By Chris Mugasha and Joseph Baguma

A total of 63 students have been awarded degrees in medicine at the Kampala International University (KIU) Western campus. 

Dr. Benjamin Oonge, the dean of the faculty of clinical medicine, said 157 students had enrolled for the course but some dropped out due to financial and academic reasons.

The function took place on Friday at the university’s main conference hall where 18 females and 45 males took the oath of professional medical doctors. Out of the 63 doctors, only 24 were Ugandans. 

 Prof. Jonathan Nshaho, the director of the school of post-graduate studies and research, appealed to the graduands to concentrate on serving people with dignity. 

He cautioned the doctors to resist misleading advice from their bosses or government officials and take the health of patients as a priority. 

Nshaho also warned the doctors against greed for money, arguing that it should not determine how they handle their patients.

The KIU deputy vice chancellor, Dr. Yusuf Sadiq, said lack of skilled manpower to work in the laboratories is hindering their efforts to train more health workers. 

Meanwhile, about 1,166 students of Kabalega College, Masindi were on Thursday and Friday awarded diplomas and certificates of Kyambogo University.

Of the 1,166 students, 443 were female and 723 male. Over 500 got diplomas in primary education, while 600 got diplomas in secondary education. Ninety-three other students were also awarded advanced certificates in business studies, teaching English and nursery teaching.

Presiding over the ceremony, the vice-chancellor of Kyambogo University, Prof. Isaiah Omoro Ndiege, challenged the graduates to uphold the teachers’ code of conduct and ethics despite the hardships and challenges they may face.

“The future of this nation lies in your hands and you must always remember that you are the light. Do not let your diplomas sleep by the roadside,” he noted.