The Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) Faculty of Medicine recently hosted its 7th White Coat Ceremony on Wednesday 29th October 2025, a profound rite of passage that officially inducted a new generation of healers into the health professions. Inspiring addresses from the university’s leadership traced the history of the tradition and laid out the demanding ethical and professional expectations for the incoming students.
The ceremony’s initiator, Professor Robert T. Tamukong., proudly recounted the ceremony’s origin, which began on October 18, 2018. The seed was planted with just 25 students in the Master of Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy program. Professor Tamukong celebrated how this single program’s tradition has since “blossomed into a cherished tradition that transcends the entire Faculty of Medicine” and is now “echoed far beyond the hills of Mbarara to other universities… across East Africa.” He reminded the students that the coat is for peace, “bringing peace to the bodies in pain and the minds in distress.”
A calling, not a Trade
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Professor Joseph Ngonzi, emphasized that the practice of medicine and nursing is an art and a calling, “not primarily a business.” He defined the white coat as a “cloak of compassion” and an “emblem of trust” that must be earned, not demanded.
Professor Ngonzi urged the students, whom he called “cream de la cream,” to practice empathy, embrace lifelong learning, and crucially, “take care of yourself.” He vowed that the Faculty of Medicine would heed Professor Tamukong’s plea to enforce professional dressing for all students moving forward.
The Vice Chancellor’s Call to service and humility
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Pauline Byakika-Kibwika, celebrated the continuance of the tradition, noting, “Mbarara University of Science and Technology led and Makerere University followed.” Sharing her personal joy from receiving her white coat 32 years ago, she focused on the heart that must be beneath the uniform.
Professor Pauline Byakika-Kibwika warned that the coat is “not a shield of invisibility” or a “garment of superiority.” She used the Parable of the Good Samaritan, stating, “It is a job description for us,” calling every student to “stop, to see the human being beyond the disease.”
Her central message stressed that the profession will not make you wealthy, but will make you humble. She discouraged the use of strikes and instead encouraged students to master soft skills and negotiation. Highlighting the emotional toll of the profession,citing a traumatic case from her time in Mulago Hospital,she stressed the need for rigorous self-care: “You cannot pour from an empty cup.” Finally, she implored them to prioritize humility, kindness, and patience because the best doctor is not the most knowledgeable, but the one with superior communication skills who provides holistic, compassionate care.
The Final Charge: Go Forth and Invent
The speakers collectively charged the new students to live up to the white coat’s immense demands. Professor Tamukong challenged them to be more than just learners of theories: “True intellectual courage is not in quoting Einstein, it is becoming an Einstein in Africa itself,” urging them to view their projects as the beginning of products. The students were sent off with a final blessing and the reminder that the path ahead would be demanding, but “the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire.”
The ceremony concluded with the formal taking of the professional oaths, where students from Master of Pharmacy in Clinical Pharmacy, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Pharmacy, Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Bachelor of Nursing Science, Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science, Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences pledged their lives to the service and safety of humanity before putting on their white coats for the first time.
Congratulations, Class of 2025! Succeed We Must!
