The Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration Prof Anthony Mugisha and a team of other officials are expected very soon in Jinja City, where they will engage with officials.
According to a very trusted source, Prof Mugisha-led team will meet key stakeholders like the Town Clerk Edward Lwanga, Mayor Peter Alton Kasolo and Speaker Bernard Mbayo as well as the RCC Richard Gulume Balyainho, among others to chat a way forward on the issue of acquiring land for its Jinja campus at Budondo.
Although the exact date has not been disclosed, credible sources say the visit will be soon aimed at ironing out what officials describe as ‘some hiccups’ that are manageable.
This after a war of words erupted between officials of the Makerere University Jinja campus and Jinja City Council authorities over a 10-acre piece of land situated in the former Budondo sub county now part of Jinja Northern Division in Jinja City.
According to officials, the campus, which has been operating from rented premises of National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) along Bell Avenue East since its establishment plans to relocate to a 10-acre piece of land provided by Northern Division authorities.
“…the Northern Division Executive Committee which sat on 21st April,2022 under Executive Minute 03/04/2022, with due consideration approved your requests and allocated 10 acres of Budondo land to house the campus…”, reads part of a letter from the division.
The letter dated 23rd May, 2022 which was signed by Abubaker Kirunda Menya the then Senior Assistant Town Clerk in charge of Northern Division tasked Makerere University to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jinja City Council as one way of formalizing the arrangements.
This was in reply to a formal request in a letter dated 6th April, 2022, by Makerere University addressed to the Senior Assistant Town Clerk for allocation of land to establish a permanent home and office for its operations.
Dr Ronald Kakungulu, the Makerere University Jinja campus director, is visibly frustrated that since 2022, hardly any progress has been made, courtesy of some officials at Jinja Town Hall.
“…by now things would have gone very far as far as securing a council resolution but officials at Town Hall are only speaking the same language of money to facilitate their council sitting…”, Dr Ronald Kakungulu laments.
Dr Kakungulu singles out the Jinja Town clerk Edward Lwanga and the speaker Bernard Mbayo as stumbling blocks to the process leading to the final acquisition of the land.
He claims the Jinja City Council authorities have asked for 100M Uganda shillings to sponsor special council sittings to pass the resolution, which will help to expedite the processes with other stakeholders in accordance with the law and regulations.
“…what I know is that all council sittings are by law catered for by the Local Government in question, meaning it is always captured as a budget item, so we are disturbed that Lwanga and Mbayo insist on special council sittings…” he complains.
Dr Ronald Lwanga says the matter does not require a special sitting but the usual one so that they move to the next step.
He also says the university leadership has already played its part by facilitating a team of more than 70 officials including councilors and technical wing to the main campus to enable them appreciate the benefits and what it takes to have a university.
He fears that if Jinja City Council leaders continue dragging their feet, the city will miss out on this strategic educational investment, which has several socio-economic multiplier effects.
However, the Town Clerk Edward Lwanga describes the accusations as baseless and unfounded, saying Town Hall has never asked Makerere University any amount of money to facilitate its sittings.
Lwanga, in a telephone interview, instead hit back at Dr Kakungulu for stooping low and meddling in local politics to present a lop-sided narrative aimed at staining the reputation of some leaders.
“…it’s unfortunate that Dr. Kakungulu has been unwittingly drawn into a political vendetta by a group of cunning politicians who are seeking to settle a score with the speaker Bernard Mbayo…”, Lwanga reacted.
The Town Clerk also had now kind words for Dr Ronald Kakungulu, whom he accused of hypocrisy saying it was his Makerere University that announced they would facilitate a council sitting.
Although the matter has been overtaken by events, Lwanga blasts Makerere University for falsely creating an impression that the matter was so urgent and needed to be handled promptly purportedly because they had some money that would be taken back if the resolution was not secured.
The speaker Bernard Mbayo has scoffed at the allegations as the handiwork of some schemers and speculators who mistakenly think they can ride on the issue to advance their miserable political maneuvers.
“…I am not surprised by the desperate attempts by some of those chaps to tarnish my reputation, rather than engaging in constructive debate they have resorted to petty politics and character assassination…”, Mbayo slams.
Mbayo, who is eyeing the Jinja City South West constituency in the 2026 MP race, has asked the city dwellers to see through the smoke screen of lies and misinformation.
He says that as a council, they have learned from the past experiences, particularly with the allocation of land to Makerere University Business School (MUBS)Jinja branch.
Despite making flowery promises, Mbayo regrets that MUBS has failed to develop the land effectively over the past 8 years apart from painting Naranbhai Road Primary School classrooms for use as lecture rooms.
To avoid similar situations in the future, Speaker Bernard Mbayo is now insisting that Makerere University must present a comprehensive master plan, complete with timelines, outlining their intended use of the land.
He explains that government properties, including land, are not handled casually, like buying a rolex or vegetables by the roadside, saying there are established procedures and protocols that must be strictly followed.
“…the land in question is in the hands of Jinja district local government, and we do not know its status until due diligence by carefully reviewing its history and potential environmental concerns…” he stresses.
At the end of it all, Mbayo says holding individuals and organizations accountable for their actions and decisions can be easy to handle as opposed to a rushed affair the way some people are pushing.
As can be recalled, Makerere University spread its wings in 2009 with the opening of Jinja Campus, which grew from strength to strength and is now set to acquire a new and permanent home in Budondo, Jinja City.
Once the land is acquired, Makerere University officials say the new campus will feature state-of-the-art facilities, including administration blocks, hostels, lecture rooms, and swimming pools.
Additionally, they say the university plans to upgrade the existing Budondo Health Centre IV to a full hospital, which will also serve as a teaching hospital.
Commentators say this development is expected to boost the social and economic landscape in Jinja City, providing students from the Eastern region with access to quality higher education.
Despite the heated exchange between the two entities that has dominated local radio stations and social media platforms in recent days, there is a sense of optimism that a peaceful resolution can be reached.
Also, the fact that both parties are willing to find a mutually beneficial solution is a positive step forward. It is also worth noting that a university is an institution that transcends sectarian divisions, and its importance is universally recognized.
This shared understanding can serve as a foundation for finding common ground and resolving the issues at hand.
The campus will also help to minimize the journeys undertaken by students from Busoga, a subregion of more than 4.5 million people, to access studies at the main campus in Kampala.
The campus was set up to cater to the growing demand for university education in the region and to reduce the congestion at the main campus in Kampala.
Key reasons for establishing the Jinja Campus:
To provide higher education opportunities to students from the Eastern region, reducing the need to travel to Kampala.
To alleviate the pressure on the main campus in Kampala, which was experiencing high student numbers.
To contribute to the social and economic development of the entire eastern region by providing skilled human resources.
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