The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda has commissioned the National Archives and Records Centre at the Ministry of Public Service’ new home in Wandegeya, Kampala.
“Archives and records are the heart and heritage of a nation. We are glad that we now have a facility where these will be securely stored for reference and posterity,” Dr Rugunda said on Thursday.
“A nation that doesn’t preserve and protect its records and heritage can easily become extinct.”
He was taken on a tour of the facility where he perused several books containing the record of historical files, including the 1900 Agreement.
Construction of the facility was done by China Railway Jianchang Engineering Company from 2013 and was completed last year. The project is said to have cost close to $10 million, raised with support from World Bank under the Uganda Public Service Performance Enhancement Project (UPSPEP).
Previously, national records could only be found at the former colonial administration building in Entebbe, where the National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO) Secretariat is now housed.
According to Ministry of Public Service official Salome Nyamungu, “Ugandan researchers and the general public can come here and view records from as far back as 1900. This centre tells the history of a country. So you can come and view the 1900 Agreement, the various constitutions among many other important documents. ”
The national archives centre plans to generate some revenue, with foreign researchers required to pay $300 to National Council for Science and Technology to access the facility.
Nationals carrying out nonacademic research will pay $300 while Ugandans pursuing Masters’ degrees and PhD candidates will pay $50 for research at the facility.
