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Profiles of Makerere University PhD graduates

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DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY NABWEYAMBO Sheila (Ms)

More PhD students from the College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Health Sciences (CHS), and Business and Management Sciences (CoBAMS) graduated on January 14. A total of 2,719 students from the above colleges graduated yesterday on day two of the five-day ceremony that ends on Friday. Students from the Makerere University School of Business (Mubs) will graduate today with degrees in various courses. Monitor’s Damali Mukhaye brings you more of the PhD student profiles, alongside their areas of study, key findings, and impact to the community. A total of 44 graduated on day two. Photos by David Lubowa.

JOANITA NANGENDO
She evaluated the impact of Village Health Teams (VHTs)-led oral HIV self-testing (HIVST) on HIV testing and care linkage among men in central Uganda. Her study highlighted low prior HIV testing rates despite risky behaviors. Following VHT-led HIVST distribution, there was high uptake of testing, facility-based confirmatory testing, and early antiretroviral therapy initiation among first-time testers and those not recently tested.

ORIOKOT LORRAINE
A multi-method cross-sectional study explored social accountability implementation in undergraduate medical education at Makerere University School of Medicine. Perspectives from five stakeholder categories, including students, informed the development of a social accountability framework with five domains and 20 recommendations. The Community-Based Education Research and Service program showcased curriculum integration of social accountability.

SAMUEL KABBERA
He examined the relationship between sustainable practices, stakeholder engagement, and the growth of agro-processing in Uganda. The findings revealed that environmental, social, and economic practices significantly enhance SME growth. Additionally, stakeholder engagement was shown to partially mediate the relationship between sustainable practices and the growth of agro-processing SMEs. The research emphasizes the importance of integrating sustainable practices by SMEs and government intervention through supportive policies to enhance SME growth.

ZAINA NAKABUYE
She assessed the relationship between technology orientation and export performance. She also examined the moderating role of supply chain agility and knowledge absorptive capacity between technology orientation and export performance. Results showed that technology orientation and export performance have a positive relationship. Furthermore, supply chain agility and knowledge absorptive capacity moderate technology orientation and export performance. The study recommends that SMEs invest in the latest technology.

HANIFAH NANTALE
She examined the relationship between personal values, norms, situational factors, and sustainable consumption behaviours of beverage consumers in central Uganda. The study revealed a positive relationship between biospheric values, personal and social norms, facility access, and sustainable consumption behaviours. It provided evidence of partial mediation, moderation, and a moderated mediation relationship. The study further established that the use of refillable bottles also constitutes sustainable consumption behaviours.

VIANNEY HABAKWIHA
He investigated the radiological effects of consuming milk and fish and modelled radionuclide transfer from pasture to milk and water to fish in Kisoro District. The study found that radionuclide concentrations in milk and fish were within safe limits but higher than global averages. To ensure safety, recommended daily consumption was 0.105 litres of milk and 0.02 kg of fish. The findings also revealed minimal radiation hazards from radionuclide transfer.

SAM CANPWONYI
He examined the dynamics of production and utilisation of forage for a sustainable livestock industry in the Karamoja Sub-region. The study modelled the grazing system using the classical Lotka-Volterra paradigm, physiologically structured population models, and delay differential equations to understand forage growth and livestock interactions in grassland ecosystems. The results showed that this grassland ecosystem is overused due to the ever-increasing livestock population, exacerbated by pastoralists’ perceptions of holding many animals.

MARION NANYANZI
She examined the contribution of learning methods, entrepreneurial knowledge, and spouse support in fostering entrepreneurial effectiveness of women-owned agri-businesses in Uganda. The research identified active experimentation, entrepreneurial knowledge, and instrumental support as vital antecedents of entrepreneurial effectiveness of women-owned agri-businesses. As such, the study recommends that the government should continue providing hands-on training to women entrepreneurs and incorporate their spouses in all interventions as strategies to promote entrepreneurial effectiveness.

Nawagi Faith. Photos/David Lubowa

FAITH NAWAGI
She explored the status of Inter-professional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) in African International Elective (IE) programmes and developed a guiding framework for its implementation. The research was conducted across four African training institutions, with the study revealing that most existing curricula lacked IPECP components. However, faculty and students expressed positive perceptions about its viability during IEs. Participants emphasised the importance of a framework to guide IPECP implementation.

