Minister of State for Sports, Peter OgwangBy Prisca WanyenyaThe Ministry of Education and Sports has said the training of Pharmacy students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) is lawful, contrary to a public notice by the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) that withheld recognition of the programme over staffing gaps.The clarification was made by the Minister of State for Sports, Peter Ogwang, while issuing a statement on leadership and staffing in the Department of Pharmacy at MUST during plenary on October 28, 2026.“The programme remains accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). Pharmacy students at MUST and the general public are assured that the pharmacy programme at MUST is proceeding lawfully. There should be no alarm that present and future students may not practise their profession,” Ogwang said.The Ministry argued that where two laws cover the same subject and conflict, the later law prevails where they are of equal rank.“The Society cannot therefore override the decision of the National Council for Higher Education which is mandated to streamline the establishment, administration and standards of universities and to accredit academic and professional programmes,” Ogwang said.“I wish to emphasise that the professional programme of pharmacy is not regulated in isolation of other programmes. The National Council for Higher Education regulates all academic and professional programmes.”According to the Ministry, the Pharmacy and Drugs Act was enacted on June 15, 1971, while the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act (UOTIA) commenced on April 6, 2001.“Since the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act is a specific law on regulation and accreditation of universities and was enacted in 2001, it takes precedence over the Pharmacy and Drugs Act in relation to pharmacy education and training,” Ogwang said.MPs: Don’t Punish Students, Fix the LawDr. Samuel Opio (Kole North), a pharmacist, said Uganda’s pharmacy degree is globally respected, noting that many Ugandan-trained pharmacists practise in Europe and the US and that the head of WHO’s Drug Inspection Unit is a Ugandan pharmacist.He warned, however, that the profession’s pride is threatened by a staffing crisis.“Since 1986, the pharmacy profession has had only one professor, known as Professor Odoi, who retired 10 years ago. The next person to be elevated to that level was Dr. Patrick Ogwang, who invented COVIDEX, and he headed the Pharmacy Department at Mbarara University, but he resigned because he has been frustrated for many years,” Opio said.He said the Minister’s report indicates 15 of 18 lecturers have PhDs, but many remain teaching assistants for years without promotion.Dr. Opio called for urgent amendment of the NCHE Act to give the Council powers to enforce compliance, citing universities that admit three times their capacity, and for amendment of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act to empower PSU to monitor training.Bruce Kabaasa (Rubanda West) said it is not the first time professional bodies have threatened to withdraw recognition, citing similar threats by the Uganda Veterinary Board and the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council to Makerere University over staff and facilities.He called for harmonisation of the NCHE Act and Acts governing professional bodies.Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa asked whether the Attorney General could issue clear guidance on the overlaps. He said NCHE already includes professional bodies in accreditation teams, but they later conduct separate assessments.Chief Opposition Whip Paul Mwiru proposed that the Law Reform Commission lead a review of all overlapping mandates, saying the Attorney General’s legal opinion to the Ministry had loopholes.Emmanuel Ongiertho (Jinja Municipality) faulted MUST for failing to respond to PSU’s initial letter, while Harriet Obol (Obongi Woman MP) said students should not be casualties of inter-agency fights, noting that while NCHE accredits courses, it does not issue student numbers, recognise internships or conduct pre-registration exams – roles performed by PSU.Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga noted MUST’s reputation for producing top pharmacists, but expressed shock that the Department was headed in acting capacity by a non-pharmacist – a nurse by profession who later pursued Pharmacology and is a visiting lecturer at Harvard, Yale and other universities.Background of the RowThe debate followed a matter raised by Deputy Speaker Tayebwa on October 20, 2026, on the status of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at MUST after PSU issued a public notice on its recognition.PSU said it recalled recognition because the Department was headed in acting capacity by a non-pharmacist, contrary to the Pharmacy and Drugs Act, had inadequate staff, and had not advertised vacancies. The Society issued a 30-day show-cause notice, to which MUST did not respond within the period.PSU also suspended issuance of student numbers, recognition of internship placements and eligibility to sit pre-internship and pre-registration exams for new graduates until compliance is restored.Minister Ogwang said government is reviewing the Pharmacy and Drugs Act and that staffing concerns are being addressed. The university secured a wage bill from the Ministry of Finance and clearance from the Ministry of Public Service on October 14, 2026, to recruit and promote staff.“Positions of Associate Professor and Senior Lecturers are going to be advertised in the coming weeks and a qualified person from among those appointed will take on the leadership of the department,” Ogwang said, adding that recruitment should be complete by December 2026.In the interim, the university has appointed Dr. Jonas Tumusimire, a pharmacist, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and President of PSU, as Acting Head of Department for three months effective October 19, 2026.“The department is therefore led once again by pharmacists whose expertise will be central to decisions on the design and delivery of the programme,” Ogwang said.The post Govt Says Mbarara University Pharmacy Training is Lawful, Moves to Fix Staffing Crisis appeared first on Business Focus.