With over 150 publications Prof. Celestino Obua has lived by example to the people he leads in MUST. `Today November 3, 2023, Prof. Celestino has been sworn as the new chairperson of the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB) Prof. Obua was accompanied by his dear wife Mrs Obua Maureen.
He takes over this position from Prof. Jossy Nakandha Okwakol who was appointed in May 2014. The event was graced by Hon. John Chrysestom Muyingo the state Minister for Higher Education in the cabinet
In her farewell address as the outgoing Chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board, Professor Mary Okwakol expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Sports for entrusting her with the position and providing her with the opportunity to serve the country.
She acknowledged the prompt appointment of her successor, emphasizing the importance of continuity during a time when crucial decisions, including the budget for the 2024/2025 Financial Year, must be made.
Prof. Okwakol warmly welcomed Professor Celestino Obua, the newly appointed Chairperson, and commended his rich experience and institutional memory, citing their previous collaboration on the 10th Board. Under her leadership, the Board witnessed significant achievements, including an overhaul of its structure, the reorganization of the Secretariat, and the enactment of the UNEB Act 2021, which defined the Board’s functions and increased its powers.
In her farewell address as the outgoing Chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board, Professor Mary Okwakol expressed her gratitude to the Ministry of Education and Sports for entrusting her with the position and providing her with the opportunity to serve the country.
She acknowledged the prompt appointment of her successor, emphasizing the importance of continuity during a time when crucial decisions, including the budget for the 2024/2025 Financial Year, must be made.
During her tenure, the Board successfully administered examinations, issued certificates, and developed assessment modalities, including continuous assessment in the New Lower Secondary Curriculum. Notably, there was a reduction in cases of examination malpractice due to improved security measures and the UNEB Act 2021.
However, Prof. Okwakol also highlighted challenges the Board continues to face, such as budget cuts affecting the timeliness of its activities and the rising unit cost of administering examinations. She expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Finance for their timely interventions. She called for increased engagement with Parliament and the Ministry of Finance to address budget shortfalls.
She said the Board’s National Assessment of Progress in Education (NAPE) program lacks reliable funding, and the increased awareness of inclusive education has led to a higher number of candidates with special education needs, increasing the need for funding for assistive devices and physical support. The Board continues to tackle cases of malpractice, including external assistance and the spread of fake papers through social media.
Prof. Mary Okwakol expressed her appreciation for the trust placed in her during her time as Chairperson and looked forward to the new leadership under Professor Celestine Obua, hoping for continued support from the Ministry of Education and other stakeholders in addressing these challenges.
Who is Prof. Celestino Obua the New Chair Person UNEB
Prof. Celestino is the current Vice Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
The notable leader is a professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics with a PhD in Pharmacology and a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences. He is the Contact MPI of the “Mbarara University Data Science Research Hub (MUDSReH)” – Grant No. U54TW012043) a research consortium on Data Science-Initiative Africa (DS-I Africa) running from 2021 – 2026. This grant focuses of harnessing medical images for Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence to enhanced diagnosis and management of diseases to improve health in Africa.
He is also the contact MPI of the “Building capacity for Implementation Science research in Non-Communicable Diseases (BImS-NCDs)” Grant No. D43TW011964 a capacity grant to train PhDs in NCDs utilizing implementation Science methodologies running from 2022 – 2027. He is the PI of the “Health-professional Education Partnership Initiative – Transforming Ugandan Insitutions Training Against HIV/AIDS (HEPI-TYUITAH) Grant No. R25TW011210 2018 – 2023 and its supplement “Sexual Harassment Prevention and Response Training” R25TW011210-03S1 and “Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Health Professions Training Initiative (ARDHePTI) R25TW011210-03S2 all focused on training undergraduate students on prevention, care and research towards supplementing the national efforts in the fight against HIV, and promoting awareness of sexual harassment in the research environment respectively.
Other completed grants that he has led include the “Mbarara University Research training initiative (MURTI)” Grant No. D43TW010128 PI: Obua trained to date total of 21 junior faculty fellows at MUST in conducting research in mental health, CVD, neurology, HIV/AIDs and related morbidities, and its “Mbarara Alzheimer’s and related Dementia Research Initiative (MADRI)” Supplement D43TW010128-04S1 PI: Obua on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias [AD/ADRD]) trained 12 fellows.
He has mentored and provided leadership in several research projects on drug use studies at community levels and in the health facilities, pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies on antimalarials and ARVs, health systems and higher education, with over 150 publications, having supervised 35 graduate students including 15 PhDs, including Postdoctoral researchers towards better treatment of infectious diseases in Ugandan children under the Sida funded bilateral support to Uganda research project. He has been part of a research team on Initiative on Adherence to Antiretrovirals (INRUD-IAA), a multi-country collaborative project that investigated facility-based adherence to antiretroviral medicines. From these studies resulted in a WHO manual titled “How to investigate Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment: An indicator-based Approach” (WHO/EMP/MIE/2011.1). He has provided leadership on the World Bank African Center of Excellence (ACE II) where MUST project of Pharm-Bio Technology and Traditional Medicines (PHARMBIOTRAC) continues to investigate, the use of herbal medicines in HIV/AIDs and emerging diseases such as the recent COVID-19.
Prof Obua, is a member of several Professional and Scientific Associations:
- Fellow Uganda National Academy of Sciences (FUNAS)
- The Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners’ Council – Registered Medical Practitioner
- International Advisor – Somalia Health Action Journal (SHAJ)
- Member Editorial Board – Journal of Public Health Policy
- Associate Editor for African Health Sciences Journal
- Uganda Pharmacological Society (UPharS) – Founding Member
Congratulations to prof. Obua the sky is no longer the limit, to Prof. Okwakol , well done is better than well said, you left a great mark in UNEB, congratulations upon finishing your race with a trophy.
Succeed We MUST