Prof. Mary Okwakol Steps Down as UNEB Chairperson, Hands Over to Prof. Celestino Obua

Prof. Mary Okwakol, who served as the chairperson of the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) since 2014, has officially departed from her position.

The handover ceremony, marking the transition from Prof. Okwakol to Prof. Celestino Obua, the Vice Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, was attended by the Minister of State for Higher Education, Hon. John Chrysestom Muyingo.

Prof. Obua’s appointment was made by the Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Janet Kataha Museveni, on October 12, 2023.

In a statement released by UNEB on November 3, 2023, the examination body extended its appreciation to Prof. Okwakol, acknowledging her academic expertise and recognizing her previous role as the founding Vice Chancellor of Busitema University, one of Uganda’s nine public universities.

During the farewell tribute, Dan Odongo, the UNEB Executive Director, expressed gratitude for the peaceful tenure under Prof. Mary Okwakol’s leadership. He remarked, “I say ‘peaceful’ because she was appointed and took over at a time when UNEB had gone through nearly two turbulent years in its governance.”

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Odongo further highlighted that Prof. Okwakol’s management style was a model of good governance, emphasizing the clear distinction between the Board Chairperson’s role and the institution’s day-to-day management, a practice sometimes blurred in other institutions.

Prof. Okwakol assumed the UNEB chairperson role in 2014, following Fagil Mandy’s resignation. Mandy stepped down after President Museveni extended the contract of the then UNEB Executive Director, Matthew Bukenya.