Approved Research This page provides a searchable list of all research protocols that have been reviewed and approved by the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology(UNCST).
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Name Title Nationality Approval Date Expiry Date Field of Science/Classification Trial Type Research Type  
DOROTHY EGO AKAO
ID: UNCST-2026-R023556
 ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF UNDERGROUND WATER CONSUMED BY GULU UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY USING WATER QUALITY INDEX
REFNo: NS1211ES

1. To identify anthropogenic factors that affect the quality of underground water in Gulu University community. 2. To determine physico-chemical parameters (DO, COD, BOD, pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, nitrates, turbidity, phosphates and hardness) in the underground water consumed by Gulu University community. 3. To determine the microbiological parameters in the underground water consumed by Gulu University community.
Uganda 2026-04-02 18:01:31 2029-04-02 Natural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Justine Nakintu
ID: UNCST-2019-R001223
 Nutrient enrichment of Maize Flour for a Dietary Balanced Breakfast: Fortification with Jackfruit
REFNo: A747ES

i. To determine concentrations of proteins, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in the different varieties of jackfruit
ii. To fortify maize flour with different proportions of jackfruit and determine the concentrations of proteins, vitamins, mineral and other phytochemicals in un-fortified maize flour and jackfruit-fortified maize flour
iii. To establish the sensory acceptability of porridge made from jackfruit fortified maize flour

 2026-04-02 18:00:32 2029-04-02 Agricultural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Lynn Tar Janet Gutu
ID:
An AI system to assist the visually and auditory impaired by generating speech from text queries and vice versa for Uganda’s local languages
REFNo: SIR633ES

To pen source the collected linguistic datasets and baseline models to support future research, foster collaboration, and create a foundation for broader AI innovation in low-resource languages.,To develop and deploy a user-friendly platform that enables easy and inclusive access to the system for impaired and non-impaired users alike.,To build and train multilingual TTS and LLM models for at least five Ugandan languages. ,To develop and deploy a locally managed AI system with multilingual TTS and LLM capabilities that supports Uganda’s most widely spoken indigenous languages, with a particular focus on enhancing accessibility for visually and auditory impaired communities, while promoting inclusivity, education, and digital innovation.,
 Uganda 2026-04-02 17:59:20 2029-04-02 Engineering and Technology Non-degree Award
Ekom Etukudo Monday
ID: UNCST-2025-R021054
 Neuroprotective Potential of Syzygium aromaticum Against Mercuric Chloride-Induced Brain Toxicity in Mice
REFNo: HS7231ES

General Objective
To evaluate the neuroprotective potential of Syzygium aromaticum against mercuric chloride-induced brain toxicity in mice.

Specific Objectives
This study's specific objectives will be to:
(i) Phytochemically characterize Syzygium aromaticum and predict the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of its major metabolites using computational tools.
(ii) Determine molecular interactions between the key phytometabolites of Syzygium
aromaticum and neuronal receptors (NMDA and GABA-A) implicated in mercuric chloride-induced neurotoxicity through molecular docking.
(iii) Evaluate the neurobehavioral and biochemical effects of Syzygium aromaticum pretreated and mercuric chloride-exposed mice, focusing on motor coordination, memory performance, oxidative stress, and lipid peroxidation biomarkers.
(iv) Demonstrate histological alterations in the cerebellar cortex and hippocampus of Syzygium aromaticum pretreated and mercuric chloride-exposed mice, by assessing cellular forms.
(v) Demonstrate astroglial activation and neuronal injury in the cerebellar cortex and hippocampus of Syzygium aromaticum pretreated and mercuric chloride-exposed mice using immunohistochemical markers for Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) and Neuronal Specific Enolase (NSE).
 Uganda 2026-04-02 17:56:12 2029-04-02 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Joseph Mugisha Okello
ID: UNCST-2022-R009461
 Feasibility of using telephone interviews for health surveillance in an open population cohort: A cluster randomised non-inferiority trial.
REFNo: HS7309ES

Study aim
To assess the feasibility of using telephone interviews in conducting survey data collection that includes the assessment of family planning needs in the Kyamulibwa General Population Cohort.

Specific objectives

To evaluate the acceptability of telephone interviews among GPC participants, including interview completion rates, and willingness to participate via phone.

To compare data quality and completeness between telephone interviews and face-to-face interviews, focusing on key demographic and health indicators.

To identify logistical and operational challenges associated with conducting telephone-based data collection, such as mobile phone access, network coverage, call success rates, and duration.
iv.
To explore the economic and financial cost of using telephone interviews for running health surveillance compared to traditional face-to-face interviews.

To understand demographic and socioeconomic factors influencing completion rates, such as age, gender, education level, or social economic status.
 Uganda 2026-04-02 17:54:29 2029-04-02 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Naomi Nabami
ID: UNCST-2025-R018998
 Women vendors: A history of female commercial activities across the Uganda-Congo border during the 20th century.
REFNo: SS4964ES

