Honored as the founding father of Uganda’s education sector is Prof. William Senteza Kajubi

The two-time vice chancellor of Makerere University, Professor William Senteza Kajubi, has been recognized as the founding father of Uganda’s education sector.

This occurred during the 4th Annual Kajubi Lecture 2023, which was co-hosted by Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Vice-Chancellor of Makerere University, and H.E. Amb. William W. Popp, the recently appointed American ambassador to Uganda.

During the Tuesday lecture at the Yusuf Lule Teaching Facility, the principal of Makerere College of Education and External Studies (CEES), Professor Anthony Muwagga Mugagga, thanked the U.S. embassy in Kampala for the outstanding support that the university has received over the last four years.

Anthony Muwagga Mugagga, a professor

I would like to express my gratitude to the 4th Annual Kajubi Lecture organizers. In order to honor and commemorate the life of the late Sentenza Kajubi, the first complete brilliant scholar, I would want to personally thank and acknowledge my staff at CESS for their hard work in organizing this gathering,” he stated.

The public lecture’s concept, according to Wasswa Kajubi, a member of the Kajubi family, is that “we will listen in to the ideas brought forth by the keynote speakers and use the ideas to better our personal lives and the countries in which we live at large.”

Wajubi Wasswa

A mind is a horrible thing to squander, Wasswa said, adding, “I hope that we all learn a lot today and transform today’s ideas into useful products and services.”

Professor William Senteza Kajubi was called a change-maker and a courageous alumnus by Prof. Nawangwe during his speech.

Professor Nawangwe Barnabas

“His legacy was so profound that, in spite of our academics’ reputation for constantly debating matters, no one has ever raised an objection to the claim that he is the founding father of Uganda’s education sector. I believe we should be proud of ourselves for it.

Nawangwe says that it is thus heartening to see that higher education in Uganda is being debated through the prism of technological innovation 71 years after Prof. Senteza Kajubi obtained his Fulbright Scholarship.

William Popp Amb. and Prof. Nawangwe

“Therefore, I would like to compliment the U.S. embassy on the selection of keynote speakers. Two Fulbright alumni, whose careers are deeply intertwined with education, industry, and technology, could not be more qualified to discuss today’s theme.”

U.S. Ambassador H.E. Amb. William Popp, on his part, praised the illustrious past of Makerere University and said that it not only ranks among the top academic establishments in East Africa but also has a promising future.

H.E. Ambassador William Popp, U.S.

“As part of Makerere’s centennial celebrations, the U.S. embassy took great pride in presenting the first Kajubi-Fulbright Lecture last year. We are happy to carry on the custom of honoring Professor Senteza Kajubi, a former vice-chancellor of Makerere University, and convening American and Ugandan scholars to talk about the future of higher education. Having several members of the Kajubi family here today is amazing!

He continued, saying, “We hope that Uganda would become self-sufficient and cease to be a developing country via our development activities. Institutions like Makerere University must develop a workforce that is prepared for the twenty-first century and beyond in order to achieve that.

Amb. Popp thinks that technology is now a necessary component of the workplace.

“Every industry, including engineering, education, and diplomacy, needs a workforce capable of using information technology efficiently, collecting and analyzing data, and making useful use of the wealth of knowledge available online. He said, “Technological literacy is now the language that enables our countries’ inhabitants to work together as we create a more prosperous future.