Museveni confirms Prof. Muhwezi as MUBS Principal
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has officially appointed Professor Moses Muhwezi as the substantive Principal of Makerere University Business School (MUBS). This confirmation comes at a time when students and staff have been urging the government to make the appointment in order to ease tensions at the institution. According to the instrument of appointment signed on November 3, Professor Muhwezi will serve a five-year term at the Nakawa-based institution.
“I Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, do hereby appoint Muhwezi Moses (prof) on local contract s principal of Makerere University Business School for a period of five years with effect from the date of assumption of duty. This appointment takes immediate effect,” the instrument reads in part.
This appointment comes after nearly 17 months in which Muhwezi served as acting principal, following the end of former principal Wasswa Balunywa’s term. During this period, the Makerere University Business Academic Staff Association (MUBASA) and the student body were actively pushing the government to make the appointment substantive, citing the stability and positive reforms Muhwezi has introduced.
Albert Arinda, MUBASA’s vice chairman, noted that the staff unanimously recommended Muhwezi for the role, recognizing his contributions to strengthening MUBS during his interim leadership. Brain Muyomba, a lecturer at MUBS, noted that the confirmation of Prof. Muhwezi as Principal is timely and has spared MUBS from a potentially awkward situation. He explained that with the Acting Principal’s contract as Deputy Principal nearing its end, the institution was at risk of facing a leadership gap.
“Imagine the institution being in a leadership crisis, without a substantive Principal and no substantive Deputy,” he remarked. He added that the past year saw increased lobbying for the position, creating tension and instability at MUBS, which this confirmation should now resolve.
Muhwezi’s appointment makes him only the second principal in the school’s 28-year history, as the position had previously been held solely by Balunywa since the institution’s establishment in 1997. During Muhwezi’s tenure as acting principal, a faction of staff opposed Balunywa’s reappointment.
Several groups petitioned the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataha Museveni, regarding the issue, while others filed complaints with the Inspector General of Government (IGG), alleging various misconduct by Balunywa and some other officials at the institution.
In June of last year, the MUBS University Council recommended Balunywa for reappointment, highlighting his achievements with a rating of 89.7%. But, Balunywa’s term expired on May 31 without renewal, leading to Muhwezi’s temporary appointment.
Under the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, the principal of a public tertiary institution, such as MUBS, serves a five-year term and is eligible for reappointment. The law does not impose term limits and only grants the Education Service Commission the authority to set specific terms and conditions for individuals holding the office.
About the new principal
Prof. Muhwezi was appointed Acting Deputy Principal of MUBS in 2014 and confirmed as the substantive Deputy Principal in 2019. Previously, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business Administration and led both the Department of Procurement and Supply Chain Management and the Department of Management Science at MUBS.
According to information from the institution’s website, he holds a PhD in Public Procurement from the University of Twente, Netherlands; a Master of Philosophy in Public Procurement from the Maastricht School of Management, Netherlands; an MBA in Accounting and Finance from Makerere University; and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Accounting) from Makerere University, among other qualifications.
Prof. Muhwezi is also a member of several professional bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS), the Institute of Public Procurement Professionals in Uganda (IPPU), the Dutch Procurement Association, the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing Group (IMP), and the Technical Committee of Procurement Experts for COMESA States. He previously served as Vice Chairperson of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, Uganda Chapter.
MUBs at a glance
MUBS was established in 1997 as a constituent college of Makerere University through the merger of Makerere’s Faculty of Commerce and the National College of Business Studies (NCBS). This merger required the Faculty of Commerce to relocate from the Makerere Campus to Nakawa, where NCBS was located.
In 2000, MUBS was granted financial and administrative autonomy, significantly restructuring the institution and establishing a council with authority comparable to that of the Makerere University Council. In 2001, the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act brought further change, transforming MUBS from a constituent college of Makerere into a public tertiary institution affiliated with Makerere University.
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