When Makerere University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe publicly shared his academic records to silence critics questioning his qualifications, he likely did not anticipate the internet’s focus on his F9 in Chemistry at A-Level.
The release of his academic history, spanning from primary school to his PhD, was intended to demonstrate his credentials and address allegations regarding his academic legitimacy.
However, instead of quelling the debate, his disclosure sparked a wave of online reactions, with social media users fixating on his Chemistry grade.
“Following weeks of speculation by street preachers and foreign-funded agents regarding my academic qualifications, I have found it necessary to make public my academic credentials.”
Despite his struggles with Chemistry, he secured principal passes in Mathematics and Physics, which earned him admission to Makerere University for a Civil Engineering degree.
However, political climate in Uganda at the time forced him to leave Makerere in 1976. He later enrolled at the Kiev Institute of Civil Engineering, where he graduated with a Master of Science in Architecture with distinction in 1983, topping his class. He went on to earn a PhD in Architecture from the same institution in 1989.
While his A-Level grades became the internet’s focal point, Nawangwe’s decision to release his records was primarily aimed at countering allegations that he lacked the required number of peer-reviewed publications to qualify as a Professor and Vice-Chancellor.
He clarified that for his promotion to Professor, he had submitted five peer-reviewed publications, which were externally vetted and deemed credible.