The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, will be the Chief Runner at the highly anticipated first-ever fundraising run at Makerere University scheduled for Sunday 14th May 2017. She will flag off the 5km and 10km races of the run, organised by the Makerere University Endowment Fund (MakEF) to raise funds for a state-of-the-art students’ centre. This centre is envisioned to be a one-stop point for all students activities, similar to other centres in leading universities the world over. Tickets for the run go for 25,000/= (silver), 50,000/= (gold) and 10,000/= for students. They are available at Makerere University Lincoln flats C4, Makerere Guest House, Piato restaurant, and at Shell Capital, Bugolobi and Nateete.
“Anything to do with Makerere University, I support,” said Hon. Kadaga while meeting a team from Makerere University led by the Chairperson of Council Eng. Dr. Charles Wana Etyem on 26th April 2017. Dr. Wana Etyem briefed the Speaker that the MakEF is one of the initiatives the University has adopted to address her financial constraints. The fund’s sustainability draws on donations, gifts and bequeaths from alumni and well-wishers.
“I request all alumni to come and we see what we can do for Makerere University. I think the private sector can also support our education 
system by putting a certain amount of money aside for research. The future of this country will have to be through innovations,” asserted Hon. Kadaga.
The Speaker added that she has always been impressed by the quality of research output at Makerere University. She alluded to a recent visit to the College of Engineering Design Art and Technology (CEDAT) and emphasized that “people are doing amazing things and should be supported. There is so much creativity but nothing to support.” She challenged Makerere University to also prioritize construction of more halls of residences especially for the female students on campus, to minimize risks they face as they leave lecture rooms in the night to go to their off-campus residences. She further advised that Makerere University taps into the Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, or gets one of the Nobel prize winners on board for funding.
The Deputy Vice Chancellor Finance and Administration, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe explained that the quality of staff and students at Makerere University remains top notch and that with ample resources, Makerere University can be a pivotal point of transforming Uganda’s economy. On the Makerere University team were other members of MakEF, Amb. Edith Sempala and Martin Owiny; and Dr. Florence Nakayiwa- Chairperson Mak Run 2017. The MakEF Board is chaired by Dr. Martin Aliker. Other members of the board are , Barnabas Tumusingize, Grace Isabirye, Hon. Gerald Karuhanga and Prof. John Ddumba-Ssentamu. #MakRun2017, @MakerereU.
Article by Marion Alina
Photos by David Matovu
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