Uganda’s agricultural research fraternity is mourning the death of renewed biotechnology scientist Dr Andrew Kiggundu.
Dr Kiggundu was installment in national biosafety policy and advanced regional crop innovation.
In a statement issued on April 8, 2026, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) Director General Yona Baguma said the institution was “deeply saddened” by Kiggundu’s untimely death, highlighting his decades-long contribution to agricultural research and innovation.
Dr Kiggundu joined NARO in 1993 as a Research Assistant under the National Banana Research Programme and went on to build a distinguished career in biotechnology.
He later obtained a PhD from the University of Pretoria before returning to Uganda, where he rose to head the National Agricultural Biotechnology Centre.
He also served as Programme Leader for the Biodiversity and Biotechnology Programme at the National Agricultural Research Laboratories in Kawanda, playing a key role in shaping Uganda’s biotechnology and biosafety regulatory framework alongside fellow scientists, including Dr Baguma.
In recognition of his expertise, Dr Kiggundu was recruited by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Centre in the United States, where he worked as Project Manager for the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) and VIRCA Plus initiatives.
The projects, implemented across countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Uganda, focused on improving cassava resilience through biotechnology.
He took a sabbatical from NARO between January 2017 and October 2021 to serve in this role at the Institute for International Crop Improvement in St Louis, Missouri.
Upon his return, Dr Kiggundu continued contributing to national research efforts as a consultant under a vaccine programme and was, at the time of his death, leading a national taskforce to transform the National Agricultural Research Laboratories into a centre of excellence.
He also served as Secretary to the NARO Institutional Biosafety Committee from 2008 to 2017, during which the committee reviewed 12 successful Confined Field Trial applications—the highest number recorded by a single country in Africa, reinforcing Uganda’s leadership in biotechnology research.
Beyond this, Dr Kiggundu contributed to the Presidential Initiative on Banana Industrial Development, focusing on plant genomics and genetic improvement.
He also worked as a country focal person for biotechnology stewardship and supported the pan-African programme, “Strengthening Agricultural Biotechnology and Stewardship,” coordinated by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa with support from the Syngenta Foundation.
NARO described Dr Kiggundu as a committed scientist whose work significantly advanced agricultural research and innovation in Uganda and across the region.
“Dr Kiggundu’s passing is a profound loss to NARO, the scientific community, and the nation at large,” Baguma said, adding that he would be remembered not only for his professional achievements but also for his warm personality and sense of humour.
The organisation extended condolences to his family, colleagues, and all those he impacted, saying his legacy in biotechnology and agricultural development would endure.