Masaka education officials decry poor state of offices

Masaka municipal education officials have condemned the poor state of their offices which they say puts their lives at risk.
The building has cracked walls, broken windows, doors without locks and the sewer system has broken down, exposing them to unbearable stench.
Ironically, the very education officials move to various schools, condemning and closing schools operating under the same conditions.
“The state of the office block is alarming putting the lives of all the workers at risk,” Ms Beatrice Ssekiwunga, the Municipality Inspector of schools told Daily Monitor in an interview on Tuesday.

“We inspect schools and enforce safety guidelines by forcing closure of schools with facilities that risk the lives of both the pupils and teachers yet our dilapidated block houses offices that pose the same risk to our own lives,” Ms Ssekiwunga said.
The office block located on Broadway Road in Masaka, is among the buildings that were bombarded during the 1979 war that ousted President Idi Amin from power and has never been renovated.

Funds needed
The municipality principal education officer, Mr Steven Kakeeto, said they need more than Shs95m to have the office block rehabilitated but are yet to raise the money as a department.
“We discussed how best we can handle the situation since the office block is in bad shape. The Shs95m is not anywhere in our budget as a department. We are inconvenienced when it rains and we are forced to seek refuge at the Health Department offices.

“When rain starts, we have to shift some of the property to the Health department offices for safety. We now share the same toilets with the health department since our toilet facilities are nonfunctional. At the Health department, the same toilets are shared with staff and patients. Our appeal goes to the Masaka municipal council authorities to consider our plight and save the department. The town clerk should find ways of ensuring that the renovation process for the district Education department offices is catered for in the budget,” Mr Kakeeto said.
Mr Emma Gakyalo, the Masaka municipal council deputy town clerk in an interview with the Daily Monitor, said the municipality has a long-term programme targeting the construction process for the city hall complex that would house all offices for departments within it.

“The city hall complex once constructed, will solve the housing gap for all our departments within the municipality. I, however, advise the Education department officials to initiate their proposal in consultation with the engineer on what needs to be done under the rehabilitation process since we are in a budgeting process for the financial year 2019/2020,” Mr Gakyalo said in an interview.

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