Mukono minicipality risks losing five schools to private developers

Mukono, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Five government schools in Mukono municipality are at risk because of the failure of the authorities to secure their land titles. They are St. Peters, Nakagere Umea, Kiwanga Umea, Lweza, and Ngandu community primary schools.

The Mukono municipal inspector of schools, Faridah Nassolo, says that they are on the verge of losing the five schools since they lack funds to secure titles as demanded by the landlords. She notes that the former owners of the land hosting Kiwanga and Nakagere Umea primary schools sold the land to a private developer.

She says that a big number of learners are likely to drop out of school should the affected schools close completely. Nassolo has appealed to the government to intervene and pay for the titles and save the schools.

At Nakagere primary school, the title was surrendered to a money lender by the landlord, Hajji Salim Busuulwa. Busulwa’s father, the late Hajji Musa Ssewakiryanga Nyamayalwo donated the land for the establishment of Muslim projects such as a school, mosque, and hospital. Unfortunately, he passed on before surrendering the title.

Abubakar Kigoda, the head teacher of Nakagere says that the new landlord, Denis Angula, has fenced off the school playground besides partitioning the rest of the land for sale.

For Kiwanga Umea primary school, the head teacher Hussein Ssemujju says the municipality had started paying off the land to secure a title but unfortunately they ran out of funds. The landlord has warned to evict them.

Florence Nabasumba, the head teacher of St. Peters P/S in Nantabulirwa in Namanve industrial park, says that a recent search showed that part of the land hosting the school structures is registered under the name of Denis Angura. She notes that despite communicating the matter to the relevant authorities, nothing has been done to reclaim the contested land.

At Ngandu and Lweza primary school, Nassolo says that the landlords are willing to sell the land to the municipality but they lack the required funds. She explains that they need about Shillings 400 million for Lweza and over Shillings 500 million for Ngandu P\S.

Denis Angura, who is threatening to evict St. Peters and Nakagere Umea primary schools, says that he acquired the land genuinely and any other claim is false. Mukono Resident District Commissioner Fatumah Ndisaba has called for the intervention of the Ministry of Education and Sports to save the affected schools.

*****

URN