Professor George Mondo Kagonyera was on Thursday installed as the Chancellor of Makerere University, following a motion passed by the Makerere University Council in December 2011 and approved by President Yoweri Museveni.
He will now serve for another four-year-term which begun effective October 24th last year.
Kagonyera, now the titular head of Uganda’s oldest university, asked lecturers to carry out research in the various fields and to actively participate in the implementation stages. He also called on government to look into the staff salaries with immediate effect.
Kagonyera asked the ministry of education to look into the law and give University chancellors more powers since all universities have ordinary citizens as chancellors.
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Makerere University lectures in September last year went on strike demanding for a pay rise and clearance of their savings worth 16 billion shillings from National Insurance Cooperation. The action resulted into the closure of the university after lecturers refused to call off their strike before government met their demands.
Vice President Edward Sekandi reassured the staff that by April 2012 the last installment of the deposit administration plan money worth 6.7 billion shillings will be released to the University.
He said the government will also make salary increments in the next financial year and promised full support for the small medium enterprises so that projects by students are fully implemented.
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Sekandi, who represented President Yoweri Museveni, also revealed that in the next five years government will extend grants worth eight billion shillings for the College of Agriculture. Others include 15 billion shillings for the College of Health Sciences including herbal research and 150 billion shillings to acquire 50 acres of land to expand the University.
Effective December 30th 2011, Makerere officially transformed into a collegiate University with nine colleges and one independent school of law.
Prof. Kagonyera is the second non Head of State Chancellor of the University, the first being Professor Apollo Nsibambi. Former Premier Nsibambi called on Kagonyera to ensure that the University strives to gain academic quality, relevance and embark on fundraising for the University.
