Kalungu leaders clash over schools closure

Kalungu. A row is brewing between Kalungu Deputy Resident District Commissioner Sarah Nanyanzi and education officials over closure of illegal schools in the district.
The disagreement started early last month after Ms Nanyanzi found the schools she had earlier closed operating normally after being re-opened by Ms Sylvia Nakanwagi, the district inspector of schools.
The first clash between the two officials occurred at St Luke Primary School in Bukulula Sub-county on June 21 when Ms Nanyanzi ordered the closure of the school over failure to meet minimum operating standards.
But before leaving the school compound, Mr Nakanwagi arrived and asked the school administrators to re-open.
This led to a verbal exchange between the two officers.
“Nakanwagi, I want to show you today that I am more powerful than you; this school [St Luke Primary School] has to close until the administration fulfills the requirements,” Ms Nanyanzi said.

The bitter exchange
However, Ms Nakanwagi responded that she was at the school to do her work as an inspector.
“I came to see whether the school qualifies for an operational licence because the last time I was here, the general hygiene was poor and it was closed as a result of that,” she told Ms Nanyanzi.
Ms Nakanwagi also re-opened Real Shepherd Primary School in Bukulula Sub-county yet Ms Nanyanzi had closed it.
Ms Nanyanzi also clashed with another school inspector identified as Mr Mpaka Mbagatuzimbe after learning that he had earlier received money from the head teacher of St Theresa Primary School, Mr Yuda Kyalimpa, to assist him secure an operational licence from the ministry of Education.
The confusion started after Ms Nanyanzi visited the school and discovered that it was illegally operating.
Ms Nanyanzi asked the head teacher to avail her with a copy of the operational licence but Mr Kyalimpa revealed that Mr Mpaka was helping them secure the licence and they had fully paid for the service.
Ms Nanyanzi asked Mpaka why he could not let the head teacher follow up his school license papers with the ministry of Education since he knows where it is located.
She has since vowed to not to allow illegal schools operate in the district while still deputy RDC.
“Illegal schools are dangerous and I will not relent until they are also shut down,” she added.
However, Mr Kyalimpa said contradicting instructions from the education department and office of the RDC have confused him.
“I have failed to understand whose instructions I should follow. The deputy RDC is threatening to arrest me while the inspector of schools insists I should reopen the school as we wait for the license,” he said.
Brian Mugerwa, a student at Muluuta Secondary School, said the deputy RDC has twice closed their school this term, which has greatly disorganised the study schedule.