By Otim Nape
In the last decade or so, some detractors of Makerere University have drummed up a narrative that standards – in all aspects academic and infrastructural – had significantly declined at Uganda’s premier institution of higher learning which is now 97 years old, having been founded in 1922. This means that the university will celebrate a century of existence in 2022, now just about three years away.
Indeed, as Makerere prepares to celebrate that centennial milestone, there is a lot to jubilate about in terms of teaching, innovation and research – which is university’s core mandate – and infrastructural developments.
RESEARCH & INNOVATION
The flagship Makerere University research and innovation project in recent times was the Kiira Electric Vehicle (EV) launched and tested in 2011. However, the development of the Vehicle Design Project (VDP) began in 2007 as an innovative research project aimed at applying contemporary technologies to develop sustainable transportation solutions for Uganda and Africa.
The small baby steps of 2011 were followed by the assembling of the prototype 35-seater Kayoola Solar Bus launched in 2017 and the upmarket stylish Kiira EVS, a 4-Seater Executive Vehicle built off the Kiira EV SMACK Platform and fitted with a 2.0 Litre Petrol Engine, 5-Speed Automatic Transmission, and an exquisite Beige Interior Trim.
All these innovations are now under the Kiira Motors Corporation, a State Enterprise incorporated under the Uganda Companies Act (2012) to champion the Development of the Domestic Automotive Value Chain for job and wealth creation in line with Uganda’s Vision 2040. The equity partners are the Government of Uganda represented by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Makerere University.
Government, through the Uganda Investment Authority, allocated 100 acres of land for the establishment of the Kiira Vehicle Plant in Jinja Industrial and Business Park. Construction began on 11th February, 2019 and is expected to take two and a half years, with completion slated for June 2021.
The other vehicle type to be assembled at the Kiira Vehicle Plant will be the KIIRA EV SMACK, a 5-seater front-wheel drive sedan with a traction motor powered by a rechargeable battery bank and an internal combustion engine-based generator as well as a medium size pickup.
Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT), where the Kiira EV dream began, has also designed and manufactured a water pump to help farmers reduce the costs of irrigation. The Low cost project is also engaged in testing this pump and educating farmers on the different types of irrigation and its importance.
Similarly, in March 2017, Prof. Noble Banadda led a research team and developed a solar-powered irrigation pump as a cheap and reliable solution for small scale farmers. The entire system composed of the solar panel (100watts), a battery and a pump can be assembled at a cost of Shs6.5million and can efficiently work on surface water although adjustment can be made on the size of the solar panel and water pump to utilize underground water.
The multi-award-winning Prof. Banadda is the Chair Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES).
According to Dr. Muhammed Kiggundu Musoke, the Manager Communications and International Relations at Makerere University, the institution is at the forefront of changing and easing lives.
“These innovations not only cement Makerere’s position as the leading University in Uganda and one of the best in Africa but also most importantly, that it contributes to the betterment of society by offering solutions to society problems,” said Dr. Kiggundu Musoke.
The soft spoken former chairman of the radical Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) added that Makerere is also collaborating with the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) and a number of universities in the US to find a vaccine for the deadly HIV. The US universities include the acclaimed John Hopkins University, North Western University, Walter Reed Project, University of Vermont and University of Washington-Seattle. Makerere also runs a research collaboration with Duke University on Neurosurgery.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
There are also many staff and student exchange programmes with top universities across Africa and the rest of the world, especially in Europe and the Americas. This, according to Dr. Kiggundu, has improved Makerere’s research output.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship programme has also seen a number of female scholars do research at Masters and PhD level under the sponsorship of the African Union (AU). The scholarships are for study in Africa and Makerere is part of the programme.
This is in addition to the long running Female Scholarship Initiative (FSI) and the MasterCard Foundation Scholarships. Indeed the gap between the number of females graduating annually and the number of male graduands has significantly been narrowed and it’s now nearly 50/50.
On the thorny issue of staff salaries and welfare, which have been the source of agitation for years, Dr. Kiggundu Musoke, who was at the forefront of this agitation as MUASA chairman, says the situation is now much better. He noted that government and the university administration are still committed to ensuring that the ultimate objective of a professor earning a monthly salary of shs15m is attained and improvement in the pay of other staff and administrative cadres.
The learning environment at Makerere has also tremendously improved. The days of students cramping in lecture rooms are long gone, especially with the construction of two huge magnificent and modern buildings – Central teaching Facility 1 and 2, which also host some offices for lecturers and administrative staff.
And to ensure maximum hygiene at these Central Teaching Facilities, cleaning services have been outsourced to a private company while security is also maintained by a private security firm, in addition to routine patrols of the university premises by the police unit attached to the institution.
INFRASTRUCTURE DEV’T
The university is also properly secured with a fence to keep away wrong characters; not forgetting the historic main gate that was recently redesigned to world class standards to enhance beauty.
At 97 years old, Makerere University is a repository of history that goes far beyond post-independent modern Uganda.
“Makerere is a tourist attraction due to her rich history and soon, we shall put up information points, including a foundation stone at the Freedom Square to explain the history and significance of such landmarks,” said Dr. Kiggundu Musoke.
Dr. Kiggundu Musoke also explained that the recent decision to put a fence around the Freedom Square – which drew some controversy – was mean to protect the integrity of that important landmark from abuse because “even cattle was resting there and leaving their waste.”
The university administration has also done its best to ensure that movement is smooth within the premises, with the tarmacking of all the roads within and around the institution through a partnership with a Chinese company that recently upgraded Makerere Hill Road and Hajji Musa Kasule Road that neighbour Makerere.
“The university is fully lit to secure our students and staff. We have also put up litter bins at all corners and contracted a company Prime Media to put up signages for direction,” said Dr. Kiggundu. He added that all the nine halls of residence have been refurbished and the toilet systems revamped.
