General
Makerere Staff Urged to Serve Students with Integrity, Compassion and Godly Wisdom
Makerere University staff have been urged to embrace servant leadership, integrity and compassion as they prepare to welcome students for the 2026/2027 Academic Year.
The call was made during the Makerere University Staff Prayer Breakfast held on 31st July 2026 at St. Francis Students Centre Upper Hall under the theme “Faithful Stewards: A Servant Heart with Integrity and Wisdom,” drawn from Colossians 3:23–24 and Mark 10:35–45.
The prayer breakfast brought together members of Council, University Management, academic, and administrative staff to dedicate the new academic year to God while reflecting on their responsibility of serving students with excellence, humility and integrity.
A Call to Seek God’s Wisdom
Host Rev. Dr. Lydia Nsaale Kitayimbwa reminded staff that no amount of professional experience or academic expertise can replace God’s guidance.
She noted that the University’s mission can only be fulfilled when staff continually seek God’s wisdom in serving students and one another.
“There is no amount of experience or expertise that can replace God’s wisdom.”
Rev. Dr. Kitayimbwa observed that students remain the reason universities exist and challenged staff to approach their work as a calling rather than merely employment.
“Without students, there is no university,” she said, encouraging members of staff to remain united, avoid unhealthy competition and trust God as they begin another academic year.
She further urged staff to become faithful stewards who work together in harmony, which she summed up as, “United we stand; divided we fall.”
A Community, Not Just a Centre of Research
In her remarks, Dean of Students Dr. Winnie Kabumbuli welcomed the Council Chairperson, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) and Members of Management to the breakfast, and reminded staff that a university’s value cannot be measured by research and innovation alone.
She described Makerere as a community held together by the spiritual as well as academic wellbeing of its people, and called on staff to renew their commitment to one another as much as to the institution they serve.
Draw Inspiration From Stewardship
Representing the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Prof. Sarah Ssali told staff that this year’s breakfast carried special significance.
“This is the first prayer breakfast we are having ever since we launched our strategic plan,” she said, referring to the University’s new Strategic Plan, launched on 2nd July 2026.
She encouraged staff to hold on to the morning’s reflections as a guide for implementing the plan over the next five years, describing Makerere as an institution many families choose above all others for the vision and training it offers their children. She urged staff to see themselves as stewards of that trust rather than simply employees carrying out a job.
Compassion and Discipline Must Go Together
Delivering her remarks, Makerere University Council Chairperson Dr. Lorna Magara challenged staff to strike a balance between compassion and discipline when dealing with students.
She observed that many students face different personal and academic challenges, making encouragement and timely support essential throughout their university journey.
“A word of encouragement can restore hope and prevent costly mistakes,” she noted.
Dr. Lorna encouraged lecturers and administrators to respond promptly to students’ concerns, explaining that delays, insensitive decisions and abuse of authority can discourage students and negatively affect their academic experience.
She reminded staff that students often remember how they were treated long after they have forgotten what was taught in class.
“Students may eventually forget what we teach them, but they will always remember how we treated them.”
She added that education goes beyond transferring knowledge.
“Education is more than knowledge. We communicate life, character and values.”
Quoting Mark 10, Dr. Lorna called upon staff to embrace servant leadership by exercising authority with humility, integrity and accountability.
She encouraged members of staff to ask themselves whether they would treat every student the same way ashey would treat their own child.
“We may not always have all the answers,” she said, “but we can communicate honestly, take responsibility and treat every student with dignity.”
She concluded by urging different colleges and administrative units to work together instead of operating in isolation, noting that unity strengthens the University community.
Referring to Galatians 6:2, she reminded staff to carry one another’s burdens and remain faithful stewards of the responsibility entrusted to them.
Servant Leadership Begins with Faithfulness
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. James Magara, husband to Dr. Lorna Magara, called on members of staff to embrace servant leadership grounded in humility, faithfulness and service to others.
Drawing from Mark 10:35–45, Dr. Magara reflected on the account in which James and John asked Jesus for positions of honour in His kingdom, prompting discontent among the other disciples. He observed that despite walking closely with Christ, the disciples continued to struggle with the desire for status and recognition. He noted that such competition remained evident even during the Last Supper, where concerns over positions and prominence persisted.
