It is indeed of great concern why a defunct University is still being left to operate covertly as if it wasn’t closed down. The people who ran down the University are still at the institution as if nothing happened. They are still cheating the unsuspecting students and parents. How can this be allowed to happen?
Secondly, why hasn’t the taskforce of Prof. John Tabuti been facilitated to have their operational office at the locus in Iganga? Why are they still operating from the Ministry of Education building? Dr. Tabuti’s taskforce has been to the BU site only twice ever since it was instituted. What oversight can they offer to an institution where they don’t have any domicile?
I know Prof. Tabuti is a true bureaucrat who has to waddle through the numerous and many times very frustrating bureaucracies in the Ministry of Education. However, having said that, it should be of great concern why a defunct University is still being left to operate covertly as if it wasn’t closed down.
Thirdly, since the FY 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24, budget allocation was made for the commencement of Busoga University, but it is baffling that to this date issues of payment of the outstanding debts particularly for the staff havent been effected.
Probably, it is this non settlement of the money owed to the staff of the defunct university that makes the likes of Prof. Lamech Kibikyo and cohorts so daringly adamant not to leave the University premises. They are instead left to blackmail the university and cheat the unsuspecting audience.
It must be noted that the amount owing to the staff is about Shs.6bn. This is money that was part of the total package that Government committed to pay, including clearing the so called Bank debts that the then directors of the University incurred. So far, out of this years government allocation for BU, an amount of 2.5bn was paid to Bank of Baroda and the Bank relinquished the Church of Uganda land titles that had been deposited with it as collateral for the loans taken.
These land titles were subsequently handed over to the Ministry of Education according to the agreement. Soon after the Bank had been sorted, what was supposed to follow is for the Ministry of Education to provide money to the Taskforce so that the process of “cutting” off the land agreed as to be offered for the University from the grand title of the Church of Uganda should be undertaken.
The Ministry of Lands is more than ready to do its part, but the Ministry of Education is the one procrastinating in releasing the required funds for this process to be undertaken. What the Ministry of Education is holding on to is the Grand land title of the Church of Uganda in Busoga which includes so many other church lands within Busoga and which are not part of the land that the Church of Uganda agreed to offer to Government in lieu of the debt clearance that the government was to make to Bank of Baroda on behalf of the debt entangled directors of the defunct Busoga University. What should be unsettling is that the money for this process plus the money to settle off the pending outstanding demands of the former staff of the University was budgeted for and released to the Ministry of Education.
The question is why isn’t the PS and the Commissioner for Higher Education in the Ministry seeing it prudent to release the required money in time so that the process of getting BU commence is realized? We certainly need to jointly exert more pressure on those responsible so that the dream of having the University start is realized. In the meantime, we should remind the Minister of State in charge of Higher Education to swiftly act and the Ministry fully takes over the University premises.
He should have the Police to offer protection and prevent trespass to the University premises. Hopefully, we can all in individual ways of influence be able to positively contribute to the commencement of BU at Iganga. The facts are here and we now know what needs to be done and by who.
2 Comments
When are they going to open it because we shall need to study from our university
We people who were supposed to graduate are suffering from the field please.Many are retiring and others missing jobs .May the government look into this matter and expedite the process.