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Background The growing burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) on the background of endemic Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) is a concern in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to describe annual trends in admissions, mortality rates and premature mortality (years of potential life lost—YPLLs) due to HIV, tuberculosis (TB), diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) in Uganda. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study, retrieving electronic records of adults admitted to Mulago and Kiruddu national referral hospitals medical wards between 1st January 2011 and 31st December 2019. We used STATA BE 17.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 to compute total admissions, inpatient crude mortality rates, and YPLLs; and demonstrate trends using Mann–Kendall test. Results Of 108,357 admissions, 55,620 (51.3%) were female, 15,300 (14.1%) were recorded in 2012, and 22,997 (21.2%) were aged 21–30 years. HIV, TB, DM and HTN accounted for 26,021 (24.0%); 9537 (8.8%); 13,708 (12.7) and 13,252 (12.2%) of all admissions, respectively. Overall inpatient mortality was 16.7% (18,099/108,357), 53.5% (9674/18,099) were male, 21.5% (3898) were aged 31–40 years and 2597 (14.4%) were registered in 2013. HIV, TB, DM and HTN accounted for 35.6% (6444), 14.6% (2646), 9.1% (1648) and 11.8% (2142) of all deaths, respectively. Total admissions (Kendall’s tau-B = − 0.833, p p = 0.029). A total of 355,514 (mean = 20.8 years, SD 30.0) YPLLs were recorded, of which 54.6% (191,869) were in males; 36.2% (128,755) were among those aged 21–30 years and were recorded in 2012 (54,717; 15.4%). HIV, TB, DM and HTN accounted for 46.5% (165,352); 19.5% (69,347); 4.8% (16,991) and 4.5% (16,167) of YPLLs, respectively. Proportionate contribution of HIV to deaths and YPLLs declined, remained stagnant for TB; and increased for both DM and HTN. Conclusion TB and HIV account for higher though declining, while DM and HTN account for lower albeit rising morbidity and premature mortality among adult medical patients in Uganda. TB prevention and treatment; and DM/HTN service integration in HIV care should be optimized and scaled up.

Universities are increasingly expected to produce scientifically robust research that has the propensity to deliver societal benefits. However, disconnect between the production of research in univ...

Purpose: Universities have responded to sexual harassment by putting in place formalized reporting processes through which victims can seek redress. Despite these processes, victims seldom invoke the grievance handling mechanisms that are enshrined in university sexual harassment policies. This study therefore sought to investigate why the vice is grossly under reported. Given the asymmetrical relationship between students and faculty as well as the gendered position of female students, this study specifically focused on why female undergraduate students seldom reported faculty perpetrated sexual harassment. Methodology: The study was carried out at a large public university in East Africa, was purely qualitative and involved 42 participants who included students, members of faculty and university administrators. The data was analyzed thematically Findings: These indicated that institutional and social cultural barriers coupled with power asymmetries and financial inadequacy play a role in the non-reporting of sexual harassment amongst female university students. Unique contribution to policy and practice: These findings are beneficial to universities especially as they seek to revise their existing sexual harassment policies. University managers ought to ensure that complaint handlers are well positioned to fairly handle sexual harassment complaints. This may help victims to build trust in the grievance handling mechanisms thus encouraging them to report the vice

The study was set out to establish how curriculum design influences teacher educators’ digital competence at Makerere University. It was hypothesized that, curriculum design influences teacher-educators’ digital competence. A case study design was employed taking a quantitative approach. Participants were teacher trainers from School of Education and data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product moment Correlation coefficient. Results indicated that, curriculum design and development has got a significant positive influence to teacher educators’ technology knowledge and skills. It was concluded that; any curriculum that does not include technology knowledge and skills is not aimed at addressing the needs of the 21st century learners, whom we refer to as digital natives and therefore all institutions must take ICT integration as a fundamental component of today’s teaching and learning. And it was recommended that; The School of Education should develop an evaluative instrument to regularly assess the extent to teacher trainers in all departments implement technology knowledge and skills in teaching and learning process.

