Uganda’s capital is set to host a landmark event Thursday as President Yoweri Museveni and Prince Rahim Aga Khan officially open a new Aga Khan University campus in Nakawa, Kampala. The three-day visit by Prince Rahim, who serves as chancellor of the university, also includes the groundbreaking for a 101-bed teaching hospital that leaders say will transform healthcare access in the country.
The Aga Khan University, known as AKU, has been present in Uganda for decades, but the new campus — sitting on 60 acres at the intersection of Jinja Road and New Port Bell Road — represents its largest investment yet. At full capacity, it will host 700 students, 100 faculty members, and provide accommodation for 164 students.
Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, the university’s president, called the day “a powerful and meaningful step forward in our shared mission.”
“This is not just another building or project,” he told reporters. “It’s the realisation of a vision shared by our Founding Chancellor, the late His Highness the Aga Khan IV, and President Museveni, that the university and its hospital would foster impactful public-private partnerships.”
He said the campus’s location in Nakawa was deliberate, allowing for collaboration with surrounding communities, joint research, and direct work with Ugandan institutions.
“The campus is remarkable,” Shahabuddin added, describing it as a seven-story university center, a nine-story student residence, and a four-story ambulatory care facility known as the Nakawa Specialty Medical Centre.
The new hospital, expected to open in 2027, will include specialist services that leaders say should reduce the need for Ugandans to travel abroad for advanced medical care. “This expansion will not only broaden our reach but also improve access to quality education and healthcare for Ugandans and East Africans,” Shahabuddin said.
Uganda already has a strong AKU alumni network. More than 7,000 educators have completed the university’s short courses and certificate programs, while graduates of its nursing and midwifery schools occupy leadership roles across the country’s health system.
The inauguration ceremony is expected to draw senior figures including First Lady Janet Museveni, Princess Zahra Aga Khan — the university’s pro-chancellor — and Prince Aly Muhammad. The event will be livestreamed globally on the university’s digital platforms and through Nation Media Group outlets.
The new campus replaces AKU’s former site on Gaddafi Road in Old Kampala. Dr. Joseph Mwizerwa, the associate vice provost for Uganda, said the university completed its relocation in July after receiving all necessary approvals.
“We initially planned to move in June,” Mwizerwa said, “but the transition occurred in July after securing all necessary clearances, including occupation permits and approval from the National Council for Higher Education.”
He noted that the old campus has since been handed over to the Aga Khan Foundation-Uganda, which plans to repurpose it in partnership with Aga Khan Education Services.
“… we are a family of institutions,” Mwizerwa explained. “That location was no longer economically viable for us, but another institution will make good use of it.”
At present, AKU Uganda offers four programs — a diploma in general nursing, bachelor’s degrees in nursing and midwifery, and a newly approved bachelor of nursing science that will admit students directly from high school. The first intake for the new program is expected this month.
Looking ahead, Dr. Nicholas Kitende, the academic registrar, said the Nakawa campus is preparing to introduce more degree programs once the university secures a charter from Uganda’s higher education council. Planned courses include education, advanced practice midwifery, and digital journalism.
Mwizerwa added that AKU’s Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi is also working to launch programs in Uganda. “These programmes are undergoing accreditation,” he said. “Once approved, they will be offered here.”
