Makerere College of Health Sciences celebrates 100 years, rallies support for infrastructure

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Makerere University’s College of Health Sciences on Thursday held a centennial alumni dinner in Kampala as part of celebrations marking 100 years of training health professionals in Uganda.

The black-tie event held at Hotel Africana brought together alumni, students, researchers and partners to reflect on the institution’s legacy and mobilise support for future developments.

The celebrations are being held under the theme: 'Celebrating a Century of Excellence, Shaping the Future'.

Prof. Bruce Kirenga, the college principal, described the milestone as a significant moment for one of Africa’s oldest and most influential medical schools.

“A hundred years is not a short time. The university started in 1922, and two years later, the medical school was established, making it one of the oldest schools within the university."

He said that for decades, the institution has played a critical role in training a wide range of health professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and biomedical scientists.



The college has also contributed significantly to scientific research and medical innovation in Africa.

“Our researchers have played a key role in describing diseases and developing interventions. For example, one of the cancers common in Africa was first described by our professors, and a prostaglandin medicine developed here is now widely used to facilitate labour when childbirth is delayed,” said Kirenga.

Researchers from the college also conducted pioneering studies on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

“Those studies showed that treatment given to HIV-positive mothers can prevent the virus from being transmitted to their babies."

The college head said the institution continues to attract some of the country’s best students due to its highly competitive admission process.

“As you know, to come into this medical school, you must have performed very well. It is comparable to the Oxford or Harvard of Africa."

The centennial celebrations began in 2024 with a series of activities, including the official launch, a public dialogue on health professions training, a students’ marathon and an exhibition showcasing the college’s history, research and innovations.

The alumni dinner is one of the key fundraising activities aimed at supporting infrastructure development at the college.

Funds raised will support the refurbishment of the historic Davies Lecture Theatre, which has served generations of medical students since the 1940s.

The final event will take place in July when the college unveils a monument celebrating the history of medicine in Africa.

Students attending Thursday's dinner said the celebrations serve as an inspiration for the next generation of health professionals.

Kenneth Tuyisenge, the vice-president of the Makerere University Medical Students Association and a fifth-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery student, said the milestone provides an opportunity for reflection and motivation.

“When we see what previous students and great professors have achieved over the past 100 years, it encourages us to work harder so that we can also reach those heights,” he said.

“For us students, the fundraising to refurbish Davies Lecture Theatre is very important because it will increase lecture space and improve our learning environment,” he said.

Formal medical education in Uganda began in 1924 with the establishment of the medical school on Mulago Hill, across from the main university campus.

Over the years, the institution has produced thousands of health professionals who now serve in Uganda and across the world, making it one of the region’s most influential centres for medical training and research.