Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of nine colleges and one school, offering programmes for about 36,000 undergraduates and 4,000 postgraduates. These colleges include College of Natural Sciences (CONAS), College of Health Sciences (CHS), College of Engineering Art & Design (CEDAT), College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies (CAES), College Of Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS), College of Humanities & Social Sciences (CHUSS), College of Computing and Information Sciences (COCIS), College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources & Bio-security (COVAB), College of Education and External Studies (CEES) and Makerere University Business School (MUBS). In addition, Makerere has another campus in Eastern Uganda Jinja City. The main administrative block was gutted by fire in September 2020 and the cause of the fire is yet to be established. The building is being reconstructed. Jubilee Monument

Makerere University is the

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

of many post-independence African leaders, including Ugandan president

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985. A Lango, ...

and Tanzanian presidents

Julius Nyerere Julius Kambarage Nyerere (; 13 April 1922 – 14 October 1999) was a Tanzanian politician, anti-colonial activist, and political theorist. He governed Tanganyika (1961–1964), Tanganyika as prime minister from 1961 to 1962 and then as presid ...

and Benjamin Mkapa. The former president of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Joseph Kabila Joseph Kabila Kabange ( , ; born 4 June 1971) is a Congolese politician and former military officer who served as the fourth President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2019. He took office ten days after the assassination o ...

, and former Kenyan president the late

Mwai Kibaki Emilio Stanley Mwai Kibaki (15 November 1931 – 21 April 2022) was a Kenyan politician who served as the third President of Kenya from December 2002 until April 2013. He served in various leadership positions in Kenya's government including ...

are also Makerere alumni. In the years immediately after Uganda's independence, Makerere University was a focal point for the literary activity that was central to African nationalist culture. Many prominent writers, including

Nuruddin Farah Nuruddin Farah (, ) (born 24 November 1945) is a Somali novelist. His first novel, '' From a Crooked Rib'', was published in 1970 and has been described as "one of the cornerstones of modern East African literature today". Farah has also written ...

, Ali Mazrui, David Rubadiri, Okello Oculi,

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (; born James Ngugi; 5January 193828May 2025) was a Kenyan author and academic, who has been described as East Africa's leading novelist and an important figure in modern African literature. Ngũgĩ wrote primarily in Eng ...

John Ruganda John Ruganda (30 May 1941 to 8 December 2007) was Uganda's best known playwright. Beyond his work as a playwright, Ruganda was also a professor at University of North, South Africa, University of Nairobi, and Makerere University. He was born in Fo ...

Paul Theroux Paul Edward Theroux ( ; born April 10, 1941) is an American novelist and travel writer who has written numerous books, including the travelogue '' The Great Railway Bazaar'' (1975). Some of his works of fiction have been adapted as feature films ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate V. S. Naipaul, and

Peter Nazareth Peter Nazareth (born 27 April 1940) is a British literary critic and writer of fiction and drama. Life Peter Nazareth was born in Uganda. He is of Goan descent, and his mother's family was earlier based in Malaya-Malaysia-Singapore. He was edu ...

, were at Makerere University at one point in their writing and academic careers. Because of student unrest and faculty disenchantment, the university was closed three times between 2006 and 2016. The final time was on 1 November 2016 when President

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and Officer (armed forces), military officer who is the ninth and current president of Uganda since 1986. As of 2025, he is the third-List of current state lead ...

declared it closed indefinitely. The university was reopened in January 2017.

History

Founding of the technical school

The

trade school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational ...

that became Makerere University began operating in 1921 with the first classes in carpentry, building construction and mechanics. In 1922, it was founded as the "Uganda Technical College" with additional courses in the arts, education, agriculture and medicine. That same year it was again renamed as Makerere College. In 1928, the vocational classes were separated from the college and renamed Kampala Technical School. In 1937 the college began offering post-secondary education certificate courses.

