Hope for over 700 pupils as Tororo finds site for demolished school

Tororo Municipal Council has officially secured land for the reconstruction of Morukatipe View Primary School, which was demolished to make way for the Standard Gauge Railway project.

The 4.33-acre plot in Amagoro "A" ward, North Eastern Division, was acquired from ten families at a cost of Shs493 million. The acquisition ends months of disputes between council officials and parents over the relocation site.

Parents had protested the proposed new location, arguing it was too close to two existing schools, Amagoro and Elgon View Primary, and not conveniently located for learners displaced by the demolition.

Despite technical recommendations from municipal officials, parents resisted the move, prompting a probe by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.

The Unit, alongside Uganda Police, later arrested the municipal education officer, the school head teacher, and a councilor over allegations of misappropriating Shs52 million meant for the school's demolition and relocation.

During the official land handover ceremony on Thursday, many parents welcomed the development, urging authorities to fast-track the construction to save their children from trekking long distances to distant schools.

Mayor Kennedy Orono Nyapidi thanked the families for their cooperation and acknowledged the earlier misunderstandings.

“We regret any errors made along the way. However, the council acted on technical advice and followed procurement guidelines. Thank you for ultimately choosing to support education by giving us this land,” he said.

He also urged the former landowners to honor agreed boundaries and exhume any remaining family graves within a week, noting the council had already compensated them for the exhumations.

Town Clerk Moses Lorika announced that the construction contract had been awarded to the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Engineering Brigade and that work would begin immediately.

“Now that the land is secured, the contractor will move to site without further delay,” Lorika said.

Municipal education officer Teddy Ajuma Makoola expressed relief over the development.

“This handover is a milestone. For months, I had no answers for the 700 displaced pupils now scattered in distant schools,” she said.

The event also saw the symbolic handover of a site for the construction of a five-stance pit latrine, to be built by Muverex Enterprises Ltd.

Local Council I chairperson Okware Amadede commended the leaders for listening to parents’ concerns and reconsidering the original relocation site.

“The initial plan would have locked many children out of school. Thank you for making the right decision,” he said.