Parents and teachers of Nabagereka Primary School will, upon opening of first term, have to look for where to take their children following the demolition of the school.The school which had over 1,000 pupils was on Friday Morning razed by court bailiffs, on claims that the land on which the school sat was leased off to city businessman John Bosco Muwonge in 2010.
Early this month, the ministry of education blocked Mr Muwonge’s attempt to demolish the school on grounds that he did not have a valid court order and that his lease on the said land was questionable.
Ms Rose Nassali Lukwago, the permanent secretary in the ministry, had asked Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kale Kayihura to deploy police at the school premises to stop any possible eviction as the ministry seeks court redress.
However, the developer claims that he gave the school a deadline of up to December 31, 2014, upon which notices were issued to that effect to both the school and the parents.
In her December 23, 2014 letter to the IGP, Ms Nassali said, “The Solicitor General has advised that the school has rights as bonafide occupants since they have occupied the said land for more than 40 years.”
Nabagereka Primary School in Kisenyi, a Kampala suburb before it was demolished
Established in 1966, the school was named after the queen of Buganda. Recently, the Solicitor General advised the Education ministry and KCCA to regularise the school’s occupation on the land by negotiating for a new lease from Buganda Land Board.
Buganda Kingdom, which initially owned the land, has since distanced itself from leasing it to the investor, claiming the latter secured the lease from Uganda Land Commission before the government returned land titles to the kingdom last year.
The long term impact
The developer on May 6, 2014, through his lawyers Ajungule and Company Advocates, issued a three-month eviction notice to KCCA to relocate the school, but since the schools were opening for second term, the city authorities negotiated with the investor to allow the school operate until the end of third term last year.
