculture Organization and participated in numerous nutrition review missions aimed at combating hunger and malnutrition. These missions, organized by WHO, UNICEF, and other organizations, took place in countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Seychelles, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Lesotho as part of the Nutrition and Human Resources for Health Mission.

Dr. Kakitahi and his Role in Establishing the Mwana mugimu nutrition center

Mwana mugimu nutrition center was set up with support from Rotary International. Rotary International recognized it as the best nutritional unit in the East African region, and was related to the Save the Children Fund, which provided administrative and financial support. This support in the 1990s led to the establishment of similar nutritional units and sites throughout the country. Later, Princess Royal Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise visited the programme and recognised it as a successful Save the Children programme.

Mwanamugimu has its roots in a Luganda proverb (Mwanamugimu ava ku ngozi) that means “A healthy child comes from a healthy mother.”

In Uganda in the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. John Kakitahi led nutritional work. After treating children for severe acute malnutrition without success, Dr. Kakitahi, like many Ugandan doctors, became passionate about prevention. Kakitahi, like Prof. Namboze, left pediatrics early to study public health at the Makerere University Institute of Public Health, now known as the School of Public Health. When Amin’s repression and violence against Ugandans escalated in 1973, they recruited Kakitahi as a lecturer, and he took over the MRC Unit after Roger Whitehead and Paget Stanfield left.

Whitehead, the MRC’s senior scientist under Dean Stanfield, was instrumental in Mwanamugimu and its extension to the Luteete Health Center. Whitehead and other MRC Unit researchers were first skeptical of the Mwanamugimu program, but its public health ethic shaped their thinking and approach.

Whitehead and Stanfield, codirectors of the unit, initiated a research program to reframe nutrition as a science and practice of health promotion, influenced by Mwanamugimu’s hybrid public health model.

They renamed the MRC facility the Child Nutrition Unit, omitting “infantile” and “malnutrition,” and announced a longitudinal nutritional health study for rural village children during the unit’s extension opening on July 17, 1969, by the then-Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. S. W. Uringi.

Kakitahi struggled to run the unit without knowing the study program or how to get basic biochemical test reagents. Few medical supplies and the difficulties of fixing equipment and getting replacement parts prevented the MRC from continuing to operate as a research institution. Whitehead and the Dunn Nutrition Unit at Cambridge (which Whitehead then directed) helped Kakitahi travel abroad for nutrition training, escape the rising violence temporarily. After finishing his training in 1976, Kakitahi “plucked some courage and came back” to Uganda and took over the Mwanamugimu Unit.

Kakitahi kept the unit running with his personal vehicle and what he could spare from his increasingly meager salary, and he and Latimer Musoke, who had taken over as Chair of Pediatrics after Stanfield’s departure, launched a program to train public health workers and extend the Mwanamugimu program’s preventive promise to rural areas.

Kakitahi’s return from Cambridge coincided with the huge increase in violence when Israel attacked Uganda’s main airport at Entebbe. A Tel Aviv-Paris flight was hijacked in June 1976 and diverted to Entebbe with Amin’s consent. In a predawn raid a week later, Israeli forces rescued the hostages and killed the hijackers and twenty of Amin’s men.

Mwanamugimu promoted health and welfare in Amin’s Uganda during a medical shortage. The amazing endurance of the Mwanamugimu initiative illustrates what is often lost in simplistic stereotypes depicting Africa as a continent in crisis. Mwanamugimu’s growth throughout Uganda’s darkest hour demonstrates the need of long-term public health programming and biomedical knowledge. Musoke and Kakitahi were graduates of East Africa’s top medical and educational schools and were able to use their skills to do well in their periods of uncertainty. Kakitahi was one of a generation of medical students trained to increase Ugandan physician population. Mwanamugimu’s modest infrastructure, technology, and a flexible framework made it a local program that could survive resource constraints.

Kakitahi and his colleagues, in collaboration with village health workers, also known as “Ssalango,” conducted door-to-door visits in a specific area to provide community members with information, support, and essential medical care. Ssalango, who commenced working at the Luteete Health Centre in 1978, stated that one of their primary responsibilities was to identify children exhibiting stunted growth. Ssalango and other community health experts educated mothers and guardians on malnutrition and how to assess nutritional status using arm circumference. Similar to the significant women who received training at Mwanamugimu, they instructed individuals on how to prepare kitobero in their own homes using ingredients that were readily available and commonly used in their daily meals. In addition to this early intervention, community health workers were in a favourable position to do follow-up visits to prevent slightly malnourished children from progressing towards “kwashiorkor.”

