Aga Khan University Launches New Kampala Campus, Plans Teaching Hospital

KAMPALA — The Aga Khan University (AKU) has officially opened its new seven-storey campus in Nakawa, marking a major expansion in higher education and healthcare for Uganda.

The 12,000-square-meter facility was unveiled on Wednesday by AKU President Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, who described it as “equipped with state-of-the-art teaching, learning, and research facilities.”

Built on 60 acres at the junction of Jinja Road and New Port Bell Road, the campus will house a University Centre, student residences, and the Nakawa Specialty Centre — an outpatient facility already offering diagnostics and specialist care in cardiology, oncology, gynaecology, paediatrics, and endocrinology.

The launch also set the stage for the construction of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Kampala, a multi-phase project beginning with a 150-bed wing and scaling up to more than 600 beds in future phases. The hospital will provide advanced services in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, oncology, neurology, and minimally invasive surgery.

An agreement to commence the hospital construction has been signed between President Yoweri Museveni and His Highness the Aga Khan, underscoring the project’s national and regional significance.

According to AKU, the initiative will not only expand patient care but also train specialist doctors, nurses, and midwives to strengthen Uganda’s healthcare workforce. “Our aim is to reduce the need for Ugandans to travel abroad for advanced care by making it available here at home,” Dr. Shahabuddin said.

The project, estimated at over US$100 million for its first phase, is supported by the Government of Uganda, the Aga Khan Development Network, and international partners including Germany’s BMZ and KfW.

Academic facilities are expected to open to students in early 2025, while the first inpatient services at the hospital are projected for 2026.

Ugandan officials have welcomed the development as a major boost to healthcare and education. The campus is also expected to create hundreds of jobs, expand research capacity, and position Kampala as a regional hub for medical training and specialist care.