Kampala, Uganda – Professor Livingstone Serwadda Luboobi, former Vice Chancellor of Makerere University and one of Uganda’s most distinguished mathematicians, has passed away at the age of 79.
His death was confirmed on Wednesday evening by close family members. Prof. Luboobi died at Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he had been admitted for several weeks with an undisclosed illness.
Born on December 25, 1944, in Kalisizo, Rakai District, Prof. Luboobi’s academic journey spanned more than five decades, leaving an enduring legacy in mathematics, university leadership, and higher education reform.
He began his career at Makerere University in 1970 as a Special Assistant and rose through the academic ranks—becoming a Lecturer in 1973, Senior Lecturer in 1977, Associate Professor in 1985, and Full Professor in 1997.
A highly accomplished academic, Prof. Luboobi earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics (Biomathematics) from the University of Adelaide, Australia (1978–1980), and an MSc in Operations Research from the University of Toronto, Canada (1971–1972).
He also graduated with First Class Honours in Mathematics from Makerere University and later trained as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. He carried out additional research at the University of Bergen, Norway.
Prof. Luboobi held various key academic and administrative positions at Makerere, including Head of the Department of Mathematics (1990–1991) and Dean of the Faculty of Science (1994–2001). In 2004, he was appointed Vice Chancellor, a position he held until 2009.
During his tenure as Vice Chancellor, Prof. Luboobi championed international collaborations, enhanced alumni-driven fundraising efforts, and spearheaded strategic reforms that helped elevate Makerere’s global academic standing.
He was also a founding member of the Makerere University Private Sector Forum, aimed at strengthening ties between academia and industry.
His contributions to global academia were widely recognized. In 2008, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bergen for his work in promoting internationalisation in higher education. In 2013, Makerere University awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contributions to academic leadership and mathematics education.
Prof. Luboobi’s passing marks the end of an era for Uganda’s academic community, but his legacy lives on in the countless students, scholars, and institutions he mentored and shaped throughout his career.
