Dr. Andrew Kigundu, a towering figure in Uganda’s Agricultural Biotechnology landscape, left us last week. He passed away on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at such an early age.
As the Food Rights Alliance, we have walked the long road of Agrifood systems transformation alongside NARO for over a decade, and we are still counting. We find ourselves reflecting on the nature of true dialogue and progress.
For many of us, Dr. Kigundu was not just a scientist; he was the head of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Centre and the coordinator of the genome editing platform at NARO. He was a PhD graduate in plant biotechnology from the University of Pretoria. Yet, titles scarcely capture the man. What we admired most was his remarkable ability to accommodate and listen to diverse views. In the often-polarized debates surrounding GMO development and biotechnology, Dr. Kigundu stood as a unique figure, a scientist of deep conviction who never allowed disagreement to become disrespect. Even when his life’s work was critiqued, he met his critics with patience rather than dismissal. He worked with diversity, sparing with people and finding common ground even under the most heated circumstances of disagreement.
Dr. Kigundu’s professional legacy is monumental. He was a driving force behind the development of key guiding documents for biotechnology and biosafety regulation in Uganda. As Secretary of the NARO Institutional Biosafety Committee, his stewardship helped review the highest number of Confined Field Trial applications recorded by a single country in Africa, cementing Uganda’s leadership in the field. His work spanned continents, from leading the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA) projects at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in the United States, to championing local solutions for banana bacterial wilt and Irish potato blight.
Beyond the laboratory, we will remember his warm personality and hearty sense of humour, which brought life to every engagement. In a field fraught with technical challenges and public skepticism, he remained a bridge-builder, a scientist who believed that the best innovations are born from listening as much as from experimentation. His departure leaves a profound void in NARO, in our national scientific community, and in the heart of every Ugandan who dreams of a food-secure future.
Rest well, Dr. Kigundu. Your patience, your brilliance, and your open door will be deeply missed.