Soroti University finally gets first Chancellor after seven years of waiting
SOROTI-Uganda’s Cardiovascular Surgeon, Prof. Francis Gervase Omaswa is Soroti University’s first Chancellor. He was installed by Vice President Jessica Alupo Epel on behalf of President Museveni.
Soroti University, by Statutory Instrument No. 34 of July 2015 became a fully-fledged public university under the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act of 2001 as amended. It has been under the leadership of Prof. Bosco Ikoja as Vice Chancellor since its inception.
The Chancellor is the titular head of the university, presides over all ceremonial assemblies of the university, and confers degrees and other academic titles and distinctions of that university.
Prof. Omwasa comes to the university with expertise in university management, having served as Chancellor Bugema University.
In his speech delivered by Vice President Jessica Alupo, President Museveni congratulated Prof. Omwasa, who he described as a good performer.
“I congratulate Omwasa for being installed as the Chancellor of this university and I can tell you that you have got a good Chancellor,” he said.
Museveni is confident that Omwasa together with University Council and the Vice Chancellor will lead the institution to greater heights.
The President advised the entire university community to be serious about the choices they make in life adding that they have to be healthy in order to be able to contribute to the development of the country.
He commended the university for listening to his advice of prioritising the study of science courses.
“Africa was colonized because it lagged behind in science and technology noting that continued lagging behind in sciences would not only endanger our survival but also our prosperity”, Museveni stressed.
In order to not endanger community survival and prosperity, Museveni emphasised the need for the university leadership to focus on courses that impart life skills to students.
“Focus on courses that promote the acquisition of life skills is the only pathway to the challenge of unemployment amongst university grandaunts since they will be able to create jobs for themselves rather than being job seekers”, he said.
In his maiden speech, Omwaswa was grateful to Museveni for his continuous trust in appointing him to serve in various capacities in the higher education sub-sector.
He promised to work with the management team of the university to handle the challenges facing the young university by lobbying for support both nationally and intentionally.
“I have worked as University Chancellor before and in different capacities and I will use that experience to lobby support from government, my friends within Uganda and abroad for this university,” he assured hundreds of students, lecturers, non-teaching staff, and government officials who attended the function.
Soroti University is the ninth public University in Uganda with an enrollment of 326 students.
It has three accredited programs which include Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Engineering in Electronic and Computer Engineering, and Bachelor of Nursing.
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