Dr. Magara said that Jesus responded to these human tendencies by redefining leadership through service rather than authority. He described Christ’s act of washing the disciples’ feet as the ultimate demonstration of servant leadership, explaining that genuine leaders are willing to undertake even the humblest responsibilities in service of others.
Referencing Philippians 2, he urged staff to emulate Christ’s humility and selflessness, contrasting it with the pride and self-exaltation illustrated in Isaiah 14. He emphasised that lasting influence and greatness are not measured by titles, positions or recognition, but by one’s willingness to serve faithfully and put the needs of others before personal ambition.
Drawing on his own leadership journey spanning several decades, Dr. Magara challenged leaders across the University to cultivate humility, integrity and a servant heart in the execution of their responsibilities. He cautioned that leadership driven by pride and personal ambition undermines both individual effectiveness and institutional progress, whereas servant leadership strengthens organisations and fosters lasting impact.
The prayer breakfast concluded with a call for unity and collective commitment as Makerere University prepares to begin a new academic year. Organisers noted that the reflections on stewardship, integrity and servant leadership would provide a strong foundation for the University community as it advances the implementation of the Makerere University Strategic Plan 2025–2030.
Makerere University has been confirmed as the official host of the 2026 East African University Games, a regional sporting spectacle organized under the Federation of East African University Sports (FEAUS). The Games, scheduled to run from the fifteenth to the twentieth of December 2026, will bring together thousands of student athletes from universities across the East African region for six days of competition, culture and camaraderie on the historic Hill.
For an institution that has long positioned itself as the intellectual and cultural heartbeat of the region, hosting the East African University Games is more than a sporting assignment. It is a statement. Makerere, the oldest and arguably most storied university in East Africa, will once again open its gates, fields, courts and pools to the youth of a region bound together by geography, history and an increasingly shared vision for higher education and sport.
A Regional Showcase Under FEAUS
The Federation of East African University Sports exists to promote unity, excellence and healthy competition among universities in the East African Community. Through its biennial Games, FEAUS has steadily grown into one of the most anticipated calendar events for university sport administrators, coaches and athletes across the region. The 2026 edition, hosted by Makerere, is expected to be the largest in the competition’s history, both in terms of the number of disciplines contested and the scale of participation.
University sport in East Africa has, over the years, served as a quiet but powerful pipeline for national and even continental representation. Many athletes who have gone on to wear their national colors first tested themselves on university tracks, courts and pitches. The East African University Games have become a proving ground where talent is discovered, friendships across borders are formed and the spirit of regional integration is nurtured through sport rather than diplomacy alone.
Twenty Disciplines, One Hill
The scale of the 2026 Games is reflected clearly in the breadth of disciplines on offer. Athletes will compete across twenty different sporting disciplines for both men and women, an ambitious lineup that speaks to how far university sport in the region has come.
The full list of disciplines includes Athletics in the form of Track and Field, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Darts, Handball, Hockey, Karate, Netball, Rugby Sevens, Scrabble, Soccer, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tae Kwon Do, Tennis, Volleyball, Woodball, Goalball and Sitting Volleyball.
The inclusion of Goalball and Sitting Volleyball alongside the more familiar disciplines is particularly notable. Both are sports developed specifically for athletes with disabilities, and their presence on the program signals a deliberate and welcome commitment by FEAUS and the host institution to inclusivity within university sport. It is a reminder that the Games are not simply about who can run fastest or jump highest, but about creating a platform broad enough for every kind of athlete to belong.
The presence of mind sports such as Chess and Scrabble alongside traditional physical disciplines also reflects a growing appreciation, across university sporting federations, of the fact that competition is not confined to muscle and stamina. Sharpness of mind deserves its own stage, and Makerere, a university built on scholarship, seems a fitting place for that stage to stand.
For Makerere specifically, several of these disciplines carry personal significance. The university’s swimming program, anchored by the Mak Sharks Swim Club, has built a reputation for producing competitive swimmers who consistently perform well on regional and national stages. Woodball, a discipline that Makerere athletes have represented with distinction at international competitions, will also feature prominently. The Mak Scrabble team, fresh off notable tournament success, will be looking to translate that form onto home turf. Rugby, through the Makerere Impis Rugby Club’s ongoing campaign in the Uganda Rugby Premier League, adds another layer of anticipation, as Makerere‘s rugby program has been building steady momentum in recent seasons.
