General
Launch of Mak Attendance Management System a Moment of Truth
The launch of Staff and Student Attendance Management System presided over by the Chairperson of Council, Mrs. Lorna Magara on Friday 3rd May 2024 has been heralded as a moment of truth for the Council, Management, Staff, Students and Stakeholders of Makerere University. On Council’s part that includes improved performance management, accountability, and a transparent promotion process, while for Management it signifies a milestone in terms of achieving a professionally governed university and guaranteeing academic freedom. For staff and students it means improved monitoring and evaluation of teaching, learning and research activities, and for the Government and people of Uganda, clear accountability for the over UGX 200 billion annual wage bill.
In her remarks, Mrs. Magara took time off to allay fears that the system has been designed as a policing tool, stating that the University Council had carefully considered the multifaceted roles that staff, especially faculty, engage in both on and off-campus. The Council, she said, had therefore provided clear guidance to Management on allowances and authorisations that must be in place to enable faculty fulfil their functions.
She added that the decentralised collegiate system already caters for the direct supervision of faculty, while a similar devolved architecture applies to administrative and support staff. “So as we embrace this biometric system, I invite you to recognize the collective benefit it brings to Makerere University.”
These benefits, noted the Chairperson of Council, include; improved service delivery for faculty, students and the administration, improved institutional ratings, as well as improved visibility and credibility for the system developers. She further noted that the attendance management system is only a fraction of the more comprehensive and holistic approach that the University Council is undertaking to strengthen performance management.
“In the current and future budgeting and other resource allocation processes, the Council prioritizes the acquisition of tools that enable the staff to perform and the students to learn effectively and in a conducive manner. For example, I am aware that the procurement processes for three buses for transporting students for field practicals has already been completed.
“The renovation of Lumumba Hall is nearing completion and Mary Stuart Hall will follow in line. There is increasing emphasis on research labs, teaching materials and related equipment. As part of our infrastructure development focus, the Council also addresses the need for faculty offices, graduate student centres, IT hardware and software for teaching and research” Mrs. Magara explained, concluding by requesting all staff and students to embrace the system.
In line with embracing the system, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe noted that the advent of the system should be received with happiness by all staff and students. “We must run our university professionally and the best way to do it is by going digital in every way possible.”
He added that Makerere has in addition to attendance management digitalised other activities such as human resources management, data repository, academic records and processes, research management, and prayed all business processes would have been completed by the end of 2024. The Vice Chancellor reiterated that the attendance management system’s implementation framework had been enriched by the input from staff representatives to cater for all teaching modes, including eLearning.
Prof. Nawangwe further emphasised that the system is in no way designed to curtail academic freedom, but rather promote it through proper accountability for time spent at the workplace. “The Council as our employer ought to know whether the person that is employed is doing their job.”
He therefore thanked the Director, Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS), Mr. Samuel Mugabi and his staff for alleviating the need for Makerere to rely on expensive, externally-sourced systems. “Since we realized the resources that we have in-house, the digitalisation of the university has just gone up.”
The Director Human Resources (HR), Mr. Tayari Deus Mujuni on his part thanked the University Council for ensuring that development of the system was funded, Management for ensuring that the system is implemented, and the Director DICTS for ensuring that the system is developed and delivered on time.
One of the deliverables of the system will be human resource analytics. Mr. Mujuni commended this output as a quick way to measure whether staff are delivering according to their mandate. “If we continually generate these analytics, it becomes easy for us to know the teaching load, to follow up on requests for staff appointments in terms of how many staff you have and how many staff you need.”
The Director HR further noted that the system will come in handy in providing accountability to Government in terms of staff and students being taught. “The audit query will not arise again because we will have the evidence of all staff in attendance and account the funds that Government has contributed in terms of wage.”
Presenting the system’s architecture, Mr. Samuel Mugabi said it consists of biometric devices to enable staff clock in/out using their thumb-print or facial-image. For those who may for any reason or impairment not be able to reach the height of the biometric devices, an AI-enabled voice-recognition capability is being explored for future deployment.