The study was set out to examine the influence of cultural processes on teacher educators’ digital competence at School of Education, Makerere University, and Kampala Uganda. A case study design was employed taking a quantitative approach. Objectives of the study were to establish how individual and institutional values influence teacher educators’ technology knowledge and skills at Makerere University. Participants were teacher trainers from School of Education and data were collected using a self administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using; ANOVA, Pearson Product moment Correlation coefficient and Regression. It was found out that: both individual and institutional values have got a significant positive influence to teacher educators’ technology knowledge and skills. It was concluded that; individual values in form of: level of education, teaching experience, attitude or belief and disciplinary background are very fundamental in promoting teacher educators’ technology skills and knowledge; institutional values in form of: leadership styles, policy guidelines, curriculum and structural facilities are critical aspects in promoting teacher educators’ technology knowledge and skills. It was recommended that The School of Education should develop an evaluative instrument to regularly assess the extent to which ICTs have promoted teaching and learning, University administrators should change their leadership styles, adopt transformational leadership style according because results indicated that it promotes teacher educators’ technology knowledge and skills

The paper explores the status quo of strategic human resource management and its perceived role to alleviate inefficient management in Uganda public universities. A close-ended questionnaire was administered to top and middle level university managers (n = 101) to establish the status quo of strategic human resource management practices and the perceived role it can play to alleviate inefficient management at Makerere and Kyambogo. The results of the study indicate that strategic human resource management practices are barely practiced in Uganda public universities. The results also reveal that top and middle level managers have a strong conviction that integration of strategic human resource management practices can alleviate inefficient management in Uganda public universities. The paper concludes that due to rapid changes emanating from globalisation, knowledge based economy, technological revolution and reduced funding of higher education from governments, public universities in Uganda need to adopt strategic human resource management to improve their efficiency

This chapter examines the role of the higher education sector in the knowledge society agenda in Uganda. National policy documents on research, development, and innovation mandate higher education institutions to produce knowledge and human resource and foster innovation for the economy to rise to the development trends of the knowledge age. However, there are two dilemmas to this effect; the first is that national expectations coexist with the reality that Ugandan universities lack academic staff and major teaching and research infrastructure. The second is that the policy rhetoric at the national level demonstrates little commitment at the implementation level; hence, there is a big gap between policy and practice at the institutional level. Thus, an overview of the higher education sector in terms of origins, structure, and contemporary trends has shown that expectations for the sector are growing and evolving, depicting an academic community under pressure to deliver with the bare minimum. Uganda’s higher education sector therefore appears tasked beyond its capacity to guide socio-economic transformation.

This article is based on a study that explored the nature of and variationsin strategic profiles of internationalisation in universities in Uganda. Sixuniversities, comprising of three public and three private chartered universitieswith different histories and philosophies were selected for thestudy. Profiles of the international dimension were ascertained through areview and analysis of national and institutional strategic plans and reports.The findings highlight six profiles of internationalisation, namely, visionand mission, shared/core value, student enrolment, staff and studentexchange, partnerships and collaborations, and the management structure.It is imperative that universities integrate internationalisation as an ethosthat is systematically mainstreamed in all activities, produce knowledgerelevant to local and international audiences, and improve the managementstructure by deploying managerial capacity that corresponds to thestrategic period. The article recommends that further research should beconducted on profiles of the international dimension.

The purpose of this study was to tease out disciplinary cultures that dominantly exist at Makerere University and the implications of these cultures on University research. The study accomplished this by accessing lead researchers’ and senior level institutional research managers’ voices regarding the existing disciplinary cultures. We adopted a qualitative, intrinsic case study design that was rooted in social constructivism philosophy and guided by an interpretivist paradigm. Professorial staff and Institutional level senior research managers constituted the sample. Data were collected using in-depth interviews from four Full Professors, eight Associate Professors, and two institutional level senior research managers. We then triangulated data sources with documents checks. We analysed data thematically. Findings showed that the cultures of interdisciplinarity; establishing collaborations and partnerships; engaging in applied research, producing knowledge at the very basic level, and publishing in top-ranked journals dominantly exist across disciplinary fields at Makerere University. It was also revealed that despite variation regarding the deepening of the above cultures across disciplinary fields, no particular culture was found to be mutually exclusive to a single disciplinary field. It was also concluded that disciplinary cultures are shifting and that the research direction of the University is to a reasonable degree an offshoot of the dominant disciplinary cultures.

