Kampala — A high-level webinar hosted by the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships in collaboration with the Directorate of Graduate Training at Makerere University has reinforced the urgent need for early engagement with research ethics, drawing over 500 participants in attendance and close to 980 registrations to discuss ethical approval processes and responsible research conduct.
Delivering the closing remarks, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, emphasized that research ethics is not merely an administrative requirement but the very cornerstone of academic excellence and integrity.
“Research ethics is not something you come to at the end of your study—it is the foundation upon which credible and impactful research is built,” Prof. Ssali said. “From proposal development to dissemination, every stage must reflect ethical responsibility.”
Prof. Sarah Ssali.
She urged graduate students to take full ownership of ethical responsibility by embedding ethical considerations throughout the research process. Cautioning against misconduct, she added: “Shortcuts such as falsification of data or unethical practices will not only compromise your work but will also attract serious academic and disciplinary consequences.”
Prof. Ssali further encouraged researchers to actively seek guidance from supervisors and Research Ethics Committees (RECs), reaffirming the university’s commitment to building a robust culture of responsible, transparent, and credible research.
Earlier, Dr. Hellen Opolot, the Assistant Executive Secretary and Head of the Division of Research Management and Quality Assurance at the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology, delivered a comprehensive presentation on research misconduct and its far-reaching implications.
“Research misconduct goes beyond fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism,” Dr. Opolot explained. “We are also seeing practices such as ghost authorship, lack of ethical approval, selective reporting, and data manipulation, all of which undermine the integrity of research.”
Dr. Hellen Opolot.
She noted that pressures to publish, competition for funding, weak supervision, and limited training in ethics often drive such misconduct.
“These practices damage institutional reputations, erode public trust, and weaken the credibility of academic qualifications,” she warned. “They can lead to loss of funding, broken partnerships, and even affect national development because the knowledge produced becomes unreliable.”
Dr. Opolot called for stronger enforcement mechanisms, continuous ethics training, and strict alignment with national regulatory frameworks to safeguard research quality.
In his opening remarks, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, Prof. Robert Wamala, underscored the need to address ethics at the very beginning of the research journey.
Prof Robert Wamala.
“Many students treat ethical approval as a last-stage requirement, and that is where the problem begins,” Prof. Wamala said. “Ethics must come first if we are to produce credible and impactful research.”
He urged researchers to engage RECs early, noting that ethical compliance is critical for protecting participants’ rights and ensuring globally acceptable research outputs. He also highlighted institutional support systems available to guide researchers through the ethical approval process.
Prof. Julius Kikooma, Director of Graduate Training, emphasized that ethical compliance is central to the university’s research agenda.
Prof. Julius Kikooma.
“Ethical clearance is not optional—it is a requirement,” Prof. Kikooma stated. “Without it, students cannot defend their research or graduate. This is clearly stipulated in our Graduate Handbook and institutional policies.”
He also pointed to emerging ethical challenges, particularly in the use of artificial intelligence, calling for responsible and informed application of new technologies in research.
From the Research Ethics Committee perspective, Prof. Stella Neema the Chair MAKSS-REC explained that ethical approval is mandatory for studies involving human participants, personal data, sensitive topics, or vulnerable groups.
Prof. Stella Neema.
“There is no retrospective approval,” she stressed. “Researchers must obtain ethical clearance before they begin data collection. That is non-negotiable.”
She encouraged researchers to consult RECs for guidance, especially where exemptions may apply, emphasizing adherence to ethical standards to protect participants and maintain research integrity.
Dr. Paul Kutyabami.
Dr. Daniel Waiswa, representing the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Research Ethics Committee (CAES REC), highlighted the broader value of ethical research.
Dr Moses Ocan.
“Ethics ensures protection of participants, promotes valid and reliable findings, and sustains public trust,” Dr. Waiswa noted. “Principles such as informed consent, confidentiality, fairness, and minimizing harm are essential if research is to have real societal impact.”
Prof. Eddy J. Walakira.
