Today 8^th October 2026, Makerere University has hosted the EU Uganda Research and Study Fair 2026, bringing together government officials, European Union representatives, researchers, academics, students, and young professionals to explore opportunities in education, research, innovation, and international collaboration.

The fair also marked 50 years of partnership between Uganda and the European Union, providing a platform for participants to learn about scholarships, research funding, exchange programmes, fellowships and opportunities for collaboration with European institutions.

Officially opening the fair, Acting Minister of Education and Sports Hon. Dr. John Chrysostom Muyingo commended the European Union, its member states, Makerere University and other partners for organising the event, describing international cooperation as important to Uganda’s education and research agenda.

The Minister said Uganda’s young population presents a significant opportunity for national development if supported with the right investments in education, skills, creativity, research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

He encouraged universities and research institutions to strengthen links between education, research, innovation and the world of work, noting that research should not only generate academic knowledge but also contribute to policies, technologies and practical solutions to national challenges.

Dr. Muyingo also encouraged students and young professionals to engage with the European Union, its member states and alumni to understand the opportunities available and prepare themselves for future applications.

Makerere highlights value of partnership

The Acting (Ag.) Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Makerere University, Prof. Sarah Ssali said the fair provided an important platform for bringing education, research, innovation and international cooperation together.

She noted that the event was particularly significant as Uganda and the European Union celebrate five decades of partnership, with Makerere’s relationships with some European institutions extending even beyond 50 years.

Prof. Ssali said the partnerships have supported education, research, skills development, innovation, institutional strengthening and human capital development, creating opportunities for Ugandans to acquire knowledge and skills, conduct research and establish international networks.

She called for the next chapter of the partnership to place knowledge, research, innovation, technology and young people at the centre.

“Research needs to move beyond publication of research, to influence policy, improve practice, create products and services, strengthen communities and contribute to the economic development of our country,” she said.

Prof. Ssali also encouraged participants to explore opportunities for scholarships, research, exchange programmes, doctoral studies, joint research and fellowships available through European partnerships.

She said the ultimate value of international education and research partnerships lies in how knowledge, skills, networks and technologies acquired through such opportunities contribute to Uganda’s development.

Human Response programme strengthens partnerships

The fair also showcased Makerere’s partnerships through programmes such as the Humanitarian Response, Health and Displacement Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Programme (Human Response).

Dr. Justus Twesigye, the Dean, School of Social Sciences, Makerere University and Co-Principal Investigator of Human Response, explained that the programme has created partnerships between Makerere and universities in Europe and Africa.

These include the University Institute of Lisbon in Portugal, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Athens in Greece, University of Cape Verde and University of Rovuma in Mozambique, alongside associate partners including the Uganda Red Cross Society, Allied Uganda, Refugee Led Organisation Network and the Ministry of Water and Environment.

Twesigye said the partnerships have introduced new approaches to teaching and learning by involving practitioners directly in training and giving students opportunities for concurrent field practice.

He noted that organisations such as the Uganda Red Cross Society have participated in delivering classes, while students also gain practical experience in the field before returning to class for reflective learning.

The programme is also promoting joint research between academics and practitioners, moving away from approaches where researchers and practitioners work separately.

CEES project supports competence based education

The College of Education and External Studies (CEES) also presented an EU supported project aimed at helping higher education institutions and regulators transition to competence based education.

Assoc. Prof. Josephine Esaete, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Science, Technology and Vocational Education, said the project brings together nine partners from Uganda, West Africa and Europe.

She explained that the project seeks to strengthen the capacity of universities and higher education regulators in designing competence based curricula, teaching, assessment, monitoring and evaluation.

Makerere University is coordinating the four year project, with Mountains of the Moon University among the Ugandan partners.

Assoc. Prof. Esaete said the project is timely as universities work towards transitioning their programmes and curricula to competence-based education.

The project also seeks to strengthen collaboration between higher education institutions and industry so that students can acquire skills relevant to the world of work.

