1. We make reference to a Public Notice from the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda, claiming withdrawal of the recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy Program at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
2. The National Council for Higher Education is mandated under Section 4d (ii) of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act Cap. 262, to ‘receive, consider and process applications for accreditation of academic and professional programmes of higher education institutions, in consultation with professional associations and regulatory bodies.’
3. The National Council for Higher Education is further mandated under Section 4(f) of the Act to “receive and investigate complaints relating to institutions of higher education and take appropriate action.”
4. The mandate of recognition of academic qualifications rests with the National Council for Higher Education, as mandated under Section 4(i) of the Act.
Given the above statutory provisions, National Council for Higher Education would like to clarify as follows:
1. The Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology was first accredited by the National Council for Higher Education in 2010. Since then, the programme has received multiple re-accreditations. The most recent re-accreditation was granted on 30th January 2025, for the programme to run up to 2036. All the re-accreditations have been granted in consultation with the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda, as required under Section 4d (ii) of the Act.
2. The National Council for Higher Education was neither involved nor consulted in the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda’s unilateral decision to withdraw its recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
3. Withdrawal of recognition of qualifications of graduates of a given programme or academic institution is the preserve of the National Council for Higher Education.
4. Mbarara University had an Associate Professor of Pharmacy heading the Department of Pharmacy until July 2026 when he resigned to join another academic institution on promotion to full Professor. The University temporarily engaged a Senior Lecturer, with a nursing background but holding a PhD in Pharmacology from Ghent University in Belgium, to head the Department. The current Acting Head of Department of the Pharmacy Department is a Pharmacist who also serves as the President of the Pharmaceutica Society of Uganda.
5. National Council for Higher Education categorically states that:
a) The Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology is fully accredited.
b) The accreditation has not been withdrawn by the National Council for Higher Education
c) The teaching and learning of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology should continue.
6. The National Council for Higher Education remains open to receiving and investigating complaints related to higher education institutions in Uganda.