The production of knowledge that is diverse in nature has gained importance in research-led universities. However, the nature of scientific knowledge and researchers' motives of producing such knowledge across disciplinary fields in research-led Sub-Saharan African universities are not clearly known. This study set out to access the voices of lead researchers regarding the nature and motive of academic research in Uganda's research-led flagship academic institution-Makerere University. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with twelve lead researchers that were purposively selected. This was triangulated with documents checks. The thematic analysis method was used to analyse data. The paper draws on Hakala and Ylijoki's knowledge production framework as an analytical lens. Overall, findings show that in spite of the production of knowledge that has application to policymakers, civil society, the ordinary people, and, the corporate sector, academic research is more understood in terms of the basic research orientation across disciplinary fields because the emphasis is more on publishing in top-ranked journals. Similarly, knowledge production takes place in a highly institutionalized and resource-constrained environment, and this has popularised the donor-driven research orientation. Because of the dominance of basic and donor-driven research, we recommend that there is a need to rethink the University promotional assessment model, diversify research funding sources, and selectively collaborate with the donors.

Changes in higher education leadership and management in sub-Saharan Africa have been epitomised by public sector reforms sanctioned by the World Bank since the beginning of the 1990s. Recently, emerging forces redefning higher education have entailed country-specifc development cooperation instruments in countries such as Finland, Norway, Austria and The Netherlands. The overriding emphasis is on the role of higher education institutions in the socio–economic transformation of developing countries, partly realisable through robust higher education leadership. However, sustainable academic and professional knowledge bases in the form of non-degree, masters and doctoral programmes to build such leadership and management capacity are elusive. Drawing on the Uganda-Finland capacity development initiative, a stakeholder analysis was conducted through document reviews. The fndings and conclusions illuminate the complementary roles of stakeholders and the necessity of integrating professional career pathways into masters and doctoral higher education leadership and management programmes implemented through international collaboration.Les changements dans la direction et la gestion de l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique sub-saharienne ont été illustrés par des réformes du secteur public sanctionnées par la Banque Mondiale depuis le début des années 1990. Récemment, l’émergence de forces redéfnissant l’enseignement supérieur a engendré le développement par des pays comme la Finlande, la Norvège, l’Autriche et les Pays Bas d’instruments de coopération pour le développement spécifques à chaque pays. L’accent a été mis sur le rôle joué par les institutions d’enseignement supérieur dans la transformation socio-économique des pays en voie de développement, rôle qui ne peut être réalisé sans une direction robuste. Cependant, il manque des bases de savoir académique et professionnel durables sous forme de cursus non diplômants, de masters et de doctorats, pour former de telles capacités de direction et de gestion. Une analyse des parties prenantes a été réalisée grâce à une revue de textes portant sur l’exemple de l’initiative Ouganda – Finlande pour le développement des capacités. Les résultats et conclusions soulignent le rôle complémentaire des parties prenantes et la nécessité de professionnaliser les carrières de direction et de gestion de l’enseignement supérieur au moyen de masters et de doctorats établis à travers des coopérations internationales.

Makerere University is an interesting case of a traditional university in sub-Saharan Africa. Such universities were established as both national and regional symbols with the main objective of human resource capacity development. Makerere University transformed from a colonial university to a nationalist university, and is, at present, a neoliberal university (Eisemon, 1994; Mamdani, 2008; Musisi, 2003; Obong, 2004). At each stage of transformation of Makerere University as a flagship institution, emphasis on capacity building for human resources, research productivity to contribute to socioeconomic development, and policy development has been evident.

This paper analyses changes in university management structures and practices as a response to public sector reforms in Ugandan higher education using Makerere University as a case study. The study uses the organisational learning theory and a review of the higher education literature. Two adaptive responses in the management structures and practices emerge from the empirical discussion based on an analysis of documents. These responses illustrate strategies to fuel innovation and recent strategies to restore stability at the case study university.

