Tension is boiling in Jinja City after the School Management Committee (SMC) of Naranbhai Road Primary School served Makerere University Business School with a three-month notice to vacate school premises, amid an escalating public feud between the office of the City Town Clerk Godfrey B. Kisekka and City Speaker Juma Ssozi.
In a letter dated 22nd July 2026, Ref: NRPS/SMC/2026/07, the SMC ordered MUBS to vacate all classrooms, offices and facilities at Naranbhai Road Primary School by 22nd October 2026.
The action follows the expiry of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on 27th April 2015 between Jinja Municipal Council and MUBS. The SMC says no renewal or new agreement has been executed.
The Committee notes that during the life of the MoU, several material obligations were not fulfilled. These include failure to pay ground rent to Jinja City Council, failure to maintain school infrastructure which has led to deterioration, and failure to operationalize the academic integration that was supposed to make the school a teaching and practicum facility for MUBS.
The SMC also raised concern over alleged use of the premises without prior written consent from the council, contrary to the terms of the agreement.
Relying on its mandate under the Education Act, 2008 and the Education (School Management Committee) Regulations, 2012, the SMC stated that it is empowered to manage school property and determine the use of school facilities. The notice demands vacant possession, removal of all MUBS property, and a joint inspection and formal handover with the committee.
Copies of the letter were forwarded to the Ministers of Education and Local Government, their Permanent Secretaries, the Resident City Commissioner, Mayor, City Clerk, City Education Officer, Secretary Land Commission, and the Inspectorate of Government. The letter was delivered to the MUBs Princip
al through the Town Clerk through the City Education Officer Paul Baliraine Mugaju.
Enrolment Plummets As Stakeholders Express Disappointment.
Consequently, the school’s enrolment has dropped sharply. From more than 1,000 pupils at the time the MoU was signed, Naranbhai Road Primary School now has about 500 pupils.
Meanwhile, Victoria Nile Primary School nearby is overstretched, struggling to accommodate more than 2,000 pupils in already congested classrooms.
Stakeholders who had hoped Naranbhai would become a modern model teaching school under the partnership with MUBS say they are now deeply disappointed.
They argue that instead of growth, innovation and shared resources, the arrangement delivered stagnation, decay and lost opportunities for both the university and the community.
Unfulfilled Promise On Land.
It should also be noted that under the 2015 arrangement, MUBS was allocated 6 acres of land within the school to construct its own campus. To date, not even a single brick has been laid.
More concerning, stakeholders say, is that the giveaway of the 6 acres ate into the school’s playground — a vital space for children’s physical education and a key component of the learning process.
With the playground now unavailable, teachers and parents argue that pupils have been denied an essential part of holistic education, while the university has made no visible investment on the land allocated to it.
Parents Raise Conduct Concerns.
Independent sources also told The Exposure Uganda that many parents are uncomfortable with the school sharing facilities with university students.
They cite concerns over conduct and dressing, including female students in revealing attire and male students in very short and tight shorts. The sources further allege incidents of students kissing or walking in indecent postures on school grounds, and adult men smoking in the presence of children.
With some pupils in Primary One as young as 5 or 6 years old, parents say the environment leaves a lot to be desired and poses safeguarding challenges for young learners.
“No Power” Claim.
Sources within City Hall told The Exposure Uganda that an officer acting on behalf of Mr. Kisekka rubbished the letter. The officer who received is reported to have claimed the SMC has no power or mandate to issue such a directive and allegedly reduced members to a status “below school prefects.” He is further reported to have insisted that all authority over government property rests with him as the accounting officer and custodian of city assets.
Efforts to get a comment from the Headteacher and SMC Secretary, Madam Catherine Bayogera, were unsuccessful as she did not answer repeated calls to her known mobile number.
When contacted, the SMC Chairperson, CPA Epolu, confirmed that the committee sat, resolved, and instructed the Secretary to write to the Principal of MUBS. When pressed for further details, he ended the call.
A City Divided: “Trailerful of Degrees” Clash.
The confrontation reflects what many stakeholders describe as a growing pattern of autocratic, high-handed, confrontational and dismissive leadership in the city.
As you read this story, Mr. Kisekka and Mr. Ssozi do not see eye to eye. The rift boiled over at a recent consultative meeting on garbage disposal and tender management, where the Town Clerk reportedly told participants that he holds “dozens of degrees including two masters from the US” and therefore “no sugar cane farmers can guide or advise him.”
Speaker Ssozi, whose boiling point is usually at just 4 degrees centigrade (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit responded sharply and spontaneously, saying that as sugarcane farmers, the people of Busoga and Jinja City in particular, they are not bothered when one’s degrees are carried in a trailer.
He added that what matters is service delivery, and that degrees can sit and gather dust in bags or suitcases while services must reach the people.
Sources close to the Speaker say he has since openly vowed to eject Mr. Kisekka out of Jinja City and have him take his “trailerful of degrees and knowledge elsewhere.”
Commentators and local leaders warn that leadership rooted in self-glorification and contempt for others undermines collaboration and service delivery in a city already grappling with congestion and limited public facilities.
What The Law Says.
Legal and education experts note that the SMC’s position is grounded in law.
The Education Act, 2008 Section 58 establishes an SMC for every government-aided school and mandates it to manage the school and hold its property. The SMC Regulations, 2012 further give the committee power to monitor use and maintenance of school facilities.
While the Local Governments Act, Cap 243 names the Town Clerk as accounting officer, he is required to implement decisions of statutory bodies, not to override them. The Public Finance Management Act, 2015 also demands accountability for public assets, making continued occupation without a valid agreement legally questionable.
The SMC says it remains open to a fresh proposal from MUBS, but only under a new Memorandum of Agreement with clear terms on tenancy, rent, maintenance, insurance and academic collaboration.
MUBS and the Jinja City Clerk’s office had not issued an official response by press time.
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