Kakitahi and Latimer Musoke showed what long-term infrastructure and knowledge can do by expanding on prior public health programming and medical services. Kakitahi revitalized Mwanamugimu and expanded the nutrition scout program after Amin. Funding was needed to rebuild facilities, restore the Nutrition Rehabilitation Program, and boost outreach. In 1983, Rotary International awarded Kakitahi a $245,000 “Health, Hunger and Humanity” grant to reinstate all parts of the central Mwanamugimu Unit in Mulago, including medical training, and begin the “second phase.” The second phase revived nutritional initiatives at Kayunga, Luteete, and Kasangati satellites. It was projected they served 650,000 people by 1984.

Kakitahi then established outreach initiatives at health centers in Mbale, Jinja, Bugembe, Kitovu, Ibanda, Kabale, Kisoro, and Gulu, which required an intermediate owing to Northern insecurity. Mwanamugimu Nutrition Services, a national program founded by Kakitahi, was based on these eleven satellites.

Kakitahi envisioned a public health programme to boost the health of a new national population. A Rotary International delegation visited Uganda in 1985 and was so impressed with the program and its local reception that the organization made a rare exception to their one-time financing policy. Kakitahi assumed this was Rotary International’s last grant and stretched this second disbursement over three years. After Rotary International returned in 1987, another exception and grant were provided, bringing the total support to $980,000 from 1983 to 1992.50 Despite political turmoil, Kakitahi restored and expanded Mwanamugimu Nutrition Services.

Kakitahi, who had been trying to expand Mwanamugimu nutrition programs to remote regions, became “frustrated” when he could no longer secure funds in the early 1990s due to the IMF and World Bank’s Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs). After realizing he “didn’t have any money to continue,” WHO colleagues urged Kakitahi to create a health worker training program for newly independent Namibia. Uganda’s nutritional programming changed when Kakitahi left in dissatisfaction over structural adjustment’s lack of resources.

According to several observers, Ugandans regarded their national health system as “the demoralization of health workers” since many left when structural transformation proved difficult. Through Amin and the Bush War, Kakitahi stayed in Uganda.

Jennifer Tappan, a historian of Global Health in Africa and author of The Riddle of Malnutrition: The Long Arc of Biomedical and Public Health, calls John Kakitahi and his colleagues, Latimer Musoke, Ssalango, and Gladys Stokes, “awe-inspiring.”

Because of biomedical knowledge, competence, and infrastructure—the underpinnings of a national health system—Mwanamugimu survived. Thus, Mwanamugimu could become a fully local project, which, along with its clear worth, explains its amazing resilience.

Professor Tappan notes that “Kakitahi, his colleagues, and the influencers who kept Mwanamugimu alive illustrate the return on long-term investments in national systems of medical provision, which can then serve as the foundation for flexible and resilient public health programming, programming that can promote health and wellbeing in ways that increase rather than undermine sovereignty and the right to health that all people deserve.”

​Compiled by Communications Office -MakSPH

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Update On Payment of Endowment Fund Fees

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Makerere University -Main Building

The University Council, during its 167th meeting held on 5th June 2025, resolved that all students pay their annual Endowment Fund fees directly into an Endowment Fund designated bank account and present proof of payment as a requirement for registration.

Accordingly, every student is reminded of the obligation to pay the annual Endowment Fund fee of UGX 18,000, payable once every academic year.

Payments can be made through the following channels:

1. Payment Using an ACMIS – generated Payment Reference Number (PRN)

  • Log in to the student portal, navigate to Bills and Invoices, and select Endowment Fees to generate a Payment Reference Number (PRN).
  • Dial *212*2*1#, enter Merchant Code 985332, and follow the prompts to complete payment.
  • Alternatively, download the NCBA NOW UG application, select Muzuri Pay on the home screen, search for Makerere University – MUK ACMIS, and follow the payment instructions.

Payments made through the above channels are reconciled in real time and reflected on your student portal.

