The Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda (PSU) has asked Kampala International University (KIU) to provide details of student admissions and academic staffing for its Bachelor of Pharmacy programme amid concerns that possible over-enrolment could compromise the quality of training.
In a letter dated November 4, 2026, the Society asked the university to submit the information within 14 days to establish whether the programme has adequate teaching staff and the capacity to accommodate its students.
The letter, addressed to KIU Vice Chancellor Prof. Muhammad Ngoma and copied to the Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), follows concerns raised by stakeholders about the number of students admitted to the programme.
PSU Secretary Dr Stephen Lutoti said the concerns relate to the adequacy of teaching, practical sessions, clinical placements and staffing across the core disciplines of pharmacy.
The Society wants KIU to provide documentation showing the student intake approved by NCHE for the 2026/2027 academic year, as well as the number of students admitted and those who reported for each of the five years of study.
It has also requested an updated list of academic staff at the School of Pharmacy, indicating their qualifications, areas of specialisation, professional registration status, employment arrangements and the courses they teach.
Lutoti said the information would enable the Society to verify whether the university maintains the required staff-to-student ratios and meets the prescribed training standards.
“PSU shall validate this information with student registration data submitted to PSU under the PSU Byelaws on Recognition of Pharmacy Qualifications, Training Institutions and Internship Centres,” he said.
The latest correspondence also acknowledges KIU’s compliance with an earlier directive concerning the leadership of its School of Pharmacy.
PSU thanked the university for appointing Dr Samba Silvano Twinomujuni, a registered pharmacist with PSU registration number 611, as Dean of the School of Pharmacy at its Western Campus in Ishaka, effective October 30, 2026.
The appointment followed an earlier letter dated October 16, in which the professional body raised concerns about the leadership of the pharmacy school and sought assurance that it was headed by a registered pharmacist.
KIU communicated the appointment to PSU in a response dated November 2, prompting the Society to acknowledge the university’s action and describe it as a demonstration of its commitment to professional and academic standards.
Twinomujuni reportedly meets the professional body’s stated requirements for the position, including registration as a pharmacist, postgraduate qualifications in pharmacy and more than five years of university teaching experience.
The latest inquiry into student admissions and staffing comes amid wider concerns by PSU about the quality of pharmacy training in Ugandan universities.
In October, the Society withdrew recognition of the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), citing inadequate academic staffing and concerns over the appointment of a non-pharmacist to head its Department of Pharmacy.
The decision triggered a dispute between PSU and the university, with MUST seeking a review of the withdrawal after announcing measures to address the concerns.
PSU has also directed Victoria University to halt teaching, assessments and clinical placements for students admitted beyond its approved annual intake of 50, after alleging that the institution admitted 364 students for the August/September 2026 intake.
The Society has maintained that universities must demonstrate adequate teaching facilities, qualified personnel and clinical training opportunities before expanding their pharmacy programmes.
KIU’s Bachelor of Pharmacy programme is offered on a full-time basis, with theoretical and practical instruction, laboratory work and placements in hospitals, community pharmacies and pharmaceutical industries, according to the university’s published programme description.
PSU says its latest request is intended to establish whether KIU has maintained the capacity required to deliver the programme and safeguard the standards of pharmacy education in Uganda.
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