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Busitema University, on 2 June 2026, held a farewell function in honour of Mrs. Sophia Alum Acon in recognition of her dedicated service and outstanding contribution to student welfare and development. Mrs. Acon served the University as Dean of Students for a total of thirteen years, including three years as the pioneer Dean of Students at the inception of the University and a further ten years during her second tenure from 2016 to 2026. Her leadership and commitment to student affairs have left an enduring impact on the institution and on the generations of students who passed through Busitema University.

The ceremony brought together members of the University's Top Management, Faculty Deans, staff from the Dean of Students' Department, representatives from various administrative units, the Guild President, and other members of staff. The gathering provided an opportunity for the University community to celebrate Mrs. Acon's remarkable service and reflect on the profound impact she has made on both students and the institution.

In their remarks, members of Top Management commended Mrs. Acon for her professionalism, commitment, and unwavering dedication to student welfare. They noted that throughout her tenure, she served with distinction and played a key role in creating a conducive environment for learning, personal growth, and student success.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Waako, paid glowing tribute to Mrs. Acon for her exceptional service to the University. He described her as a dedicated leader whose commitment to student welfare greatly contributed to the institution's growth and reputation.

“Mrs. Sophia Acon served Busitema University with dedication, professionalism, and a genuine passion for student welfare. Her contribution has left a lasting mark on the institution, and her legacy will continue to inspire future generations of staff and students,” Prof. Waako said.

Speaker after speaker praised Mrs. Acon for her approachable leadership style and her ability to guide students through various challenges during their academic journey. Many attributed the success of numerous graduates to the mentorship, guidance, and support she provided over the years. They noted that her contribution helped the University produce responsible and productive graduates who continue to serve society in various capacities.

The Guild President, Kamara Onesmus, paid tribute to Mrs. Acon for maintaining an open-door policy throughout her years of service. He described her as more than an administrator, noting that for many students she was a mentor and mother figure who was always ready to listen, advise, and support them whenever the need arose.

Kamara commended her efforts in strengthening student engagement and fostering a positive relationship between the student community and the University administration. He noted that Mrs. Acon's leadership positively impacted generations of students and contributed significantly to creating a conducive environment for learning and personal development at Busitema University.

Colleagues from the Dean of Students' Department and the units under her leadership shared fond memories of working with her. They described her as a supportive supervisor, a dependable colleague, and a source of inspiration whose guidance enabled many staff members to grow professionally. They noted that her door was always open, her counsel was thoughtful, and her commitment to service never wavered.

The speakers further recognized Mrs. Acon's role in nurturing a culture of teamwork, mutual respect, and excellence within the department. They celebrated not only her years of service but also the relationships she built, the lives she touched, and the positive work environment she fostered throughout her tenure.

In recognition of her outstanding service to the University, Mrs. Acon received several gifts and tokens of appreciation from the Dean of Students' Department and the various units she supervised. The presentations reflected the gratitude, admiration, and respect she earned from colleagues and the wider University community during her years of service.

Speaking at the function, Mrs. Acon expressed her heartfelt appreciation to the University Council, Management, staff, and students for the support and cooperation they accorded her throughout her tenure. She reflected on the many memorable experiences she shared with students and colleagues and expressed pride in having contributed to the growth and transformation of Busitema University.

“I am grateful to Busitema University for entrusting me with the responsibility of serving our students over the years. The experiences, friendships, and memories I have gained will always remain special to me. I thank Management, colleagues, and students for the support they accorded me throughout this journey,” Mrs. Acon said.

She encouraged staff members to continue serving students with dedication, fairness, and compassion, emphasizing that universities have a responsibility not only to impart knowledge but also to shape character and prepare young people for responsible citizenship and leadership.

The farewell event was marked by warm tributes, gift presentations, shared memories, and moments of celebration that highlighted the immense impact Mrs. Acon has had on the University community.

As she concludes her service as Dean of Students, Busitema University extends its sincere gratitude to Mrs. Sophia Acon for thirteen years of exemplary leadership, commitment, and selfless service. While her tenure in office has come to an end, the impact of her leadership, mentorship, and dedication to student welfare will continue to be felt across the University for many years to come. The University wishes her good health, happiness, and success in her future endeavours.

Busitema University, through its Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, successfully hosted a two-day Waste to Wealth Transformation Workshop in Soroti City, bringing together researchers, government officials, development partners, and academic institutions to explore innovative ways of converting organic waste into valuable products such as organic fertilizer and animal feed.

Held at Sparrow Hotel in Soroti on May 27 and 28, the workshop focused on the theme, “Using Innovative Gender-Responsive Business Models to Turn Organic Market Waste into Organic Fertilizer and Animal Feeds.” The event attracted participants from Busitema University, Pwani University in Kenya, and other key stakeholders involved in the Waste to Wealth (WAWE) Project.