The first objective of this project is to contribute to women’s empowerment in the subregion by looking at their historical trajectory. It will also allow for historicizing ICBT between the DRC and Uganda, recentering female agency, and bringing in the Congolese perspective. The project fills in an important blank spot in our historical understanding of the Uganda-Congo border’s economic development by connecting the precolonial, colonial, and postcolonial contexts in which this trade took place. By recentering the overlooked role of women as commercial actors throughout the history of ICBT, the project investigates how trade connections evolved in times of war and forced displacement, but also in pre-conflict decades. This will result in a dissertation that focuses on the 20th century to the present.
Here are the specific objectives of the research:
RO1 – Historicizing ICBT between the DRC and Uganda: According to Titeca (2009), informal trade activities between DRC and Uganda must be understood through the lens of a complex history that includes ethnic interconnections and refugee fluxes. Yet they also build on historical relations and exchanges that predate the context of conflict or the Structural Adjustment Programs. The project fills in an important blank spot in our historical understanding of this border’s economic development by connecting the precolonial, colonial and postcolonial contexts in which this trade took place. By recentering the overlooked role of women as commercial actors throughout the history of ICBT, the project investigates how trade connections evolved in times of war and forced displacement, but also in pre-conflict decades. This will result in a dissertation that focuses on the period 1850 to present.
RO2 – Recentering female agency: Public discourse about the border area under study, particularly the Congolese side, often portrays women as mere victims of a conflict-prone context. While sexual violence is indeed used as a weapon of war in this region, with cases dating back to colonial abuses (see Mertens 2023), it is crucial to also pay attention to the ways in which these women have shaped their livelihoods, generated forms of economic autonomy, and evaded male control (see for example Obbo 1980, MacGaffey 1988). Because of its informal character, ICBT generates specific regulatory dynamics, which not only require negotiation with state officials, but also with the broader population (see Titeca 2012). However, we know very little about the ways in which women have navigated this commercial ecosystem. Therefore, their agency is the starting point of this research project (see Thomas 2016). By applying an interdisciplinary approach and using a variety of sources, the project tackles the methodological challenges that have hitherto played a role in the overlooking of Central African female histories.
RO3 – Bringing in the Congolese perspective :Informal export from Uganda to the DRC continues to grow rapidly, with the DRC making up 49,4% of Uganda’s total informal exports in 2018, in comparison to 27,1% in 2010 (Titeca 2020: 3). While this project does not have the ambition to add quantitative data from the Congolese side to the debate, it is innovative in its historical attention to the activities, experiences and livelihoods of Congolese female experiences in this border area. The informality of their activities and the lack of control over mobility was a general source of distress for the colonial government, especially in border areas (see for example Mathys forthcoming). Recent doctoral research by Aurélie Bouvart (2024) even suggests that Congolese women who were brought to court in the Belgian Congo were mostly convicted for “crimes” related to unauthorized mobility. This project, therefore, contributes a critical new perspective by foregrounding the agency of Congolese women and by highlighting the historical continuities in their strategies for navigating both economic and social landscapes across the Congolese-Ugandan border.
 Democratic Republic of Congo 2026-04-02 17:52:15 2029-04-02 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Mohamed Sesay
ID:
Traditional authorities in contemporary governance systems in Africa: Uganda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone in comparative perspectives
REFNo: SS5086ES

The main purpose of this comparative study of Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Ghana is to compare and contrast how traditional rulers relate with the state in contemporary governance systems.
The specific objectives of this study include the following:
• Compare the nature and strength of traditional authority in Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Ghana so as to understand how they have evolved and adapted to changes in contemporary governance
• Examine how chiefs exercise their authority in relations to other powerholders in specific contexts taking into account changing political, socioeconomic, and cultural
circumstances
• Trace the evolution of chiefs' relations with other authorities in contemporary times both at the national and subnational levels of governance.
• Analyze the comparative effect of reform policies on chiefs, including initiatives intended to liberal-democratic standards of governance


 Sierra Leone 2026-04-02 17:45:23 2029-04-02 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
CHRISTINE JOYCE ANGIMA
ID: UNCST-2025-R022785
 EFFICACY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF PSYCHOTHERAPY INTERVENTION AND SELF-ESTEEM AMONG PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS: A CASE OF KATAKWI DISTRICT GENERAL HOSPITAL
REFNo: SS5028ES

General Objective: To assess the efficacy and acceptability of psychotherapy interventions in improving self-esteem among pregnant adolescents attending Katakwi District General Hospital in Uganda. Specific Objectives: 1. To determine the level of self-esteem among pregnant adolescents attending Katakwi District General Hospital. 2. To assess the effectiveness of psychotherapy interventions in improving self-esteem among pregnant adolescents. 3. To examine the acceptability of psychotherapy interventions among pregnant adolescents receiving care at Katakwi District General Hospital.
 Uganda 2026-04-02 17:43:08 2029-04-02 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Matthias Miti
ID: UNCST-2025-R021994
 Gendered Effects of Land Documentation on Agricultural Livelihoods in Busoga Sub-Region
REFNo: SS4812ES

i. To establish the nature of gender disparities in the ownership of documented land in Busoga sub-region ii. To investigate the socio-cultural barriers that limit women’s ownership of documented land for agricultural livelihoods in Busoga sub-region iii. To assess how land documentation influences agricultural livelihoods differently for women and men in Busoga sub-region.
Uganda 2026-04-02 17:41:54 2029-04-02 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Nixon Niyonzima
ID: UNCST-2020-R014577
 Modeling the Economic Benefit of Low-Cost Laparoscopic vs. Open Surgery for Chest and Abdominal Cancers in Uganda
REFNo: HS6245ES

Aim 2: Measure the economic outcomes of laparoscopic surgery using KeyScope versus the standard of care (open surgery or open biopsy), including pre- and post-operative costs, among a simulated cohort of patients with cancer needing biopsy or resection.,Aim 1: Measure the risk of CHE and impoverishment due to medical and non-medical costs among individuals seeking surgical care for cancers in the chest and abdomen at the Uganda Cancer Institute.,
 Uganda 2026-04-02 17:39:02 2029-04-02 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
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