Fair creates opportunities for students and researchers

The exhibition brought together different EU supported research projects, academic programmes and institutional partnerships, allowing students, researchers and other participants to interact directly with project teams and representatives of European institutions.

The fair also provided opportunities for participants to learn from Makerere alumni who have benefited from international study and research opportunities.

Prof. Ssali urged participants to use the opportunity to “engage, explore, connect, and discover” new possibilities while encouraging young people to dream boldly, seek knowledge, build networks and use what they learn to contribute to Uganda’s transformation.

Take ownership of your future

Officially closing the fair, the Director, Research Innovations and Partnerships (DRIP), Prof. Robert Wamala urged the students and young professionals who had participated in the fair to take ownership of their future because the Fair had shown that opportunities are real.

“Do not be afraid to ask questions, do not be afraid to apply, do not be discouraged by your first unsuccessful application, build your academic profile, build your research skills, build your networks, and remain curious”, Prof. Wamala encouraged.

On behalf of Makerere University, he sincerely appreciated Team Europe, the European Union and its Member States in Uganda, for organising this important Fair and the Ag. Minister, Hon. Dr. J.C. Muyingo for presiding over the event and reiterating the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening education, research and international cooperation.

“At Makerere University, the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships remains ready to work with our European partners, the Ministry, researchers, students and other stakeholders to help translate the opportunities identified today into meaningful collaborations and outcomes” Prof. Wamala reassured.

The fair reaffirmed Makerere University‘s commitment to strengthening international partnerships that support research, innovation, human capital development and national transformation.

Further to the University’s statement of 1^st October 2026, I write to inform the University community of the specific action Management has taken on the allegations against Dr. Faisal Buyinza, Associate Professor and Head, Department of Economic Theory and Analysis, College of Business and Management Sciences.

Management notes with deep concern the serious allegations made against a senior member of our academic staff, and the strong feelings this matter has raised among our students, staff, alumni and the wider public. We share that concern. We also recognise the courage it takes for anyone to speak about experiences of harassment or violence, and we assure everyone who has come forward, or who may yet do so, that they will be heard.

Makerere University does not tolerate sexual harassment, abuse of authority or gender-based violence in any form. Some of the matters now raised were the subject of police investigations and criminal proceedings between 2011 and 2014. Irrespective of those proceedings, the University has its own duty, under its Policy and Regulations against Sexual Harassment, its Safeguarding Policy and its Human Resources Manual, to establish the facts in this matter and to act on them.

Management has therefore taken the following steps:

1. Investigation Committee

I have appointed a Committee to investigate the allegations. The Committee is constituted as follows:

1. Eng. Assoc. Prof. Dorothy K. Okello, Dean, School of Engineering, CEDAT – Chairperson
2. Prof. Engineer Bainomugisha, Principal, College of Computing and Information Sciences – Member
3. Dr. Christine Mbabazi Mpyangu, Department of Religion and Peace Studies, CHUSS – Member
4. Ms. Sumaiyah Nanyondo Sebuta, Legal Advisor – Member
5. Dr. Joelia Nasaka, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, CoVAB – Member
6. Mr. Deus T. Mujuni, Chief Human Resource Officer – Secretary

The Committee will hear every complainant and witness, and will give Dr. Buyinza the full opportunity to respond to each allegation, in accordance with the principles of natural justice. It is required to submit its report to the Vice Chancellor not later than Friday, 6^th November 2026.

2. Stepping Aside from Leadership

With immediate effect and for the duration of the investigation, Dr. Buyinza has been directed to step aside from the headship of the Department of Economic Theory and Analysis and from any other leadership or administrative position he holds in the University. The Dean, School of Economics, will oversee the Department in the interim. Dr. Buyinza has also been directed not to contact, influence or interfere with any complainant or witness.