MARTIN D. AROP
He studied the optimal actuator design and placement problem for a linear wave equation to control vibrations induced by pedestrian-bridge interactions. Under the given assumptions on the data, the study formulated the state equation and proposed a new cost functional together with two optimisation problems. The study proved an improved regularity result for the state and the well-posedness of the optimisation problems. Furthermore, the study derived the shape and topological derivatives of the functionals using the averaged adjoint approach.

BETTY AKWONGO
Akwong investigated the bioactivity and safety of medicinal plants used to treat candidiasis in Pader District, northern Uganda. The study documented 32 plants, including Distimake dissectus, a new record for Uganda. Three priority plants—Khaya anthotheca, Mitragyna rubro-stipulata, and Distimake dissectus—exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against Candida species (albicans, tropicalis, glabrata).

RICHARD WISMAYER
He investigated colorectal cancer (CRC) in Uganda, noting its rising incidence, early onset, and late-stage presentation. Many young patients had poorly differentiated, advanced-stage tumours, often linked to lynch syndrome. Risk factors included family history, urbanisation, and smoking. Survival rates were low. The study recommends immunohistochemistry and MSI testing for young patients.

KURAYISH SSEBULIME
The study examined Uganda’s labour market challenges, focusing on fragile employment creation, prolonged school-to-work transitions, and disparities in returns to education. It found weak job creation despite economic growth, with sectors like Arts, Entertainment, and Trade showing the highest potential for employment. Prolonged school-to-work transitions were linked to limited job creation, with technicians facing shorter unemployment periods than professionals.

PHIONA ATUHAIRE
She examined health expenditure, maternal health outcomes, and inequalities in maternal healthcare utilisation. Findings reveal that domestic government spending on maternal health conditions significantly reduces maternal mortality, while out-of-pocket health expenditures also show a positive association. Factors such as increasing nurses and reducing alcohol consumption among pregnant women contribute to improved outcomes.

ISAAC KIMBOW
He investigated antimicrobial stewardship practices and the quality of antibacterial use in children under five and women in labour with obstetric risk factors across 32 health facilities in Uganda. The study found that many children, particularly neonates, and those hospitalised with sepsis received off-label antibacterial treatments due to inappropriate dosing and frequency.

MOSES KIGOZI
He explored the conversion of plastic waste into valuable carbon nanomaterials, addressing environmental and energy challenges. His research transforms discarded plastics into nanomaterials capable of capturing carbon dioxide and storing energy, contributing to sustainable waste management and clean energy technologies. The study tested these nanomaterials for carbon dioxide adsorption and supercapacitor energy storage applications.

RUTH MBABAZI
She developed zinc composite catalysts for carbon dioxide-epoxide copolymerisation, producing biodegradable polymers. This process offers economic and environmental benefits by using CO2 as an alternative to toxic phosgene in polymer production. The study introduced a recyclable carboxylate/double metal cyanide (ZnGA/Zn3[Cr(CN)6]2) composite catalyst with promising activity for various polymerisation reactions.

JOAN NAKAJIGO
She investigated the reservoir properties of the Semliki Basin using rock physics, geological constraints, and seismic data. The study addressed the basin’s failure to yield commercial oil and gas quantities for Uganda due to limited understanding of reservoir properties like porosity, saturation, and lithology. Findings revealed high sandstone bulk modulus values linked to feldspars, micas, and calcareous clays, affecting reservoir performance. Nakajigo recommends continued exploration to accurately determine fluid saturation in Upper Pliocene sediments.

ROSELLINE ACHOLA
She examined decision-making about Family Planning (FP) use among refugee and host populations in Adjumani district. The study findings revealed that decision-making processes involved four dynamic pathways: 1) idea inception, 2) cognitive processing, 3) consultation, and 4) decision-making. The study identified key barriers to FP use, which include harassment by partners and side effects of FP commodities. Limiting big family size is a motivator to FP use. After the implementation of an intervention, FP use increased (30.2 percent to 37.6 percent). Community dialogues significantly increased information on the benefits of FP. The study established that adopting community dialogues is effective for increasing FP use.

