Nakaseke district struggles to acquire land for seed secondary schools

Nakaseke, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Nakaseke district authorities are struggling to acquire land for seed schools.

The government received a loan from the World Bank through Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer (UgIFT) program for construction of seed secondary schools in selected sub counties in Uganda.

At least 115 new seed secondary schools are expected to be constructed in the financial year 2020/21 across the country. Each complete school is estimated to cost over two billion shillings.

Nakaseke district is among the districts where at least two schools are expected to be constructed in this financial year.

However, the construction of seed secondary schools could be delayed whereas the other has been established in remote areas over land problems in Nakaseke.

Ignatius Koomu Kiwanuka the LCV chairperson Nakaseke says that in the financial year 2020/21, the Ministry of Education pledged to construct seed secondary schools in Kikamulo and Kinoni sub-counties on condition that the district donates 10 acres of land for each project.

Koomu explains that residents are no longer willing to offer free land for school projects and neither does the district have money to procure land from the residents.

He says that currently they are constructing a seed secondary school in Nakaseke sub county but this was established in a remote area after they failed to get free land for the project.

Koomu now wants the Ministry of Education to revise guidelines to allow districts to construct the school on limited acres of land.

Stephen Batanudde, the District Education Officer says that they have requested the Buganda Land Board to donate land for Kikamulo seed secondary and courted residents in Kinoni sub-county to ensure that the projects are not cancelled.

However, Buganda Land Board is willing to offer only five out of 10 acres needed for Kikamulo seed secondary.

Jane Mukasa a resident of Kikamulo sub county says that it’s high time the government includes land acquisition costs on total budgets for schools since they are constructed with exorbitant sums of money.

Each seed secondary school is expected to have six classrooms, a multi-purpose hall, an Information and Communications Technology laboratory, a library and a science laboratory among others.

Luweero district also suffered delays for construction of Katikamu seed secondary after it was hit by land wrangles in financial year 2019/20.

The Luweero district authorities commissioned the construction of Katikamu seed secondary school on December 3rd, 2019 but the project was interrupted by wrangles after Uganda Muslim Supreme Council petitioned the Education Ministry to halt the construction of the school.

UMSC was challenging the 2.3 billion Shillings seed secondary school on their eight acres of land saying it was undertaken without consulting the landowners who are at the same time the foundation body of the school.

The project resumed this year after district education officials pleaded with officials Uganda Muslim Supreme Council to allow the project on the land.

If the land question is not addressed by both district and Ministry, several sub-counties may take long to get the schools hence denying learners their right to education.

Efforts to seek comment from Alex Kakooza Education Permanent Secretary and State Minister of Higher Education John C. Muyingo were unsuccessful since their phones were switched off.

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URN