University

In 1943, the British Protectorate government proposed the university, which led to a controversial struggle. It was described as "a plot to steal African soil for European settlement," by the Bataka Party. In response to this campaign, there was rioting in the capital of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

. In 1949, Makerere College was granted university status and its name became Makerere College, University of East Africa. In the same year, the Bataka Party had been banned by the British Protectorate government, because of acts of riot and arson committed after a Bataka protest gathering. Makerere university hospital 3

Unrest in the 2000s

The university was closed three times between 2006 and 2016. Beginning on 1 August 2016, the non-teaching staff went on strike demanding back pay. The strike lasted three weeks and the government agreed to pay them by the end of October; however, the government failed to make the payment. This was but one more broken promise in a cycle of failed promises, strikes and more promises. That strike was followed by a strike of the lecturers over unpaid incentive pay, and that strike was joined by students in solidarity. This led to President Yoweri Museveni closing the university "indefinitely". Additional protests, including from parents whose children were left hanging in mid-semester, led to Museveni appointing a special commission to try to rectify the situation but with no promises of reopening. The commission's report was due in late February 2017. On 20 September 2020, the main building of Makerere University (the Ivory Tower) was severely damaged by fire, allegedly following a probe by Uganda Parliament into financial mismanagement by university authorities.

100-year anniversary

MAKERERE UNIVERSITY FIRST ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

In 2022, the university celebrated its centenary since its establishment as Makerere College in 1922. The institution was granted additional land for expansion into a university by Nsibirwa, a former prime minister of the Buganda Kingdom, in 1945. Despite facing numerous challenges in Uganda's political, social, and academic history, the institution has persevered for a century. On October 7, 2022, a ceremony commemorating the centenary was held at Freedom Square, with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in attendance. A statue monument was unveiled at the entrance of the university's Freedom Square to mark this significant milestone in Uganda's educational sector.

Organization

The University Council is the supreme governing body of the university while the Senate is the chief academic organ of the university.

Subcommittees of the University Council

*Appointments Board *Finance, Planning and Administration *Quality Assurance, Gender and ICT *Estates and Works *Staff Development, Welfare and Retirement Benefits *Students Affairs and Disciplinary *Honorary Awards *Audit

Notable former and current faculty administrators

* Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, First President of The United Republic of Tanzania, * Venansius Baryamureeba, computer scientist, former vice chancellor * Charles Barugahare, university secretary until 2020 * William Bazeyo, former dean of Makerere University School of Public Health (2009–2017); Deputy Vice Chancellor of Makerere University, responsible for Finance and Administration, since September 2017 * Hugh Dinwiddy, lecturer in literature, warden of Northcote Hall * George Kirya, microbiologist, diplomat, academic, former vice chancellor at Makerere and former chairman of Uganda Health Services Commission *

Mahmood Mamdani Mahmood Mamdani, FBA (born 23 April 1946) is an Indian-born Ugandan academic, author, and political commentator, based in New York City. He is the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and a Professor of Anthropology, Political Science and ...

, political scientist and historian * Winnie Byanyima , aeronautical engineer, politician, activist. * Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, current dean of students, Makerere University School of Medicine * Ali Mazrui, academic, historian and political scientist * Barnabas Nawangwe, architect, academic and current vice chancellor * Apolo Nsibambi, former prime minister of Uganda and former

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of Makerere University * Joe Oloka-Onyango, former dean of law and human rights expert *

Okot p'Bitek Okot p'Bitek (7 June 1931 – 19 July 1982) was a Ugandan poet, who achieved wide international recognition for '' Song of Lawino'', a long poem dealing with the tribulations of a rural African wife whose husband has taken up urban life and wis ...

