By Okeya John
As Makerere University celebrated its 75th graduation ceremony starting January 13th to 17th, 2025, at the Freedom Square, Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) marked an important milestone, with 11 students from our only Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences (BEHS) programme graduating with first-class honours.
Since its inception in 2003, the BEHS programme has attracted many students and produced over 800 graduates, many of whom have been transformed to take on key public health leadership roles and responsibilities serving at districts, national, and the global scene.
This year’s 2025 cohort comprised 46 graduates, evenly matched, with 23 males and 23 females. The cohort will go down in history for many things, one of them, being its high academic achievement, as they produced 11 first-class graduates, each with their unique stories to tell. Here are the faces that made the School proud on Tuesday, January 14, 2025;
11. Ivan Ssebandeke – CGPA 4.41
Born to Mr Ben Kimera and Mrs Namayanja Mary Sanyu in Kibinge village, Buyoga Town Council, Masaka District, on December 18, 2001, Ivan’s journey to join MakSPH in 2021 began when he first started school at Uphill Nursery School in Buyoga. He later transitioned to Kibinge Junior School for primary one before moving on to Masaka Citizen Primary School, where he wrote the PLE exams and emerged with the best score in 2014 with seven aggregates.
With support from his cousin, Mr Katenta Joseph, a chemistry teacher at the secondary School, Ivan joined St. Henry’s College Kitovu. He completed O-level in 2018 with 25 aggregates and went on to score 16 points doing BCM/ICT at A-level in 2021. This secured his admission to the coveted Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences programme at MakSPH.
Initially, Ivan aspired to study medicine, shifting to public health after consultations with several lecturers and developing a passion for public health advocacy and leadership. His first semester at university was challenging, including adapting to city life and managing the distance from the hostel in Kikoni to class in Mulago. This made him miss group discussions.
However, determined to succeed at all costs, Ivan relocated to Mulago, joined study groups, and set his academic targets straight, eventually achieving first-class honours through consistent effort and discipline, with a 4.41 CGPA.
During this time as a student, he also offered himself as a leader, serving as Publicity Secretary for the MakSPH-based Makerere University Environmental Health Students Association (MUEHSA) between April 2023 to April 2024 and coordinating sports activities and prayers at St. Francis Chapel, Makerere University.
His undergraduate research, supervised by our Faculty Dr. Aloysius Senyonjo, centred on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use among coffee factory workers in Bukomansimbi, Central Uganda. Ivan now aspires to pursue postgraduate studies in public health, specializing in M&E, with a critical interest in climate change and health systems research.
10. Asani Karuna Manji – CGPA 4.43
Karuna, 22, the eldest child of Mr Asani Dhanbai Manji and Mrs Asani Karsan Manji, is an Indian, born and raised in Uganda, a country she considers home. She started school at Ebenezer Primary School, in Kisugu, a Kampala suburb, where she completed her primary education in 2014. She then moved to St. Kizito Secondary School in Bugolobi, sitting for O-level in 2018, before setting out to conclude A-level at Mengo Secondary School in 2020.
Initially aspiring to be a pharmacist, Karuna instead found a career calling in environmental health, a journey she finds to have been a blessing in disguise, as it has been immensely rewarding intellectually and career-wise.
Her studies at MakSPH ignited a passion for improving community health through research, disease prevention, and public health advocacy. Having finished strongly with a CGPA of 4.43, she attributes her academic success to consistency, proper time management, active participation in class and discussions, and self-study at the MakSPH resource centre.
Karuna shared that her parents have been her guiding light, always reminding her to work hard and stay positive, believing God’s plan always leads to the best outcome. Her favourite quote from Vincent Norman’s The Power of Positive Thinking — “If you expect the best, then you will get it”— reflects her optimistic outlook on life.
Looking ahead, Karuna wants to pursue a master’s in public health and positively impact disease prevention, and community health.
9. Nsubuga Raymond Moses – CGPA 4.43
Raymond, 22, is the firstborn to Mr Moses Wampona and Mrs Aidah Nassozi Wampona of Kasoma village, Luweero district, in Central Uganda. His academic journey leading up to the first-class degree at Makerere University has been as challenging as it has been rewarding.
He started school at the rural Jack and Jill Infant School, where he was born, later swapping the former for Little Angels, Light of Life, and eventually Our Lady Parents’ School. It is here where he sat and excelled in PLE with eight aggregates in 2014.
Having finished this first phase, Raymond’s fate was sealed. He embarked on secondary education at Ndejje Senior Secondary School for six years, acquiring 17 aggregates at UCE in 2018 and 16 points in BCM/ICT at UACE in 2021.
At this point, he aspired to study pharmacy, but his passion for public health grew stronger each day. As a child, he was exposed to the healthcare environment, often accompanying his mother, a Nursing Assistant at Wansalangi Health Centre II in Nakaseke District.
He was also inspired to follow the public health career journey by mentors, including the late Dr. Emmanuel Mukunya, a family friend, and uncle, Dr. Kasozi Samuel; a Senior TB and Global Fund Grant Advisor at the Ministry of Health in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Having completed secondary school, Raymond had mixed feelings, after missing out on government sponsorship to join Makerere University, which would have eased his education. However, his uncle, Mr. Timothy Kizito, stepped in and made his dreams a reality.