The webinar also brought together several Research Ethics Committee Chairpersons, including Dr. Paul Kutyabami, Dr. Moses Ocan, and Dr. Eddie Walakira, among others—reflecting a strong, coordinated commitment to strengthening ethical research oversight across institutions. Overall, the engagement delivered a unified message: ethical approval is not a procedural hurdle but a fundamental pillar of quality research. Participants were urged to “start with ethics” to ensure their work meets the highest standards of integrity, credibility, and societal relevance.
Research has the greatest value when it moves beyond publication to improve lives.
At Makerere University’s Centre of Excellence for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH Centre) housed at Makerere University School of Public Health, research, partnerships and innovation are being translated into action to strengthen reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) in Uganda and beyond.
Welcome to the September MNCH Centre e-Post 135.
This month, we spotlight how evidence is informing action across reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) at the centre.
Explore how Centre researchers and partners are advancing innovations to reduce early perinatal mortality, how Makerere University through the Centre and WHO are strengthening capacity to monitor health inequalities, and how the Centre and its partners are leveraging AI to strengthen health systems and improve malaria surveillance.
Discover what these innovations could mean for scale, stronger health systems and greater impact.
As part of the Lake Victoria Improved Water Level Management through Advanced Modelling (LIVWA) Project, newly developed tools were unveiled during a dissemination workshop hosted by the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) on August 26th, 2026. The project seeks to develop advanced hydrological and climate models to enhance water level management in Lake Victoria, East Africa’s largest freshwater resource.
The tools were designed to integrate remote sensing and reanalysis climate datasets with advanced hydrological modeling, enabling researchers and policymakers to better predict fluctuations in water levels in the lake. By combining historical data with AI and Machine Learning forecasting, the models aim to provide actionable insights for sustainable water resource management. Click here for details
Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), through the Africa-Europe Cluster of Research Excellence (CoRE) for Preparedness and Response to Pandemics and Shocks, has shared findings from its study of Uganda’s Mpox response with stakeholders in Kasese, Amuru, Nakasongola and Mayuge districts to strengthen district preparedness for future outbreaks.
The Africa-Europe CoRE is a partnership co-led by MakSPH and the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at UCLouvain, Belgium. It brings together universities in Africa and Europe to strengthen research, training and preparedness for pandemics and other public health shocks.
The district-level dissemination meetings, held from 10 to 14 August 2026, brought together more than 100 local government, health and security officials, Village Health Teams, implementing partners and community representatives. The meetings enabled stakeholders to validate the district-level findings, identify practical actions and provide feedback for the study’s final analysis and national dissemination.
Mr. Philliam Jabim shares the Mpox response study findings with participants during the dissemination meeting in Nakasongola District on 12 August 2026.
Uganda confirmed its first two Mpox cases on 24 July 2024 at Bwera Hospital in Kasese District. The Ministry of Health declared an outbreak on 2 August 2024. As documented in the study, the response involved health workers, communities, local governments, security agencies, political leaders, and implementing partners.
In response to the outbreak, a MakSPH research team led by Prof. Rhoda Wanyenze, Dr. Rawlance Ndejjo, Dr. Steven Kabwama and Mr. Douglas Bulafu conducted a study in May 2025 to assess Uganda’s Mpox response, including its policies, interventions, strategies and challenges, and generate lessons to inform recovery and strengthen preparedness for future public health emergencies.
Using purposive sampling, the research team conducted 20 key informant interviews and five focus group discussions in each of the four districts, drawing perspectives from western Uganda in Kasese, northern Uganda in Amuru, central Uganda in Nakasongola and eastern Uganda in Mayuge.
Participants and the MakSPH research team at the Mpox response study dissemination meeting in Nakasongola District on 12 August 2026.
The study, titled Assessment of the Mpox Response in Uganda: Documenting Challenges, Lessons and Innovations to Strengthen Emergency Preparedness and Response Capacities, was funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere UniversityResearch and Innovation Fund (Mak-RIF).
