Jimmy Spire Ssentongo

jimmy.ssentongo@mak.ac.ug

Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, PhD

Senior Lecturer

Biography

Jimmy Spire Ssentongo (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at Makerere University, where he has taught since 2011. He is also a part time Associate Professor of Ethics and Identity Studies at Uganda Martyrs University, where he variously served as Associate Dean in Charge of Research and Publication at the Directorate of Graduate Studies, Research and Enterprise; Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and founding Chair of the Center for African Studies. He has authored five books, edited three book volumes, and published several journal articles. With a strong belief that academics should be actively engaged in their communities, he has been a Columnist and Editorial Cartoonist for The Observer Newspaper since 2006. As a good governance activist, he has received several awards and recognitions in Uganda and internationally. In 2021, he won the national Janzi Award for Outstanding Cartoonist, and was also nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Writer. In 2023 he was awarded the Civil Liberties Award by Chapter Four Uganda and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. In the same year, he was also awarded the Human Rights Defender of the Year 2023 Award by the Coalition of Human Rights Defenders in Uganda. In 2024, he was awarded by the European Union Delegation in Uganda as the Human Rights Defender of the Year 2024. In the same year received the Anti-Corruption Champions Award from the USA Department of State. In 2026 he received the Kofi Annan Cartooning with Courage Award for the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation, Geneva.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Humanistic Studies, University of Humanistic Studies, the Netherlands
Master of Science in Education for Sustainability, London South Bank University, United Kingdom
Master of Arts in Ethics and Public Management, Makerere University, Uganda.
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, Pontifical Urbaniana University, Rome, Italy.
Diploma in Philosophy and Religious Studies, Apostles of Jesus Philosophicum, Nairobi, Kenya

Publications

2026

Ekusai-Sebatta, Deborah; Kyaddondo, David; Kaawa-Mafigiri, David; Barugahare, John; Ssentongo, Jimmy Spire; Singh, Shenuka; Mwaka, Erisa

“It just feels morally not right to Sell the data”: Ethical and social perspectives on human genomic data sharing in Uganda—A phenomenological qualitative study Journal Article

In: Research Ethics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 252–271, 2026, ISSN: 2047-6094.

Abstract | Links | BibTeX

@article{Ekusai-Sebatta2025,

title = {“It

                    \textit{just feels morally not right}

                    to Sell the data”: Ethical and social perspectives on human genomic data sharing in Uganda—A phenomenological qualitative study},

author = {Deborah Ekusai-Sebatta and David Kyaddondo and David Kaawa-Mafigiri and John Barugahare and Jimmy Spire Ssentongo and Shenuka Singh and Erisa Mwaka},

doi = {10.1177/17470161251361575},

issn = {2047-6094},

year  = {2026},

date = {2026-04-00},

journal = {Research Ethics},

volume = {22},

number = {2},

pages = {252--271},

publisher = {SAGE Publications},

abstract = {While genomic data sharing enhances transparency and research efficiency, it also raises significant ethical and social challenges. This study explored stakeholders’ perspectives on these issues, particularly around privacy, confidentiality, and equity in collaborative research. A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted between August and December 2023 at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, other research-intensive institutions, and national regulatory bodies. The study engaged 86 participants: 47 key informants (16 researchers, 14 ethics committee members, nine community advisory board members, and eight research regulators) and four deliberative focus group discussions with 39 participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo 14. Three major themes emerged: (1) stakeholders’ experiences in genomic research, including their roles as participants, implementers, or overseers; (2) ethical concerns, such as informed consent, third-party data access, inequities between high-income and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers and participants, and the lack of benefit-sharing frameworks; and (3) social implications, including stigma, discrimination, labeling, community perceptions of fairness, and the need for meaningful engagement. Participants emphasized the importance of protecting participant rights, promoting equity, and ensuring robust data governance and security. The theoretical frameworks of principlism and distributive justice provided a valuable lens for examining these concerns, particularly by highlighting the need to safeguard privacy and fairly distribute responsibilities and benefits in global collaborations. Participants also noted that perceptions of fairness are shaped by trust, local context, and past experiences with research factors that are critical for building equitable and respectful partnerships. This study underscores the urgent need to strengthen protections for research participants and promote fairness in genomic data sharing. Policies should, if adopted, emphasize culturally contextualized consent, active community engagement, restricted third-party data access, and strong data protection mechanisms to address existing inequities and prevent misuse.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

While genomic data sharing enhances transparency and research efficiency, it also raises significant ethical and social challenges. This study explored stakeholders’ perspectives on these issues, particularly around privacy, confidentiality, and equity in collaborative research. A phenomenological qualitative study was conducted between August and December 2023 at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, other research-intensive institutions, and national regulatory bodies. The study engaged 86 participants: 47 key informants (16 researchers, 14 ethics committee members, nine community advisory board members, and eight research regulators) and four deliberative focus group discussions with 39 participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo 14. Three major themes emerged: (1) stakeholders’ experiences in genomic research, including their roles as participants, implementers, or overseers; (2) ethical concerns, such as informed consent, third-party data access, inequities between high-income and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers and participants, and the lack of benefit-sharing frameworks; and (3) social implications, including stigma, discrimination, labeling, community perceptions of fairness, and the need for meaningful engagement. Participants emphasized the importance of protecting participant rights, promoting equity, and ensuring robust data governance and security. The theoretical frameworks of principlism and distributive justice provided a valuable lens for examining these concerns, particularly by highlighting the need to safeguard privacy and fairly distribute responsibilities and benefits in global collaborations. Participants also noted that perceptions of fairness are shaped by trust, local context, and past experiences with research factors that are critical for building equitable and respectful partnerships. This study underscores the urgent need to strengthen protections for research participants and promote fairness in genomic data sharing. Policies should, if adopted, emphasize culturally contextualized consent, active community engagement, restricted third-party data access, and strong data protection mechanisms to address existing inequities and prevent misuse.

2025

Ssentongo, J. S.

What Died When We Lived: Essays on Governance, Society and Power in Uganda Book

Editor House Facility Limited, Kampala, 2025.