December 30, 2016

The Editor,
Sunday Monitor,
Kampala.
THE FAMOUS MAKERERE UNIVERSITY HAS BEEN RE-OPENED
President Yoweri Museveni has given the people of Uganda a New Years gift
by ordering the re-opening of Makerere University which was closed on
November 1, 2016. Full operations at Ugandas oldest University resumed on
Monday January 2, 2017.
Ugandans were surprised to receive a news flash on their mobile phones on
Christmas Day, December 25, 2016, which stated as follows- NEWS:
President Museveni has today officially re-opened Makerere University after
two months of closure. The public university was closed by Mr. Museveni on
November 1, 2016 following the strike of the Makerere University Staf
Association (MUASA).
The University Academic Staf went on strike because they had not been paid
their salaries and allowances for a long time. They went on strike at a time
when students who had just paid their fees were preparing themselves for
exams.
After a serious public outcry over the closure of Makerere, wise counsel
prevailed among the lectures and they resolved to end the strike.
Immediately after that, President Museveni had a meeting with them at State
House, Entebbe, over this matter as well as their grievances.
During the strike, the public put much blame on the academic staf, saying
that by going on strike that time, they were not patriotic and that they were
not sympathetic to the Ugandan parents who sacrifice a lot during these
hash economic conditions, to pay for University education.
Some sections of the general public could be heard blaming President
Museveni who did not respond quickly to the demands of the MUASA
members.
One day I was travelling from Mukono to Kampala and a serous argument
developed among the passengers over Makerere. Some passengers were
questioning as to why the lectures who are Ugandans and know the
economic conditions of this Country could dare go on strike at a time when
the students were preparing for exams.
I could hear some passengers saying that President Museveni has not got
Makerere University at heart and that is why he closed it. Others supported
1
the President saying that what he did was right so that some elements of
African mismanagement which had cropped up at the University would
eventually completely wiped out.
As a journalist and an opinion leader and a Muganda Elder, who has seen
Makerere since 1945, I look at Makerere University from the angle of what it
was done for Uganda and Africa since it was founded.
The famous Makerere University in Kampala was recently voted the best
University in producing journalists in Uganda and it received the prestigious
GLOBAL MEDIA CHALLENGE AWARD. The Uganda Christian University in
Mukono was the second.
This was at the annual ceremony which was held in Kampala on November
28, 2015, on the day Pope Francis celebrated High Mass at Namugongo
which was attended by President and the Kabaka of Buganda Sabasajja
Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II.
Makerere University, no doubt, has been the biggest pillar in the economic
and social development of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda because of
producing highly qualified people who have been running the services of
these Countries and many other Countries around the World.
HOW MAKERERE UNIVERSITY WAS FOUNDED.
Makerere University (MUK), Ugandas largest Institution of Higher Learning
was established in 1922 when the British Colonial Governor was Sir. Geofrey
Archer, who was here from 1922 to 1925.
Makerere University was established to educate the people of Uganda, Kenya
and Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Later on people from other African Countries
started to come to Makerere for Higher Education. It is most gratifying to
know that the people who were educated at Makerere wherever they are,
they are very proud of Makerere University. During my days in Kenya, when I
was working with the defunct East African Airways, I used to hear some
Kikuyu Ladies (who were educated at Makerere) saying if you were not
educated at Makerere, then you are not educated.
Makerere University is one of the oldest Institutions of Learning. The others
before it were; Mengo Central School (now Mengo Senior Secondary School),
which was the first to be established in 1895. It was followed by; the famous
Namilyango College in 1902, Kings College Budo in 1906, Gayaza High
School in 1906, St. Marys College Kisubi in 1911, Katigondo Major Seminary
in 1911and Bishop Tucker Theoligical College Mukono (now Uganda Christian
University) in 1913.