CAROLINE NAMANYA
She developed a novel simplified presentation of the classical pure braid group, where the generators are the squares of the longest elements over connected subgraphs. The only relations are commutators or specific palindromic length 5 box relations. The thesis also calculates restricted roots associated with an ADE Dynkin graph and a selection of 3 vertices. These restricted roots correspond to hyperplanes in the intersection arrangement within three-dimensional real space. Additionally, the thesis constructs derived autoequivalences for an algebraic flopping contraction of a three-dimensional quasi-projective variety with mild singularities, using bimodule cones.

ALEX KAYONGO
He investigated the airway microbiome’s role in driving immune resistance to mycobacterium tuberculosis in a rural Ugandan cohort of QuantiFERON-negative individuals. He developed a novel airway microbiome signature that accurately discriminated individuals with active TB from those with latent TB and healthy controls. Kayongo suggested that applying this airway microbiome signature therapeutically, such as in microbiome-based vaccine adjuvants, could contribute to TB control efforts and enhance TB diagnostics in challenging cases.

NICHOLAS WALTER NZALA
His research focused on developing Inverse Artificial Neural Network (ANNi) algorithms to retrieve meteorological parameters such as sunshine hours, relative humidity, air temperature, and rainfall. The first part of the algorithm establishes the relationship between dependent and independent variables, while the second part retrieves the independent variables based on this learned relationship. This research addresses the challenge of accurate weather predictions, particularly in cases where large datasets are unavailable or malfunctioning.

PETER OGWENG
He investigated the genetic background of Ugandan pigs’ resistance to African swine fever virus (ASFV), examining the role of production systems in disease transmission and community-led initiatives for ASFV resistance. The study found a significant reduction in ASF outbreaks due to community-driven efforts and highlighted the potential for increased ASFV transmission during the dry season in areas with free-ranging pig production systems. The research suggests a multidisciplinary approach for effective control.

ANNA AGNES OJOK ARACH
She examined perinatal death in northern Uganda, focusing on its incidence, risk factors, associated postpartum depression, lived experiences, and the cultural perspective of the Lango community. The study, using a mixed-methods approach, found a perinatal mortality rate of 43 deaths per 1,000 births, with the highest risks among nulliparous women and those over 30 years. Postpartum depression was three times higher among women with perinatal death compared to those with live infants, 50 days postpartum.

EDWARD MUSOKE
He examined the Technical Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity Growth of Health Systems in 29 African Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from 2008 to 2018. The findings revealed variations in technical efficiency, with reductions linked to political instability, voice and accountability, gross secondary school enrolment, unemployment, and prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

ESTHER DIANA ZZIWA BAYIGA
She examined how various built environment variables affect pedestrian crash risk and road users’ perceptions in Kampala, Uganda. The study found that commercial and industrial land-use, road junctions, arterial roads, and inadequate pedestrian infrastructure significantly increase pedestrian crash risk. The study recommends that relevant authorities plan and build roads considering the mix of traffic functions, including vehicles and pedestrians.

COSMAS MUHUMUZA
He investigated the impact of climate change on fowlpox disease dynamics, estimated outbreak probabilities, and explored optimal control strategies using mathematical models. Fowlpox is a highly contagious viral disease affecting chickens and turkeys, spreading through vectors, contaminated environments, and infected hosts. Results indicated that disease extinction is more likely when mosquitoes introduce the infection.

BETTY K. NABIYONGA KIRENGA
She developed mathematical models to study the influence of genetic risk, environmental pollutants, and public health education on asthma development. The research examined the role of white blood cells (IL-23/Th17) in asthma pathogenesis to predict conditions for therapeutic interventions. The findings suggest potential therapeutic targets for controlling asthma severity, offering insights into effective interventions for managing asthma in affected populations.

PETER NAMBALA

Nambala examined Trypanosome genetic diversity and differential gene expression profiles associated with Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) in Malawi. The study analysed gene expression profiles of sleeping sickness patients and T. b. rhodesiense isolates from the Rumphi and Nkhotakota foci. The findings provide insight into the clinical phenotypes of r-HAT in Malawi and their connection to the population structure of T. b. rhodesiense in these foci.

BRIAN MAKONZI

He studied noncommutative resolutions of non-Gorenstein singularities and constructed classical deformation spaces. He recovered the Artin component of the deformation space for a cyclic surface singularity using the quiver of the corresponding reconstruction algebra. By deforming the algebra’s relations and varying the Geometric Invariant Theory quotient, he achieved simultaneous resolution.