Among the institutions flagged were Makerere University, whose study centres in Mbale and Lira were found to be operating without proper accreditation.
Greater Mukono Journalists Mourn Veteran Journalist Mike Musisi
Uganda’s higher education sector has come under intense scrutiny following a damning report by the Office of the Auditor General, which uncovered widespread operational inefficiencies, unaccredited programmes, and weak research structures across several public universities.
In his December 2025 annual audit report to Parliament, Auditor General Edward Akol revealed that a number of institutions were operating unaccredited programmes, campuses, and study centres—raising fresh concerns about the integrity and oversight of Uganda’s university education system.
Unaccredited Study Centres and Campuses
Among the institutions flagged were Makerere University, whose study centres in Mbale and Lira were found to be operating without proper accreditation. Gulu University was cited for running study centres in Kotido, Hoima/Masindi, and Kitgum, while Busitema University was operating the Tororo study centre and Kabwangasi campus without accreditation.
Similarly, Kyambogo University was listed for unaccredited study centres in Bushenyi, Paidha, and Soroti.
The report further noted that Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Kabale University, Muni University, Mountains of the Moon University, Lira University and Soroti University were among those that continued admitting students into 64 academic programmes whose accreditations had expired.
According to the Auditor General, weak enforcement by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and inadequate internal tracking systems within universities allowed the irregularities to persist.
Research Innovations Gathering Dust
Beyond accreditation concerns, the audit exposed troubling gaps in research participation and impact.
At Gulu University, mobile technology prototypes were reportedly demonstrated only once and never made accessible to intended users. At Busitema University, agricultural innovations were shared without adapting them to suit local farmers’ language or technical literacy levels.
As a result, research outputs remained underutilised, limiting their real-world impact and affecting institutions’ global research visibility rankings, including Webometrics performance.
The Auditor General attributed low research participation among academic staff to inadequate mentoring structures, limited training in proposal development, and weak incentives—particularly for junior researchers.
Even for the few academics who managed to conduct research, the report found that 13 public universities lacked standardised procedures to ensure findings reached policymakers, local communities, industry partners, and peer reviewers.
Oversight Institutions Faulted
The audit did not spare oversight bodies. The National Council for Higher Education and the Ministry of Education and Sports were criticised for failing to consistently enforce programme accreditation standards, monitor campus operations, and ensure teaching and research met national benchmarks.
The continued operation of unaccredited campuses, admission of students into unaccredited programmes, weak research dissemination, and inadequate quality assurance practices were said to be undermining the integrity of Uganda’s higher education system.
Management Failures Over Resource Constraints
Notably, the Auditor General concluded that many universities were operating below optimal efficiency levels—not primarily because of inadequate funding, but due to internal managerial and operational weaknesses.
These included poor course planning, inconsistent assessment processes, inadequate postgraduate supervision, limited monitoring of research activities, and inefficiencies in academic administration.
The findings are contained in a Value for Money Audit assessing how effectively public universities utilise financial and human resources, as well as student enrolment, to maximise key outputs—particularly the number of graduates produced and the volume and quality of research generated.
The report now places renewed pressure on university leadership and regulators to restore credibility, strengthen oversight, and safeguard the future of Uganda’s higher education system.
