Makerere University has announced that its 76th graduation ceremony will take place from February 24 to 27, 2026, with a lower number of graduands compared to last year due to the lingering impact of the #COVID-19 pandemic.
Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe said the university will graduate 8,432 students over four days, down from 13,642 in the previous graduation ceremony. He explained that the reduction is a direct result of disrupted admissions during the height of the pandemic, when Senior Six candidates were unable to transition normally into university.
“The new graduation dates are from the twenty-fourth to the twenty-seventh of February, and it will be a four-day ceremony. It is shorter because we are graduating fewer students. These are students who joined during the #COVID year when admissions were much lower,” Prof Nawangwe said.
The ceremonies will be held at Freedom Square starting at 8.30 am each day, with colleges graduating on different days according to the official programme released by the university.
On Tuesday February 24, graduands from the School of Law, the College of Education and External Studies, the College of Computing and Information Sciences, and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will be presented for graduation.
Wednesday, February 25, will see graduations for the College of Natural Sciences, the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and BioSecurity, the College of Health Sciences, and the School of Public Health.
On Thursday February 26, the ceremonies will cover Makerere University Business School, the College of Business and Management Sciences, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, while the final session on Friday February 27 will be dedicated to the College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, the Institute of Gender and Development Studies, and the Makerere Institute of Social Research.
Prof Nawangwe also announced that the university has fulfilled its commitment to have academic transcripts ready before the graduation ceremonies with an aim to end long standing frustrations among students.
“We have kept our promise to our students and stakeholders. Transcripts are ready, and this morning I am handing them over to college registrars so that students can receive them even before graduation,” he said.
Despite the reduced numbers, the Vice Chancellor said the ceremony is expected to be vibrant, noting that the university will confer honorary degrees on individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national development.
“We expect a very colourful ceremony because we are honouring two very important people in the life of the university. One of the honorary doctorates will be awarded to Mr Japheth Kato, the pioneer chief executive of the Katoma Gates Authority, in recognition of his contribution to Uganda’s economic growth,” Prof Nawangwe said.
The university said it formally communicated the revised graduation dates after receiving numerous inquiries from parents, students, and other stakeholders and assured the public that preparations for the ceremony are on course.