, poet * John Ssebuwufu, chemist, former vice chancellor of Makerere University, current chancellor of Kyambogo University * David Serwadda, former dean, School of Public Health * Nelson Sewankambo, principal, College of Health Sciences * John Ddumba Ssentamu, economist, academic and banker, former vice chancellor * Sylvia Tamale, lawyer, academic, women's rights activist *

, novelist * Timothy Wangusa, author, poet, former minister of education * David Wasawo, zoologist and educationist, former vice principal

Other academics

* Catherine Abbo, medical doctor and researcher * Paul D'Arbela, physician, cardiologist, academic. Dean of the Mother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School, Nsambya. * Rose Mbowa, theatre academic, playwright and actress; former head of Department of Music, Dance and Drama * Celestino Obua, physician, pharmacologist, academic; vice chancellor of Mbarara University * Charles Olweny, physician, oncologist, medical researcher; former vice chancellor of Uganda Martyrs University; Chancellor of Mbarara University * Raphael Owor, medical doctor, former chancellor of Mbarara University, former professor of pathology at Makerere University School of Medicine * Hakim Sendagire, physician, biochemist and microbiologist; dean of

Habib Medical School Habib Medical School (HMS) is the school of medicine of the Islamic University in Uganda (IUIU), one of Uganda's private universities. The school is the newest medical school in the country, having been part of IUIU since 2014. The school provid ...

Notable alumni

Political figures and government employees

* Lucy Akello,

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

n politician, elected member of parliament for the Amuru District Women's Constituency, in the 10th Parliament * Anita Annet Among, Speaker of the 11th Parliament of Uganda (2021–2026); Deputy Speaker 2021–2022 * Samuel Awich (1973), justice of the Supreme Court of Belize * Kizza Besigye, physician, retired colonel in the Uganda People's Defence Force; opposition politician; former leader of the Forum for Democratic Change party; presidential candidate in 2001, 2006, and 2011 * Godfrey Binaisa, former

president of Uganda The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The President (government title), president leads the Executive (government), executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander- ...

* Gilbert Bukenya, former vice president of Uganda * Dora Byamukama, former member of parliament for Mwenge South, former member of the

East African Legislative Assembly The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is a sub-organ of the larger East African Community, being the legislative arm of the Community. Members are sworn into five-year terms. History Since colonial times, a number of organizations have ...

* Kanyama Chiume, Malawian who worked for the independence of

Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate in Africa that was established in 1907 when the former British Central Africa Protectorate changed its name. Between 1953 and 1963, Nyasaland was part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. After ...

(now

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

) * Moses Ebuk, physician, neurophyiologist, former lecturer and tutor in the department of physiology at the Makerere University College of Health Sciences, diplomat; Ambassador of Uganda to the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

* Daphrosa Gahakwa, Rwandan education minister * Aloisea Inyumba, Rwandan minister for gender and family promotion *

, Congolese politician and president of the

* Allen Kagina, public administrator * Filemona F. Indire, former Kenyan ambassador, leading educator and member of parliament * Patrick Karegeya, former Rwandan head of intelligence * Andrew Felix Kaweesi, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP)

, military officer and policeman; Spokesperson of

Police Force, 2016–2017 * Specioza Kazibwe, former vice president of Uganda *

, the third president of Kenya, 2002–2013; graduated at the top of his class (''summa cum laude'') in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics * Samson Kisekka, former vice president of Uganda *

Benedicto Kiwanuka Benedicto Kagimu Mugumba Kiwanuka (8 May 1922 – 22 September 1972) was a Ugandan politician and statesman who served as the first prime minister of Uganda. He was the leader of the Democratic Party, and one of the political figures in Uganda ...

, first prime minister and first chief justice of Uganda * Crispus Kiyonga, physician, minister of defense of Uganda * Sam Kutesa, Uganda's foreign affairs minister; president of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly * Henry Kyemba, minister of health under

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

* Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center *

Erias Lukwago Erias Lukwago Ssalongo (born 11 May 1970), is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the lord mayor of the city of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest metropolitan area in the country. He was first elected to that position on 14 Janu ...

