Prof Mpezamihigo moves from KIU to Equator varsity as VC
Prof Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the new vice chancellor of Equator University of Science and Technology. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Prof Mpezamihigo will be responsible for providing leadership and supervisory oversight roles at the three-year-old institution. He replaces Prof Haroonah Nsubuga, who resigned last month after serving as acting VC for only eight months.
Days after exiting Kampala International University (KIU) as vice chancellor, Prof Mouhamad Mpezamihigo has joined the Masaka-based Equator University of Science and Technology (EQUSaT) to serve in the same position, the Monitor has established.
“The Board of Trustees hereby appoint you as the vice chancellor EQUSaT with effect from May 1, 2024, for a contract period of 3 years subject to a six-month probation period. As the chief executive officer of the university, you will report to the board of trustees through the university council. You will be governed by the terms and conditions of employment of the university,” the appointment letter signed by the chairperson Board of Trustees, Prof Awais Raoof, reads in part.
Prof Mpezamihigo will be responsible for providing leadership and supervisory oversight roles at the three-year-old institution. He replaces Prof Haroonah Nsubuga, who resigned last month after serving as acting VC for only eight months.
Prof Nsubuga had streamlined the university management and prepared paperwork to push for a charter status, the highest licence from the universities' regulator, the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE), which is only granted by the head of state.
Before his appointment at EQUSaT, Prof Mpezamihigo was the EQUSaT Secretary Board of Trustees and a member of the university council.
Prof Mouhamad Mpezamihigo, the new vice chancellor of Equator University of Science and Technology with staff on May 6, 2024. Photo | Courtesy
In an interview with the Monitor on Sunday, Prof Mpezamihigo said he was more than ready to serve in his new position.
“I am a star performer and what I have done at KIU speaks for itself, I think my new employer based on that to give me a job swiftly,” he said.
On his first day at EQUSaT on Monday, he met with staff and familiarised himself with the environment.
The university was established under an agreement between the government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health and the University of Lahore, Pakistan.
It started enrolling students in 2021 and currently has close to 400 students from countries including Liberia, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, Chad, Comoros, and Niger.
During his nine years as VC at KIU, Prof Mpezamihigo made the institution highly competitive within Uganda, the East African region, and Africa as a whole.
According to the Webometrics World Ranking of Universities of 2024, KIU is the second-best university in Uganda and the third-best in the region after Makerere University and the University of Nairobi, respectively.
