MUASA National Budget Dialogue Calls for Stronger Investment in Higher Education

What the report says

Nile Post reports that the Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) has opened a National Budget Breakfast Meeting in Kampala, a forum it plans to hold annually to examine Uganda’s budget through academic and policy analysis. MUASA chairperson Dr Jude Ssempebwa said the platform is intended to be nonpartisan and to assess public spending against the National Development Plan, the Sustainable Development Goals and comparative international practice.

The inaugural meeting focused on Uganda’s 2026/27 national budget, which Ssempebwa said has attracted wide public debate since its presentation by the finance minister on June 11. He raised concern that the budget does not provide for salary enhancements for senior lecturers, lecturers and assistant lecturers, and urged the Ministry of Public Service to approve Makerere University’s new staffing structure. MUASA argues that the structure would support Makerere’s shift toward becoming a stronger research-led institution.

Makerere Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe welcomed the initiative, saying it revives the university’s role as a space for national debate. He called for greater use of Makerere’s research capacity in public policy, including in sectors such as agriculture and exports, and argued that Uganda’s development goals require significantly stronger investment in higher education and research.

According to Nile Post, remarks delivered on behalf of Bank of Uganda Deputy Governor Prof Augustus Nuwagaba by Andrew Philip Wabulya highlighted pressures shaping future budgets, including Uganda’s youthful population, climate change, geopolitical uncertainty, technology and borrowing costs. He urged budgets that support infrastructure, human capital, value addition, private sector growth, inclusion and responsible fiscal management.