“This study is helping us move beyond recounting the Mpox response to identifying the actions that districts and national partners can take before the next outbreak. By validating the findings with stakeholders who led and experienced the response, we are ensuring that the evidence reflects local realities and can inform stronger surveillance, risk communication, coordination and community engagement,” said Mr. Bulafu, who led the MakSPH team during the dissemination meeting in Amuru.
Mr. Douglas Bulafu engages participants during the Mpox response study dissemination meeting in Amuru District on 10 August 2026.
In Amuru, the 10 August meeting brought together over 25 stakeholders from the district health team, political leadership, security agencies, Village Health Teams, implementing partners and the community. On the same day, a second MakSPH team, led by Mr. Keneth Sebukeera and Mr. Filimin Niyongabo, convened stakeholders in Kasese for a parallel validation meeting. The consultations then continued in Nakasongola on 12 August and concluded in Mayuge on 14 August, extending the study’s engagement across all four districts.
Across the districts, stakeholders said the results reflected their experience during the outbreak. They pointed to strengths in leadership, coordination, community engagement and partner support, while also describing gaps in documentation, logistics, diagnostic access, staffing, risk communication, public trust and continuity of essential health services.
They also noted inconsistent implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) 7-1-7 target, which calls for detecting a suspected outbreak within seven days, notifying public health authorities within one day and completing early response actions within seven days.
The MakSPH research team, led by Mr. Keneth Sebukeera and Mr. Filimin Niyongabo, with participants during the Mpox response study dissemination meeting in Kasese District on 10 August 2026.
In Kasese, stakeholders highlighted gaps in documentation, financial and logistical resources, and human resources. They identified Village Health Teams and grassroots, religious and cultural leaders as important resources for community surveillance and risk communication. They called for stronger collaboration between technical and non-technical leaders, engagement with traditional healers, greater use of local radio for public sensitisation, and better facilitation of district epidemic response teams to reach distant communities.
Amuru participants called for proactive preparedness in the border district, citing misinformation and rumours as barriers to risk communication. They urged timely, accurate information from health workers and other authorities; training in disease surveillance and grant writing to strengthen capacity and resource mobilisation; and compassionate care, psychosocial support and community awareness to reduce stigma and support survivor reintegration.
During the meeting in Nakasongola, stakeholders identified Community Health Workers and Community Health Extension Workers as potential resources for strengthening community surveillance and addressing workforce shortages. Given the district’s position around Lake Kyoga and along the Kampala-South Sudan transit corridor, they also called for stronger documentation, note-taking and reporting, accurate real-time information, closer communication with the Ministry of Health, and collaboration among technical, political, religious and community leaders.
Ms. Eunice Vivian Asingo, Senior Nursing Officer at Nakasongola Health Centre IV, contributes to the discussion during the Mpox response study dissemination meeting in Nakasongola District on 12 August 2026.
Ms. Eunice Vivian Asingo, Senior Nursing Officer at Nakasongola Health Centre IV, called for a permanent, adequately resourced outbreak-management centre to help protect routine services during future epidemics. “We appeal for better facilities to manage epidemics and outbreaks. At Nakasongola Health Centre IV, spaces previously used for outbreak management have been repurposed for other services, and we have limited staff. During the Mpox response, colleagues assigned to manage patients later returned to the general team, creating fear among staff already under pressure,” she said.
In Mayuge, Dr. Basembeza highlighted leadership, coordination and surveillance structures operating from district to community level as important factors in the response. He said the structures enabled the district to receive and respond quickly to community alerts. “Whenever there is a rumour or an alert, we are able to respond. Within 20 minutes, we had a response because of the structure we have,” Dr. Basembeza said.
Based on the findings, the research team recommends increased preparedness financing, stronger community engagement, decentralised diagnostic services through stronger district laboratory capacity, and improved health information and research systems.
Across the four districts, stakeholders reaffirmed that trusted community structures and coordinated action across sectors are essential to strengthening outbreak preparedness.
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