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.
Agriculture & Environment
Makerere Hosts Inaugural Falling Walls Lab Competition as Innovators Pitch Solutions to National Challenges
Students and researchers from Makerere University and other institutions pitched 12 innovations addressing challenges in healthcare, clean energy, agriculture, waste management and community resilience during the inaugural Falling Walls Lab Kampala, held at the School of Public Health Auditorium, Makerere University.
The competition brought together emerging innovators to present solutions to practical challenges through a three minute pitch, followed by questions from a panel of judges.
Modelled on the Falling Walls format that originated in Berlin, the event required each participant to identify a “wall” a problem or barrier, and demonstrate how their innovation seeks to break it down.
Mudhasi wins with newborn jaundice screening device
Andrew Mudhasi of Makerere University emerged as the overall winner with a score of 90 per cent for a low cost medical device designed to improve newborn jaundice screening across different skin tones.
Mudhasi explained that the device uses optical sensor technology and a skin tone targeting algorithm to provide a rapid reading, with the aim of helping nurses and clinicians identify jaundice more efficiently.
During questions from the jury, Mudhasi said the device had not yet been tested on actual babies but had undergone laboratory testing using simulated skin tones.
He reported an accuracy rate of 94 per cent when the device was compared with laboratory spectrophotometers.
The innovation is intended initially for use in clinics and hospitals, with Mudhasi saying the team is also considering a version that could eventually allow mothers to screen babies at home.
Mudhasi’s innovation has previously received recognition at the African Business Concept Challenge and the iF Design Student Award, according to his presentation.
Rhonda’s innovation tackles diaper waste
Rhoda John of the University of Nairobi emerged in second place with 89.6 per cent for an innovation addressing the problem of used diaper waste.
Under the theme “Breaking the wall of diaper waste and drug soils,” Rhonda explained that her team extracts sodium polyacrylate, the absorbent polymer found in diapers, and replaces the sodium with potassium.
The resulting potassium based superabsorbent material is designed to act as a “water battery” in soil by absorbing and retaining water for plants during dry periods.
John said testing showed a 99 per cent increase in germination and a 23 per cent increase in drought resistance.
The innovation also seeks to reduce the amount of used diapers ending up in landfills and the environmental effects associated with their decomposition.
During the question and answer session, John explained that her team was working with government environmental officials in Nairobi on a pilot collection system to address the challenge of gathering used diapers at scale.
Mahera takes third place with herbal peptic ulcer treatment
Stuart Mahera of Makerere University finished third with 86.2 per cent for a herbal formulation targeting peptic ulcers.
Presenting under the theme “Breaking the wall of Nature and Modern Medicine,” Mahera argued that conventional treatment for peptic ulcers can involve multiple medicines and may be associated with side effects and antimicrobial resistance.
His proposed formulation, MARAC capsules, is intended as a monotherapy, combining properties required for peptic-ulcer treatment in a single capsule.
Mahera said his team had carried out quality control work, including characterisation and dose quantification, and had conducted preclinical trials on laboratory mice.
He also told the jury that an application had been submitted to the National Drug Authority as the team awaits the next stage of the regulatory process.
According to Mahera, the proposed seven day treatment would cost about Shs21,000, compared with the existing 14 day treatment approach.
Innovators present solutions to practical challenges
The remaining presentations covered a wide range of challenges.
Esther Nakungu of Utamu University presented Agri-Track, a digital record keeping solution intended to improve visibility, accountability and management of farm operations and financial information.
Dr. Jimmy Chachiga, a Makerere University participant, presented a solar photovoltaic cooker with a heat storage system designed to provide a cleaner and more reliable cooking option during both sunny and non sunny periods.
His presentation focused on reducing dependence on biomass fuels and addressing the challenges associated with intermittent solar energy.
Abdul Noor Luttamaguzi, a PhD student and senior government fisheries officer, presented a mobile application aimed at helping fish farmers and extension officers report, track and manage disease outbreaks.
Henry Duke Tamale presented a herbal cream targeting antibiotic resistant biofilm infections associated with diabetic foot ulcers.
Marvin Seruwu proposed adapting existing near infrared brain monitoring technology to help detect extra-axial brain bleeds in health facilities where access to CT and MRI equipment is limited.
His proposal seeks to repurpose existing technology towards a diagnostic need that could be particularly important in settings where advanced imaging facilities are not readily available.
Kennedy Kisame presented a poultry alert and diagnosis system combining satellite weather information with computer vision disease detection. The proposed system could be accessed through a smartphone application, SMS or USSD, making it potentially usable by farmers with limited internet access.
Frank Atwiine proposed a solar powered mobile diagnostic van designed to bring ultrasound and other diagnostic services closer to rural communities.
Johnson Makmot, a software and blockchain developer, presented a platform that combines GPS tracking and blockchain-based tokens to incentivise and verify plastic-waste collection in Kampala.
Dr. Nelson Ndugu, from a partner university, presented an artificial intelligence tool designed to translate agricultural research publications into local Ugandan languages and generate voice notes for radio-based extension delivery.
The final presentation came from Dr. Juliet Akola, a Ugandan post doctoral researcher at Mangosuthu University of Technology in South Africa.
Akola presented a community digital resilience initiative focused on mapping risks in Kampala’s informal settlements, including flooding, fire, poor sanitation, waste management and inadequate infrastructure.
Her proposal seeks to combine local community knowledge with geographical information systems and link identified risks to action plans involving municipalities and other stakeholders.
Nawangwe calls for more investment in innovation
Closing the event, Prof. Nawangwe congratulated all the participants and described their presentations as an important beginning for Makerere University, Uganda and the wider region.
Drawing on his experience attending the Falling Walls conference in Berlin, the Vice Chancellor said initiatives of this nature are important because innovation will play a major role in determining the future of countries.
He encouraged participants to make their pitches more precise by clearly identifying the problem they are addressing, explaining their proposed solution and demonstrating what they have already achieved.
Prof. Nawangwe also welcomed the participation of innovators from other universities and countries, noting that the Kampala event had attracted participants beyond Makerere.
He thanked the Africa Office of the Falling Walls Foundation for its role in bringing the initiative to Makerere and encouraged continued support for innovation.
The Vice Chancellor further linked innovation to Uganda’s growing youth population and the need to develop home-grown solutions to address challenges such as youth unemployment.
The inaugural Falling Walls Lab Kampala ultimately provided a platform for innovators to move ideas beyond the classroom and laboratory and demonstrate how research, technology and creativity can be applied to challenges affecting communities.
| Position | Winner | Institution | Score |
| 1st | Andrew Mudhasi | Makerere University | 90% |
| 2nd | Rhoda John | University of Nairobi | 89.6% |
| 3rd | Stuart Mahera | Makerere University | 86.2% |
-
General1 week agoUndergraduate Admissions: Students allowed to Change Programs/Subjects 2026/27
-
Computing & IS1 week agoProf. Engineer Bainomugisha Takes Over as Principal of CoCIS, Pledges Focus on Excellence, Research and Innovation
-
General5 days agoProf. Sarah Ssali urges the Makerere University Community to embrace local philanthropy
-
Engineering, Art & Tech1 week agoMakerere & Partners Kick Off FLOWERS Project to Turn Restaurant Waste into a Regenerative Resource
-
Business & Management2 weeks agoCoBAMS, European Partners Launch Programme to Equip Students with Polycrisis Management Skills