Prof. Henry Alinatwe handed over the office of the Principal College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology (CEDAT) to Assoc. Prof. Moses Musinguzi after a ten-year tenure.
Similarly, Dr. Venny Nakazibwe, who has served in the position of Deputy Principal for two terms also handed over office to Assoc. Prof. Kizito Maria Kasule.
The handover ceremony was held in the CEDAT Boardroom on Friday 29th September 2023 and was witnessed among others by Deans and heads of departments including Assoc. Prof. Dorothy Okello from School of Engineering, Assoc. Prof. Anthony Gidudu, School of the Built Environment, Dr. Lydia Mazzi, Head Department of Geomatics and Land Management, Dr. Nathan Kibwami, Head Construction Economics and Management, Dr. Abubaker Matovu Wasswa, Electrical and Computer engineering, Dr. Moses Matovu from Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Ronald Mpindi Kibudde from Industrial Arts and applied Design.
The Administrative staff that witnessed the hand over included Mr. Luwuliza Aggrey from Internal Audit, Mrs. Hellen Ssali, the College Registrar, Mrs. Apolot Opolot Josephine, the Principal Human Resource officer, and the College Bursar Mr. Ronald Sambwa.
While handing over the office to his successor, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe said he served a two term tenure as the head of the college effective 2nd January 2014, a period of ten years and three months, albeit with some intermittent periods of acting appointment.
‘I have served as Principal for ten years and three Months. It has been an enriching experience for me to serve Makerere University. I owe the success and achievements made to the cooperation of the members of staff and students at CEDAT’, said Prof. Alinaitwe while addressing a number of staff that witnessed the handover ceremony.
Further, he commended the support rendered to him by the Vice Chancellor and the central administration as a whole, the development partners, Government Ministries and the private sector, citing the World Bank that funded the Africa Centers of Excellence and the Presidential Initiative as examples.
He highlighted some of his roles as the Chief Administrative, Academic and Financial officer that included ensuring implementation of the University policies. He said as Principal he was responsible for the proper implementation of academic programs, promotion of research and innovation as well as budget management and resource mobilization among many others.
In an elaborate hand over report, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe highlighted the key administrative units of the college that included the centres, the three Schools and the various programs offered, namely School of Engineering, School of the Built Environment, and the Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Art. Also highlighted were the staff and students at the College, the assets, office facilities and equipment in the office of the Principal and the basic and applied research projects ongoing.
The incoming Principal was also informed of the Budget and College finances noting the challenge of the budget ceilings remaining constant despite the increase in commodity prices and other costs.
Concerning the various laws, policies and regulations governing the activities at the University, Prof. Alinaitwe urged the incoming leaders to get acquainted to laws and regulations as contained in the Constitution of Uganda, the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, the Public Finance Management Act, The national Audit Act and the National Development plan..
While emphasizing the need for proper planning for the College, Prof. Alinaitwe urged the new leaders to adhere to the University and College Strategic Plans that are in line with the National Development plan. He said it was also a requirement for the Principal to ensure that quarterly and Annual Reports are submitted to the University management.
He informed the incoming Principal that it will be his duty to chair a number of meetings including the Academic and Administrative Board meetings that are charged with the administration of academic activities and administrative support services respectively.
In the area of collaboration and networks that the college in engaged in. Prof. Alinaitwe said there were a number of memorandums of Understanding between CEDAT and other Institutions and encouraged the incoming Principal to regularly make reference to them when dealing with the various institutions. He said starting with 2022, all memorandums of understanding were required to be cleared by the Solicitor General, and signed by the Vice Chancellor.
In some of the recommendations made by the outgoing leadership, the incoming team was asked to reinstitute the resource mobilization and research grants office and to encourage staff to participate more in grant writing. He charged them to make close follow up of the progress of post graduate students in order to ensure timely completion of programs and to aim at enrolling more graduate students up to 30% in the near future. As a new team, they were also encouraged to lobby for increased funding to cater for the increasing teaching and laboratory requirements.
The incoming Principal Assoc. Prof. Moses Musinguzi extended his appreciation to the outgoing College leadership, Prof. Henry Alinaitwe and Dr. Venny Nakazibwe, the Principal and Deputy Principal respectively for the great input they made in the management and leadership of the college. He said he was honored to be in the position of Principal and appreciated the University Council and management, senate and the Chancellor for the opportunity to serve.
‘I thank all CEDAT staff who gave me encouragement, motivation and support to offer my candidature’, he said and expressed his commitment to uphold the CEDAT legacy and more so look for opportunities to make it even better.
He said the disciplines taught at CEDAT constantly evolve, demand adaptability and a forward thinking approach. We need to put CEDAT at the forefront of Innovation and progress.
He said his task in the first month as Principal will be to gain a deeper understanding of each unit of the College at the level of Departments, research centres, research groups and other units in order to gain an appreciation of the College problems and in line with the recommendations from the outgoing Principal work towards redressing them.
He congratulated his Deputy Principal Dr. Kizito Maria Kasule for taking up the office and pledged to have a cordial working relationship with him and the rest of the team in the effort to uplift the college, the university and the nation as a whole.
The incoming Principal and Deputy Principal will serve a four-year term.