Once at MakSPH, Raymond attended lectures diligently, engaged in class discussions, and maintained a strong personal study routine. A devout Anglican, his faith kept him grounded despite financial and other hurdles. However, he remembers that tuition payments nearly jeopardized his exams, but determination and family support saw him through.
He credits attending class with public health practitioners upgrading from a diploma as pivotal, as they shared practical insights with field experience that enhanced learning. Outside class, Raymond engaged in extracurricular activities, including key leadership roles, serving as MUEHSA Electoral Commission General Secretary, 89th Makerere University Student Guild Representative, and MakSPH Christian Union Organising Secretary.
Today, Raymond envisions using his first-class degree to improve solid waste management in Uganda, and prevent tragedies like the Kitezi landfill collapse that happened in 2024.
He co-founded a community-based organisation the Integrated Efforts for Change aimed at transforming health and wellness in his home district in Luwero. In the long run, Raymond envisions driving social impact through public health interventions and innovation.
8. Mercy Pimer – CGPA 4.45
Mercy, 22, is an Alur from Zombo District, West Nile, born and raised in Kampala, Uganda. She is the firstborn to Mr Stanley Odongo and Mrs Gloria Awekonimungu Odongo. She revealed that growing up in an extended family taught her important life lessons including compassion, patience, and togetherness, that influenced her throughout her academic journey.
The writing of this journey started close to two decades ago when she started school at St. Kizito Primary School, Namugongo, in central Uganda. She didn’t take long here though, moving to Victorious Primary School in Mukono.
It is in Mukono that she wrote her PLE exams, excelling with five in possible four in 2014. She attended Mt. St. Mary’s College Namagunga for UCE, emerging with 15 aggregates in 8 in 2018. She then went back to Namugongo where it all started for her A-level at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School, where she capped it off with 17 points doing BCM/ICT.
As a reward for hard work, this excellent record earned her a government scholarship to study the Bachelor of Environmental Health at Makerere University.
Before that, Mercy, like many others, wanted to pursue pharmacy. However, now a staunch public health convert, she argues that the BEHS programme ignited her passion for preventive medicine. Inspired by courses like waste management and community health, she has embraced the idea that small lifestyle changes can indeed help in preventing diseases.
Throughout the three-year program, she actively engaged in discussion groups, mentorship, and internship, strengthening her commitment to public health. Her dedication paid off, graduating with a record CGPA of 4.45, ranking eighth in her cohort.
In particular, she recalls that she was deeply moved by Mr. David Katwere Ssemwanga's unorthodox method of delivering lessons in public health, as this taught her how to integrate environmental health principles into daily life.
Another fond memory for her is representing the School at the 2024 Emory Global Health Case Competition in Atlanta, USA. Competing alongside students from 31 universities worldwide, her team developed solutions for the dual burden of diabetes and TB.
During the three years, Mercy also took on leadership roles as a student, serving as a class representative for her cohort and Academic Secretary for the Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS) Guild Council from 2023 to 2024.
She acknowledges that her journey to success was challenging, but her parent’s unwavering support and determination kept her focused. Finishing strong, she now plans to pursue graduate education and work towards promoting impactful public health initiatives.
7. Jennifer Nantongo – CGPA 4.47
Jennifer, born on June 30, 2002, in Namasuba, a southwestern suburb of Kampala, is the third of four children to Mr. William Ssentongo and Ms. Sarah Nakyambadde.
A standout student from an early age, Jennifer attended Modern Junior School from 2008 to 2014, where her academic excellence and talent in Music, Dance, and Drama earned her sponsorship to support her through school. She later joined King’s College Budo, scoring 13 points at UCE in 2018 and 15 out of 20 at UACE in 2021 in BCM/ICT.
Despite financial hardships, Jennifer received support from family and teachers who sponsored her education. “In Form Four, my family struggled to pay my fees on time. Thanks to my former teacher, Mr. Mugerwa James, I received support from Old Budonians in the UK,” she shared.
Her introduction to public health came unexpectedly, having missed out on her first choice, medicine, on a government scholarship, where her initial passion was.
On the advice of her Chemistry teacher at Budo, Mr Peter Baboine, she applied for the Bachelor of Environmental Health Sciences at Makerere University on a private scheme, a field that turned out to be deeply rewarding as her true calling.
Inspired by her mother’s sacrifices and guidance from her uncles, Mr Patrick Muliika and Mr Andrew Ssenjovu, she aimed at excellence at Makerere University, actively participating in group discussions, collaborating with her classmates in learning to find out what she had missed out during class and engaging in personal study, the result of which, can be seen in the first-class degree honours, with a CGPA of 4.47 she bagged on January 14, 2025.
Beyond class, Jennifer also gained project coordination experience, supporting the Centre of Excellence on Antimicrobial Stewardship in Central Uganda, under the stewardship and mentorship of Dr. David Musoke, a project implemented in Wakiso District through a partnership between Makerere University and Nottingham Trent University, UK.
Despite struggles with persistent headaches and financial hardship, Jennifer says she has stayed focused, drawing strength from her faith and family. The supportive environment at MakSPH, including seminars and the resource centre, further fuelled her growth.
Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a career in academia and research, aiming to empower future public health professionals and develop solutions to pressing health challenges.
