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  
Phoebe Mbabazi
ID: UNCST-2020-R014098
Validity of Plasma Neurofilament Light Chain Protein for the Diagnosis of Neurocognitive Impairment Among Older Adults with HIV in Uganda (PLAFIL)
REFNo: HS6895ES

Primary objective: 1.To determine the validity of plasma neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) for the diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment among older adults with HIV in Kampala using standard neuropsychological testing as a gold standard. 2.To determine the validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool for the diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment among older adults with HIV in Kampala using standard neuropsychological testing as a gold standard. Secondary Objective: 1.To determine the correlation between subjective memory complaints and neurocognitive performance, as measured using standard neuropsychological testing
Uganda 2026-01-19 17:56:03 2029-01-19 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Carissa Chew Tarmin
ID: UNCST-2025-R022671
Decolonisation and Black/South Asian mixed-race identity in East Africa, 1940-1980
REFNo: SS4709ES

This is a historical project investigating race relations between South Asians and Africans in late colonial and early postcolonial Kampala through the lens of “mixed-racedness”. It contributes to part of my larger PhD Thesis that examines questions of race, identity, belonging, and nationalism across Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda in the period 1940-1980. My project explores how British missionaries and colonial agents introduced the concept of “mixed-racedness” to East Africa, asking questions about how Ugandans have identified with, rejected, and appropriated labels like “half-caste”, “chotara/kyotara” or “nusu”. I wish to conduct oral history interviews with a minimum of 10 people in Uganda who are of and older generation and of mixed African/South Asian heritage to discuss the ways in which late colonial and early postcolonial politics impacted their everyday lives. I also plan to consult a range of library and archival materials in Kampala to learn more about the history of Ugandan attitudes towards interracial relationships, the rise of mixed-raced movements such as the “Multiracial Community of Uganda”, and public debates over mixed-race people’s citizenship status after Independence.

Objectives:

1. To shed light on the “hidden histories” of interracial romances and people of mixed Black/South Asian heritage in Uganda, whose experiences are largely absent from the existing historiography.
2. To gain understanding of how colonial and early postcolonial debates influenced the lives and habits of interracial couples and mixed-race people in Kampala, including how attitudes and identities have shifted over time.
3. To produce a Ugandan-based case study that will form an integral part of my PhD Thesis, which seeks to draw comparative analysis of mixed-race identities and their formulation across Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in the period 1940 to 1980.
4. To preserve mixed-race histories as part of a digital “StoryMaps” archive created with the Blindian Project, which will be accessible online.

UK 2026-01-19 17:52:38 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Isaac Ahimbisibwe
ID: UNCST-2025-R018434
Impact of Gender Affirmative Action in University Education on Labor Market Outcomes and Skill Matching
REFNo: SS4741ES

The overarching objective of this study is to evaluate the long-term economic and educational impact of Makerere University’s affirmative action (AA) policy in STEM admissions. The policy, which lowered admission thresholds for the underrepresented gender to achieve a 60–40 balance, expanded women’s access to STEM programs and may also have shaped academic trajectories, skill development, and labor market outcomes. This project seeks to generate rigorous evidence on these impacts. To achieve this overarching goal, the study will pursue the following specific objectives: Objective 1: To assess how the policy influenced students’ academic performance, skill accumulation, and preparedness for STEM careers. In particular, the study examines whether the policy affected students’ labor market aspirations and subsequent skill–job match, by evaluating whether affirmative action recipients are more or less likely to work in STEM-aligned occupations. Objective 2: To estimate the impact of the gender-based affirmative action policy on graduates’ labor market outcomes, including employment probability, occupational sorting, career progression, and earnings, and to assess whether these effects differ by gender. Objective 3: To investigate perceptions of affirmative action among students and employers, and to understand how gender dynamics, stigma, and peer interactions influence educational experiences and labor market behavior.
Uganda 2026-01-19 17:48:58 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Stella Neema
ID: UNCST-2019-R000814
Informed Consent Practices in Preventive Chemotherapy for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) Programs
REFNo: SS4677ES

