Veterinary & Biosecurity
Tracking Trails Project Launched at Makerere University to Study Free-Roaming Dogs and Disease Spread across Five Nations
In a groundbreaking advancement for zoonotic disease research, Makerere University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) inaugurated the Tracking Trails project, an ambitious, transnational research initiative that aims to expose the spatiotemporal dynamics of free-roaming dogs and their epidemiological implications, particularly concerning rabies.
This endeavor brings together expertise from Uganda, Chad, India, Indonesia, and Switzerland, exemplifying an ideal One Health model. It integrates epidemiology, ecology, veterinary medicine, genomics, and socio-cultural anthropology, forging a transdisciplinary approach to health that is as inclusive as it is innovative.
The project under the department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health at CoVAB was officially launched at Fairway Hotel in in Kampala on October 16th 2025, at a ceremony attended by a consortium of national and international collaborators.
Dr. Salome Dürr of the University of Bern, the principal investigator, underscored the imperative of comprehending canine mobility not solely through the prism of rabies, but as a broader vector of zoonotic pathogen transmission. “Our inquiry transcends mere rabies surveillance, we intend to interrogate the health ramifications of canine movement,” she said.
Uganda as the Initial Epicenter
Uganda has been strategically designated as the inaugural locus for implementation, owing to its heterogeneous demographic fabric, divided into urban and rural ecosystems, alongside its ongoing national rabies eradication agenda. Research operations will span five districts of Kyegegwa, Masaka, Arua, Soroti, and Kampala, each offering varied ecological and socio-cultural matrices.
Dr. Terence Odoch, the Co – Principal Investigator from CoVAB Makerere University, emphasized the twofold imperative of generating actionable scientific evidence while concurrently cultivating academic capacity through the active inclusion of postgraduate cohorts.
He said what distinguishes the Tracking Trails project is its integrative methodological representation that includes GPS telemetry, behavioral ecology, socio-cultural ethnography, and genomic analysis converge to address critical interrogatives, he said while giving a brief about the project. Why do dogs roam? In what ways are they embedded within human ecologies? Which movement vectors potentiate pathogen propagation? Interventions, he noted, must be established upon the understanding of these dynamics, rather than simplistic vaccination paradigms.
Contextual Complexity across Continents
During the launch, the different implementing countries made brief report about the status of their intended interventions and the prevailing circumstances. It was reported that in Chad, nomadic pastoralism renders canine mobility both indispensable and problematic. Professor Fayiz Abakar emphasized that prior vaccination efforts in N’Djamena achieved epidemiologically significant coverage only when rendered cost-free, underscoring the primacy of accessibility and public engagement.
For India, one of the implementing countries, it was reported that this was a home to an estimated 60 million canines, struggling with a paradoxical cultural disposition that is also spiritual in nature coupled with neglect and abandonment. Dr. Harish Tiwari delineated contrasting rural-urban movement ecologies, revealing expanded urban ranges and increased aggression post-COVID.
For the case of Indonesia, the situation of free roaming dogs was no any better given the socio-religiously complex set up and the endemic rabies in 26 provinces. Dr. Ewaldus Wera described distinctive behavioral adaptations in rural versus urban dogs across Flores, Lombok, and West Timor. Underscoring logistical impediments to surveillance in topographically inaccessible locales.
Rabies as a Persistent Global Threat
During the launch, officiated by CoVAB’s Deputy Principal Prof. James Acai Okwee on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe , it was explained that rabies continues to pose a formidable public health threat, remaining a virulent zoonosis with a near-100% case fatality rate once clinical symptoms appear , despite being entirely preventable through timely prophylaxis.
Dr. Alfred Wejuli of Uganda’s Ministry of Health emphasized the urgent need for intersectoral collaboration under the One Health framework. He underscored that coordinated governance across human, animal, and environmental health sectors is indispensable for sustained disease mitigation and effective rabies control.
By equipping free-roaming dogs with GPS collars, researchers will gain real-time insights into canine movement patterns, enabling the mapping of trajectories, analysis of pack dynamics, home range variability, and interactions with human environments.
Academic and Institutional Capacity Building
Beyond empirical inquiry, the initiative is an incubator for emerging scholars. Makerere University and its partner institutions have embedded postgraduate training into the project’s architecture, equipping students with competencies in cross-disciplinary fieldwork, laboratory diagnostics, and community-based research.
Global Solidarity and Forward Trajectory
Notwithstanding anticipated challenges ranging from logistical constraints in remote terrains to sociocultural sensitivities, the Tracking Trails project offers an unprecedented confluence of innovation, collaboration, and public health utility. As it scales across Africa and Asia, it aspires to generate an empirically grounded, culturally attuned, and ethically informed blueprint for rabies control and canine population management. Dr. Dürr encapsulated the initiative’s ethos: “Rabies transcends borders. Dog mobility defies administrative frontiers. To safeguard both human and animal health, a synergistic, global, and interdisciplinary response is imperative.”