He added that for teaching staff, a student attendance management system has been developed and integrated with both Academic Management Information System (ACMIS) and the electronic-Human Resource Management System (e-HRMS). This will enable students to register class attendance by selecting their time-tabled course, lecturer’s name, and submit their attendance register. The system will register GPS coordinates of teaching venues and any registration done using a mobile-based app on a device that is not within range will not be recorded.
Mr. Mugabi nevertheless appreciated that cultural transformation is very important for the system to succeed. “We cannot transform or automate a process until we appreciate why it is important,” adding that the way system users are brought on board is very important for their adoption and use.
The launch event was proudly by the College of Computing and Information Sciences (CoCIS), which prides itself in conducting high-quality research and educating the next cadre of leaders, entrepreneurs, teachers, skilled labor force, digital innovators, wealth creators, and young scientists. Addressing his audience the Principal Prof. Tonny Oyana noted that CoCIS, by virtue of its mandate, will remain a very important college, especially in the next 20 – 30 years as the digital revolution unfolds. “We are at the forefront of deliberations anywhere in this university.”
He recognised the presence of the Chairperson of Council, Members of Council, Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellors, Members of Management, College Principals, Staff and Students who graced the event.
H.E. Vincent Lubega Nsamba was on 18th March 2024 sworn in as the 90th Guild President of Makerere University and effectively, leader of the Guild Cabinet and student body. Represented by his Minister for Information, Research and Computer Technology, Hon. Emojong Kisaija Harman at the launch, the Guild President welcomed the system, given the necessity of adopting of ICT in the digital era.
“We as the Students Guild are optimistic that this initiative and the system being launched today will improve service delivery to students with regard to teaching” appreciated Hon. Emojong. He reassured the University Leadership of the Students Guild’s readiness to participate in the system rollout and willingness to raise awareness among the student body of its benefits.
By Moses Lutaaya
Makerere University has challenged newly admitted postgraduate diploma and master’s students to take ownership of their academic journey, produce knowledge that addresses Africa’s challenges and use their training to create opportunities for society.
The call was made on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, during the orientation of postgraduate diploma and master’s students held at the Main Hall, Main Building, Makerere University. The orientation was conducted under the theme “Harnessing the Power of Graduate Training to Transform Africa’s Research Trajectory.”
Addressing the students, Prof. Sarah Ssali, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, said admission to postgraduate education marked an important transition from undergraduate study and should come with greater independence, critical thinking and responsibility.
“Postgraduate study is not just the accumulation of knowledge. You are now active researchers, critical thinkers and creators of your own knowledge,” Prof. Ssali said.
She said postgraduate training should enable students to deepen their expertise, strengthen their analytical abilities and develop solutions to real-world problems.
“Through your projects, dissertations, innovations and professional practice, you have the opportunity to contribute knowledge that can influence policies, improve services and transform lives. Your research matters, and your contribution matters,” she said.
Prof. Ssali urged students to see their studies beyond the pursuit of a degree, encouraging them to ask themselves why they had chosen postgraduate education and what contribution they intended to make to their communities and professions.
“See your coursework as an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that will help you propose new solutions to real-world challenges,” she said.
She also encouraged students to embrace collaboration with communities and non-academic partners, saying many of them were already coming to the University with professional and community experiences that could enrich their research.
“Don’t think that your scholarship is only for those who look academic. Embrace community, embrace networks,” she said.
Prof. Ssali further cautioned the students against wasting time, noting that many postgraduate students have employment, family and other responsibilities alongside their studies.
“Make the most of your time and don’t waste it,” she said, urging students to use available study time productively even when there are changes in their lecture schedules.
She also emphasised the need for students to take responsibility for their progress instead of waiting for lecturers or supervisors to push them.
“Postgraduate education requires independence, independent inquiry, independent research, independent interrogation and also active participation,” Prof. Ssali said.
Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of Graduate Training, told the students that their admission was a significant achievement given the large number of applicants seeking postgraduate opportunities at Makerere.