, lawyer,

Lord Mayor Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in a Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". A ...

of Kampala City * Yusuf Lule, former president of Uganda *

Norbert Mao Norbert Mao is a Ugandan political activist and lawyer. He has been president of the Democratic Party (Uganda), Democratic Party since 2010, three time presidential candidate and served as the Local Council (Uganda), Local Council 5 chairman fo ...

, former guild president of Makerere University and current president of Democratic Party * Amama Mbabazi, former secretary general of the National Resistance Movement and former prime minister of Uganda * Benjamin Mkapa, former Tanzanian politician and former

president of Tanzania The President of the United Republic of Tanzania () is the head of state and head of government of Tanzania. Samia Suluhu Hassan, sworn in on 19 March 2021, is the first female president of the United Republic of Tanzania. She succeeded John ...

* Jennifer Musisi, lawyer and public administrator * Jehoash Mayanja Nkangi, government minister and former Katikkiro of Buganda (1964–1966, 1993–1994) * Apolo Nsibambi, former prime minister of Uganda and former

of Makerere University * Kayumba Nyamwasa, former Rwandan Army Chief of Staff and Ambassador to India *

, Tanzanian politician and the first president of Tanzania *

, two-time former president of Uganda * Anthony Ochaya, Ugandan Minister of Planning and Economic Development under the UNLF regime, World Bank official *

Oginga Odinga Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911 – 20 January 1994) was a Kenyan politician who became a prominent figure in Kenya's struggle for independence. He served as Kenya's first vice-president, and thereafter as opposition leader. Odinga ...

, Kenyan politician, first vice president of Kenya * Joe Powell (politician) - Labour party MP, UK * Ruhakana Rugunda, prime minister of Uganda, physician, and former permanent representative of Uganda to the United Nations * Emmanuel Tumusiime-Mutebile, governor, Bank of Uganda * Bobi Wine (Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu), Ugandan politician, businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, musician, freedom fighter and actor * Kenneth Omona, physician and politician, currently the Minister of State for

Northern Uganda The Northern Region is one of four regions in Uganda. As of Uganda's 2014 census, the region's population was . Districts As of 2010, the Northern Region had 30 districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some co ...

Film, television and radio

* Akite Agnes, Ugandan comedian and actress * Hannington Bugingo, Ugandan comedian and actor * Anne Kansiime, Ugandan comedian and actress * Cleopatra Koheirwe, Ugandan actress, singer and media personality * Teacher Mpamire, aka Herbert Mendo Ssegujja, Ugandan comedian and actor * Morris Mugisha, actor, producer and director * Alex Muhangi, Ugandan comedian and actor * Housen Mushema, Ugandan actor and model * Edwin Musiime, television host * Leila Nakabira, actress and screenwriter * Rehema Nanfuka, Ugandan actress, director and producer * Crystal Newman, Ugandan media personality, MC and motivational speaker * Simon Kaggwa Njala, Ugandan journalist and media personality *

Gladys Oyenbot Gladys Oyenbot is a Ugandan actress, singer and producer professionally known by her mononym Oyenbot. She is known for playing Dorotia on Mpeke Town (2018), and as Beatrice on the award winning drama series Yat Madit Yat Madit (2016). In 2020 s ...

, Ugandan actress and producer *

Mowzey Radio Moses Nakintije Ssekibogo (25 January 1985 – 1 February 2018), also known as Mowzey Radio, sometimes referred to as Moses Radio, was a Ugandan musician. He was one of the main performers of the Ugandan music group Goodlyfe Crew together with Jo ...

