Kampala, Uganda – East Africa / September 3, 2025.
The Karamoja Peace and Technology (KAPATU) Project leaders recently met the First Lady, also Minister for Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataha Museveni, at State House-Nakasero to harmonise matters regarding the establishment of KAPATU as a Nucleus National Public University.
The team was led by Her Excellency, the Vice President, and also the KAPATU project Founding Deputy Chancellor/KAPATU project Chief Promoter, Maj. Jessica Rose Alupo Epel.
During that meeting, which took place on 3rd September, 2025 and chaired by Hon. Janet Museveni, the KAPATU project team applauded her remarkable role towards the establishment of this proposed higher institution of learning in this region, noting that the University would accelerate socio-economic transformation of Karamoja.
In her remarks, H.E. Alupo commended the First Lady for the great opportunity accorded to the team to interact with her on this important matter of establishing Karamoja Peace and Technology University [KAPATU].
The Vice President thanked the First Lady for her endeavours in ensuring that the education sector continues to deliver services to all Ugandans, including the people of Karamoja.
Herself a former student of Kangole Girls Secondary School situated in Karamoja, H.E. Alupo and her team noted the emotional history between the First Lady and Karamoja, a region where she also served as its Minister, leaving a trail of success stories.
Meanwhile, the KAPATU project President, also Kotido Catholic Diocese Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dominic Eibu MCCJ also thanked the First Lady for calling for this important meeting, noting that KAPATU presents an opportunity to consolidate both the First Lady and H.E. the President’s vision of transforming the Karamoja region.
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In this regard, the team cited Maama Janet Museveni’s program of ‘Karamoja feeds Karamoja’, which has been very successful and has resulted in many children being kept in school as a result of her intervention.
The team also hailed Maama Janet for the several scholarships secured for Karamoja under the State House, which has produced 48 Human Medicine Doctors from this region.
The team also recalled a visit to neighbouring Kenya, where Maama Janet was accompanied by selected individuals from Karamoja. During that trip, communities from Turkana in Kenya, the Toposa in South Sudan and Nyangatong in Ethiopia were thrilled by the tremendous development in Karamoja and expressed their desire to emulate such development.
“KAPATU would give Karamoja a chance to lead development initiatives across these Ateker communities. It would also now present children from Karamoja with an opportunity to either complete their education cycle in the region or travel to other parts of the country for purposes of exposure,” Bishop Eibu and his team told the First Lady, adding that KAPATU seeks to impact communities across South Sudan, Kenya and Ethiopia where Ateker communities are residing.
In her remarks, Maama Janet Kataha Museveni commended the KAPATU project team for the great work and said she was aware of a letter issued to the KAPATU Project by the National Council for Higher Education, granting it interim authority to operate for 3 years.
Maama Janet explained that this was meant to allow the KAPATU project team time to mobilise funds to acquire the requisite structural, academic and human resource infrastructure and any other activities to further develop the university.
The First Lady commended H.E the Vice President for following up on the President’s directive to convene a meeting bringing together all stakeholders to understand the issues and move the project forward.
She said that in accordance with the cabinet decision of 16th December 2024, H.E the President who accepted to be KAPATU Founding Chancellor, pledged UGX180Bn to support the commencement of the project in the current FY2025/26.
Mama Janet also noted that President Yoweri Museveni had also pledged Shs30bn as a one-off seed funding to enable the university to commence inception activities for its proposed opening in August 2026.
She also reported that KAPATU had been designated to start as a Public University for the Karamoja region with the Catholic Church as the foundation body.
This important meeting was also attended by Hon. Peter Ogwang, the minister of state for sports, Hon. Jackson Kafuuzi, the Deputy Attorney General, Mr. Pius Biribonwoha, the Solicitor General, Mr. Ramathan Gggoobi, the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Treasury, Dr. Cleophus Mugenyi, Ag Director Basic and Secondary Education, Ms Frances Atima, the Director Education Standards, Dr. Safina Museene, the Ag Director Higher Technical Vocational Education and Training, Mr. Timonthy Ssejjoba, Commissioner University Education and Training, Ms Irene Kauma, Under Secretary/Senior Private Secretary to the First Lady and Minister for Education and Sports, H.E Amb. Phillip Idro, Principal Advisor to CCOWC/SPAD-Chief Security-KAPATU and Hon. Akello Rose Lilly, the state minister for Ethics and Integrity/Vice Chairperson Council-KAPATU. Others who attended were Hon. Achia Remegio, MP Pian and Member of Council-KAPATU, Hon. Peter Lokii Abrahams, Chair KAPATU Transition Committee, Dr. Robert Lim Lim, Principal Technical Advisor-KAPATU, Counsel Severino Twinobusingye, Chairperson Council-KAPATU, Rev. Msgr. Paul Ngole, Vicar General, Moroto Diocese-Chief of PEPSKA KAPATU, Rev. Msgr. Daniel Nabuya, Vicar General of Kotido Diocese, Chief of PEPSKA KAPATU, Prof. Annette Kezaabu Deborah, Deputy Vice Chancellor AA and Ag. VC KAPATU, Prof. Msgr Phillip Lokel, University Chaplain-KAPATU, Mr. Henry Kyarimpa, University Secretary-KAPATU, Dr. Godfrey Omoda-Onyait, Principal Higher Education Officer, ILA, Dr. David Musiimaami, Principal Higher Education Officer-AMC, Dr. Betty Nambuusi Bukenya, Higher Education Officer, ILA and Mr. Joe Erem, Senior Assistant Secretary.
ABOUT KAPATU
KAPATU is a new Public University established jointly by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotido, Catholic Lawyers Society International (CLASI), headed by its president, Counsel Severino Twinobusingye and the government of Uganda. With its main campus situated in Kotido municipality [Karamoja], the initiative aims to foster peace and sustainable development in the region through education.
It was conceived in 2014 but actualised on 29th April, 2023, in a colourful ceremony at Nsambya presided over by H.E. the Vice President, Maj. Jessica Alupo, who represented H.E. the President. The KAPATU project is being overseen by a Strategic Leadership Committee comprising President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (Chair/Founding Chancellor), Vice President Jessica Alupo (Founding Deputy Chancellor), and First Lady, also Minister for Education and Sports, Maama Janet Kataha Museveni.
The government has in this FY2025/26 allocated Shs180bn for the university’s establishment following a special cabinet sitting on 16th December 2024, chaired by H.E. the President and also attended by H.E. the Vice President.