Uganda’s Cabinet has approved the establishment of a public university in the Busoga sub-region, with Shs89.998 billion allocated to establish and operationalise the institution.
The university will be called Iganga University, replacing the former Busoga University, according to ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba.
Cabinet made the decision at its meeting on October 5, with Lumumba announcing it on Tuesday, October 6, during a briefing on Cabinet resolutions at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
“After discussing the proposal to establish Busoga University as a public university, Cabinet decided to name it Iganga University,” Lumumba said.
The decision does not yet constitute the university’s final legal establishment. The Ministry of Education and Sports has been authorised to work with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to prepare the legal instrument required to establish the institution.
The Education Ministry will then seek Parliament’s approval for the university to operate as a public institution.
Regional campuses
Iganga University will incorporate campuses previously associated with Busoga University across the sub-region.
These include campuses in Bugiri, Namutumba, Bugabula in Kamuli and Jinja. Lumumba said the campuses would be incorporated because their land had already been handed over to the government.
Namasagali will become a constituent college of the new university, with a focus on marine and fisheries studies.
The arrangement gives the planned institution a regional footprint beyond Iganga and allows Namasagali to develop specialised programmes in marine and fisheries-related fields.
From private university to public institution
The decision follows years of efforts to turn the former Busoga University into a government institution.
Busoga University was founded by the Church of Uganda and began operating as a private university in 1999. Its provisional licence was revoked by the National Council for Higher Education in November 2017 after the institution failed to meet regulatory requirements.
Government subsequently pursued the takeover of the institution and its assets. The Church of Uganda formally handed it over to the Ministry of Education and Sports in December 2024, including a 215.4-acre land title and an agreement covering its assets and liabilities.
The government has since been preparing the institution for its transition into a public university, including addressing inherited liabilities and infrastructure requirements.
The Cabinet decision also settles the name of the planned institution after an earlier proposal to establish it as Kiira University.
The next steps are the preparation of the legal framework and parliamentary approval before Iganga University can formally begin operating as a public university.
