Daniel Mugula
19/10/2026
KAMPALA — Kampala Central Division councillors have opposed any move to sell or transfer Nakivubo Settlement Primary School to private investors, warning that the decision could deny children from poor families access to affordable education.
The councillors have urged the government to protect the school as a public institution serving disadvantaged children, amid discussions about its future and proposals to convert the premises into a skills training centre for youths and other city residents.
Councillor Kayigo Moses Kikulwe said Nakivubo Settlement Primary School should not be sold to any individual or investor, arguing that doing so could lead to higher school fees and make education unaffordable for children from low-income families.
Moses Kikulwe
“I would suggest that the school should not be sold to anybody. Nobody should be in a position to buy that school because buying it could lead to an increase in school fees, making it inaccessible to children from poor backgrounds,” Kikulwe said.
He insisted that the institution should remain protected from private acquisition to safeguard the educational interests of vulnerable children who depend on affordable schooling.
The concerns come as Kampala Central Division leaders discuss proposals to redevelop the school into a vocational and skills training centre to equip young people with practical skills for employment and self-reliance.
Division Speaker Eva Birungi said the proposed skills centre would provide opportunities for young people who move to Kampala in search of jobs but lack the technical skills needed to secure employment.
Eva Birungi speaker Kampala Central Division
Birungi argued that the facility could help address youth unemployment by providing practical training to both city residents and people arriving from other parts of the country.
She said the government should finance the proposed development, although partnerships with development partners, including the governments of the Netherlands and Germany, could be explored if public funding was insufficient.
Christopher Tumwine, also known as Mappan, who represents Kamwokya Parish at the LC3 council, said the division had previously discussed the possibility of merging Nakivubo Settlement Primary School with another institution because of its low pupil enrolment.
Town clerk Douglas Nsubuga Kampala Central Division
Tumwine said the discussions included transferring pupils to another school and converting the existing premises into a skills training centre to serve the area’s growing youth population.
However, he dismissed reports that the division intended to sell the school land to an investor, insisting that the proposal was aimed at addressing community needs rather than disposing of public property.
“As a division, we have never suggested selling that place to any investor. We have young people whom we want to train to better the country in the future,” Tumwine said.
Woman councillor for Kamwokya II Parish Katana Goretti Nabawa also opposed attempts to take over the school land, calling on the government to protect the property and ensure it continues to benefit the public.
Katana Goretti Nabawa councillor Kamwokya II
Nabawa appealed to President Yoweri Museveni to intervene in safeguarding the land and urged authorities to register school land titles in the names of the respective institutions to prevent land grabbing.
Kampala Central Division Town Clerk Douglas Nsubuga reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to protecting government property, saying public assets should not be sold or given away unlawfully.
Nsubuga welcomed the proposal to establish a skills training centre, saying practical and technical education was essential to helping young people earn a living and contribute to solving challenges in their communities.
“As a country, we need to recruit, especially the youth, with practical and technical skills so that they can earn a living and contribute to solving problems affecting our communities,” he said.
He clarified that the matter concerning Nakivubo Settlement Primary School had not officially been brought to the attention of his office or that of the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director, adding that discussions were still at ministry level.
“Government properties are not for sale. We are not going to give away Nakivubo Settlement Primary School,” Nsubuga said.
The debate has highlighted the need to balance proposals for vocational training with the protection of access to affordable primary education, particularly for children from disadvantaged households.
The councillors’ position underscores their call for the government to safeguard the school land and ensure that any decision concerning the institution prioritises the interests of the community and the children who depend on public education.
