The aim of this study was to examine the effective use of generative artificialintelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini, by universitystudents in their final-year projects. This study was carried out at MakerereUniversity Business School and the Islamic University in Uganda, amongstudents enrolled in Information Technology and Computing Sciencesrelatedprogrammes. The study adopted a quantitative approach using thecross-sectional survey design. Cluster sampling was employed, dividing thetarget population into two groups (one from a public tertiary institution andanother from a private university) and taking random samples from eachcluster. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire createdusing Google Forms and distributed via links to students’ social mediagroups. The data was analysed using SPSS version 20. Results of the studyrevealed that the majority of students (95%) were aware of the existence andimportance of GenAI tools. The study found that perceived benefits, ethicalconsiderations and behavioural intention significantly predicted effectiveuse of GenAI tools in capstone projects. It was concluded that behaviourintention is the strongest predictor of students’ effective GenAI use intheir software development capstones, followed by perceived benefits andethical considerations. The researchers recommend that universities andhigher education stakeholders make concerted effort to sensitize studentsabout the benefits of GenAI, promote positive behavioural intentions, andencourage ethical use of these tools in research other educational settings.