Makerere University mourns former Vice Chancellor Luboobi

KAMPALA - The Makerere University staff and the student fraternity have turned up in hundreds to celebrate the life of former Vice Chancellor, Prof. Livingstone Sserwadda Luboobi, who passed away on July 16, 2025, at the age of 80, with heartfelt tributes.

Vice Chancellor for Makerere, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, with heartfelt tributes during the funeral service at St.Francis Chapel at Makerere, described Luboobi as a distinguished scholar, a man of composure and gentility who selflessly served Uganda’s top institution with humility and integrity.

“I was mentored by seven Vice Chancellors and it was Luboobi who introduced me to research management in Makerere. He made Makerere a research university, especially when he drafted the second strategy, where we managed to get 300 research grant publications in just one year,” Nawangwe said on Friday.

Portrait of former Vice Chancellor Livingstone Luboobi at St Francis Chapel, Makerere in Kampala during a prayer service. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

“He knew where Africa should be heading, and he cautioned us to invest in research as the only way to fight poverty in Uganda and the rest of the world,” Nawangwe disclosed.

Born on December 25, 1944, in Mitondo, Kalisizo – Kyotera in Kyotera district, Luboobi died on July 16, 2025, in Kampala after many years of battling Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cancer, according to his son, Prof. Dan Kibule.

“By the time of his death, Dad was suffering from lymphoma cancer, which destroyed his lymphatic system, but he had the best doctors managing him at Uganda Cancer Institute. He spent some time in Mulago Referral Hospital, but he could not make it back,” Kibule said.

Luboobi served as Vice Chancellor from 2004 to 2009, leading the university through a critical period of transformation and growth, especially in the field of academic research and publication.

Vice Chancellor Makerere University Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, giving his speech about former Vice Chancellor Luboobi during the prayer service. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

The Chairperson of Makerere University Council, Lorna Magara, hailed Luboobi as a distinguished academic who was passionate about his work, especially in promoting the plight of mathematics in the institution.

“He won the Makerere University College, Faculty of Science Archer Strurroch prize. Jointly with Kirunda, he obtained a research grant from Makerere University to work on a research project: Mathematics models for the study of sexual activity groups and contribution of mobility to the spread of HIV/AIDS epidemic,” she said.

Luboobi hated corruption like a stepmother hates a co-wife’s child

According to Prof. John Magero, Luboobi was a highly principled man who sat above corruption cycles.

The deceased's children laying a wreath at their father's casket during prayers at Makerere. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

“In the early 1990s, I clearly remember him terminating the contract of a staff member in Mathematics on grounds of integrity. He could never twist his stand for personal gain or any sum of money to compromise standards, even if it meant to disappoint the government,” he observed.

Education career

According to Prof. Winston Tumps Ireeta, the Principal College of Natural Sciences (CoNAS), Luboobi started at Kakoma Primary School, Lwanda Kooki, went to Matale Primary School, Kalisizo, Kako Junior Secondary School, Ntare School, Mbarara and Makerere College School.

He joined Makerere University (First Class Hons BSc. Degree in Mathematics, University of Toronto, where he obtained Master of Applied Science, Operations Research, University of Adelaide (Applied Mathematics PhD in Bio Mathematics and the University of Bergen, where he obtained an honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa).

Luboobi’s academic excellence propelled him to become a Full Professor in 1997.

Casket of former Vice Chancellor Livingstone Luboobi at St Francis Chapel, Makerere in Kampala during the prayer service. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

During his tenure as Vice Chancellor, Prof. Luboobi championed international collaborations, enhanced institutional fundraising efforts, and supported strategic investment initiatives.

He also established the Makerere University Private Sector Forum, bridging academia and industry to spur innovation and entrepreneurship. His leadership style encouraged open dialogue and academic freedom, making Makerere a respected institution nationally and internationally.

“Prof. Luboobi was not only a pillar of academic excellence but also a transformative figure in the history of Makerere and the field of Mathematics in Uganda. He supervised more than 35 PhD and 53 MSc students, including Makerere’s first female PhD graduate in Mathematics and revitalised a once-declining department into a thriving academic hub,” Ireeta insisted.

The Kyambogo University Head of Mathematics and Statistics, Dr. Hasifa Nampala, mourns during the prayer mass of the deceased. (Credit: Isaac Nuwagaba)

The Kyambogo University Head of Mathematics and Statistics, Dr. Hasifa Nampala, paid tribute to Prof. Luboobi's enduring legacy in academia and institutional leadership.

“His contributions to academia and leadership at Makerere will be remembered with great respect and admiration. May his soul rest in eternal peace," she said. 

She described  Luboobi as compassionate, lovely and simple, yet a humble servant of God.

“He would relate with everyone and in his simplicity, he was a friend, mentor and father. Prof. rest, we are going to miss you dearly,” she said before she broke down.