1. Julius Bigirwa is an Information Technology expert and Co-Founder of Votre Technologies, a digital solutions firm leveraging innovation to drive social and economic transformation. His research seeks to explore how travel data of Ugandan citizens captured at their exit from the country can be utilized to enhance the government’s capacity to monitor migration trends and provide support to citizens abroad. By analyzing the policy and technological aspects of data use in migration management, Julius seeks to inform evidence-based strategies for protecting and engaging Ugandans overseas.
2. Anita Faith Natuha. A seasoned marketing professional and blogger. Her research project which proposes a Returnee Resettlement Savings Scheme (RRSS) as a viable policy alternative to traditional grant-based reintegration models.
3. Mukisa Joshua William is a Lawyer and Founder at The Burnratty Investment Group. His research explores how Uganda can unlock billions through innovative diaspora bonds.
4. Cyrus Turinawe is a legal officer at OKOA Refuge, an organization that supports the criminal justice system in cases of gender based violence. His research focuses on emigration reciprocity arrangements between Uganda and its neighbouring countries.
5. Arafat Maganda is a Development Studies graduate, and a Research assistant at Makerere University School of Public Health. His research project is, Emigration as a Political Response: How State Policies Shape Migration Decisions in Uganda where he will be focusing on how restrictive political and economic policies indirectly encourage citizens to leave.
6. Ogik Carlos is a Human Rights Advocate, career diplomat, and founder of Inside Diplomacy organization. His research focuses on: "Third-party Refugee Hosting: At what cost to Uganda's Democratic Space? "
7. Samantha Nagaba is a project management and capacity-building specialist with over five years of experience in refugee inclusion and youth empowerment, with extensive experience in Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts. Her research focuses on “Skills Mismatch and Labour Emigration in Uganda: Policy Options for Enhancing Employability and Reducing External Migration Pressure.”
8. Agnes Ampumuza is a social worker by profession. Her research focuses on The Impact of Labor Emigration on Family Stability and Women's Democratic Participation in Uganda.
9.Belinda Achom is a Development Economist by profession and Co-Founder of EGPATH, an initiative dedicated to empowering adolescent girls and youth in Uganda. Her research focuses on “Sports Brain Drain in Uganda: Understanding Youth Athlete Emigration and Policy Gaps for Talent Retention,” exploring how talented athletes migrate abroad and the policy measures needed to retain sports talent locally.
10.Ruth Teopista Asiimwe is an economist and research analyst at the Environment for Development Initiative (EfD-Mak). Her research focuses on how climate change is driving emigration in Uganda, examining how environmental degradation, and shifting livelihoods contribute to outward migration. Ruth seeks to generate insights that inform climate-responsive migration and development strategies for Uganda.
11. Mahad Kisuze Mugaya is a lawyer and a programs officer at Lex Amica Uganda, a youth led centre for research and Uganda's constitutional development. For the fellowship, Mahad will be looking at policy options for regulating rental housing in suburbs with high numbers of migrants/ refugees to protect both landlords and local tenants.
12. Magdalen Fatima Amony is a dedicated peace building practitioner with 8 years of experience working in post-conflict and migration contexts. Her research focuses on the complex relationship between declining democratic space and brain drain emigration among Ugandan youth, with a specific lens on identifying the underlying political roots that drive young professionals to leave the country.
13. Sarah Bashagarire is a Lawyer at Egadu Nyangor & Co. Advocates. Her research project seeks to explores how Uganda can strengthen democratic participation by creating formal representation mechanisms for its diaspora. The proposal advocates for advisory councils and parliamentary inclusion to ensure Ugandans abroad have a continuous voice in national decision-making.
14.Sharon Atyang is a social worker, an advocate against Gender Based Violence, and Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights advocate volunteering with Becky’s Button and Resolution Project. Her research is titled “Labour Migration, Gender, and the Shrinking Democratic Space: A Case Study of Ugandan Women Migrant Domestic Workers in the Middle East. The study will focus on Ugandan women who migrate for domestic work in the Middle East and how Uganda’s shrinking democratic space affects their safety and rights.
15. Odeke Moses is an Immigration Officer at the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Uganda with 10 years’ experience, an Enthusiast of Foreign Policy and an Expert Mentor on Foreign Policy Analysis, Diplomatic Studies and International Relations. His research project seeks to assess impact of data Sharing of Data of Emigrants to the Middle East and their implications on social relations in the GCC countries.