These are administrative measures to protect the integrity of the investigation and those who take part in it. They are not a disciplinary sanction and are not a finding of guilt. The University will not pre-judge the outcome. Should the Committee find that there is a case to answer, the matter will proceed to the Appointments Board, where Dr. Buyinza will be accorded a fair hearing in accordance with University procedures. The University will inform the community of the outcome of this process.

3. Submissions and Protection from Retaliation

Management encourages all complainants, and anyone with information relevant to this matter, to come forward and make submissions to the Committee.The Secretary to the Committee will shortly communicate the email address and telephone numbers through which submissions may be made. All information will be handled in strict confidence, and the Committee has been directed to protect the confidentiality, safety and dignity of everyone who comes forward.

The University guarantees that anyone who takes part in, or provides information to, this process will be protected from intimidation, victimisation or retaliation. I also appeal to all members of the University community to engage on this matter responsibly, including on social media, and to avoid comments that could expose complainants, intimidate witnesses or prejudice a fair process.

The safety and dignity of every member of our community is not negotiable. I thank you for your support and cooperation as we see this process through fairly, thoroughly and without delay.

Professor Sarah N. Ssali
Ag. VICE CHANCELLOR

Access the official circular below:

Before becoming an optometrist, researcher, programmer, and eye health entrepreneur, Timothy Khabusi walked barefoot to school along rough roads in Manafwa District, Eastern Uganda. For most of his primary school years, Timothy walked more than nine kilometres each day from his home to Bubulo Mixed Primary School in Manafwa District.

He would leave home at about 6:00 a.m., walk to the highway, and join other children on their way to school. On the murram road, sharp stones pressed into his feet. When the rains came, he sometimes arrived at school completely drenched. Occasionally, a truck carrying market vendors would stop and offer them a lift. “Those were few lucky days,” Timothy recalls.

At the time, however, Timothy did not see his life as unusual. It was simply how life was for many children in his village. What he did not yet know was that those long walks were helping shape a determination that would eventually take him from rural Manafwa to Makerere University and, later, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Timothy Khabusi is the sixth of eight children (5 boys and 3 girls). His father, 68, a retired primary school teacher, and his mother, 60, a small retail shop owner, had limited resources but were determined to give their eight children opportunities they had not enjoyed themselves.

The family tried several ways to make ends meet. His mother ran a small local brew joint, selling malwa, a traditional fermented cereal drink. When Timothy was about ten, the family closed the malwa joint and moved on, first trying farming and later, in 2009, opening a small retail kiosk with money earned from selling a small coffee harvest.

The family kiosk changed things. Timothy started taking snacks to school and also began developing an interest in business. He sold sugarcane and later teamed up with his younger brother, Mark, to make mandazi, a popular delicacy among schoolchildren.

Behind these modest ventures were sacrifices his parents made for their children’s education and health. His father took loans to support the family through school, while both parents repeatedly emphasised the importance of education.

Timothy’s own academic journey was far from perfect.

At rural Bubulo Primary School, Timothy performed very well and earned a place at one of the best secondary schools in Eastern Uganda, Mbale Senior Secondary School, in Mbale city.

At Mbale Secondary School, he became a strong academic performer and earned a renewable merit-based bursary that covered most of his school fees. Mr Mabaku, his Mathematics teacher, taught him to connect classroom concepts to real-life problems—a way of thinking that would later shape his interest in technology and programming.

Then came a setback.

Timothy’s A-level results (15 points in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics) were far lower than he had expected. For someone who had always seen himself as a top student, the outcome was deeply disappointing, and he missed out on the much-coveted government scholarship. He even wondered whether university was still possible. He considered repeating his A-levels but instead applied to Makerere University on private sponsorship. He was admitted to study Optometry, although he had initially wanted to pursue Medicine and Surgery.

Then came the opportunity that changed everything.

In 2017, Timothy became a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at Makerere University, receiving support that enabled him to continue his university education. The financial uncertainty that had threatened his university education was resolved. What initially felt like failure became an opportunity that redirected him towards a field he had not planned to enter. Through optometry, he discovered a profession that linked clinical care with science, technology, research and public health.