A Games of Considerable Scale
Organizers project that the 2026 East African University Games will attract between four thousand and six thousand athletes, a figure that places the event among the largest university sporting gatherings the region has ever seen. When one factors in coaches, technical officials, university delegations, medical teams and support staff, the total number of people converging on Makerere for the six days of competition could comfortably exceed that range.
This scale presents both an extraordinary opportunity and a significant logistical undertaking. Accommodation, transport, catering, medical readiness, security and venue management across twenty disciplines are not small matters, and the university administration, alongside FEAUS and government partners, has already begun the work of preparing Makerere‘s sporting and residential infrastructure to receive delegations from across the East African Community.
Makerere‘s campus, with its sprawling grounds, well established sports facilities and central location within Kampala, offers a natural advantage as host. The university’s swimming pool, athletics track, courts and playing fields, many of which have hosted national and regional competitions before, will be put through what is likely to be their most demanding test yet.
What Hosting Means for Makerere
Beyond the logistics and the medal count, there is something deeper at stake for Makerere in hosting these Games. The university has, for over a century, positioned itself as a place where East Africa’s brightest minds converge. The East African University Games extend that identity into the realm of sport, offering Makerere a chance to demonstrate that its excellence is not confined to lecture halls and research laboratories.
Hosting also carries symbolic weight for regional cooperation. At a time when East African nations continue to explore deeper integration through trade, infrastructure and mobility, the Games offer a softer but no less meaningful form of unity. Young people from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan and Uganda, among others, will share dormitories, dining halls and playing fields for nearly a week. Rivalries formed on the pitch are likely to dissolve into friendships formed off it, the kind of quiet diplomacy that sport has always been uniquely good at producing.
For Makerere‘s own athletes, competing on home soil brings both privilege and pressure. Home advantage in terms of familiar terrain, local support and reduced travel fatigue is real, but so is the expectation that comes with being the host nation’s flagship university. Makerere‘s various sports clubs, from the Sharks in the pool to the Impis on the rugby pitch to the university’s netball, basketball and athletics teams, will be under considerable pressure to perform in front of a home crowd.
Preparations Underway
With the Games still several months away, preparations across the university are already gathering pace. Facility assessments, athlete registration frameworks and coordination structures between Makerere‘s sports department and the FEAUS secretariat are among the early steps being taken to ensure the event runs smoothly.
University leadership has emphasized that hosting an event of this magnitude requires not just the sports department but the entire institution to pull together. Departments handling accommodation, catering, medical services, transport and security will all play a part in the months leading up to December. Student volunteers, a resource Makerere has never lacked, are also expected to be mobilized in large numbers to support the smooth running of the Games.
There is also an academic calendar consideration. With the Games scheduled for mid to late December, they fall conveniently close to the end of the university’s academic year, a timing that should minimize disruption to coursework while still allowing student athletes ample time to prepare and compete without the added burden of examinations.
Looking Ahead to December
Beyond the athletes themselves, the Games are expected to draw considerable public interest. Alumni scattered across East Africa, many of whom passed through Makerere‘s own sports clubs during their student years, are likely to return to the Hill to witness the spectacle. Local businesses around Kampala, from hospitality to transport, stand to benefit from the influx of visitors, and the university’s own reputation as a destination capable of hosting large scale regional events will be reinforced.
Media coverage of the Games is also expected to be extensive. Regional broadcasters, university publications such as this one, and independent sports journalists are all likely to descend on Makerere to document six days that promise drama, upsets, personal bests and, for some athletes, career defining performances. For a university with a long tradition of storytelling and scholarship, there could hardly be a more fitting stage on which to write the next chapter of East African university sport.
As the countdown to the fifteenth of December 2026 begins, anticipation is already building across Makerere‘s various sports clubs and among the wider student body. For six days, the Hill will transform into a regional sporting capital, hosting athletes from across East Africa in a celebration that spans twenty disciplines and, by extension, twenty different stories of dedication, discipline and dreams.
Makerere University has hosted many significant regional and continental gatherings over its long history, from academic conferences to cultural festivals. The 2026 East African University Games, however, will be among the most ambitious in scale and reach. It is an opportunity for the university to reaffirm, once again, why it remains a name synonymous with excellence across East Africa, not only in scholarship but now, resoundingly, in sport.
