KIU, Western Campus – Dr Janice Desire Busingye, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Finance and Administration at KIU, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Research and Education Network of Uganda (RENU).

Dr Busingye, an educator for 19 years in the university system and a senior university administrator for 8 years, was elected to the 10-man board as one of the corporate board members after a vetting process of 6 candidates, from whom 3 were elected.

RENU is a regional network providing subsidized internet services to various universities, research institutions and educational institutions. It was established in January 2006 after a meeting of Vice-Chancellors of leading universities and CEOs of research institutions which was held at Windsor Lake Victoria Hotel in Entebbe resolved to establish a national research and education network.

On October 11, 2017, KIU Western Campus became the 80th site to get connected to the RENU network. RENU membership is open only to research and educational institutions that are endorsed and accredited by the respective regulatory bodies like the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation through the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology and the Uganda National Council for Higher Education (UNCHE).

According to the Communications Officer for RENU, Caroline Tuhwezeine, Dr Busingye was selected because of her expertise and commitment.

“We needed someone who can be committed and can sacrifice their time but also someone with the expertise for the role,” Tuhwezeine told this writer in a phone conversation.

"She was selected with two other new members of the board who join the other members of the governance team," Tuhwezeine added.

Apart from her position as KIU DVC for Finance and Administration, Dr Busingye is also the Secretary to the University Council of KIU and a Senior Lecturer at KIU. 

She is a passionate educationalist and an experienced educator in higher education and a member of the Forum for African Women Educationists since 2014.

She has also worked as the Head of Department at the Makerere University Department of Adult and Community Education.

Dr Busingye holds a PhD in Education and a Masters in Education, majoring in Adult and Community Education, both from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. 

She has published articles in various journals like the Journal of Infection and Public Health, and the Journal of Asian and African Studies. 

She has also presented a paper at the International Congress on Hidden Hunger in Stuttgart Germany, titled: “Confronting the disjuncture between theory and reality of hidden hunger: Experiences of Ugandan mothers and many others.”

Picture credit: kiu.ac.ug