IGG probes alleged plans to sell Bat Valley School land

The office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) has launched an investigation into the alleged plans to sell the land which accommodates Bat Valley Primary School, one of the oldest public schools in Kampala.

The IGG’s intervention was thought by the Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago and a section of councillors at Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) who are against the sale of Bat Valley School, which is currently an education centre for approximately 500 pupils from the nearby communities.

According to the letter seen by this publication, the deputy IGG, Ms Patricia Achan Okiria, noted that the Inspectorate of Government (IG) received information concerning the plans by some councillors at Kampala Central Division and KCCA to sell Bat Valley Primary School.

Ms Okiria added that the information received by the IG further indicates that the people behind the alleged plans are purportedly plotting to re-develop the land where the school is located without consulting the head teacher and members of the School Management Committee.

“Henceforth, the IG has instituted investigations into the matter, [and] you are therefore hereby directed to halt the sale/re-development of Bat Valley Primary School until this office completes investigations or issues further orders on the matter,” the deputy IGG letter reads in part.

Founded in 1938 by the Indian group known as Shree Sanatan Dharma Mandal (SSDM), Bat Valley Primary School was turned into a public school through an Act of Parliament in 1964, making it a fully government-managed and owned school.

However, last year, the KCCA council received a request from the original school founders (Shree Sanatan Dharma Mandal) seeking to relocate the school and redevelop its current location into other enterprises.

Although the KCCA council passed a resolution vetoing SSDM’s request, the Lord Mayor revealed that there were allegations that the Indians were planning to petition Parliament over the same matter.

“Parliament already passed a resolution in 2008 and it was resolved that Bat Valley Primary School fully belongs to the government and its land should not be re-developed into anything else apart from accommodating a public school,” Mr Lukwago said.

Efforts to get a comment from members of SSMD were in vain. However, during an interview with NTV-Uganda in December last year, Mr Vaya Raju, the chairperson of SSMD insisted that the land which houses the school belongs to the SSMD association of Indians under leasehold tenure.

When contacted on Thursday, the Kampala central division mayor, Salim Uhuru said: “To be honest I just know they [SSMD] have a land title [for Bat Valley primary school] in their names and KCCA didn’t show interest when the lease expired.”

Mr James Onyango, the head teacher of Bat Valley Primary School revealed that the school management has never held relocation discussions with the members of SSDM.

“During the meeting we were only presented with the plans for the new three-storey building for the school, the request to relocate the school as it was presented to KCCA was smuggled and the school management has never made any resolution on the same,” he said.

Mr Onyango further explained that due to the rumours of school closure, the number of pupils has decreased from over 800 to 466 by the end of the last academic year.

This publication has learnt that rent payments from Bat Valley Theatre and the billboards which are under school management are paid to SSMDl group under unclear circumstances.

Efforts to speak to the officials at the Ministry Of Education were futile after numerous unanswered calls and messages by press time.