Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has reassured students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) that its Bachelor of Pharmacy programme remains accredited by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), despite the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda’s (PSU) withdrawal of professional recognition.

Tayebwa made the clarification during Tuesday’s parliamentary plenary sitting following concerns raised by students and parents over the implications of the professional body’s decision for their studies, internships and eventual registration as pharmacists.

He said he had contacted NCHE Executive Director Professor Mary J.N. Okwakol, who confirmed that the programme remained accredited for another four years.

“The students are learning and being taught an accredited course,” Tayebwa told Parliament.

He added that the accreditation had been granted by NCHE in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda.

Tayebwa said the dispute raised questions about the respective mandates of NCHE and the Pharmaceutical Society under the legal framework governing pharmacy education and professional practice.

He directed the Minister of Education and Sports to present a comprehensive statement to Parliament on Thursday, October 22, 2026, and asked the minister to consult the Attorney General on the matter.

The Deputy Speaker also requested the Attorney General’s presence in Parliament to clarify the legal framework governing the accreditation of academic programmes and professional recognition.

Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi said the concerns raised by the Pharmaceutical Society appeared to extend beyond programme recognition to the qualifications of the person heading MUST’s Pharmacy Department.

Ssenyonyi said the professional body had questioned whether the department’s leadership met the required qualifications, urging the government to resolve the matter promptly to prevent further uncertainty among students and graduates.

“If it is a question of somebody heading a department who requires a particular set of qualifications, I think that should be sorted out so that students are not in disarray,” Ssenyonyi said.

Minister of State for Education and Sports Peter Ogwang pledged that the ministry would present the requested statement to Parliament on Thursday.

In a letter dated October 20, 2026, to NCHE executive director Okwakol, MUST Vice Chancellor Professor Pauline Byakika-Kibwika outlined measures the university was taking to address leadership and staffing concerns in the Pharmacy Department.

She explained that the leadership gap emerged after the former head of department, an associate professor of pharmacy, resigned in July 2026 to take up a professorial position at another public university in Uganda.

His departure left the university without a pharmacist at the rank of senior lecturer or above to immediately assume the position.

The university subsequently appointed a senior lecturer with a background in nursing, public health, pharmacology and clinical trials to head the department in an acting capacity for three months.

According to Byakika-Kibwika, the temporary appointment was informed by the lecturer’s research experience and familiarity with departmental activities as the university prepared for the academic year.

However, effective October 19, the university appointed Dr Jonans Tusimiire as acting head of the Pharmacy Department for three months.

Tusimiire is a senior lecturer, deputy dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Uganda.

The Vice Chancellor also said the university had obtained clearance from the Ministry of Public Service on October 14 to recruit or promote academic staff after seeking funding from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.

The developments follow the Pharmaceutical Society’s withdrawal of professional recognition of MUST’s Bachelor of Pharmacy programme over concerns about departmental leadership and inadequate staffing.

The society also suspended the issuance of Pharmacy Student Numbers, recognition of internship placements and eligibility of new MUST graduates to sit its pre-internship and pre-registration qualifying examinations until the university addresses the concerns.

The dispute has raised questions about the distinction between academic accreditation by NCHE and professional recognition by the Pharmaceutical Society, particularly regarding students’ eligibility for internships and professional registration.

Parliament is expected to receive the Education Ministry’s statement on Thursday, when the government is expected to clarify the legal and regulatory issues surrounding the programme.