By Stuart Oswald Bogere 

Kampala International University has been ranked as the second-best university and the No 1 private university in Uganda according to the latest Webometrics University Rankings of January 2022. 

In this new edition by Webometrics, the largest academic ranking of higher education institutions in the world, KIU moved to the 2nd position after Makerere University by overtaking Mbarara University of Science and Technology which had maintained the 2nd position over the years.

According to KIU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mouhammad Mpezamihigo, this achievement is attributed to the entire KIU community from the least unit to the University Council.

He said, "This whole achievement has been as a result of  joint efforts by everyone especially the Board of Trustees which plays a big role in the oversight of the smooth running of the university."

Prof. Mpezamihigo added that because the university has applied digital technology in different in holding three virtual graduation ceremonies, online teaching, and examinations amidst tough times created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He appealed to the staff, student body, and the stakeholders to ensure the university maintains the position and aims for the best, and researchers to do their best to improve on the visibility of the university through research publication.

The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain. 

These rankings are based on the university’s volume of the web content, the visibility/openness, and the impact of web publications on the consumers. The ranking system aims to promote academic web presence, supporting the Open Access initiatives for increasing significantly the transfer of scientific and cultural knowledge generated by the universities to the whole society, according to the webometrics.info, the rankings’ official website.

Congratulations to KIU entire community!