KAMPALA – Professor Sarah Evelyn Nabwire Ssali has officially assumed office as Makerere University’s First Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs (DVCAA).
The handover ceremony took place on Tuesday, with University Director for the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training, Professor Buyinza Mukadasi, handing over the office to Ssali.
The event was attended by top management led by Vice-Chancellor Barnabas Nawangwe, University Chaplain Lydia Nsaale Kitayimbwa, and members of Ssali’s family.
Ssali was appointed earlier this month by University Chancellor Crispus Kiyonga on the recommendation of the University Council and Senate, succeeding Umar Kakumba, who handed over office in 2024.
Vice-Chancellor Nawangwe described Ssali as an “outstanding scholar, administrator, and leader whose service will further strengthen the University’s academic excellence.”
Ssali has served Makerere University for more than two decades, including as Acting Director of the Institute of Gender and Development Studies and as Dean of the School of Women and Gender Studies (2017–2024).
She also directs the Centre of Excellence in African Identities under the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA).
An accomplished scholar, Ssali is a Professor of Gender and Development Studies with over 50 peer-reviewed publications, edited volumes, and book chapters.
Her research spans public policy, institutions, social transformation, gender, global health, health systems, and identity studies.
She has also contributed extensively to university governance, serving on the Makerere University Council since 2010, and chairing committees on Quality Assurance, Gender Mainstreaming, and ICT.
Ssali holds a PhD in International Health Studies from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, as well as a Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences (Political Science and Public Administration) from Makerere University.
She follows in the footsteps of Professor Lillian Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, the first woman to hold the position of Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, who later became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda.
Tibatemwa was a pioneer in law and higher education, achieving several firsts for women in East Africa’s academic and legal fields.
Ssali’s appointment has been hailed as a landmark for gender equality in university leadership.
The Makerere University Endowment Fund described it as “a proud moment,” while Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa expressed hope that more women would rise to senior positions within the institution.
As Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Ssali will oversee academic administration and policy direction, including teaching, learning, and research policy—functions central to Makerere’s role as Uganda’s largest public university.