Jinja denies giving free land to Makerere
Makerere University Jinja branch which is housed at National Water and Sewerage Corporation building on Bell Avenue East Jinja City. PHOTO/TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
- Media reports were suggesting that Jinja City Council authorities met with Makerere University at the institution’s main campus in Kampala last Thursday and offered the latter 52 acres of land in Jinja North City Division to set up a permanent home.
Jinja City leaders have clarified that no conclusion has been reached between Makerere University and the city leadership on the plan to give the university land to construct a permanent campus in the area.
Media reports were suggesting that Jinja City Council authorities met with Makerere University at the institution’s main campus in Kampala last Thursday and offered the latter 52 acres of land in Jinja North City Division to set up a permanent home.
Discussion
The Jinja North Division City Mayor, Mr Ayub Wabika, acknowledged that the meeting was held, but that it never endorsed the land offer to Makerere University in his area.
“Jinja City leadership met Makerere University to discuss whether to go ahead with the project or not. We agreed to go ahead with the project but we cannot go ahead to allocate them land without signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU). However, some people are misrepresenting what was discussed in the meeting,” he said.
He added that the Jinja City Council team led by Mayor Peter Okocha Kasolo agreed that a council resolution authorising the land offer to Makerere be made before an MoU is signed to that effect.
Mr Wabika said although the Makerere University authorities led by the deputy vice chancellor-in-charge of finance and administration, Mr Henry Ainaitwe, presented the project plan to the city leadership during their visit, nothing was concluded before the two councils sat to resolve the matter.
The land
Mr Wabika said Makerere leaders indicated in their plan that they would like to utilise all the 52.6 acres of the land located in Budodo Village. He said this is, however, still a subject of debate for the local leaders currently using the said land.
“The Makerere proposal indicated that all the 52.6 acres of land we have would be taken over but this may not be possible because the land is already housing offices for the local administration,’’ Mr Wabika said.
However, City Mayor Kasolo said he had no problem giving Makerere the whole land since the two institutions can co-exist.
Mr Kasolo said because of the importance of this project, the council will help Makerere to acquire the land through the right channels.
Dr Kakungulu said the money for the project has already been set aside, only awaiting the acquisition of the land.
The university in 2009 started a campus at Bell Avenue in Jinja City, which currently runs seven courses offered by the 750 students accommodated at a rented facility in Jinja Town.
