US couple rescues Kamuli school in ownership row
John Giebink of USA Education Fund Uganda and Rebecca Kadaga the Minister for East African Community Affairs commission Kamuli Township Kitchen in 2017 Photo SAM CALEB OPIO
What you need to know:
Kamuli Township Primary School was started in 1938 to accommodate children of Ugandans of Indian descent but was taken over by the government in 1972 following the expulsion of Asians
An American couple has come to the rescue of a crowded primary school in Kamuli district, which is at the centre of an ownership wrangle, by committing to renovate it so that over 3,000 pupils return to a conducive learning environment.
Kamuli Township Primary School was started in 1938 to accommodate children of Ugandans of Indian descent but was taken over by the government in 1972 following the expulsion of Asians.
Since then, there has been a protracted struggle to transfer its ownership from the Departed Asians Custodian Board (DACB), with Mr Badru Watongola, the Municipality National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairperson, almost acquiring it.
On the other hand, influential district officials residing in the staff quarters were alleged to have been positioning themselves to acquire them as sitting tenants, which further cast doubt on the pupils’ future.
However, most structures at this most populated Universal Primary Education (UPE) School, with about 3,213 pupils, remained dilapidated until John and Rebecca Giebink, through Education Fund-Uganda, fulfilled their commitment to renovate it.
Mr Giebink said he advocates for investment in education so that all children share the same experience, and interact with the world to make a difference.
“I want to make their education dream come true and grant them an opportunity,” Mr Giebink, who discovered the school in 2017 during a pastoral visit, said in an interview on Wednesday.
He immediately started a feeding programme for the children, constructed a kitchen with meals, and has, during the current festive season, supported the establishment of a resource centre, computer link way hub, and skills education by donating three computers, a projector, and Wi-Fi fully paid up.
That the school is attracting more support for development at the time concerns were mounting that Indians are back to repossess is of immense relief to the education directorate of Kamuli Municipality.
Mr Joseph Musoke, the Kamuli Municipal Education Officer, said the ongoing works at the school were of immense relief ahead of the reopening of schools next month.
“Frankly, we lack funds to renovate the school due to budget cuts and priorities, but by God’s providence, Mr Giebink has come to cover 90 percent of what the school renovation entails. It is a challenge that merits credit,” Mr Musoke said.
He further clarified that the school’s land titles are “secure and safe”, adding that those (titles) for the houses had expired awaiting renewal, although plans to transfer them from leasehold to freehold are underway.
Mr John Luweire, the school head teacher, said when Mr Giebink offered a kitchen and meals, the school enrolment shot from 2,131 to 3213, warning of an influx in admissions that may go beyond their capacity.
