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.
On 20th August 2026, Makerere University welcomed another cohort of 258 recipients of the prestigious Mastercard Foundation scholarship for the 2026/2027 academic year with pomp and fanfare. The colourful Scholarship Award Ceremony was presided over by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, who was represented by Prof. Ibrahim Mike Okumu, the Dean of the School of Economics and the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection sub-committee of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University.
While addressing the gathering, Prof. Nawangwe reminded the Scholars that the scholarship was both an honour and a responsibility, and that they ought to make the most of it to improve their lives and communities.
“Now that you have stepped through the gates of Makerere University, remember that a scholarship is both an award and a responsibility. You have been chosen because we believe in your potential to lead, innovate, and serve. Makerere University offers you world-class academic resources, mentorship, and networks—but the impact you make with these resources will depend on your discipline, integrity, and vision,” Prof. Nawangwe remarked.
A Call for Responsible Living
The Vice Chancellor further urged the new recruits to embrace university life responsibly and form lasting bonds that will support future networks.
“I encourage you to engage fully and responsibly in University life, build lasting bonds with your peers, and, equally important, keep your home communities close to your heart. Let the knowledge and skills you gain here become the seed for innovative solutions to the challenges facing your communities, our country, Uganda, and the African continent.” Prof Nawangwe emphasised.
Prof. Nawangwe further expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation for recognising Makerere University as a worthy partner and pledged to continue supporting all the Mastercard Foundation’s initiatives at Makerere University.
Leadership starts with self
Mr. Adrian Bukenya, the Senior Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program globally and the Country Director for Uganda, urged Scholars to embrace leadership, particularly through self-leadership. He emphasised that the Scholars Program is fundamentally a leadership development program.
“The Scholars Program offers more than just a scholarship; it is a leadership development Program. I encourage you, Scholars, to embrace leadership, and leadership starts with leading yourself, then your community, your country and the continent,” Mr. Bukenya emphasised.
Mr. Bukenya expressed his gratitude to the Management of Makerere University for partnering with the Mastercard Foundation on various initiatives. He emphasised that the Foundation is committed to continuing this partnership to educate young people and nurture the next generation of leaders on the African continent.
Selection Process Highlights
On his part, the Chairperson of the Scholars Selection Committee, represented by Mr Charles Ssentongo, the Deputy Academic Registrar responsible for Undergraduate admissions, congratulated all the Scholars who had made it through a very competitive and watertight selection process. To illustrate how tight the selection process had been, he shared compelling statistics that clearly demonstrated its competitiveness.
“We received 3,664 Applications for the Scholarship; 2,904 Undergraduates and 760 master’s students. Of these scholarship applicants, 1,440 Undergraduates and 280 Master’s students were admitted to Makerere University on private sponsorship, and they were all eligible for the Scholarship,” Mr Ssentongo pointed out.
Mr Ssentongo informed the attentive audience that one of the biggest challenges the Committee faced was the very high number of applicants, while the number of scholarships available was always very small. Mr Ssentongo then highlighted further statistics that characterised the tedious selection process.
“For the Undergraduates, 650 applicants were shortlisted for interviews, while 58 Master’s applicants were also shortlisted. Of these, 245 undergraduates and 13 Master’s students were selected for the final award,” Mr Ssentongo highlighted.
Celebrating A Diverse Cohort
The Program Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere, Prof. Justine Namaalwa, used the occasion to highlight achievements made in the years gone by.
“Today, we are overjoyed to have successfully recruited 258 Cohort 9 Scholars—bringing us to the mark of 546 Scholars, 54.6% of the target recruitment of 1,000 Scholars under Phase II of the Program. To date, a total of 1,596 Scholars have been recruited since 2013, when the Scholars Program started at Makerere University,” Prof. Namaalwa announced.
Prof. Namaalwa showcased the diversity created by the Scholars Program, highlighting the arrival of international students from across the African continent at Makerere University through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program.
“For Cohort 9 Scholars, it’s time to celebrate our diversity in the Program. Let me call out the nationalities represented in the room: Lesotho (1 Scholar), Malawi (1 Scholar), Ghana (1 Scholar), D.R. Congo (13 Scholars), Cameroon (7 Scholars), Burundi (3 Scholars), Rwanda (10 Scholars), South Sudan (40 Scholars) and Tanzania (1 Scholar).” Prof. Namaalwa revealed.
Scholars Speak Out
Nathan Tamba, an international student from Cameroon, conveyed his enthusiasm regarding the opportunities afforded by the scholarship, particularly the prospect of pursuing his studies at Makerere University, recognised as one of the leading institutions on the continent.
“On behalf of my fellow scholars, I would like to express our gratitude to Makerere University and the Mastercard Foundation for awarding us this scholarship. It has given me the opportunity to study at this prestigious university and to experience Uganda for the first time.” Tamba remarked.
Tamba, clearly delighted like his fellow scholars, committed to using the scholarship opportunity to gain knowledge and skills he will use to benefit himself and his community.
The function was punctuated by entertainment from the Makerere University Choir, networking, and plenty of joyous celebration.
Bernard Buteera is Principal Communications Officer for the Scholars Program at Makerere University.
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