Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) has been unable to occupy its newly constructed five-floor building at Kihumuro Campus, intended to house the Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI), due to unpaid fees owed to the contractor, UPDF Engineering Brigade.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Celestine Obua disclosed that the university is still unable to access the building as it has not been commissioned, pending the full payment to the UPDF Engineering Brigade.
"We are still stuck and have not entered our new building of the Faculty of Computing and Informatics because we still owe money to the UPDF, who constructed it," Prof. Obua said.
"This project was funded by the government of Uganda, and we request and hope that the UPDF is cleared so that we can start using the new building."
Prof. Obua made these remarks during the MUST Career Fair, held on Wednesday, which focused on bridging the gap between students, future employers, and internship opportunities.
The event was attended by Minister of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives Francis Mwebesa, who represented Vice President Rtd. Maj. Jessica Alupo.
In response, Mwebesa stated, "I am going to report this matter to the Vice President about the new building that you have not started using because you haven't fully paid the UPDF Engineering Brigade. She will then take it to the President in the Monday Cabinet meeting."
"The President has a passion for this university, and it was in his wisdom to start it so that we can have more self-employed graduates. He will act upon receiving this information," Mwebesa added.
Dr. Evarist Nabasa, Dean of the Faculty of Computing & Informatics, highlighted that the university council upgraded the institute to faculty level in 2016, and the construction of the FCI block at Kihumuro Campus began in 2017, with a planned completion by August 2019.
However, the building was not completed until early this year, when the UPDF Engineering Brigade finished construction and is now awaiting final payment to hand over the facility.
Once operational, the new building will provide the necessary infrastructure for the largest Center of Excellence in Computing and ICT Training, Research, and Consultancy services in western Uganda and beyond.