As preparations continue, the university community awaits further details on venue allocations, ticketing arrangements and the full competition schedule. What is certain, however, is that come December, all eyes in East African university sport will be fixed firmly on Makerere.
By Moses Lutaaya
Kampala, September 4, 2026 — Makerere University and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have explored new opportunities for strengthening academic, research and innovation collaboration between Uganda, Japan and other African countries, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence (AI), aerospace engineering, materials and remote sensing, food value chains, energy, water and climate change.
The discussions took place on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the Makerere University Main Building in the Vice Chancellor’s Board Room, during a visit by a JICA delegation led by Dr. Okano Takasei, Senior Advisor, Human Development Department of JICA.
Makerere keen to deepen collaboration with JICA
Welcoming the delegation, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Sarah Ssali, highlighted Makerere University’s long-standing tradition of research, international collaboration and contribution to knowledge generation in Uganda and beyond.
Prof. Ssali noted that Makerere has built a strong global research footprint through partnerships with institutions around the world, observing that the University is well positioned to deepen international collaboration as emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, continue to transform research and higher education.
“Uganda has a very long history of doing research, and particularly it has informed research findings in the areas global health research,” Prof. Ssali said, pointing to Uganda’s historical contribution to global scientific knowledge.
She cited the country’s contribution to medical and biological research, including early research on sleeping sickness, noting that Uganda’s unique research environment continues to offer opportunities for scientific discovery.
Prof. Ssali said Makerere’s history of collaboration with Japan is particularly significant, noting that Japanese cooperation has contributed not only to academic and research activities but also to infrastructure development and other sectors in Uganda.
She cited the establishment of the JICA building at Makerere, describing it as one of the visible symbols of Japan’s long-standing partnership with Makerere University.
According to Prof. Ssali, the building, which houses College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS) disciplines of geology, petroleum studies and administrative offices, was constructed during her undergraduate years and completed within a remarkably short period.
Prof. Ssali said the long-standing relationship between Uganda, Makerere University and Japan provides a strong foundation upon which new areas of collaboration can be built. She encouraged the visiting JICA delegation to explore the University and identify areas where existing partnerships could be strengthened or new areas of cooperation developed.
“Please take time and explore and see where either you already have a footprint, where you’ve ever had a footprint, or where you could explore new areas,” she said.
Prof. Ssali added that Makerere was privileged to host the JICA delegation and expressed optimism that the visit would lead to meaningful and sustainable partnerships.
Strengthening Joint Collaboration through AJ-ASPIRE
Dr. Okano, in his remarks as leader of the delegation said the visit formed part of a broader JICA initiative aimed at promoting academic and research collaboration between Japanese and African universities.
He explained that the initiative was launched on the occasion of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), held in Yokohama in September 2025, with the objective of strengthening academic and research partnerships between Japan and Africa.
According to Dr. Okano, the initiative is intended to benefit both African and Japanese universities by providing platforms for internationalisation, collaborative research and the exchange of knowledge, researchers and students. “We would like to play a role of facilitator between universities in Japan and Africa and Uganda as well,” he said.
He explained that JICA is currently promoting the initiative through three African hub universities where JICA already has ongoing projects and experts on the ground.
The three institutions are Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) in Egypt, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) in Kenya, and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Dr. Okano said the selection of the three institutions was informed by the presence of ongoing JICA-supported projects and experts who can facilitate collaboration between the hub universities and institutions across Africa and Japan.
The hub universities are currently coordinating research with Japanese universities in strategic areas, with E-JUST focusing on energy, JKUAT leading work on food value chains, and Stellenbosch University focusing on water and climate change.
Dr. Okano said JICA was particularly pleased to explore collaboration with Makerere University under the African-Japan Initiative for Research and Education Partnerships, known as AJ-ASPIRE.
He outlined three major avenues through which Makerere could participate in the initiative.
The first is participation in existing research programmes hosted by the three hub universities. He added that Makerere researchers could join ongoing research on energy, food value chains, water and climate change, thereby creating opportunities to work with Japanese and other African researchers.
“We would like to explore opportunity for researchers from Makerere University to participate in these ongoing research activities and expand collaboration with Japanese and African partner institutions,” Dr. Okano said.
