Govt Settles for Iganga University With Shs90bn Kitty

What the report says

Cabinet has approved the re-establishment of the former Busoga University as a public institution to be called Iganga University, ending an earlier plan to use the name Kiira University. According to Nile Post, the government will allocate Shs89,998,436,284 to help set up and operationalise the university in Uganda’s Busoga sub-region.

ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba said Cabinet settled on Iganga University after considering proposals linked to the former Busoga University. The Education and Sports Ministry has been directed to work with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to prepare the legal instrument needed to create the university, after which the minister will seek Parliament’s approval. The decision follows earlier scrutiny by the National Council for Higher Education, which had rejected names using “Busoga University” because of possible confusion with the former private institution.

The article says the university will have a wider regional footprint, with campuses expected in Iganga, Kamuli and Bugiri, while Namasagali will become a constituent college with marine and fisheries departments. Other inherited campuses from the former Busoga University are also to be incorporated, giving the institution a broader presence across Busoga.

The move follows a 2018 presidential directive for government to take over the former university after its provisional licence was revoked in 2017. Government has since been handling liabilities, refurbishing infrastructure and preparing programmes for the public university project, which is intended to restore higher-education services in the area.