The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Buganda Kingdom has contributed UGX 70million towards the construction of a museum in honour of Sir Edward Mutesa II, the 35th Kabaka of Buganda and the first president of Uganda. The Museum is going to be housed in the same building that Mutesa II used as a dormitory in 1944 while he studied at Makerere.
Speaking at a function organized at Makerere University to hand over the money on Thursday, the Katikkiro of Buganda Charles Peter Mayiga said, all universities around the world have got a history that they cherish and protect. He said this history majorly rotates around its alumni. He said Makerere is lucky that it has got a number of presidents not only in Uganda but also in the region who went through it.
Apollo Milton Obote, the second president of Uganda, Mwai Kibaki the former president of Kenya, Julius Nyerere the former president of Tanzania all went through Makerere University.
“The culture of a university is anchored in its history and the people who went through it. If we want to have a bright future, we must not forget our history because it helps us to understand our current situation,” said Mayiga. He called on the government to increase its funding for Makerere University not because of its place in Uganda’s history as the first university but also that it sets the pace for other universities.
Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, Makerere University Vice-Chancellor said it was important to start the Mutesa II museum because of his contribution towards Uganda’s independence.
“I feel a little bit bad that I was visiting museums all over Europe and sometimes they don’t have very much to talk about. And here we are in our nation hardly any museum recognizing any of our freedom fighters. So I was saying, how could we have a building where such an important person used to stay when he was struggling with colonialism and we couldn’t even remember that,” said Prof. Nawangwe.
Makerere University and the Buganda Kingdom have got a relationship dating back almost 100 years. The Buganda Kingdom donated the land on which the university was constructed in 1922.
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