2
The time came in 1945 when the British Governor decided to extended
Makerere University to cover a bigger area so that more Professional Courses
could be introduced after putting up many buildings for this purpose.
The British Governor was Sir. Charles Dundas and the Katikiro of Buganda
was the Kamalabyona Martin Luther Nsibirwa. Katikiro Nsibirwa was an
extremely Visionary Leader and had a God-given quality of natural
intelligence and political smartness.
First of all, he had retired from the Katikiros post after serving from 1929 to
1945 and Sekabaka Mutesa II had appointed Mr. Wamala as Katikiro of
Buganda.
When the Governor announced the programme to extend the University,
Katikiro Wamala did not support the Governor because the whole extension
plan touched on the Mailo Land owned mainly by big Chiefs in Buganda.
Governor Dundas had already known from the British Colonial Office in
London, the excellent record of Nsibirwa, about what he did during the
Second World War, and that he built all the Buganda Headquarters of the
Counties and Sub-Counties, the Butikiro and modernizing the Kabakas
Palace at Mengo.
Governor Dundas quickly advised Sekabaka Mutesa II to straightaway recall
Martin Luther Nsibirwa from retirement. Sekabaka Mutesa II heeded the
Governors advice and he recalled Martin Luther Nsibirwa.
Katikiro Nsibirwa found that there was resistance from the Baganda landlords
who owned land on the hill and did not want to lose their land in the process
of enlarging Makerere. The British Governor Dundas, at that time, threatened
to take the University to Kenya if the Baganda landlords had insisted on
refusing to surrender their land on Makerere Hill.
Katikiro Martin Luther Nsibirwa, told him forget that, you cannot take away
our University when I am the Katikiro of Buganda. He straightaway
summoned the Buganda Lukiiko for a special session on the matter. Katikiro
Nsibirwa himself wrote and read a Resolution, but in actual fact it was a
Decree where no debate was allowed.
The Resolution stated that The Kingdom of Buganda has allowed the
extension of Makerere University on Makerere Hill. All the Baganda who have
Mailo land on Makerere Hill have been given land in other areas of Buganda.
Katikiro Nsibirwa was such a powerful ruler and no member dared to
question or oppose the Resolution. Instead all the Buganda Lukiiko Members
clapped and they unanimously passed the Resolution and they thanked him
for the decision he had taken. Unfortunately, Katikiro Nsibirwa was gunned

3
down by an assassin on September 5, 1945 at the main entrance of
Namirembe Cathedral, after attending an early morning Church service. A
rumor spread throughout Buganda that the murder might have been linked
to the giving away of land on Makerere Hill.
It is true that Makerere University has contributed almost 80 percent to the
economic, educational and social development of Uganda, Kenya and
Tanzania by producing highly qualified manpower who have been running
these Countries in all diferent areas of development.
WHAT HAS MADE MAKERERE FAMOUS
Makerere University which is ranked number three (3) on the African
Continent (the first two are in South Africa), is World famous for one reason
(besides other reasons); it produces high quality Doctors who are serving
both locally and all over the World. Recently I was told that the Doctors who
are taking care of the past United Presidents as well as high class citizens of
that Country, are Ugandan Doctors from Makerere University.
Makerere University produced Prof. Josephine Nambooze who made history
by being the first woman Doctor in Uganda, East and Central Africa. She
graduated in 1959 and her graduation spurred jubilations all over Uganda.
Prof. Nambooze was trained by two men who were famous in the field of
human medicine; Prof. Galloway (Anatomy) and Prof. Mac Adam (Surgery)
and they were at Makerere for so many years.
Prof. Nambooze broke the all-male monopoly in the field of medicine and
became an inspiration to all women. We now have many women Doctors.
She set a historic model that has since reduced the male dominance in the
field of human medicine.
After graduating at Makerere University, Prof. Nambooze was hosted by;
Sekabaka Edward Mutesa II at Mengo, the late Archbishop Joseph Kiwanuka
at Rubaga, the Uganda Council of Women, YWCA, and her famous schools;
St. Joseph Nsambya, Mt. St. Marys College Namagunga and Namilyango
College, where she studied science subjects because there was no science
laboratory at Namagunga College at that time. In 2010, Prof. Josephine
Nambooze was among the ten most outstanding female Professors that were
honored by Makerere University.
Besides Prof. Nambooze, there was also another Ugandan, Dr. Baamundaga,
who did something most wonderful and he surprised the British who were
ruling Uganda at that time.
He was the first African Doctor to operate on Europeans in Uganda in the
early 1950s. At that time, when the British were still ruling Uganda, African
Doctors were not allowed to operate on Europeans.

