Kampala private school owners seek tax waivers from KCCA

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  Private School owners in Kampala Central Division have petitioned Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA seeking a waiver of property tax and trading license for at least two years to enable them to recover from effects of COVID-19.

The schools, organised under Kampala Central Private Schools Owners Association told the KCCA standing committee on Education that they have suffered enormous loses since the closure of schools in March. All educational institutions have been closed for the past four months, as the government sought ways of keeping COVID-19 at bay. 

In their petition, read by the Chairman of the Association Moses Samuka, the members said they are chocking on loans, and have failed to pay teachers salaries for several months, yet KCCA continues to send them demand notices for the tax.

The petitioners also asked KCCA to advocate for the reopening of schools such that teachers can secure their jobs. They say that several teachers have been forced to take up other jobs like making snacks, building houses among others while some are surviving on loans and tokens from the public.

They were supported by KCCA Education  Standing committee Chairperson Ismail Ddamba Kisuze who observed that schools were struggling as a result of the closure. With a pledge to recommend the same to the KCCA Executive Committee, Kisuze said that KCCA should equally extend some relief to teachers and workers in private schools.

Olive Namazzi, the KCCA Executive Secretary in charge of Education and Social Services says the government has failed to provide for teachers during COVID-19 and called for Reopening of schools. Namazzi says it’s unfortunate that teachers, despite their plight have not even received relief food from the government.

Recently teachers from private schools in Kampala petitioned KCCA over lack of payment of salary and asked for the Authority’s intervention. 

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