1) Investigate how consent processes are implemented in community settings through exploration of the experiences, challenges, and insights of community drug distributors, teachers, parents, and schoolchildren in high- and low-coverage areas of Uganda; and 2) Develop comprehensive recommendations for improving informed consent processes by synthesizing program-level findings with community implementation realities.
Uganda 2026-01-19 17:47:02 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Irene Mbabazi
ID: UNCST-2025-R019213
Transitioning of Care from Pediatric to Adult Sickle Cell Clinics in Uganda: Assessing the health system and patient-level barriers and facilitators
REFNo: HS6802ES

This study aims to explore (1) the health system-level barriers and facilitators influencing the transition from pediatric to adult SCD care at Mulago National Referral Hospital, and (2) the patient- and caregiver-level experiences, behaviors, and preparedness affecting this transition process.
Uganda 2026-01-19 17:05:12 2029-01-19 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Catriona  Waitt John
ID: UNCST-2019-R001068
Decision-making regarding medication use during pregnancy and lactation: a mixed-methods study among pregnant and breastfeeding women and healthcare practitioners
REFNo: HS6869ES

Primary objectives 1. Interviews and focus groups: To explore the key factors influencing decision-making regarding medication use during pregnancy and lactation among pregnant and breastfeeding women and healthcare practitioners involved in maternity care. 2. Questionnaire: To assess the relative importance of various factors influencing decision-making on medication use during pregnancy among (recently) pregnant women. Secondary objectives 1. Interviews and focus groups: To explore potential differences in key factors influencing this decision-making between pregnant and breastfeeding women and healthcare practitioners.
2. Questionnaire: To examine potential contextual differences in pregnant women’s perspectives on decision-making regarding medication use in Uganda and the Netherlands.
UK 2026-01-19 17:02:25 2029-01-19 Medical and Health Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
Viola Karungi
ID: UNCST-2024-R003996
ENOUGH! Vulnerability, Perseverance and Resistance in the 21st Century: a Docu-Drama Film about lived-experiences of Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Uganda
REFNo: SS4572ES

To assess the aftermath of victimhood for the respondents.,To explore the copying mechanisms employed by the respondents to endure suffering. ,To examine the circumstances that led to domestic violence for the respondents. ,To analyze lived-experiences of victims/survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Kampala and Bushenyi.,
Uganda 2026-01-19 16:54:10 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Non-degree Award
John Bosco Tumusiime
ID: UNCST-2024-R003033
Community Policing and Crime Prevention in Mbarara City- Western Uganda
REFNo: SS3425ES

i) To examine community perceptions and views about Community Policing and crime
prevention in Mbarara City.

ii) To determine the role of community participation in identifying and reporting crimes in
Mbarara City
iii) To determine existing working relationships between the Community and the Police in a bid to enhance Community Policing and Crime Prevention in Mbarara City.

iv) To propose recommendations on how to improve Community Policing and Crime
Prevention in Mbarara City.
Uganda 2026-01-19 16:52:27 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Walter Komakech
ID: UNCST-2024-R015851
Community-Based Tourism for Local Economic Development: A Social Business Model Perspective in Northern Uganda
REFNo: SS4079ES

1.To explore the nature of the adoption of Community-based tourism for Local economic development in Northern Uganda

2.To examine the contributions of Community-based tourism to Local economic development.

3.To design a social business model to enhance Community-based tourism and local economic development in Northern Uganda

Uganda 2026-01-19 16:14:44 2029-01-19 Social Science and Humanities Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
Ezra Mwesigwa
ID: UNCST-2025-R019242
Modeling Coffee Agroforestry Systems and Robusta Coffee farming household Income in Uganda
REFNo: A700ES

a)To estimate the current living income gap of Robusta coffee farmers in Uganda. b)To assess the contribution of agroforestry systems on Robusta coffee farmers’ living income in Uganda. c)To model locally adoptable coffee agroforestry system scenarios that can improve future incomes of Robusta coffee farming households.
Uganda 2026-01-19 16:11:19 2029-01-19 Agricultural Sciences Non-Clinical Trial Degree Award
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