2. Manual Bank Payments

Without generating PRNs, students may also make payments through the NCBA agent at the Gift and Souvenir Shop, Main Building, or at any Stanbic Bank branch using the account details below:

NCBA Bank

Account Name: Makerere University Endowment Fund
Account Number: 220868200029
Branch: TWED Towers

Stanbic Bank

Account Name: Makerere University Endowment Fund
Account Number: 9030020625081
Branch: Makerere

Students are advised to retain their payment receipts for future reference.

Reconciliation of previous payments

For students who made payments before this update, reconciliation is ongoing. The Makerere University Endowment Fund will communicate further guidance on the process in due course.

The University appreciates your cooperation and continued support towards strengthening its long-term financial sustainability through the Endowment Fund.

Prof. Buyinza Mukadasi
ACADEMIC REGISTRAR

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Institutionalizing ORCID at Makerere University: Strengthening Researcher Identification, Visibility and Research Output Tracking

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The Unit-Based ORCID Sensitization and System Capture of Researcher Identification Workshop was held on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, commencing at 9:00 a.m. at the Telepresence Centre, Senate Building, Makerere University. The workshop was facilitated by the Research and Education Network for Uganda (RENU).

The workshop was opened by Prof. Robert Wamala – Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP). In his remarks, Prof. Wamala emphasised the importance of ORCID in strengthening researcher identification, improving the visibility and discoverability of Makerere University‘s research outputs, and ensuring accurate attribution of scholarly contributions.

Prof. Wamala highlighted the need to move beyond individual ORCID registration towards systematic institutional adoption, including the accurate capture and validation of researchers’ ORCID identifiers in relevant University information systems. He underscored the importance of coordinated implementation at unit level, recognising the critical roles of College Librarians, Library staff and the Directorate of Graduate Training in supporting ORCID adoption among academic staff, researchers and graduate students.

Prof. Robert Wamala – Director of the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships

Prof. Wamala appreciated RENU for facilitating the engagement and encouraged participants to translate the knowledge gained into practical action within their respective units. The workshop marked an important step in Makerere University‘s efforts to strengthen researcher identification, improve research visibility and enhance the institutional management and tracking of scholarly outputs.

Dr. Cyprian Misinde, the Director of Quality Assurance

The opening session also featured remarks from the University Librarian Prof. Ruth Nalumaga and Dr. Cyprian Misinde, the Director of Quality Assurance, who underscored the importance of ORCID in strengthening research visibility, scholarly communication and institutional research information management. Their contributions highlighted the need for collaboration across the Library, Quality Assurance, Graduate Training and DRIP to support effective ORCID adoption and integration into University processes.

The workshop provided an opportunity to sensitise participants on ORCID and strengthen their capacity to support its adoption and system capture within their respective units. The participation of College Librarians, Library staff and the Directorate of Graduate Training was particularly strategic in supporting researchers and graduate students to establish and maintain their ORCID profiles.

Prof. Ruth Nalumaga – University Librarian

The workshop was attended by College Librarians and Library Staff; Representatives from the Directorate of Graduate Training; Directorate of Quality Assurance and the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships. Their participation was intended to strengthen awareness, institutional coordination and practical support for ORCID adoption across the University.

The engagement, marked a collaborative step towards institutionalizing ORCID at Makerere University and strengthening the University’s capacity to identify, track and showcase its research contributions globally.

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Makerere Research Offers a New Lens on Kampala’s Growing Water Challenge

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As Greater Kampala continues to expand, the question of how the city will secure enough water for its growing population is becoming increasingly urgent. New homes, roads, industries and commercial centres are transforming the metropolitan landscape, but this growth also places pressure on wetlands, catchments and the infrastructure that supplies water to communities. For Makerere University, this challenge is not only a matter for public debate. It is also a question that research can help answer before today’s decisions become tomorrow’s problems.

That concern shaped a dissemination workshop held at the University on Wednesday, 28th October 2026. The gathering brought together researchers, policymakers, university leaders, planners, students, development partners and members of the media to consider findings from the Urban Expansion Model for Mitigating Water Scarcity in Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area, known as UREMWAS, an occasion that was graced by the Minister for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda, who attended as chief guest.

At the heart of the research is a practical concern: how can a fast-growing metropolitan area accommodate more people and economic activity without undermining the natural systems and public infrastructure on which its residents depend? The UREMWAS project seeks to help answer that question by giving planners a way to examine how different patterns of urban development may affect water availability. Rather than treating water scarcity as an isolated problem of supply, the study relates it to the choices made about land, housing, drainage, settlement and infrastructure.