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere University Hosts Southwest Minzu University Delegation to Explore Academic Collaboration in Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine
Makerere University on the 23rd July 2026 welcomed a delegation from Southwest Minzu University, China, led by the Vice President, Professor Yang Sheng-Tao, for a high-level meeting focused on academic collaboration and joint capacity development in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine. The meeting, presided over by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Professor Sarah Ssali, brought together senior administrators from the College of Veterinary medicine, Animal resources And Bio-security (CoVAB), researchers, and partners from the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) to explore practical pathways for cooperation between the two institutions.
The visit forms part of a growing interest among international partners in the depth of expertise Makerere University has built over decades in agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine and related fields. For Southwest Minzu University, a public university with a strong reputation in ethnic and regional studies as well as agricultural and veterinary sciences, the visit represented an opportunity to identify shared research priorities and areas where the two institutions could pool resources, knowledge and talent.
The engagement is the latest in a series of international visits Makerere University has hosted in recent years, as the institution continues to position itself as a preferred partner for universities and research organizations seeking collaboration in agriculture, biosciences and allied fields. CoVAB has over the years built a reputation for research and training that draws interest from partners across Africa, Asia and beyond, and it is against this backdrop that the visit by the Southwest Minzu University delegation was received with considerable enthusiasm.
A Coordinated Effort Rooted in Local Expertise
The visit was coordinated by Mr. Kirunda Halid, a Makerere University alumnus currently working with the National Agricultural Research Organization and Uganda Christian University. Mr. Kirunda’s role in facilitating the engagement between Southwest Minzu University and Makerere reflects the value that the university continues to draw from its alumni network, particularly those who have gone on to build careers in research institutions with strong ties to national development priorities.
Presenting his report on the outcomes of the visit and the associated meetings, Mr Kirunda noted that the discussions had brought forth clear opportunities to expand collaboration in biotechnology, with particular emphasis on bio-fertilizers and research chemistry. He explained that these areas represent a natural convergence between the technical strengths of Southwest Minzu University and the applied research capacity that NARO and Makerere have developed over the years, particularly through facilities such as the Kawanda laboratories.
According to Mr. Kirunda, the conversations held during the visit went beyond general goodwill and touched on the practical steps required to move any partnership from an idea into a hands-on programme. He observed that both sides recognised the potential of biotechnology applications in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, especially where biofertilizer research could support sustainable agricultural practices, and where research chemistry could underpin diagnostics and product development work relevant to both institutions.
Mr. Kirunda’s dual position as a Makerere alumnus and a NARO researcher placed him in a unique position to bridge the interests of the visiting delegation with the realities of research infrastructure on the ground in Uganda. He noted that National Agricultural Research Organization facilities, particularly those at Kawanda, already carry out substantial work in areas that overlap closely with the interests expressed by Southwest Minzu University, and that this overlap is what makes the proposed collaboration especially promising. Rather than starting from scratch, he explained, the two sides would be building on existing capacity and simply need to align it more closely with shared objectives.
Makerere Open to Partnerships That Transfer Knowledge and Technology
In her remarks to the visiting delegation, Professor Sarah Ssali reaffirmed Makerere University‘s openness to collaborations of this nature. She emphasised that the university remains committed to building connections between universities and industries as a means of enabling knowledge and technology transfer, with the ultimate purpose of advancing joint research that benefits both institutions and the wider communities they serve.
“Partnerships such as the one being explored with Southwest Minzu University are consistent with Makerere University‘s broader institutional priorities, which place a strong emphasis on research that has real world application and on collaborations that strengthen the university’s ability to contribute to national and regional development”, Professor Ssali emphasized. She noted that animal husbandry and veterinary medicine are areas where Uganda continues to face practical challenges that require sustained research investment, and that international partnerships bring valuable perspectives, resources and technical expertise to tackle these challenges.
She also took the opportunity to thank Mr Kirunda for channelling the proposed collaboration from Southwest Minzu University to Makerere, describing his role as an example of the continuing value that Makerere alumni bring to the university long after they have left its lecture halls. Her remarks underscored the university’s recognition that partnerships of this kind often begin through individual relationships and networks built over years, before growing into formal institutional arrangements.
Introducing Southwest Minzu University
The head of the visiting delegation, Vice President of Southwest Minzu University, Professor Yang Sheng-Tao, used his remarks to introduce his university to the Makerere audience, sharing a number of quick facts about the institution’s history, academic focus and areas of strength. He explained that his presence at Makerere was driven by a genuine interest in enhancing collaboration between the two universities, and that he saw considerable potential for shared work in the fields of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine given the complementary strengths of both institutions.
