Makerere lecturer tried to take advantage of me – Byanyima recounts rough school days

UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima recounted how a lecturer at Makerere University allegedly offered to help her pass her examinations if she slept with him.

Ms Byanyima, 67, in a recent interview revived attention to the long-running problem of sexual harassment and so-called “sex-for-marks” at Uganda's oldest university.

Byanyima, a former legislator and liberation war veteran, made the revelation in an interview with The Continent.

She told the magazine that the incident occurred after she enrolled at Makerere to study civil engineering.

A lecturer, she recalled, came to her room one night and proposed helping her pass her examinations in exchange for sex.

“I said no. I didn’t need his help. I was one of the best students in the country. But saying no had consequences,” she said.

Byanyima did not identify the lecturer or explain in detail what consequences followed her refusal.

The incident occurred during a difficult period in Uganda's history under President Idi Amin. 

While her account dates back decades, sexual harassment at Makerere remains a stain on the country’s premier university.

In 2018, a university-appointed investigation confirmed that lecturers had sexually harassed and exploited students, including through threats involving their academic results.

Makerere has since revised its sexual harassment policy and introduced reporting, investigation and prevention mechanisms. 

As recently as May 2026, the university trained 250 student peer trainers to help prevent gender-based violence, educate students and direct those who experience harassment to support services. 

In the interview, Byanyima recalled growing up amid fear and violence, particularly against women.

She said young women feared being picked up by soldiers, while some girls would disappear from school to bury relatives killed during the political violence.

Eventually, Byanyima left Uganda for the United Kingdom as a refugee with only $300, according to the interview.

She secured a scholarship and studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Manchester. While in Britain, she became involved in the anti-apartheid movement, feminist activism, peace campaigns and Ugandan human rights causes.