Manafwa: Authorities clash with local community over location of school

GERALD MATEMBU

There is tension in Watakhuna parish, Manafwa district following a standoff between district authorities and the community over location of a government aided secondary school.

This follows a move by district authorities to shift the school to another location other than the one earlier earmarked by the community for the same.

The move has raised suspicion about the intentions of the authorities.

Residents want the government school to replace an already existing community school which has been struggling due to lack of funding.

But the district authorities have rejected the proposal citing encumbrance from the church.

They said the policy does not allow them to establish a school on a piece of land where the foundation body is a church.

This is why they are relocating the secondary school to another piece of land owned by a private individual.

But Pascal Nalyongo Watiti, the director of the community school, who also doubles as the representative of the Archdiocese of Tororo said that the church is willing to surrender the land to the district for establishment the school.

John Musila, the districts chairperson, urged the community to remain calm adding that the impasse will be amicably resolved.

Residents claimed that land does not belong to the purported donor, one Augustine Mutenyo, who is said to be an accountant in ministry of Water and Environment.

Shs 2.1 billion has been earmarked for the construction of the school. The first lot of 370 million is expected to be released in July.