The Bunyoro University Taskforce has requested government to allocate Shs100 billion in the 2026/2027 national budget to enable the start of construction works for the proposed public university.
The request was made during a Bunyoro sub-region stakeholders’ engagement attended by Members of Parliament, Resident District Commissioners, district chairpersons and other key leaders in Hoima.
Professor Samuel Kyamanywa, Chairperson of the Bunyoro University Taskforce and Vice Chancellor of Bunyoro University, said the Shs100 billion is part of the total Shs365 billion required for the entire establishment of the institution.
Of the requested Shs100 billion, 95 percent will go towards construction while five percent will cater for administrative costs.
Currently, the university has Shs14 billion allocated in the ongoing financial year. According to Prof Kyamanywa, Shs12 billion of that amount will be used to construct the foundation of the main buildings, with works expected to begin in April.
He noted that the taskforce is ready to commence full structural works once funding is secured, starting with the erection of at least four buildings at the main campus in Buhimba Town Council, Kikuube District.
“We are currently very ready to kick off our work in case the funds are there,” Kyamanywa said, appealing to Members of Parliament from the sub-region to actively push for the Shs100 billion allocation in the 2026/27 budget.
He explained that the university plans to establish five key schools: the School of Engineering and Earth Science, the School of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science, the School of Computing and Information Science, the School of Science Education, and the School of Health Science.
However, the first phase will prioritise two schools — the School of Computing and Information Science and the School of Science Education — as part of a phased implementation plan.
John Ochira Pakony, Assistant Commissioner in charge of University Education and Training at the Ministry of Education and Sports, said the ministry is considering either the UPDF Engineering Brigade or the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) to undertake the construction works.
Jacob Karubanga Ateenyi, MP for Kibanda South County and Chairperson of the Bunyoro Parliamentary Caucus, who also represented Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, said the university is expected to operate with three constituent colleges.
These will include the greater Hoima region focusing on health and pharmacy, greater Kibaale concentrating on agriculture, and greater Masindi specialising in sciences.
Stephen Aseera, MP for Buhaguzi East, urged fellow legislators to avoid divisionism in the push for funding.
He called on MPs to focus on strengthening the budget allocation to ensure the university is properly established.
Pius Wakabi Rujumba, MP for Bugahya County and Secretary General of the Bunyoro Parliamentary Caucus, attributed the slow progress of the public university to leadership wrangles in the region.
“Bunyoro had been behind for over 20 years without a public university, not just because NRM didn’t know about it but because of poor leadership, where leaders choose to fight one another,” Wakabi said.
He urged leaders to collaborate for improved service delivery and regional development.
Godwin Angalia, the Resident District Commissioner of Kikuube District, said the operationalisation of Bunyoro Public University has taken too long and called for urgent action to move the project forward.
Peter Banura, LC5 Chairperson of Kikuube District, appealed for environmental protection as construction progresses, stressing that development should not come at the expense of natural resources.
District leaders said they will continue engaging communities on the importance and progress of the university project, which is seen as a critical driver of higher education access and socio-economic transformation in the Bunyoro sub-region.