, aka Moses Nakintije Ssekibogo, Ugandan singer * Uncle Mark, aka Agaba Mark, Ugandan media personality, comedian and emcee

Sports people

* Moses Muhangi, president of Uganda Boxing Federation * Henry Osinde,

n born cricketer, currently Canadian fast bowler

Writers and journalists

* Christopher Henry Muwanga Barlow * Jane Kaberuka, novelist * Daniel Kalinaki, journalist * Barbie Kyagulanyi, writer and activist * Micere Githae Mugo, Kenyan novelist, poet, activist * John Nagenda, writer, political commentator and adviser to the president of Uganda,

, author, critic * Michael Nsimbi, "father of Ganda literature" * Okello Oculi, author, poet * Charles Onyango-Obbo, journalist and political commentator * Mark Ouma, athletics journalist and former philosophy lecturer at Makerere * David Rubadiri, poet, novelist, diplomat *

, Kenyan novelist * Hilda Twongyeirwe, editor, poet, shortstory writer * Timothy Wangusa, author, poet, former minister of education * Elvania Namukwaya Zirimu, poet and dramatist

Scientists

* Andrew Kambugu, physician, Sande-McKinnell Executive Director at the Uganda Infectious Disease Institute * Robert Kezaala, physician, Senior Health Advisor at

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

* John William Kibukamusoke, medical academic and researcher, and one-time personal physician to

* Matthew Lukwiya, physician in Gulu during the 2000 Ebola outbreak * Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu, psychiatrist and epidemiologist * Christine Obbo, socio-cultural anthropologist * Joshua Sikhu Okonya, agronomist and entomologist. * Thereza Piloya, pediatrician and medical academic, specializing in pediatric endocrinology and HIV/AIDS

Others

* Iddah Asin, lawyer and Johnson & Johnson executive * Nkulanga Enock, children's rights activist * Busingye Kabumba, poet, lawyer and lecturer at law * Laeticia Kikonyogo, lawyer and judge * Betty Manyolo, artist * Patrick Mazimhaka, deputy chairperson of the African Union's African Commission * Andrew Mwenda, managing director of the ''Independent'' newspaper in Uganda * Lilian Mary Nabulime, sculptor * Harry Nkumbula, a leader during Zambia's struggle for independence * Olara Otunnu, former United Nations under-secretary general and special representative for children and armed conflict * John Sentamu, Anglican Archbishop of York, England, first black Archbishop of the Church of England * Martin Ssempa, controversial Ugandan pastor and AIDS activist * Ssentamu Churchill James, youth leader and politician * Hannah Karema Tumukunde, model

Halls of residence

As of September 2015, the halls of residence at Makerere University included the following:

For men

The_Gongom_monument_at_Lumumba_hall_at_Makerere_University_Kampala

* Livingstone Hall * Lumumba Hall (defunct 2022) * Mitchell Hall * Nkrumah Hall * Nsibirwa Hall * University Hall

For women

* Africa Hall * Mary Stuart Hall * Complex Hall

For students of medicine in their final years

* Galloway House

Postgraduate Hall

* Dag Hammarskjöld Hostel

Upcountry campuses

In January 2010, the university announced the opening of two new campuses, one in the city of Fort Portal, approximately , by road, west of

, and another one in the city of Jinja, Uganda, Jinja, approximately , by road, east of Kampala. The following courses are offered at the upcountry campuses:

Eastern Campus, Jinja

* Bachelor of Science in Computer Science * Bachelor of Information Technology * Bachelor of Development Studies * Bachelor of Tourism

Replacement of main building

In September 2020, a fire gutted the Main Building of Makerere University, destroying university records and the building structure. A subsequent investigation by an eleven-person team could not establish a definite cause of the fire, but pointed to an electric fault as a likely cause. In August 2021, the Cabinet of Uganda resolved to break down what remained of the Main Building after the fire. A new building, which will be designed to look like the original structure, will be erected at the same location, at a budgeted cost of UGX:21 billion (approx. US$6 million). The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to Excel Construction Company Limited, a Ugandan company and a subsidiary of the Madhvani Group. The reconstruction process began in April 2022, starting with tearing down the structurally unsound original building, built in the 1930s and commissioned in 1941.

References

External links

*
Makerere University news
{{Authority control Makerere University, 1922 establishments in Uganda Buildings and structures in Kampala Central Region, Uganda Education in Kampala Universities and colleges established in 1922 Engineering universities and colleges in Uganda Forestry education Public universities