This paper reports on a study of the implementation of a Computerised Information System (CIS) at the Ministry of Education in Botswana, and the use of CISs in secondary schools in Uganda. The findings portray the levels of use, the impact of CIS use, and the factors that influence the utilisation of the CISs in both countries. Although both countries have recognised the potential of CISs for managing educational institutions, the utilisation of these information systems were still at an early stage. Users’ perceptions of the impact of CIS use were in general very positive. Factors critical for CIS use in Botswana were the quality of the information the CIS provided, and the amount of user training. In Uganda, the amount of CIS use was especially dependent on the extent of training, and the support from the information system administrator. Carefully designed user training courses are considered important in promoting wider and better CIS use.

Background Pharmacogenetics is a major determinant of the EFV–rifampicin interaction during HIV-TB co-treatment. We assessed genetic factors that influence EFV PK, treatment outcomes and provide genotype-based EFV dose recommendations for adult TB-HIV-1 co-infected Ugandans receiving rifampicin based anti-tuberculosis co-treatment. Methods Steady state plasma EFV concentrations (n=1216) from 158 HIV-TB co-infected patients (76 females) treated with efavirenz/lamivudine/zidovidine and rifampicin-based TB treatment were analysed. Patient genotypes for CYP2B6 ( *6 & *11 ), CYP3A5 ( *3 , *6 & *7 ) and ABCB1c.4046A>G , baseline biochemistries and CD4 and viral load change from baseline were determined. A one-compartment population PK model with first-order absorption (NONMEMTM) was used to estimate genotype effects on EFV PK. Population genotype-frequency-based PK simulations predicted AUCs and trough concentrations were compared between the product label / known reference values and different dose simulations. Results Compared to CYP2B6* 1/*1, EFV post-induction CL/F was 2.5 and 1.7 times higher in CYP2B6*6 /*6 and CYP2B6*1*/6, respectively. A 23% increase in F1 was observed for the variant ABCB1 c.4046A>G. EFV mean AUC was significantly higher in CYP2B6*6/*6 genotypes compared to CYP2B6*1/*1 (p CYP2B6*6/*6 genotypes, respectively. EFV daily doses of 450 mg and 250 mg for the general population and CYP2B6*6/*6 genotypes respectively yielded simulated exposures that were comparable to the product label. Overall, only 8.9% patients had HIV RNA >40 copies/mL after 84 days of treatment. Conclusions During rifampicin co-treatment, daily doses of 450 mg and 250 mg might meet the EFV dosing needs of HIV-TB infected Ugandans in general and CYP2B6*6 homozygous variants, respectively.

This paper reports on the utilization of synchronous information and communication technologies (ICT) in the delivery of distance education at the two largest public universities in Uganda. This was an exploratory descriptive survey that aimed at establishing the emerging issues in the utilization. Applying Peter’s theory of industrialization of distance education and Moore’s theory of transactional distance as interpretive frameworks, the findings illuminate variations in ICT usage for communication among the learners, and with their instructors. This nascent use of ICT was mainly supported by telephones as well as text-based chat and projectors, but on a smaller scale. It was concluded that learners and instructors should be given training in basic utilization of the available and accessible synchronous ICT. Besides, more studies on the changing patterns of distance education in Ugandan universities and comparative studies with other African universities concerning their distance education trajectories were needed.

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize and illuminate the capacities of information technology for educational management (ITEM) as a regulative element in the managerial operations of universities. It is argued that the environment in which institutional management functions has become more unpredictable typified by numerous stakeholders with various demands. Moreover, the academic organization comprises disciplinary units that respond to the stakeholders differently. However, pressures for efficiency and effectiveness are calling for more integrated functioning. We envisage that ITEM has the capacity to support internal integration of the university and also link it to external constituencies. But understanding this capacity in terms of organizational theory has been largely elusive. It is this dimension that this article seeks to elucidate by applying the tenets of the organizational learning framework to illustrate the possibilities university ITEM in integrating the functions of middle management within a university.