The WAWE initiative is a collaborative effort involving Busitema University, Pwani University, and Hochschule Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The project also works closely with partners including Alliance Biodiversity International and CIAT, as well as the County Government of Kiambu, among other public and private sector stakeholders. Its primary goal is to transform organic market waste into sustainable agricultural products while promoting environmental conservation and economic empowerment.

The first day of the workshop featured presentations by Busitema University master's students whose research projects align with the WAWE initiative. The students received valuable feedback and mentorship from visiting professors from Pwani University. Having adopted the Waste-to-Wealth concept earlier, Pwani University shared practical experiences and lessons that will support the successful implementation of the project at Busitema University.

On the second day, the workshop brought together representatives from the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Soroti City Local Government, Kiambu County Government, and Busitema University's top management to discuss strategies for implementing the project and maximizing its impact.

While welcoming delegates, Busitema University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Waako, reaffirmed the institution's commitment to research, innovation, and community transformation. He noted that the university possesses adequate land resources that could support large-scale fertilizer production initiatives. Prof. Waako also highlighted the significant increase in research funding at the university, which has grown from UGX 1 billion to UGX 26 billion, reflecting the institution's strong focus on science, technology, and innovation. He emphasized that initiatives such as WAWE strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, government, and local communities.

Speaking during the workshop, Prof. James Peter Egonyu, the Busitema University team leader for the project, explained that organic waste will primarily be sourced from collection points around Soroti City Market. The waste will be sorted into different categories and treated before being processed into organic fertilizer. He also revealed that Black Soldier Fly larvae will play a central role in producing nutritious animal feed, creating multiple agricultural value chains.

In addition, the project is developing "Frass," a nutrient-rich organic product derived from processed waste materials, including fruits, vegetables, leftovers, and animal products. Demonstration sites showcasing these production models will be established in Soroti City in partnership with organizations such as the Soroti Catholic Diocese Integrated Development Organization (SOCADIDO), The Eastern Development Organization (TEDO), and the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG).

The Assistant Commissioner for Entomology at MAAIF, Mr. Lawrence Tumuhosange, emphasized the importance of insect-based technologies in supporting animal feed production and sustainable agriculture. He encouraged researchers to develop practical technologies that can benefit farmers and leverage existing mechanization centers in Soroti and other regions of Uganda.

Dr. Christine Chege, Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator at Alliance Biodiversity International and CIAT, underscored the enormous potential of transforming waste into wealth. She noted that the waste observed around Soroti City Market demonstrates the opportunities available for value addition and environmental management. According to Dr. Chege, the WAWE project will continue until the end of next year, focusing on capacity building, public-private partnerships, and community awareness campaigns to promote adoption of the technologies.

Closing the workshop, Soroti City Resident City Commissioner Mr. Chemutai James Small commended Busitema University for spearheading an initiative that addresses both environmental and economic challenges. He observed that poor waste disposal remains a significant challenge but can be transformed into a valuable opportunity through investment in organic fertilizer and animal feed production.

Busitema University has installed RACHEL devices, portable content servers originally designed for offline use at every campus library, allowing students and staff to access thousands of specialized educational resources from anywhere with an internet connection. While RACHEL typically functions as a local Wi-Fi hotspot for communities without connectivity, Busitema has reconfigured its devices and assigned each a public IP address, making them accessible via the web. This innovation responds to the university’s multicampus structure and its commitment to creative ICT infrastructure that removes every barrier to information access.

Each device, called a Content Access Point (CAP), holds a vast offline library of textbooks, video lectures, interactive simulations, and reference materials tailored to each campus’s focus areas, including Health Sciences, Engineering, Agriculture, and Natural Resources. Unlike the standard RACHEL deployment, which limits access to users within physical range of the device, Busitema’s version allows any student or faculty member whether on a remote practicum site, at home, or in a different campus to connect via the web. The devices themselves support twenty to fifty simultaneous local users and run for over five hours on battery, but their new online functionality extends their reach far beyond library walls.

World Possible, the nonprofit organization that supplies RACHEL devices, has deployed them in over forty countries, from rural Guatemala to health clinics across Africa. Their built-in Datapost tool allows the university to track usage anonymously, and World Possible also offers teacher training and librarian support. More information is available at their website, https://worldpossible.org/.

To access a campus library’s RACHEL device online, users can visit the following links. For the Faculty of Health Sciences, the link is http://capfhs.library.busitema.ac.ug/. For the Faculty of Engineering, it is http://capfoe.library.busitema.ac.ug/. For the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, it is http://capfaas.library.busitema.ac.ug/. For the Faculty of Science and Education, the link is http://capfse.library.busitema.ac.ug/. For the Faculty of Management Sciences, use http://capfms.library.busitema.ac.ug/. And for the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, the link is http://capfnres.library.busitema.ac.ug/.