Understanding the Link Between Urban Growth and Water

Presenting the study, the Principal Investigator Dr. Nestor Mugabe explained that Greater Kampala is among Uganda’s fastest-growing urban regions. Its expansion has increased pressure on water sources and supply networks, while also changing the natural landscapes that help sustain those resources. As settlements spread, the consequences can extend beyond the immediate area where construction takes place. Wetlands may be encroached upon, catchments altered and the routes through which water moves across the landscape disrupted. “The value of this model is in helping planners see the consequences of today’s choices before those choices become difficult and costly to reverse.” He stated.

The model brings together information on population movement, built-up areas, drainage patterns, wetland cover and water demand. By considering these factors together, planners can explore possible urban growth scenarios and assess their likely implications before major decisions are made. The intention is to support better-informed choices on where development should take place, which natural areas require protection and where investment in water infrastructure may be most needed.

Dr. Mugabe cautioned that water scarcity rarely emerges from a single decision or event. Instead, it can develop gradually as many small choices accumulate without sufficient attention to their combined effect. The value of the model, he explained, lies in helping decision makers see a wider picture and understand how development in one part of the metropolitan area may affect water security elsewhere.

The findings point to a close relationship between the pattern of urban growth and the pressure placed on water systems. When settlements expand without effective planning, development can reach sensitive areas such as wetlands and catchments. These landscapes perform important functions in storing, filtering and releasing water. When they are degraded, the natural processes that support water availability are weakened. At the same time, extending piped water infrastructure to scattered communities can become more difficult and expensive.

By contrast, growth guided by clear plans, the protection of natural areas and timely infrastructure investment offers a stronger basis for managing demand. The research therefore presents urban planning and water security as closely connected responsibilities. Decisions about housing, roads and commercial development cannot be considered separately from the resources needed to sustain the people who live and work in those places.

Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director, Directorate of Graduate Training

Dr. Mugabe also emphasised that water scarcity cannot be solved by infrastructure alone. The challenge involves governance, public behaviour and coordination among institutions that may otherwise plan and operate independently. Engineers, physical planners, local leaders, communities and researchers need to work with shared evidence if their decisions are to reinforce rather than undermine one another.

That message was given a human dimension through the experiences of communities consulted during data collection. Dr. Mugabe acknowledged the residents who shared their perspectives with the research team, including people who travel long distances or pay high prices to obtain water. Their experiences, he noted, helped the researchers understand the everyday consequences of water insecurity in ways that statistics alone cannot fully convey. Behind every figure on demand or supply are households and individuals whose routines, finances and wellbeing are affected by access to water.

Taking the Findings Beyond the University

The discussion that followed the presentation reflected the broad reach of the issue. Participants considered the role of wetlands in protecting water sources, the need to enforce planning regulations and the importance of involving communities early in decisions that affect their surroundings. They also explored whether the model could be adapted for other fast-growing towns and cities in Uganda, where urbanisation may create similar pressures on land and water resources.

Several contributors stressed that research findings should be communicated in accessible language, particularly to local leaders and community groups. A model can help inform technical decisions, but its impact is likely to be greater when the people affected by planning choices can also understand the evidence and use it in their own discussions. Participants further encouraged the research team to keep the model updated as new information becomes available. Because cities change rapidly, a planning tool must be able to reflect changing populations, land use and demand if it is to remain useful.

The discussion was moderated by Prof. William Tayeebwa, who guided the discussion and encouraged participants to engage with the findings from their different areas of experience. The questions and reflections reinforced the importance of treating water security as a shared metropolitan concern rather than the responsibility of a single institution or profession.

Speaking on behalf of the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund, its Engagement officer, Ms. Grace Cherotich Ruto congratulated the research team and reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to supporting research that responds to Uganda’s practical challenges. He encouraged researchers to consider the people who will use their findings from the earliest stages of a project and to plan how the knowledge generated will be communicated and applied. Research, he observed, is most valuable when it moves beyond academic shelves and contributes to policy, services and people’s lives. “Research has its greatest value when the knowledge generated at the university reaches the people and institutions that can use it to improve lives.” Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director, Directorate of Graduate Training stated.

