So how does a man manage Mulago’s labs by day and Uganda’s golf by night? ‘Discipline,’ he says simply. ‘When I’m at Mulago, I’m fully present. When it’s Union work, I allocate evenings. Our meetings run past 6pm because we’re volunteers. You just learn to know when to do what.’
It is, perhaps, the microbiologist’s precision fused with the golfer’s rhythm- measured, patient, forward-looking. As Uganda eyes bigger dreams in sport and science, Dr. Jackson Were straddles both worlds, steadying his stance, eye on the target.
Like any golfer, he knows it’s never about the last swing, but the next. On most mornings, Were walks briskly through the sterile corridors of Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he heads diagnostic laboratory services.
Career built on serving
His domain is a world of microscopes, cultures, and data, places where tiny organisms dictate life and death. A medical microbiologist by training, he has made Mulago his professional home for five years.
Before that, he spent 12 years at the Medical Research Council based at the Uganda Virus Research Institute. Then came a move to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, where he headed diagnostic services and also lectured medical students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
‘I’ve always been fascinated by how microbes shape our lives and our health,’ he says, settling into the measured cadence of a teacher. ‘But more importantly, how science can be translated into better patient care.’
His colleagues describe him as unflappable, a man who approaches pressure with calm precision. He has published research papers, advised on Ebola preparedness, and sat on key hospital committees. To him, science is not abstract; it is applied knowledge that can save lives. That same discipline followed him out of the lab and onto the golf course. His entry into the sport was at Mbarara Sports Club, where he first served as club captain.
From there, his rise was steady: committee member, vice president in charge of tournaments and development, and finally, in 2023, president of the Uganda Golf Union (UGU), the sport’s governing body. ‘The fraternity has given me overwhelming support,’ he says of his first year in office. ‘We’ve seen active engagement of juniors, ladies, seniors, amateurs, and professionals. Each cluster is growing, competing, and finding their space.’
All about money
Professionals, in particular, enjoyed a packed calendar under his watch. Before the Uganda Open, they tested their skills at seven events across the country- Arua, Mbale, Mbarara, Tororo, Entebbe, and Kampala.
Prize money grew too, with the Pearl of Africa Golf Series offering a Shs20m kitty. The amateur game also benefitted. A high-performance programme, run in partnership with the Royal and Ancient (R and A), is sharpening players’ skills beyond swings and putts.
It teaches mental focus, social etiquette, and professional conduct. ‘Last year’s Uganda Open winner was just 19,’ Were recalls proudly. ‘That’s the fruit of structured development. We’re preparing athletes to think and act like professionals.’
For decades, golf in Uganda carried the tag of elitism, reserved for the well-off, detached from everyday Ugandans. Were wants to change that. On his personal scorecard, he gives himself 85 percent.
Growing broader
The missing 15? Inclusion. ‘That means taking golf into schools, engaging communities near courses, and identifying juniors across regions not just Toro or Lugazi,’ he explains.
‘We want a national team that reflects the whole country.’ Infrastructure is another frontier. Under his leadership, the Union reclaimed the title deed for Masaka Golf Course.
But elsewhere, such as Soroti, encroachment continues to strangle fairways. ‘Every golf course is also an environmental asset,’ he argues.
‘The greenery cools our climate, preserves open space, and adds beauty to our towns.’
Even with progress, challenges remain. Membership in upcountry clubs is low. In Tororo, just 15 active golfers remain- a number too small to sustain course maintenance.
Funding, too, is a perennial headache. Were points across the border to Kenya, where the government invested $2.5 million (Shs9.5b) in the Magical Kenya Open, a DP World Tour event.
Winner for tourism
The payoff, he says, is far bigger. ‘The hotels are full, airlines booked, shops and transport busy,’ he explains. ‘That’s tourism driven by golf. If Uganda hosted a DP World Tour event, everyone would benefit, the hotel industry, agriculture, transport, even insurance and medical facilities.’
It is a pitch he delivers with conviction: golf as a sport, yes, but also as a vehicle for economic growth. At home, he is a family man- married, with three children. Weekends often balance between golf rounds and family church. His wife and children, he says, keep him grounded. Golf itself, he adds, carries lessons that spill into life. ‘You don’t play against opponents. You play against the course- and yourself. It’s a game of rules and discipline, much like science.’
Looking ahead, Were dreams of three things: reclaiming all encroached golf land-to restore courses as community and environmental assets, expanding golf across regions and schools-so juniors from Gulu to Mbale can swing their way into the sport.
He calls on government investment in golf tourism, to place Uganda on the world stage. He says, ‘If we achieved that, Uganda would not only raise golfers but also attract visitors who would leave with stories of our greenery, our wildlife, our culture. Everyone would be a winner.’
Living both worlds
The demands on his time are enormous. Yet Were insists he has found a formula.
‘Our Union meetings start after 6pm because we’re volunteers. My evenings and weekends are for golf. But when I’m in Mulago, I’m fully a microbiologist.’
That balancing act, he says, is powered by discipline and delegation. ‘Leadership is never about doing everything yourself. It’s about building a team you can trust.’ It is a life of dual commitments, one to science, the other to sport, knit together by a common thread: service.
Whether its diagnosing microbes or nurturing golfers, Were works to grow institutions that outlive him. As Uganda seeks to strengthen both its health systems and its sporting profile, Dr. Jackson Were stands at the intersection, a steady hand on the microscope, another on the putter.
Always eyeing the next shot, the next opportunity, the next win.
PROFILE
2000: Joined Medical Research Council (MRC) at Uganda Virus Research Institute
2010: Completed MBA at Uganda Management Institute (UMI)
2011-2018: Head of Diagnostic Labs, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital
2018: Captain, Mbarara Sports Club
2018-2020: Captain, Mbarara Sports Club
2020-2023: Vice President, Uganda Golf Union
2023-Present: Chairperson UGU, Mbarara Cow Circle, Rotary Service (Mbarara, Kajjansi Clubs)