The second area is the development of new research networks in artificial intelligence and aerospace engineering. Dr. Okano said JICA was planning to establish new research groups focusing on the two areas and would be interested in having Makerere researchers participate in the emerging networks. “We would like to also invite researchers from Makerere University to join these networks and implementation of future collaboration in these two research topics, aerospace engineering and AI,” he said.
The third proposed avenue is increased collaboration between Makerere University and E-JUST, which Dr. Okano said offers fully funded scholarship opportunities for African students through a programme jointly supported by the governments of Egypt and Japan.
He noted that a number of Makerere graduates have already benefited from the programme, including researchers who have pursued doctoral studies and research opportunities in Egypt and Japan.
Dr. Okano cited the example of Mr. Abdonoor Kalibala, a Makerere alumnus whom he recently met in Hiroshima, Japan, following completion of PhD in Mechatronics and Robotics engineering at E-JUST. Mr. Kalibala conducted research in Japan for up to six months under the supervision of a Japanese professor as part of his doctoral programme.
Dr. Okano said such programmes could help strengthen the movement of researchers between Uganda, Egypt and Japan and create lasting institutional partnerships.
He added that JICA is also providing small research grants to alumni of the programmes to help them maintain and expand research collaboration involving Japan, E-JUST and African institutions.
He said Makerere could leverage such opportunities to increase the participation of its students and researchers in international research networks.
AI, Materials and Remote Sensing and International Relations Set the Pace
Prof. Robert Wamala, Director of Research, Innovations and Partnerships at Makerere University, said the visit followed an online engagement held a few weeks earlier between Makerere University and JICA, during which several areas and units within the University were identified as potential points of collaboration.
Prof. Wamala said these included the Makerere University AI Lab, the University’s International Office and researchers working in space engineering, particularly in materials and remote sensing.
He welcomed the transition from online discussions to physical engagement, saying the visit would allow JICA representatives to interact directly with researchers, academic units and University authorities. “This interest is being followed up through an in-person visit, which provides us an opportunity for JICA to engage directly with the relevant units and researchers at Makerere University,” Prof. Wamala said.
For Makerere, he added, the initiative provides an opportunity to connect the University’s research strengths with Japanese universities, research institutions and development partners to address shared development challenges.
Prof. Wamala said the University was particularly interested in identifying practical areas of collaboration that could move beyond general discussions to concrete research partnerships, joint projects and opportunities for students and researchers.
He noted that the JICA delegation’s on-campus interactions scheduled to take place throughout the day would enable the two sides to identify specific areas of mutual interest. “We hope these engagements will help us identify specific areas of future interest and provide a basis for developing concrete areas of collaboration under the AJ-ASPIRE,” Prof. Wamala said.
He reiterated Makerere’s commitment to strengthening international research partnerships and thanked JICA for its continued interest in the University.
Dr. Okano, was accompanied by Mr. Ito Idomu, Research and Advisor at the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Osaki Mistuhiro from JICA headquarters, Ms. Eric Maeda from JICA Headquarters, and Ms. Ruth Mbabazi from JICA Uganda.
JICA follow-up meetings with Makerere research units
Following the high-level meeting in the Vice Chancellor’s Board Room, the JICA team, together with the Directorate of Research, Innovations and Partnerships, proceeded to engage with key research and administrative units at Makerere University identified as strategic to the proposed areas of collaboration.
The delegation held meetings with the Makerere University AI Lab, led by Dr. Joyce Nabende of the College of Computing and Information Sciences (COCIS), to explore opportunities for cooperation in artificial intelligence and related emerging technologies.
The team also met officials from the Makerere University International Office, led by Mr. Mathias Ssemanda, where discussions focused on opportunities for strengthening international academic linkages, mobility and institutional partnerships.
A further engagement was held with the Department of Geomatics and Land Management, focusing on materials and remote sensing, led by Prof. Lydia Kayondo from the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT).
The engagements provided an opportunity for the JICA team and Makerere researchers to move from broad discussions on collaboration to more specific conversations around research interests, expertise, existing projects and potential areas for joint work.
The visit marks an important step towards strengthening Makerere University’s engagement with Japanese and African research institutions under AJ-ASPIRE, while opening opportunities for researchers and students to participate in emerging international networks in artificial intelligence, aerospace engineering, remote sensing and other strategic areas of science, technology and innovation.
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