21 years later, Museveni fulfils pledge to honour Wapakhabulo
State Minister for Primary Education, Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu (L) leads government officials and other stakeholders during the groundbreaking ceremony of an institute in honor of former Ugandan minister James Wapakhabulo in Mafudu Village, Sironko District. PHOTO/DERICK WENANI
What you need to know:
- The Shs47 billion project will be built in phases due to limited funding.
President Museveni has fulfilled a two-decade-old promise to honour the late former minister James Wapakhabulo with the construction of a health institute in his home district of Sironko.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Wapakhabulo Memorial College of Nursing and Midwifery took place over the weekend in Mafudu village, 21 years after the president made the pledge during Wapakhabulo’s burial on April 3, 2004.
The late Wapakhabulo, widely known as “Wapa,” served in several key positions including Chairman of the Constituent Assembly (1994–1995), Speaker of Parliament (1996–1998), and foreign affairs minister (2001–2004). He died in his sleep at his residence in Bugolobi, Kampala.
At the ceremony, State Minister for Primary Education Dr Joy Moriku Kaducu, who represented Education Minister Janet Museveni, described Wapakhabulo as “a patriot, a distinguished sportsman and a man of integrity.”
“This is not just a groundbreaking ceremony, but the realisation of a presidential pledge and a national commitment to strengthen our health sector,” she said.
The college will be constructed on 10 acres of land donated by the local community shortly after the president’s initial pledge. Dr Josephine Wapakhabulo, the widow, said some residents had grown impatient and wanted to reclaim the land.
“We insisted and surveyed the land, and today we’re grateful the dream has come to life,” she said.
According to Asaph Abenaitwe, Assistant Commissioner in the Education Ministry’s Construction Management Unit, the Shs47 billion project will be built in phases due to limited funding. Phase one, which begins this year, is budgeted at Shs6.7 billion.
Initial works will include an administration block, water supply and treatment systems, fencing, and a gate.
The construction has been awarded to the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade.
“We have already received Shs2 billion to commence work, and we pledge to deliver on time,” said Lt Col Peter Seku Kidemuka, the commander overseeing Education Ministry-funded projects. He added that local residents will be engaged as part of the labour force.
President Museveni and a portrait of former minister James Wapakhabulo (R).
Sironko Woman MP and State Minister for Karamoja Affairs, Florence Nambozo, welcomed the long-awaited project.
“We had waited for so long that many had given up, but this shows that big things take time,” she said.
Local elder Edward Nagudo said the project marks a new chapter for the community.
“This institute will remind the young generation that a great man—Minister Wapakhabulo—came from this place,” he said.