His career journey after graduation.

After graduating from Makerere University in January 2022, Timothy set out to fulfil his ambitious mission to improve eye health in Uganda. His career began far from his village home in Manafwa: he started at a private clinic in Arua town, West Nile, hundreds of kilometres from Manafwa in Eastern Uganda. Asked why he didn’t find a job in Kampala, as most of his peers did, Timothy quickly explained that his mission is to provide the best eye health care to communities with limited access to these services.

After working for one year in Arua, he returned to Kampala. He first worked at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital from 2023 to 2025, then moved to Med-Optics, another popular eye clinic in Kampala. In February 2026, he opened his own eye clinic, Khabusi Vision Care Centre, a modern optometry centre dedicated to providing eye care services at subsidised rates to individuals and families who may face financial barriers to accessing these services.

His leadership journey

For Timothy, leadership is not about collecting titles. At Mbale Senior Secondary School, he led the Science Club, organising seminars and holiday revision programmes. At Makerere, he served as a minister at the College of Health Sciences and as a leader in the Optometry Students’ Association. Those experiences shaped a simple philosophy: leadership means seeing what needs improvement, taking responsibility, and bringing others along.

That philosophy now drives his ambitions for Khabusi Vision Care. In the coming years, he aims to strengthen the organisation’s clinical, public health, digital and research work. His longer-term vision is to build a major Ugandan eye health organisation with branches across the country, comprehensive services, research programmes and locally developed diagnostic and ophthalmic technologies.

Impact in the community

Asked about his impact in the community, Timothy quickly pointed to the number of patients whose sight he has helped restore at a modest cost they otherwise couldn’t have afforded.

“I am proud to have treated more than 10,000 patients and enabled them to see better since I began my optometry practice in 2022. Among the patients, I vividly remember a police woman who was on the verge of going completely blind due to a misdiagnosis she had received at different facilities she had visited in Kampala, until she came to Khabusi Vision Care Centre in Kyanja, where I was able to help correct the optical issue she was grappling with.” Timothy proudly states.

Timothy further enumerates the number of young people he has mentored and continues to mentor in optometry. He also offers graduate internships at his clinic and employs five young people as permanent staff. He also conducts regular community outreach activities, offering free eye check-ups in the community and subsidised treatment for those who need it.

A word to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Community

Timothy expressed his gratitude to the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and Makerere University for giving him the opportunity to pursue a quality university education at a time when he had lost hope of attending university after failing to secure a government scholarship.

“I am forever grateful to Mastercard Foundation and Makerere University for giving me a scholarship that changed my whole life; without the scholarship, I would not have been able to afford the university fees; therefore, I wouldn’t have become what I am today,” Timothy points out.

Asked what advice he would give to current Mastercard Foundation Scholars, Timothy urges them to take advantage of the additional skilling and development programmes the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers.

“I urge my young brothers and sisters on the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program currently to take the capacity-building training the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program offers; it is what will give you an advantage over others in the job market,” Timothy advises.  

Looking ahead

Beyond healthcare, Timothy is a writer, programmer, and researcher. He has published “From the Slopes of Mount Elgon”, a novel about a young girl who confronts poverty and betrayal while pursuing education and dignity. Timothy’s story is not a straightforward journey from challenge to success. It is about unexpected turns: the barefoot walks, the disappointing A-level results, the unexpected scholarship, and the career he never originally intended to pursue. His advice to young people comes from that experience: one disappointing result or difficult season need not decide the rest of your life. Sometimes, you have to keep walking.

“Keep learning, keep improving, and when opportunity comes, use it—not only to change your own life, but to create opportunities for others,” Timothy advises.

Timothy is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Patient Safety and Clinical Human Factors at the University of Edinburgh. The programme has reshaped his approach to healthcare. Rather than focusing solely on individual mistakes, he examines the systems that allow failures to occur and how to redesign them to improve patient safety.