Health
MakSPH, MOH and JMS Lead National Efforts to Build a Resilient Health Supply Chain
Kampala, 11 November 2025 —Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Joint Medical Stores (JMS) have launched a project to boost Uganda’s health supply chain. Backed by the Gates Foundation, it aims to improve emergency deliveries and use data to ensure lasting resilience.
The intervention began on Thursday, 6 November, with the flag-off of emergency distribution of medicines and health supplies at JMS in Nsambya. Under a sub-award from MakSPH, JMS is leading warehousing, distribution, redistribution of essential commodities, reverse logistics, and technical support to health facilities, including digital training for over 1,100 facilities in the Integrated Online Ordering System. The operation aims to deliver USAID-supplied medicines that had remained in storage since donor support was suspended earlier this year, preventing expiry and restoring last-mile delivery across the country.
Building on this, MakSPH convened a stakeholder consultative workshop on Monday, 10 November, at Kabira Country Club to guide the research component of the initiative. Officials from the Ministry of Health, development partners, and health logistics experts reviewed the scope of a new study on strategic analytics to strengthen a sustainable and resilient health supply chain. The consultation focused on refining research questions to ensure alignment with national priorities and stakeholder needs.
Dr. Suzanne Kiwanuka, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Health Policy, Planning, and Management (HPPM), stressed the need for practical, evidence-based collaboration.
“Our commitment is to make sure that whatever evidence we generate is useful. We want perspectives on governance, implementation, and the frontline, because when the supply chain isn’t functioning, a lot goes wrong,” said Prof. Kiwanuka.
The Ministry of Health has welcomed ongoing support from partners to stabilise the supply chain.
“I want to draw attention back to our 10-year health supply chain roadmap. Despite disruptions, we made important milestones in the first five years, and with support from Makerere University School of Public Health and the Gates Foundation, we are now focused on understanding challenges and building a resilient, sustainable supply chain,” said Dr. Ajulong Martha Grace, Assistant Commissioner, Pharmaceutical Supply Chain and Logistics.
Over the past decade, Uganda’s health supply chain has made steady progress under the 10-Year Roadmap for Health Supply Chain Self-Reliance (2021/22–2031/32), which sets out a vision for a self-reliant, efficient, and transparent system that ensures uninterrupted access to essential medicines. Efforts have focused on increasing financing, digitising logistics, strengthening local manufacturing, and expanding infrastructure.
Despite these gains, the system remains vulnerable. Limited financing, capacity gaps at subnational levels, and poor commodity reporting have contributed to stockouts and wastage. Heavy reliance on donor support, compounded with back-to-back shocks, has left Uganda’s health system exposed to shocks, such as the recent suspension of USAID support, which disrupted last-mile delivery to over 530 private not-for-profit health facilities.
Commodities worth more than UGX 79 billion have remained in storage, risking expiry and could potentially reverse service delivery gains. The Gates Foundation’s support comes at a critical moment to stabilise last-mile distribution while generating analytics to address deeper structural challenges.
“Before these financial disruptions, our public sector supply chain was already under intense pressure to meet rising last-mile demands. The current challenges are a critical opportunity to address long-standing bottlenecks, improve delivery of essential medicines, strengthen real-time monitoring, and build a more sustainable health system in Uganda,” said Timothy Musila, a Health Policy, Planning and Financing Specialist.
MakSPH, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, will carry out Strategic Systems Analytics to strengthen Uganda’s supply chain. The research will examine financing gaps, fiscal space, operational inefficiencies, and performance at the subnational and last-mile levels. This co-created evidence generation will also identify opportunities for sustainable financing and efficiency gains to reduce reliance on external aid and to guide reforms that ensure that essential medicines and products remain accessible to all Ugandans.
This work is spearheaded by Professor Rhoda Wanyenze, as the Principal Investigator, and Associate Professor Suzanne Kiwanuka, the Co-Principal Investigator/Research Technical Lead on the Makerere University side. Dr. Charles Olaro, Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, is the focal person on a five-member steering committee overseeing the implementation. The team includes Pamela Achii, Procurement and Supply Chain Management Specialist at the Ministry, and Mr. Timothy Musila.
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% |
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