4
The Europeans had their own Hospital at Nakasero where there is now the
Hilton hotel built by the Aya brothers. It was called the European Hospital,
and Africans were not allowed there. Mulago was the hospital for Africans of
all kinds and categories.
It so happened that one day in the early 1950s when Governor Sir Andrew
Cohen had just arrived here, a Muzungu wife of the then Northern Uganda
Provincial Commissioner, developed an appendicitis problem and needed an
emergency operation and in those days there were no facilities to rush her to
the European Hospital in Kampala.
Dr. Baamundaga (who was a native of Mawokota County near Buwama in
Buganda) was the Medical Doctor in charge of Gulu Hospital. He straight
away told the Muzungu Provincial Commissioner, that he was a highly
qualified Medical Doctor from Makerere University and that he was ready to
operate on his wife and save her life.
The Muzungu Provincial Commissioner reluctantly accepted and signed the
acceptance forms and Doctor Baamundaga performed a wonderfully
successful operation on the Muzungu woman and saved her life.
The Provincial Commissioner straightaway sent a communication to the
Governor in Entebbe saying that an African, Doctor Baamundaga, has
successfully operated on a European.
Governor Cohen issued a Government Policy Statement allowing African
Doctors to operate on Europeans everywhere in Uganda.
One day in 1958 when I was a journalist in Katwe on a Luganda newspaper,
Uganda Eyogera, which was being edited by Hon. A.D. Luboowa, Dr.
Baamundaga visited our office and he gave us this good story and we gave it
a very wide coverage.
The People of Uganda, Africa and the whole World should thank Makerere
University, an Institution which has, for many years, produced highly
qualified Medical Doctors who are serving in Uganda, Africa, Europe, Middle
East, the Far East, Australia, Canada and USA.
Makerere University produced many famous African Leaders who included Sir
Edward Mutesa II who was Kabaka of Buganda and first President of Uganda,
President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, President Mwai Kibaki (who was the first
African to graduate with a First Class Degree in Economics and later laid a
strong economic foundation for Kenya when he was the Finance Minister).
Makerere also produced Prof. Y.K Lule former President of Uganda, Jaramog
Oginga Odinga Kenyas freedom fighter and he was Vice President of Kenya
at Independence, Dr. Apollo Milton Obote who was twice President of

5
Uganda, Abubaker Kakyama Mayanja, a great freedom fighter and Pan-
Africanist, Godfrey Binaisa, QC, former President of Uganda, Benjamin
Mkapa, former President of Tanzania, Ronald Ngala, a freedom fighter and
former Minister in Kenya Government, Kanyama Chiume, one of the people
who fought for the Independence of Malawi and the current President of
Democratic Republic of Congo Joseph Kabila, and many others.
Makerere University also produced the famous first African Doctor in Kenya,
Dr. Likimani who was a Masai, as well as two other famous Doctors; Dr.
Mungola from Taitaland in Kenya and Dr. Nesibett.
It is most gratifying that almost the entire medical service of Uganda both
Private and Government is run and managed by doctors produced by
Makerere University. Another Makerere product Dr. James Kiyengo of UPDF is
now serving in Somalia where he has been for many years, under the
AMISON African Union Force which maintains peace in Somalia. There is also
Dr. Aggrey Kiyingi, a heart specialist, who is now serving in Australia.
Almost all the Ugandan Politicians, those who retired and those who are still
active, were educated at Makerere University. They Include Dr. Paul Kawanga
Semwogerere, former President General of the Democratic Party and the one
who spearheaded and seriously fought for the return to Democracy and the
Multi-Party System in Uganda in 2005.
In 1963, Makerere University became the University of East African, ofering
Courses leading to the General Degrees from the University of London. It
became an independent University in 1970 when the University of East Africa
was split into three independent Universities; University of Nairobi (Kenya),
University of Dar es Saalam (Tanzania), and Makerere University. Now there is
also Makerere University Business School at Nakawa.
In the years immediately after Ugandas Independence, Makerere was a focal
point for the literary activity that was central to African nationalist culture.
Many prominent writers, including Charles Onyango Obbo, Andrew Mwenda,
Nuruddin Farah, Ali Mazrui, Rajat Neogy (who was editor of Transition
Magazine), David Rubadiri, Okello Oculi, Ngugi wa Thiongo, John Ruganda
and Peter Nazareth, were at Makerere University at one point in their writing
and academic careers.
The people who took over from the Europeans at the time of Independence
in Uganda, Kenya and Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and managed the civil
service and the entire infrastructure, were the products of Makerere
University.
Finally, we have to thank Makerere University very highly indeed for
producing Ugandas journalists, writers, and broadcasters who are running

6
the Newspapers and the Broadcasting Industry in Uganda today and in the
future.
Signed,
KAVUMA KAGGWA
Elder from Kyaggwe
Mukono District
Tel: 0772 584 423