Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has asked Kabale District Local Government to consider allocating more land to Kabale University to support its planned expansion.
Kabale District Council donated 52 acres of land and buildings to the university in 2001 to facilitate its establishment. However, subsequent efforts by the university to secure additional land for expansion have not yielded results.
Mr Tayebwa made the call on Friday while speaking as chief guest at a ceremony held at Kabale University to bid farewell to Prof Joy Kwesiga, who retired in June after serving as vice chancellor for 21 years.
The ceremony was attended by Kabale University Chancellor Canon Mathew Rukikaire, University Council Chairperson Adison Kakuru, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Prof Johnny Mugisha, who was appointed acting vice chancellor, and other officials.
‘I beg the administration at Kabale District Local Government to consider giving more land to Kabale University because the government plans for Kabale University are so big. The expansion of Kabale University will boost the Kabale municipality once it becomes a city,’ Mr Tayebwa said.
He said the government was ready to invest more in the university provided it had sufficient land for expansion.
‘Kabale University has a potential of taking about 40,000 students and this will benefit the Kabale community. I think Kabale University should apply to take over Kabale Regional Referral Hospital as its teaching hospital to boost health service delivery,’ he said.
Mr Tayebwa also urged the university to take advantage of ministers from the region, particularly those responsible for finance and health, to lobby for greater government support.
He asked the university to prioritise research into the causes of poverty and malnutrition in Kigezi, saying such research could help government design appropriate interventions.
His remarks followed concerns raised by the outgoing vice chancellor, Prof Joy Kwesiga, over the district’s failure to provide additional land on Kikungiri Hill to enable the university to implement its 50-year physical development plan.
Prof Kwesiga said repeated discussions with district councils and leaders had failed to secure more land.
‘During my tenure I have failed to change the mindset of the leadership in Kigezi region to fully embrace Kabale University and to acknowledge the economic gains and other forms of development it has brought to the community and the region,’ she said.
She said about 8,000 students and 500 staff members use privately owned hotels and apartments in the community and buy goods and services from businesses in Kabale town.
Kabale District LCV Vice Chairperson Hellen Prima Kemaanzi, who represented LCV Chairman Denis Nzeirwe, said the district remained committed to supporting the university’s development plans.
‘Kabale District Council is committed to collaborations with Kabale University in areas of human resource and general development,’ Ms Kemaanzi said.
University officials praised Prof Kwesiga for her contribution to the institution’s growth during her 21-year tenure.
Kabale University Council Chairperson Adison Kakuru, Chancellor Canon Mathew Rukikaire, Convocation Chairperson Dennis Singahache and Prof Mugisha credited her with strengthening the university’s academic programmes and institutional standing.
Mr Singahache said student enrolment had grown from 42 students in the early 2000s to about 8,000, while the university’s budget had increased from about Shs200 million to approximately Shs70 billion.
He said Prof Kwesiga also helped the university obtain an operational licence in 2005 and a charter in 2014 before it was taken over by government in 2015.
He added that Kabale University had recently been ranked fourth among Uganda’s best universities, which he attributed partly to her leadership.
Prof Kwesiga was also credited with establishing university campuses in Rukungiri and Kisoro districts as part of efforts to bring higher education closer to communities in the region.
Mr Kakuru also commended Kabale District Council for donating the 52 acres of land on Kikungiri Hill that enabled the university to begin operations in 2001.
He said university staff contributed Shs123 million as an appreciation to Prof Kwesiga for her leadership and presented the money to her at the farewell ceremony.