This article discusses the introduction of information and communication technology in educational management (ITEM) into the academic and financial administrative activities of Uganda’s oldest and largest university. This university has seen the relevance of ITEM especially in enhancing its efficiency and effectiveness in view of increased enrolment. Data used were collected through documentary analysis and thematic interviews. The interviews involved 17 respondents comprising two top managers, eleven deans and directors of faculties, schools or institutes and four administrative personnel knowledgeable about the academic and financial ITEM systems. Data were transcribed and emergent themes identified. The findings illuminate a mixture of optimistic expectations and lamentations to the ITEM systems that have been aimed at integrating the highly decentralized administrative structure in the university. These comprehensive ITEM systems have been a vendor-developed and donor-funded venture. Consequently, adopting the systems has in some instances been compounded by incompatibility to the existing administrative practices. In light of these findings, it is suggested that ITEM systems ought to be first piloted in a few units prior to university-wide deployment in this developing setting with its peculiarities. Besides, on-site ITEM development would more likely remedy the mismatch between ITEM systems and the administrative processes it is meant to support even though they are projects and time-bound.

This paper addresses the issue of requirements of University ITEM systems. A guide to characteristics is presented which is supported by two international cases.

This article reports on the lessons learnt from the implementation of a computerized information system (CIS) for managing human resources at the Ministry of Education in Botswana, and on the usage of CISs in the management of secondary schools in Uganda. The findings from these African studies portray the levels of usage, their impact and the critical success factors that most influence the utilization of the CISs. in both countries, clerical usage of the CISs was reported. User training is reported as the most important determinant of CIS usage in both Uganda and Botswana. In Uganda, managerial usage by school managers is very limited, but users are generally positive concerning the effects of CISs use. In Botswana, the direct usage by managers is also limited as is use for decision-making. It is concluded that wider and better CIS usage can be promoted by carefully designed user training, grounded on a thorough analysis of the needs of the user group.

This paper describes an exploratory study on the usage of computerised school information systems (CISs) in the administration and management of the biggest secondary schools in Uganda. The field of information technology in educational management (ITEM) has been mostly confined to the developed countries that its potential in the developing countries in regard to its usage and implications on the schools that use it has not been studied (Bisaso, 2003). The literature reveals that developing countries are lagging behind in the use of CISs partly because of the resource constraints in skilled expertise, finance, and computer equipment (Visscher, 2001). But this magnitude of inferiority in school administrative computing has not been proven hence this study. The results of this exploratory study reveal that the CISs in Uganda are mainly used for clerical purposes while managerial usage by school managers is very limited. Relevant factors relating to the effective use of the CISs are identified. Users are generally positive on the effects of CISs use. It is concluded that wider and better CIS usage would be promoted by carefully designed user training grounded on a thorough analysis of the needs of the user group. Moreover, the support of the systems administrator is considered vital as a catalyst of CIS usage. A comparative summary with earlier studies in the developed countries is made.

With the urge to Africanise the curriculum following colonisation, many African countries are still wary of the educational initiatives from the developed countries. However, with the clear curriculum design and development guidelines provided by various national Quality Assurance bodies, African countries need not fear migrating curricula from developed countries. Drawing from the workshop experiences, authors of this paper illustrate the steps involved in migrating, contextualising and adapting a professional field of study in a multi-institutional partnership, with particular focus on the competence-based curriculum design and development process. The process of migrating higher education (HE) Administration, Leadership and Management curriculum taught at the University of Tampere (Finland) to a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education Leadership and Management (PGDHELM) curriculum at Uganda Management Institute (UMI) in partnership with the Makerere University and the University of Helsinki involved undertaking a needs assessment, training of trainers and adapting the programme to the UMI context. The training of trainers provided opportunity for the trainees to reflect and generate information on the status of HE leadership and management in Uganda. The curriculum was institutionalised by aligning it to the vision, mission and profile of UMI in the context of the existing internal and external Quality Assurance frameworks. This paper underscores the importance of involving stakeholders, taking into account national and institutional requirements in all the steps when migrating an academic curriculum.