Cabinet has approved the establishment of a public university in the Busoga sub-region, renaming the former Busoga University as Iganga University and allocating Shs89.998 billion to establish the institution and enable it to begin operations.
The decision was reached during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026, and announced on Tuesday by ICT and National Guidance Minister Justine Kasule Lumumba while presenting Cabinet resolutions at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.
Lumumba said Cabinet had considered a proposal by the Ministry of Education and Sports to transform the former private university into a public institution.
“After discussing the proposal to establish Busoga University as a public university, Cabinet decided to name it Iganga University,” Lumumba said.
She said the Ministry of Education and Sports had been authorised to work with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to prepare the legal instrument required to formally establish the university.
“The Minister of Education and Sports will seek Parliament’s approval to establish Iganga University as a public university,” she said.
Cabinet also directed the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide Shs89.998 billion to establish the university and enable it to start operations.
The university will be based in Iganga and will incorporate campuses inherited from the former Busoga University. Namasagali will become a constituent college with specialised departments in marine and fisheries studies.
“Namasagali will be a constituent college of the university, with marine and fisheries departments. The university will also include other inherited campuses,” Lumumba said.
The decision brings to a new stage a government effort that has lasted nearly a decade to transform the former private university into a public institution.
Busoga University was established by the Church of Uganda and began admitting students in 1999. Its provisional licence was revoked by the National Council for Higher Education in November 2017 after the institution failed to meet the regulator’s minimum standards for operating a university.
The closure left the institution facing academic, financial and administrative challenges, including questions surrounding staff qualifications, accreditation of programmes and institutional liabilities.
Government subsequently embarked on a process to take over the institution and convert it into a public university.
In 2018, President Yoweri Museveni directed government to take over the university and facilitate its transformation. A committee led by then State Minister for Higher Education John Chrysostom Muyingo was established to spearhead the process, followed by a task force management committee headed by Prof John Tabuti.
First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga has also played a prominent role in the process, particularly in pushing for the government takeover.
In February 2022, Kadaga announced that government had completed the takeover process after years of negotiations involving the Church of Uganda and the former university management.
“Today the Government has taken over Busoga University. It has been a long journey since January 8, 2018, when His Excellency the President directed the commencement of the process,” Kadaga said at the time.
However, the takeover did not immediately lead to the reopening of the institution as government still had to deal with liabilities, transfer assets, renovate facilities, develop academic programmes and establish the governance structures required for a public university.
The Church of Uganda formally handed over the university to the Ministry of Education and Sports in December 2024. The handover included a 215.4-acre land title and documentation covering the institution’s assets and liabilities.
At the time, Education Minister Janet Museveni said government had inherited verified liabilities of Shs15.2 billion, of which Shs7.05 billion remained outstanding.
Government has since invested in restoring the university’s infrastructure. The UPDF Engineering Brigade undertook renovation works at the Iganga campus, covering facilities including the central teaching block, administration block, libraries, main hall, laboratories and sanitation facilities.
The refurbished facilities were handed over in July 2026, according to the information provided by government on the rehabilitation process.
The university’s reopening was nevertheless delayed by disagreements over its name. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education said it was awaiting guidance on the preferred name before completing the legal process required to operationalise the institution.
The naming issue also generated debate over whether the institution should retain the Busoga University identity or adopt a new name. Cabinet has now settled on Iganga University.
The decision comes amid a separate dispute over the quality of the renovated facilities.
Busoga Kingdom Prime Minister Joseph Muvawala has criticised the state of the buildings, arguing that the refurbished structures do not reflect the standards expected of a public university.
Kadaga has rejected the criticism, urging leaders and residents in Busoga to make use of the available facilities rather than wait for bigger structures before supporting the institution.
With Cabinet now approving the name Iganga University, the next steps will include preparation of the statutory instrument and seeking Parliament’s approval before the institution can formally operate as a public university.
The Shs89.998 billion allocation is expected to provide the financial foundation for the establishment and operationalisation of the university, bringing closer the reopening of an institution that has remained at the centre of a prolonged government takeover process.