 Busitema University Library Services remains committed to innovative and inclusive academic resources, and questions can be sent via email to library@busitema.ac.ug.

Dr. Isaac Mukungu, Rogers Mukose, and Winnie Musuya, three librarians from Busitema University, worked with professor Patrick Ngulube from the University of South Africa to understand how South Sudanese refugees in Uganda find and use information. Their study was published in the journal Education for Information and focused on Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Yumbe District, Northwestern Uganda, one of the largest refugee settlement in the world with over 200,000 registered refugees who fled conflict in South Sudan. Uganda hosts over 1.8 million refugees, the most of any country in Africa, but very little research has examined how these displaced populations seek and use information to survive and rebuild their lives.

The research team spent four months in Bidi Bidi from March to June 2024, using interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observation to gather data from 50 refugees and 10 refugee administrators. Two questions guided the work: what patterns of information seeking behaviour exist among refugees, and how do refugees use the information they find? The answers reveal a complex picture of active and passive information seeking and use behaviour, covert and open behaviour, and a range of ways that information is shared, validated, and sometimes withheld.

Some refugees were active seekers and thus ask neighbours, approach church leaders, visit the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) desk in the settlement, and knock on the doors of aid organisations, moving from one source to the next when the first fails. One mother described searching for information on treatment for her sick child by going from one health organisation to another until she found help, while a young person looking for a scholarship would badger a pastor, then check at the youth centre, then ask a friend with internet access. Urgency and the value attached to information sought drove these active seekers forward and their persistence continued even when doors close.

Passive seeking tells a different story. Some refugees do not go looking for information at all and instead let it arrive to them through village meeting announcements, overheard neighbour conversations, or a nearby radio. Some refugees have given up entirely because asking brought nothing before, no feedback, no answer, no help, so the asking stopped. One participant said, "I am tired, I am very tired. Because there is nothing," a sentiment the researchers call information search retraction, a withdrawal from the seeking process that leaves people without the information they need.

The study uncovered patterns rarely seen in academic literature, including covert information seeking that happens in secret, alone or in small groups. Women facing domestic violence quietly band together to ask for help without attracting attention, and refugees who fear for their lives due to political targeting in South Sudan seek resettlement information privately, telling only family and close friends. This covert seeking, especially when done collaboratively, is not well documented in information seeking behaviour.Group seeking also occurs openly when refugees share a common need, a behaviour pattern that is very supportive to those who are shy, afraid, or struggle with language barriers. In some cases one person would be persuaded to seek information on behalf of others and then share what was found, a pattern called persuasive information seeking.

When information is obtained, refugees put it to practical use in their daily lives. Some refugee school going children use library resources to complete assignments and prepare for exams, traders check market prices on social media or through friends and then bargain harder with merchants from Arua, and health information leads to treatment while job information leads to work. Spiritual information, words from a pastor or a verse from scripture, gives some refugees hope. 

Information sharing happens constantly among refugees, as neighbours tell neighbours, friends tell friends, and families tell families, but sharing has limits. Sensitive information about persecution, resettlement applications, or abuse stays within small trusted circles, and some refugees validate information before using or passing it on. Refugee leaders especially double-check news from social media or radio because spreading it as false information damages reputation of the leader. One leader said, "If you are fed with wrong information, you find yourself also feeding people with false information which tarnishes your image and is very risky."

The researchers recommend that refugee service providers design information dissemination strategies that serve all types of seekers, including passive, covert, and those who have withdrawn from seeking. Further studies on collaborative information seeking, digital literacy in refugee settlements, and information poverty among displaced populations are needed. The study appears in Education for Information, a SAGE journal, and represents the work of three Busitema University librarians and a South African scholar asking a simple, overlooked question: how do people who have lost everything find the information needed to start again?

The Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences (FAAS) at Arapai Campus officially ushered in a new era of leadership during a Deanship Handover Ceremony held on Thursday, 15th May 2026, at the Arapai Campus Conference Hall. The occasion brought together University top management, faculty staff, students, and invited guests in a celebration marked by reflection, appreciation, and renewed commitment to academic excellence.

The ceremony formally witnessed Dr. Geoffrey Lubadde assume office as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, succeeding Prof. Egonyu James Peter, who served in the role for the past two years. The event was presided over by the Deputy Dean, who had earlier served as Acting Dean during the interim period preceding the elections. Reflecting on his experience, he noted that leadership at the faculty level demands commitment, resilience, and continuous dedication to service.