Professor Yang’s remarks gave the Makerere hosts a clearer picture of Southwest Minzu University’s academic profile and helped frame the discussion around where the two institutions might find the greatest value in working together. His emphasis on enhancing collaboration echoed the broader tone of the visit, which combined introductions and relationship building with a practical focus on identifying specific technical areas for joint work.
Proposed Next Steps and Already Established Actions
Drawing from the discussions and Professor Yang Sheng-Tao and Mr Kirunda’s remarks, several concrete actions and next steps were proposed or are already underway to give the collaboration a firm foundation.
The first of the already established actions is a July 23rd 2026 visit to the China-Uganda Agricultural Cooperation Industrial Park in Luwero to provide technical guidance and training on Phased livestock production and standardized management practices. This assessment is intended to establish the current state of infrastructure, equipment and capacity at the relevant sites, so that any future partnership is built on an accurate understanding of what exists and what may still be needed.
The second proposed step is the development of a detailed collaboration workplan between the universities and the national laboratories involved. This work plan is expected to cover the specific technical areas identified during the visit, namely biotechnology, biofertilizers and chemistry, alongside clear articulation of funding sources, institutional responsibilities and timelines for implementation. Meeting participants agreed that a work plan of this nature would give both institutions a shared reference point for tracking progress and holding each other accountable to agreed milestones.
The coordinated visit, led by NARO and supported by Makerere University leadership alongside the Southwest Minzu University delegation, opened up promising avenues for collaboration in animal husbandry and veterinary medicine, particularly around biotechnology applications such as biofertilizers. The Kawanda laboratory was singled out as a key site for technical partnership going forward.
Looking Ahead
The meeting between Makerere University and the visiting Southwest Minzu University delegation reflects a wider pattern in which international academic partnerships are increasingly anchored in specific, actionable areas of shared interest rather than broad cooperation. The emphasis placed on site assessments, a detailed workplan, funding clarity and further engagement between technical and administrative parties suggests that both institutions intend to treat this visit as the beginning of a structured process rather than a one-off exchange of pleasantries.
For Makerere University, the engagement adds to a growing portfolio of international collaborations in agricultural and veterinary sciences, and reinforces the role that the university’s alumni, such as Mr Kirunda Halid, continue to play in connecting Makerere to new opportunities across the globe. For Southwest Minzu University, the visit represents an early but important step toward what Professor Yang Sheng-Tao and his delegation hope will become a lasting partnership grounded in shared research, capacity building and mutual benefit.
As both institutions now turn to the practical work of assessing laboratories, drafting workplans and identifying funding sources, the coming months are expected to determine how quickly this early goodwill translates into concrete joint programmes in biotechnology, biofertilizers, research chemistry, and the broader fields of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine that first brought the two universities together.
Makerere University‘s leadership expressed confidence that the foundation laid during this visit, built through the combined efforts of Professor Ssali’s office, the visiting delegation under Professor Yang Sheng-Tao, and the coordination provided by Mr Kirunda Halid and NARO, would translate into a partnership of lasting value. Both institutions indicated their willingness to maintain open communication as the proposed site assessments and workplan development proceed, with further meetings among technical and administrative leaders expected to follow in the short term.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere University Equips Livestock Finalist students for a Changing Job Market
At a time when youth unemployment continues to challenge economies across Africa, Makerere University is taking deliberate steps to prepare graduates for success beyond the classroom. The College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB) recently hosted a Careers Day for finalists in the Bachelor of Industrial Livestock and Business (BILB) and Bachelor of Animal Production Technology and Management (BAPT) programs.
Held under the theme “Bridging Academic Training and Industry Practice: Preparing Livestock Graduates for Professional Excellence and Sector Transformation,” the event brought together academic leaders, government officials, industry practitioners, and human resource experts to share insights on navigating the transition from university to the world of work.
Inspiring Messages of Integrity and Resilience
Dr. Dorothy Kalule Nampanzira, Head of the Department of Livestock and Industrial Resources, urged students to embrace integrity, resilience, and self-discovery as they step into professional life. “You are now adults, and wherever you go, you carry the name of Makerere University,” she reminded them.
Connecting Students to Opportunities
Dr. Sylvia Baluka introduced the Agricultural Sector Apprenticeship Programme, which provides paid placements to fresh graduates, offering hands-on experience and confidence-building opportunities. She emphasized the need for awareness and proactive applications to maximize access.
Rethinking Education and Work
Professor Anthony Mugisha challenged students to reflect on the difference between schooling and true education, urging them to become problem-solvers and entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.
Government and Industry Perspectives
Speakers from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development highlighted Uganda’s untapped opportunities in agriculture and livestock, encouraging graduates to approach challenges as openings for innovation. Practical sessions on CV writing and interview preparation reinforced the importance of readiness and professionalism.
Student Reflections
Final-year students described the Careers Day as transformative, noting that it bridged the gap between academic learning and real-world expectations while boosting confidence in their career paths.
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