KAMPALA – Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has written to the Ministry of Education and Sports, protesting plans by Namirembe Diocese to evict a city primary school and build a shopping mall in its place.
The school is Katwe Martyrs Primary, which is located near Kibuye roundabout next to Muganzirwazza Building. It is government-aided under the management of KCCA.
The Acting Executive Director KCCA, Mr Andrew Kitaka, in a letter dated January 7 to the ministry Permanent Secretary, Mr Alex Kakooza, said they received a development plan from Namirembe Diocese that included construction of a shopping mall and relocation of the school.
“The applicants were guided to either abandon the proposed development in favor of maintaining the school or first develop a relocation site in the vicinity and shift the school prior to redeveloping the current site formally liaise with ministry of Education,” the letter reads in part.
“His Lordship the Bishop of Namirembe led a delegation to meet the then outgoing Executive Director [Jennifer Musisi] to request that the church is allowed to immediately proceed with the proposed redevelopment. This was not granted,” Kitaka’s letter adds.
The KCCA boss urges the ministry to intervene and save the school.
“The future of the school is currently under threat with the foundation body declaring intention to construct a shopping mall on land that hosts the school,” Kitaka wrote on January 7, 2019.
“Against that background, and as a follow up on our earlier appeal to you, KCCA once again draws your attention to this matter and requests your intervention to save the school,” Kitaka wrote.
The permanent secretary, Mr Kakooza, was not immediately available for comment while the Namirembe Diocesan secretary, Canon Nelson Kaweesa, could neither answer our calls nor respond to text messages.
This website understands that the land will be developed by Guster Ntakke, a city tycoon.