Speaking during the function, the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Saphiina Biira, congratulated both the outgoing and incoming Deans for their service and leadership. She emphasized the importance of sacrifice, accountability, and institutional continuity in academic leadership. Prof. Biira encouraged the new Dean to strengthen community engagement and champion student-centered reforms such as Competence-Based Education (CBE), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and
other academic programmes aligned with directives from the National Council for Higher Education. She further reaffirmed the University’s commitment to strengthening partnerships and resource mobilization initiatives.

In his remarks, the outgoing Dean, Prof. Egonyu James Peter, expressed gratitude to University Management and the faculty community for the support accorded to him throughout his tenure. He highlighted several achievements registered under his leadership, including the enhancement of quality training, revision of the faculty’s vision and mission, strengthening committee operations through gender inclusion, and establishment of graduate programmes. He also noted progress in partnerships and research, including
collaborations with NARO, EAGC, and the STI-OP Secretariat, alongside the publication of 41 peer-reviewed papers and plans for establishing a Veterinary Training Institute and the Uganda Soil Institute.

Taking over office, Dr. Geoffrey Lubadde thanked the University leadership and faculty members for the trust placed in him. He pledged to build on the achievements of his predecessor while addressing pressing challenges affecting the faculty. Among the concerns he raised were inadequate lecture space, limited practical training equipment, insufficient exposure for students through study tours, staffing shortages, delayed payments for graduate fellows and casual workers, and the need to rehabilitate key facilities such as the fish pond and valley dam. He nonetheless commended the University for ongoing developments including the construction of the library block, staff development initiatives, commercialization projects, and enhanced campus security.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Paul Waako, applauded both leaders and described the transition as a sign of institutional growth and continuity. Quoting the saying, “Good dancers do not leave the stage; they only change it,” he praised Prof. Egonyu for his contribution to the Faculty and encouraged Dr. Lubadde to uphold and advance the faculty’s legacy. The Vice Chancellor also pointed out areas requiring urgent attention, including improving examination facilities for students, repairing the school bus, increasing livestock production at the university farm, and maintaining campus infrastructure through proper implementation of the institutional strategic work plan.

Prof. Waako further commended the successful conduct of the Deanship election, while also sharing his view that appointments often promote unity compared to competitive elections, which may sometimes create divisions among stakeholders.

The ceremony concluded on a celebratory note as University leaders, faculty members, and the outgoing and incoming Deans shared a symbolic cake-cutting session to mark the peaceful transition of leadership. The event reflected the University’s continued commitment to strengthening leadership, academic growth, and service delivery at Arapai Campus.

The Directorate of Information and Communication Technology Services (DICTS) at Busitema University has successfully implemented a modern, sustainable power backup system to ensure uninterrupted operation of the university’s server infrastructure.

This new power solution integrates solar energy, lithium battery storage, and grid (hydro) electricity into a seamless and intelligent system designed to guarantee reliability, efficiency, and resilience.

How the System Works

The setup consists of 38 solar panels that harness clean energy during the day. This solar power directly supports the server room operations while simultaneously charging a high-capacity lithium battery system.

At night, the system automatically switches to grid (hydro) power as the primary source of electricity. In the event of a grid power outage, the lithium battery—charged during the day—instantly takes over, ensuring continuous power supply to critical systems.

All transitions between power sources are managed by a smart inverter, which enables automatic, seamless switching without any interruption to services.

Key Benefits

• Uninterrupted Services: Ensures continuous availability of university digital systems and services.
• Energy Efficiency: Maximizes the use of solar energy, reducing dependence on grid power.
• Sustainability: Promotes green energy adoption and reduces the university’s carbon footprint.
• Reliability: Provides a robust backup mechanism in case of power outages.
• Automation: Eliminates manual intervention through intelligent power switching.

Supporting the University’s Digital Mission

This initiative reflects DICTS’ commitment to strengthening the university’s ICT infrastructure and supporting teaching, learning, research, and administrative functions through reliable technology services.

By adopting this hybrid power solution, Busitema University continues to demonstrate leadership in leveraging innovative and sustainable technologies to enhance institutional efficiency and service delivery.

In an effort to ensure a smooth transition into university life, first-year students at various campuses received a comprehensive orientation on University systems. The orientation, held on between 7th of September to 15 of September 2023, provided newcomers with valuable insights into the array of systems and resources available to them throughout their academic journey.

The orientation covered a wide range of essential topics, including:

• The Admission System
• Students Portal System
• Varous websites including the main University Site
• Introduction to eduroam internet

Among others

The orientation sessions were led by experienced faculty and staff members who were available to answer questions and provide guidance. Attendees were also given access to online resources and handouts for future reference.

Busitema Universoty, Directorate of ICT remains committed to supporting the success of its students and believes that a strong understanding of campus systems is crucial for a successful academic journey. This comprehensive orientation serves as a crucial first step in helping first-year students make the most of their university experience

To register for institutional mail, please fill in the following forms. Forms are to be filled according to respective faculties. Click here to access forms

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