Makerere University’s academic excellence and structured growth of academic staff
We write in response to misleading claims published in The Observer (July 16- 22, 2025) regarding staff turnover at Makerere University.
As Uganda’s premier institution of higher learning, we have a responsibility to address these unfounded allegations with facts and context. Contrary to claims that Makerere is “bleeding” its intellectual talent, the evidence tells a different story.
Our professorial ranks have maintained the required growth rates based on research output and wage availability. The university currently has 223 professors and associate professors undertaking teaching, research and mentorship as opposed to 190 in 2014 – a clear indicator of institutional strength and effective human resource development.
This growth reflects deliberate investments by the Ugandan government through improved wage funding, strategic policies by our University Council and Appointments Board, and our commitment to professional development.
Currently, there are additional staff in the promotion pipeline, with progression limited only by budgetary constraints and available positions—a positive challenge that demonstrates our academic vitality.
The professors referenced in The Observer article did not leave due to neglect, frustration, or mismanagement. Rather, 24 of the 66 professors and associate professors who left university service between 2020 and 2025 either reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 or completed all their post-retirement contract periods, as stipulated by the Uganda Public Service Standing Orders and the Makerere University Human Resources Manual.
The other professors and associate professors that retired within this period did so within normal procedures. This represents sound institutional planning, respect for staff career decisions, and not institutional failure.
Characterising these natural transitions as “losses” misrepresents both the dignity of retirement and the compliance with the well-structured nature of academic career progression at Makerere. Recognising the value of senior academic expertise, Makerere has implemented one of the most progressive post-retirement contract systems in the region.
Since enacting the 2009 Human Resources Manual, the university offers post- retirement contracts to professors and associate professors. These are provided through initial four-year contracts, renewable for another four years, then two-year extensions until age 70.
Recent 2024 revisions now allow service until age 80. For associate professors, the university offers three-year post-retirement contracts, renewable for two years until age 65, now extended to age 70.
Currently, 37 professors serve on active post-retirement contracts, contributing their expertise while creating space for emerging talent. These contracts are merit-based, requiring demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and innovation—not automatic entitlements. Importantly, academic departments now have the authority to assess their needs and recommend candidates for post-retirement contracts, ensuring decisions align with priorities in the academic units and the need for succession planning.
Operating within a fixed wage budget requires careful balance. Every post-retirement contract must be weighed against opportunities for promoting active staff members. This ensures that honouring senior contributions does not compromise career advancement for the next generation of scholars.
Some professors chose not to seek post-retirement contracts, which is a personal decision we respect entirely. Others applied but were not granted extensions based on transparent processes considering their performance against the established parameters for the grant of a post-retirement contract, budget realities, academic needs, and equitable resource distribution as outlined in the Human Resources Manual.
Leading human resource organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the UK’s Workplace Employment Relations Survey (WERS), identify annual staff turnover rates of 10 per cent to 12 per cent as healthy for knowledge-based institutions.
Makerere University operates well within this benchmark, reflecting effective retention strategies and institutional stability. We take immense pride in our alumni who have risen to leadership positions as vice chancellors and deputy vice Chancellors across public and private institutions regionally and globally.
This success reflects not just individual achievement but Makerere’s enduring contribution to educational leadership development. Our emeritus professors and retirees continue enriching our intellectual ecosystem through research collaboration, public engagement, and mentorship, a testament to the lasting bonds between the university and its distinguished faculty.
We respectfully urge media practitioners to verify information with university management before publishing stories that could damage our institutional reputation or intrude upon the privacy of our respected professors.
Retirement should be celebrated as the culmination of distinguished service, not subjected to speculation or unfounded claims. Our administration remains accessible for engagement and clarification. We welcome fact-based dialogue about higher education challenges and our continuous career development and improvement efforts.
Makerere University continues attracting and retaining exceptional scholars across all disciplines. In recent years, we have appointed significant numbers of new professors and associate professors through rigorous promotion processes while expanding support for early-career academics through mentorship programmes, research grants, and enhanced postgraduate supervision frameworks.
We remain committed to our vision of being a thought leader in knowledge generation for societal transformation and development. The natural evolution of our faculty—through planned retirements and strategic new appointments—strengthens rather than weakens this commitment.
The writer is the Ag. deputy chief— public relations, Makerere University
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