“We received over 12,000 applications to our postgraduate programmes, but we are only able to take just a small percentage of that. That means you are just the few people who are able to do this,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He urged the new students to appreciate the opportunity and understand that graduate education carries responsibilities beyond attending lectures and completing examinations.
According to Prof. Kikooma, Uganda and Africa require highly trained human capital capable of driving national and continental development priorities.
“The country needs more highly trained people if it is going to achieve its aspirations and priorities for national development,” he said.
He challenged the students to consider what Uganda and Africa would look like in the coming decades and to question whether the continent would continue relying on ideas, innovations and creations generated elsewhere.
“Will it still be a country that always depends on ideas, innovations and creations that come from outside?” he asked, before urging the students to become part of the generation that develops home-grown solutions.
Prof. Kikooma said much of what Uganda would need in the future would depend on what the country invests in today, particularly in human capital and research.
He also explained that the Directorate of Graduate Training works with colleges, schools, departments and central University units to strengthen the quality of graduate education.
“We want to make sure that what you are taking away from here is of a certain quality,” he said, adding that the University has established policies, standards and systems intended to create an environment in which postgraduate students can succeed.
However, Prof. Kikooma stressed that the University cannot take responsibility for the entire academic journey on behalf of students.
“We will not replace your programme. We will not replace your lecturers. We will not replace your supervisors. Each of those has a different role to play along your journey,” he said.
He encouraged students to be proactive by understanding their programmes, colleges and the various support services available to them.
“Successful graduates tend to be proactive rather than reactive. So don’t wait until you have a problem, then you start running from it,” Prof. Kikooma said.
He further urged the students to work within the stipulated programme period, noting that most master’s programmes take about two years while postgraduate diploma programmes generally take one year.
Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, urged the newly admitted students to use their graduate training to produce knowledge capable of addressing challenges facing their communities, Uganda and Africa.
He challenged them to move beyond consuming knowledge generated elsewhere and instead become producers of knowledge and solutions.
Prof. Wamala emphasised the importance of connecting research to society, innovation and professional practice, encouraging students to identify problems within their workplaces and communities that could become areas for meaningful research.
He said Africa needed researchers capable of generating evidence, innovations and practical solutions to support development rather than simply importing solutions from other parts of the world.
The Director encouraged the students to build collaborative networks during their studies and to regard the University as an ecosystem in which researchers, professionals, communities and other partners can work together.
Dr. Kizito Ongaya, Deputy University Librarian, introduced the students to Makerere’s extensive library and information resources, urging them to make the library a central part of their postgraduate studies.
He said the University Library operates a hybrid system combining physical collections with electronic resources.
“We have over 200,000 types of books in our library, with 45 e-journal databases,” Dr. Ongaya said.
He encouraged students to make use of the University’s electronic databases, noting that substantial resources are invested in providing access to scholarly journals.
“If you don’t use e-journals, you are unacceptable,” he told the students, emphasising that postgraduate research requires extensive engagement with scholarly literature.
Dr. Ongaya also highlighted the University’s archival collections, specialised libraries and information centres located across its colleges.
He said students would be guided on how to access both physical and electronic resources and encouraged them to explore specialised collections that could support their individual research areas.
Dr. Mike Barongo, Team Leader ICT, Department of the Academic Registrar, told the new students that Makerere had increasingly digitised its academic and administrative processes and urged them to complete their online registration as an immediate priority.
He said students could access their provisional admission letters through the online application system and use the student number provided to activate their student portals.
“The student portal is very, very critical,” Dr. Barongo said.
He explained that students must enrol and register in order to access key University services, including institutional email and Wi-Fi.
“Once you enroll, you create an institutional email address. That institutional email address is the gateway for you to access so many things, like Wi-Fi,” he said.
Dr. Barongo also informed students that ICT support centres were available to assist those experiencing challenges with enrolment, registration or access to digital services.
He urged students to ensure they enrol and register every semester so that the University systems can accurately capture their academic and financial information.
Others senior members in attendance include the Deputy University Bursar Mr. George Mugabi Turyamureeba and Mr. Henry Nsubuga, the Manager Makerere University Counselling and Guidance Centre.
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