Kabale University renews demand for district land

The administration of Kabale University has renewed their demand for more land from Kabale District, five years after the request was turned down by the High Court.
In 2001, the district donated 52 acres of land in Kabale Municipality to enable the university start. The government has since taken over the university.
However, on February 20, the chairperson of Kabale University Council, Mr Manzi Tumubweine, wrote to the minister of Education, Ms Janet Museveni, asking for additional land.

Mr Tumubweine said the district leadership is yet to allocate the land to the university as advised by the minister in the January 30 meeting at State House.
“Madam Minister, you will recall that the meeting that you convened and chaired agreed that the chairperson of Kabale District Local Government, Mr Patrick Besigye Keihwa, would work with the district council speaker to call a council meeting on February 28,” he wrote.

“So far, the council members and the staff have not been notified. It is rumoured that the district leadership does believe that there is no urgency in allocating this additional land to Kabale University,” the letter adds.
Mr Tumubweine said the failure to allocate the land constrains the university’s 50-year development plan.
He, however, does not state the size of land that they want from the district.
The district speaker, Ms Loy Zikampereza, on Tuesday said she has seen the letter but said they have not yet scheduled a council meeting to discuss the university demand.
“We are busy this week and there are no plans of calling a council meeting,” Ms Zikampereza said.

Councillors oppose demand
A section of district councillors interviewed on Tuesday said they are opposed to the idea of donating more land to the university. They said the current district land is for income generation and for future development programmes. They also said Kabale University has failed to fully utilise the 52 acres.
“If Kabale University wants more land, let them buy it. The university is still operating in the buildings that they freely got from the district despite generating money from privately sponsored students,” Mr Ali Karama, the councillor for Central Division in Kabale Municipality, said.

The councillor for Buhara Sub-county, Mr Johnson Baguma, and his Butanda Sub-county counterpart, Mr Eric Kigunju, also rejected the proposal.
The district chairperson, Mr Besigye Keihwa, said once the matter is tabled in the council for discussion, the views of the majority will carry the day.

PREVIOUS ATTEMPT
The university made the first attempt to acquire more land from the district in 2007. Then Inspector General of Government Faith Mwondha quashed the demand. In May 2013, the university petitioned the High Court, demanding for more land from Kabale District but lost the case.

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