Health
Makerere rolls out RIMS to streamline graduate research monitoring
A smarter way to track scholars
July 1st, 2025 | Kampala — Makerere University is on a listening tour. The University’s Directorate of Graduate Training (DGT) and Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) met lecturers at the School of Public Health to introduce a prototype Research Information Management System (RIMS). The briefing, held in Lecture Room A, drew heads of department, faculty registrars, research supervisors, and graduate coordinators, the very people who shoulder the university’s research training burden.
RIMS is the latest attempt to modernize how Uganda’s oldest university manages graduate education. The system, backed by the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (Mak-RIF), aims to digitize the long paper trail typically involved in supervising master’s and PhD students. From monitoring dissertation comments to allocating examiners and tracking student timelines, RIMS promises to cut delays, boost accountability, and foster more seamless interactions between faculty and administration.
“There is great feedback,” said Arthur Opio, the Ag. Principal IT Officer at DICTS, who noted that improvements are already being made based on similar engagements with stakeholders at other colleges. At each stop they ask supervisors, registrars, and heads of department what would actually lighten their administrative load. He noted that the RIMs will integrate components of the Academic Management Information System (ACMIS) and the Makerere human resource management system (eHRMS).
Staff at MakSPH welcomed the platform with cautious optimism. Ms. Gladys Khamili, Principal Registrar at MakSPH, said RIMS could help supervisors track student progress and improve the timeliness of feedback. Digitizing these processes, she noted, would ease coordination and reduce delays in graduations. She emphasized the need for features like automated logging of supervisor comments and alerts for overdue feedback. Others called for additions such as workload tracking, dashboards for seminar and journal submissions, and integration with teaching timetables.
“I hope the developers include features that calculate supervisor workloads, alongside tracking the various stages and activities of PhD training, such as paper submissions, seminar presentations, teaching, and journal publications,” Ms. Khamili said. “It would also be helpful if the system could integrate teaching timetables to better monitor teaching and learning.”
Staff welcomed the idea but asked for more. Professor Elizeus Rutebemberwa, the Deputy Dean of MakSPH, said this was a welcome development as it would help ease graduate training and also support faculty in tracking their students down with ease. “There are some students who get lost, and by the time they return or wake up to resume their work, you have even forgotten their names. I think this will help us in tracking,” he said.
Ms. Khamili, Principal Registrar, said the system should “automate logging of supervisor comments and alerts for overdue feedback” to speed up graduations. She also wants dashboards for seminar and journal submissions, workload tracking, and links to teaching timetables.
“I hope the developers include features that calculate supervisor workloads, alongside tracking the various stages and activities of PhD training, such as paper submissions, seminar presentations, teaching, and journal publications,” she said. “It would also be helpful if the system could integrate teaching timetables to better monitor teaching and learning.”
Dr. Suzanne Kiwanuka, Associate Professor and Head of Health Policy, Planning, and Management, urged caution: “We need systems that talk to each other,” she said, warning against software that forces staff to repeat the same data in different databases.
Professor Julius Kikooma, Acting Director of Graduate Training, underscored the School of Public Health’s leadership in graduate training. “The School of Public Health is a graduate school with the best practices. You are well organized,” he said. “Your feedback comes from a place of strength. You are one of our benchmarks.”
RIMS fits Makerere’s broader plan to shift resources toward postgraduate training and research. Visitation committees in 2016 and 2017 urged the university to focus on these areas, and the 2020‑2030 Strategic Plan sets a goal of 10,000 graduate students, about 40 per cent of enrollment, by the end of the decade if the university is to become a globally competitive, research-led, doctoral-granting institution.
The Dean of MakSPH, Professor Rhoda Wanyenze, welcomed the system as a timely intervention that promises to enhance service delivery to students.
“We appreciate the effort to ease our work in providing better services to students. We have a large number of students, and as our graduate population grows, we hope this system will support us in shaping and improving the services we offer as a university. We congratulate Professor Kikoma and his team on this effort,” said Prof. Wanyenze.
Makerere’s leadership has made no secret of its ambitions. The Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Nawangwe, has echoed this vision in public speeches, interviews, and tweets, with strong backing from the Ugandan government, including exclusive access to the Research and Innovations Fund and endorsements from President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Whether the new software can help reach that target will depend less on its code and more on whether the research it tracks is actively used to inform policy, improve lives, and justify the investment in postgraduate education. Success will therefore rely not only on systems and software but also on putting the research produced to practical use.
The Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) on July 10, 2026, welcomed senior six science students from Ngora High School and Wiggins Secondary School to an inspiring Career Fair aimed at guiding them on careers in health sciences and introducing them to the wide range of academic programmes offered by the College.
The event brought together students pursuing Physics, Chemistry, Biology (PCB) and Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics (BCM), providing them with a unique opportunity to interact with the College leadership, tour laboratories and teaching facilities, and learn first-hand about careers in medicine and other health science disciplines.
Welcoming the students, the College Principal, Prof. Bruce Kirenga, described the College of Health Sciences as one of Africa’s oldest and most distinguished medical schools, with a legacy spanning more than a century.
“We started in 1924, making us one of the oldest medical schools on the continent. You have made the right decision to visit Makerere, and we are delighted to welcome you,” he said.
Prof. Kirenga commended the school administrators and teachers for organizing the visit, noting that exposing learners to university environments early helps them make informed career choices. He explained that the College introduced the Open Day concept after receiving numerous requests from schools seeking career guidance visits.
He congratulated the students for choosing science subjects, describing science as the foundation for solving society’s most pressing challenges.
“You have already made one of the most important decisions by choosing to become scientists. Even more importantly, you have chosen life sciences—a field dedicated to preserving and improving life,” he remarked.
The Principal emphasized that careers in life sciences extend far beyond medicine, encouraging students to remain open-minded as they consider their future.
“Everything that has life requires professionals to keep it healthy—from human beings and animals to crops and the environment. The opportunities are immense, including agriculture, veterinary medicine, biomedical sciences, public health and many other emerging fields.”
He also advised students not to limit themselves to only one academic programme during university applications, recalling instances where highly qualified students narrowly missed admission because they selected only one course.
“Remain open to the opportunities available. Medicine is an excellent profession, but there are many other programmes that are equally rewarding and are shaping the future of healthcare and scientific innovation,” he said.
Prof. Kirenga further encouraged the students to embrace lifelong learning, reminding them that scientific knowledge remains valuable regardless of the career path they eventually pursue.
Addressing the students, the Dean of the School of Medicine, Prof. Annette Nakimuli, acknowledged the growing competition for admission into medical programmes and urged learners to work hard while keeping an open mind about the diverse opportunities available within health sciences.
She explained that admission into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) programme has become increasingly competitive due to the rising number of high-performing applicants.
“This year we witnessed unprecedented competition for government sponsorship, with many applicants scoring triple A at Advanced Level and outstanding grades at Ordinary Level. That tells you that you must prepare yourselves to excel academically,” she said.
Prof. Nakimuli noted that while many students aspire to become medical doctors, the health sector today offers numerous innovative programmes that are equally important.
“There are many programmes that parents, teachers and students are still not familiar with. Biomedical Engineering, for example, is one of the exciting fields driving the future of healthcare, yet many students overlook it because they focus only on medicine.”
She encouraged students to explore emerging disciplines that combine medicine, engineering, technology and research, noting that the future of healthcare increasingly depends on multidisciplinary professionals.
The Dean also introduced students to the structure of the School of Medicine, explaining that it comprises twelve academic departments and two specialised units covering a broad spectrum of clinical disciplines, including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Ophthalmology, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Family Medicine, Anaesthesia and Critical Care, among others.
She explained that students are trained by specialists across these disciplines to become competent general practitioners before pursuing further specialization.
Prof. Erisa Mwaka, the Chair of the Department of Human Anatomy, shared with the students about the School of Biomedical Sciences (SBS). He said the school is one of the four schools that make up the Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS). As the foundation of medical education, the School provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the biological and molecular sciences that underpin modern healthcare, disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
The School comprises several departments, including:
- Human Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Physiology
- Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- Pathology
- Microbiology
- Medical Illustration
The School offers undergraduate programmes such as the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences, which equips students with strong laboratory, research and analytical skills, and the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, an interdisciplinary programme that integrates engineering, medicine and technology to develop innovative healthcare solutions.
At postgraduate level, the School offers a wide range of master’s and doctoral programmes, including Human Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Bioinformatics, Immunology and Clinical Microbiology, Health Bioethics, Medical Illustration, Pathology and other biomedical specializations that prepare graduates for careers in research, academia, diagnostics, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry. The school also offers a wide range of diploma courses.
Throughout the Career Fair, students interacted with faculty members, toured laboratories and learning facilities, and received guidance on university admission, academic programmes and career prospects within the health sciences.
The Career Fair forms part of the College’s broader outreach programme aimed at nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals by exposing learners to university life and equipping them with the information needed to make informed academic and career decisions.
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