One of the participants engage in a question/answer session

The remarks also highlighted the role of graduate training in building research capacity. Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of the Directorate of Graduate Training, welcomed participants and commended the team for bringing its work to a wider audience. He noted that universities demonstrate their value to society when knowledge developed through research and scholarship informs decisions beyond the campus. Graduate research, including the work of master’s and doctoral students, helps generate and develop ideas that can be tested against real conditions and contribute to practical solutions.

A Shared Responsibility for a Growing City

Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Moses Musinguzi commended the researchers for addressing an issue of national importance. He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to serving the country through knowledge and collaboration, and called on government agencies, local authorities and development partners to draw on the expertise available at the institution. Water, land and urban growth are interconnected, he noted, and the management of rapidly expanding cities must be guided by sound evidence.

For the university, the workshop offered an opportunity to connect research with the institutions and communities that may put its findings to use. The model’s potential depends not only on its technical capacity, but also on whether planners and decision makers can incorporate its insights into the choices they make. Continued engagement between researchers and end users will therefore be important as the work develops.

In her address, Chief Guest Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda thanked Makerere University for convening the workshop and recognised the contribution of its scholars to national development. She described the growth of Kampala and the surrounding metropolitan area as both an opportunity and a responsibility. As the country’s economic heart and home to millions of people, the city needs reliable services, including access to clean and safe water. The challenge is to ensure that expansion does not outpace the systems and natural resources required to sustain it.

 “Kampala’s water challenges extend beyond administrative boundaries, so our response must be built on cooperation, shared evidence and responsible planning.” Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda emphasized.

Chief Guest Hon. Hajjat Minsa Kabanda receiving souvenir gifts from Prof. Musinguzi

Hon. Kabanda said that the UREMWAS model could help government make better-informed decisions about the direction of urban growth, the protection of natural resources and the location of water infrastructure investment. She also pointed out that the metropolitan area extends beyond the administrative boundaries of Kampala itself. Water and land pressures do not stop at those boundaries, making coordination among the ministry, Kampala Capital City Authority, neighbouring local governments, water utilities and researchers essential.

The Minister assured the university that her ministry would study the findings and consider how they could inform its planning work. She encouraged the research team to maintain a close relationship with policymakers so that the model can remain relevant to decisions as the metropolitan area changes. She also called on citizens to protect wetlands, use water responsibly and observe planning guidelines, stressing that the future of the city will be shaped by the actions of both public institutions and residents.

Turning Research into Public Action

Her remarks underscored the role universities can play as partners in public decision making. By bringing together research expertise, emerging talent and the freedom to examine difficult questions, institutions of higher learning can help government understand complex challenges and consider options grounded in evidence. She congratulated Makerere on its research tradition and encouraged it to continue producing work that responds to the needs of the country.

The workshop closed with a shared recognition that disseminating the findings is a starting point rather than an end in itself. The research team and its partners expressed the need to continue engaging government and other stakeholders, share the results more widely with local leaders and communities, and refine the model as further data becomes available. These next steps will help determine how effectively the research can support planning in Greater Kampala and whether its approach can be useful in other urban areas.

The timing of the work is significant. Decisions made now about land use, housing, drainage and water infrastructure will influence the shape of Greater Kampala for years to come. Once wetlands have been damaged, settlements established in unsuitable locations or infrastructure built without adequate coordination, correcting the consequences can be difficult and costly. A model that allows decision makers to explore possible outcomes in advance offers an opportunity to identify risks earlier and weigh development choices more carefully.

For residents, the stakes are tangible. Reliable water affects household routines, public health, livelihoods and the ability of businesses and institutions to operate. Protecting the resources that sustain supply is therefore not separate from the wider ambition to build a productive and liveable city. The challenge is to ensure that urban growth improves people’s lives without weakening the environmental systems on which those lives depend.

Participants in a group photo after the event.

By bringing researchers and decision makers into the same conversation, Makerere’s UREMWAS dissemination workshop demonstrated how university research can contribute to a shared understanding of a public problem. The work does not remove the difficult choices facing the metropolitan area, but it offers a way to examine those choices with a clearer view of their possible consequences. As Greater Kampala continues to grow, the task ahead will be to turn that evidence into coordinated planning, responsible development and sustained protection of water resources.

The gathering marked a step in moving the UREMWAS findings from a research project into wider public and policy discussion. The central message was clear: the future of Greater Kampala’s water security will depend not only on how much water can be supplied, but also on how the city grows, how its natural systems are protected and how well the institutions responsible for its future work together.

Philemon Akoragye.
Philemon Akoragye

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