Busoga University lecturing despite licence revocation

Iganga-based Busoga University is conducting lectures despite the revocation of its licence seven years ago, Daily Monitor has learnt.

The University, which was founded in 1999, had its licence revoked in 2017 by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) for allegedly lacking qualified staff, teaching uncredited courses and awarding fake degrees to more than 1,000 students, mainly of South Sudanese descent.

The institution last held a graduation in 2016 but since then, at least 1,659 students have their graduation pending.

During a September 20 visit to the university, Monitor found its gates open, offices operating and at least 366 students continuing with studies.

Some of the people found conducting lectures said “the university was not closed, but only had its licence revoked which does not mean end of business (for teaching students).”

“The NCHE has powers to revoke a licence but not to close a university. The term ‘university closure’ does not even exist in the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act (2001) as amended, 2003 as amended and 2006,” a source said on Saturday.

According to the same source, if the university was indeed closed, that would have been in “error” and in contravention of the aforementioned acts, adding that prior to the alleged revoking of the licence, there were no warning letters given to its management as required by law.

“Busoga University learnt about the intention to revoke her license by NCHE in Daily Monitor of December 21, 2016 and immediately instructed its lawyers to write to the NCHE, and on January 5, 2017, the NCHE replied, confirming its intention to revoke the licence,” the source further explained.

President Museveni, according to the source, wouldn’t have ordered the government to take over management of the university in 2018 if it was closed as alleged by the NCHE.

In February 2018, the university was handed over to the Ministry of Education to expedite its reopening as a public institution following a directive by Museveni.

In April 2018, State Minister for Higher Education Dr Chrysostom Muyingo was appointed to chair the committee to spearhead its takeover as a public institution.

In July 2023, the Ministry of Education appointed a six-member taskforce committee headed by Prof John Tabuti to kick start the process of reopening the institution.

On August 9, 2024, Church of Uganda Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba Mugalu, wrote to the Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Janet Museveni, seeking statutory instruments to enable the university to reopen before the end of this month.

‘More powerful than minister’

Patrick Kayemba, a former member of the Busoga University transition committee recently said there is a team interested in hoodwinking Ugandans through illegally carrying out lectures at Busoga University. He warned parents not to enroll their children at the embattled institution.

In February 2019, Muyingo also urged parents against enrolling their children at the university “until it becomes operational.”

Former Busoga University Vice Chancellor Dr Frank Nabwiso said Muyingo once asked him for advice on those who have remained at the institution under the disguise of doing their work.

“My response was that there is someone in the government (name withheld), who is supporting their stay and that person by that time was more powerful than him (Muyingo),” Prof Nabwiso emphasized.

He further noted that government’s failure to deploy police at the University has also fueled continuity of such illegal lectures.

Dr Nabwiso revealed that NCHE requested for the list of all continuing students in 2018 to have them re-enrolled in other universities, but the management of Busoga University reportedly refused to hand it over.

When contacted for a comment, the Ministry of Education director for Higher, Technical, Vocational Education and Training at the Ministry of Education, Dr Jane Egau Okou said: “it was not yet time for them to comment on matters of Busoga University.”