His Highness the Aga Khan receives Uganda’s highest civilian honour and opens AKU Kampala campus

His Highness the Aga Khan receives Uganda's highest civilian honour and opens transformative new Aga Khan University campus in Kampala

Email

Print

PDF

Kampala, Uganda, 11 September 2025- His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, was today conferred with the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Master), Uganda's highest civilian honour, by His Excellency President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. The decoration recognises His Highness's distinguished services to the nation and his leadership in advancing social and economic development.

Princess Zahra was also honoured with the Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africa (Grand Commander)in recognition of her long-standing contributions to health, education and women's empowerment.

The ceremony took place during a landmark event at the Aga Khan University (AKU) campus in Nakawa, Kampala, where major new investments in higher education and healthcare were inaugurated. Her Excellency the First Lady, the Honourable Janet Museveni, was also present at the ceremony along with Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan.

The Ismaili Imamat and AKDN's enduring partnership with Uganda was previously recognised in 2017, when His Late Highness Aga Khan IV received the Most Excellent Order of the Pearl of Africafrom President Museveni.

Inauguration of new AKU campus facilities

The award ceremony coincided with the official opening of the first phase of AKU's 60-acre Kampala campus in Nakawa. Facilities include a seven-storey University Centre, a nine-storey student housing building accommodating 164 students, and a four-storey ambulatory care facility, the Nakawa Specialty Medical Centre. At full capacity, the campus will host 100 faculty and 700 students, including Uganda's first cohort of students in AKU's new four-year Bachelor of Nursing Science programme, which begins later this month. This builds on the foundation of AKU's nursing programmes that have graduated more than 1,500 Ugandan nurses through its earlier degree and diploma programmes.

The campus, built on land generously provided by the Government of Uganda, has been made possible through the support of AKU's Chancellor, generous donors, and funding from the German Government's BMZ and KfW.

"Ugandans deserve the very best access to international quality higher education and health care. … I am confident that the leaders emerging from this institution will advance individual well-being and national progress in fulfillment of the steadfast vision and enduring support that have brought us to this moment," said His Highness the Aga Khan. Read the full speech.

The ceremony featured remarks by His Excellency President Museveni, the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, the Honourable Janet Museveni, His Highness the Aga Khan, AKU President and Vice Chancellor, Sulaiman Shahabuddin, and the Deputy German Ambassador to Uganda, Peter Primus.

"I thank you for building this world-class centre where the classrooms are digitally connected and they're using high tech for education," said President Museveni. "We're also happy about launching the hospital." Read the full speech.

"We are very grateful for the partnership we witnessed today between the NRM government and the Aga Khan Development Network," said Her Excellency Janet Museveni. "I believe the University will continue to uphold His Highness's spirit of community welfare and service to humanity through this venture." Read the full speech.

"Access to high-quality education is a fundamental pillar of our approach to development and has the potential to bring about transformational and lasting impact," said AKU President and Vice Chancellor, Sulaiman Shahabuddin. Read the full speech.

"In an age of rapid digital change and growing demand for trusted quality information, journalism is more important than ever," said Mr Primus. "The graduates of this programme will be equipped to contribute meaningfully to a vibrant, professional and pluralistic media landscape." Read the full speech.

Following the inaugurations, His Highness and President Museveni also marked the commencement of construction of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala. The 101-bed teaching hospital will expand access to world-class care across nearly two dozen specialties and train the healthcare specialists the country urgently needs. Once complete, the hospital will form part of an integrated AKDN health and education system in East Africa.

AKU already operates four medical centres in Kampala, established in 2012, with a referral pathway to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. More than 1,500 Ugandan nurses have graduated from AKU's degree and diploma programmes, and a further 7,000 educators, health professionals, journalists and communicators have benefitted from its short courses and certificate programmes. Alumni today serve in leadership positions across Uganda's health, education, media, and public sectors.

Almost a century of partnership in Uganda

AKDN institutions have long contributed to Uganda's social and economic development. Some examples of AKDN's engagement in Uganda are as follows:

• Education & early childhood development (ECD): The Aga Khan Foundation reaches approximately 500,000 learners nationally; its early childhood programme has benefited 65,000+ children and supported 100+ community-owned ECD centres. The Aga Khan Schools, which date back to the early 1930s, run co-educational day schools with a total student population of 2,500 children across nursery, primary and secondary levels.
• Health workforce & access: 1,000+ AKU-educated nurses strengthen care nationwide; AKU's four Kampala centres provide consultations, diagnostics and specialist referrals.
• Energy & infrastructure: The 250MW Bujagali Hydropower Plant provides approximately 33 percent of Uganda's electricity, virtually eliminating load-shedding and improving the investment climate. In West Nile, AKDN's WENRECo has expanded electrification to schools, health facilities and businesses in a region where access to electricity is severely limited.
• Tourism & employment: Kampala Serena Hotel employs 442 staff (98 percent Ugandan); Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort & Spa employs 170 Ugandans.
• Media & pluralism: Through Nation Media Group/Monitor Publications, AKDN supports Daily Monitor, NTV Uganda (the country's leading TV station) and local radio - strengthening independent media.

Meeting with the Ismaili Community

On Friday 12 September, His Highness will meet with members of the Ugandan Ismaili community. The occasion will provide an opportunity to acknowledge their contributions to the country's social and economic life, and to reaffirm the Imamat's commitment to improving the quality of life for all Ugandans, regardless of faith or background.

NOTES

About the Ismaili Imamat

Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him and his family) was the last and final Messenger of God. The Shia interpretation of Islam holds that during his lifetime, upon divine command, the Prophet designated his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib (may peace be upon him) as the leader of the Muslim community. According to Shia Muslims, the office of religious leadership, or Imamat, continues in perpetuity. The Ismaili Imamat is a hereditary office in succession from the first Imam, Hazrat Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, who was married to Hazrat Bibi Fatima a-Zahra, the Prophet's daughter and only surviving child. For Shia Ismaili Muslims, His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the 50th hereditary Imam in direct descent from the Prophet Muhammad.

In the Muslim tradition, the Imam not only leads in the interpretation of the faith, but also in the effort to improve the security and quality of life of his community and of the wider societies within which it lives.

About the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN)

AKDN is an international group of agencies and enterprises established by the Ismaili Imamat to fulfil its mandate of improving quality of life for all, regardless of faith or background.

AKDN operates across more than 30 countries and through a variety of sectors including education, health, culture, the environment and economic development. In Uganda, its almost century-long presence continues to empower communities, strengthen systems and foster sustainable development.

Media contacts:
Christopher Wilton-Steer (AKDN)
[email protected]

Anthony Kagiri (AKU)
[email protected]