A team from MMU and some leaders and technical staff of Bunyangabu District pose for a group photo in front of the district administration block. 

Bunyangabu District Council has resolved that the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Bunyangabu District Local Government and Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) regarding allocation of land for the establishment of a nursing school in Kasunganyanja should be amended and submitted to the Solicitor General for more legal advice.

This was during a special sitting that was held at the district council hall on Wednesday December 4^th, 2024. 

During the sitting, the Secretary Education Committee, Hon Masika Jesca, read out the details of the draft MOU to the council members and the delegates from MMU, which were discussed at length.

Important to note in the MOU is that Bunyangabu District Local Government is proposing to give land measuring about 29.7 acres to MMU for the establishment of a nursing School on the land currently housing Kasunganyanja HC III. 

The proposed school is to have a ceremonial square, lecture rooms and offices, laboratories, libraries, a resource centre, a restaurant, staff houses, guest houses, a police post, administration block, parking lot, and religious centres (two churches and 1 mosque).

With the MOU read out, council formed a committee of the whole council to allow ex-officios and other non-council members to give their input. Key among the recommendations was raised by the LCV chairperson, Hon James Ategeka Mugaram, who emphasised that Kasunganyanja HC III must remain fully functional and serving the community like it has always done, even with the establishment of the nursing school by MMU. 

The various suggested amendments to the draft MOU were then read out by the Clerk to Council, Mr Crispus Dada Musingura, and council resolved that they be incorporated into the existing document and shared with the Solicitor General for scrutiny and legal advice.

For his part, Prof.  Edmond Kagambe, the Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Finance and Administration, Mountains of the Moon University (MMU) hailed the hoborable councilors for giving a green light to the MOU.

“I encourage us to continue looking at the bigger picture because once this school is established, there will be several benefits for the surrounding community,” Prof Kagambe said.

The Chief Administrative Officer, Mr Nsubuga Isa Hood, thanked MMU for picking interest in investing in Bunyangabu District and guided that other key stakeholders like Ministry of Health, Ministry of Lands and Ministry of Education will be consulted before the final MOU can be signed.

The CAO Mr Nsubuga Isa Hood advised that the MOU can only be signed after getting an input from the Solicitor General and other key stakeholders. 

The Wednesday council was massively attended. Some of the attendees included the county MP, Hon Davis Kamukama; the State Minister for Gender and Culture and Bunyangabu Woman MP, Hon Peace Mutuuzo; NRM General Secretary, Yokubu Gowan; Bunyangabu District NRM Chairperson, Mr Peter Musinguzi; heads of departments; RDC Mr Nicholus Kamukama with his deputy Mr Robert Kamuntu; sub county chiefs and town clerk, among others.

BACKGROUND

In 2022, Bunyangabu District Council under minute MIN/BUNY/COU/12/27/09/2022, wrote to Mountains of the Moon University requesting them to establish a nursing school in the district.

As a follow up action, a meeting between Mountains of the Moon University and Bunyangabu District top officials was held on Thursday, April 4, 2024, at the district headquarters. The meeting among other things constituted a technical joint task force to coordinate and generate a draft MOU to deepen the collaboration between the two institutions. This draft MOU was to be presented to the district council for scrutiny and approval. 

The whole goal to this collaboration is to address the region's shortage of skilled labour and the high mortality rate among children under five, which stands at 49.8% according to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey of 2022.  This high mortality rate is largely due to limited access to medical services and the high costs associated with them.