MPs Push for Dialogue to Resolve Karamoja University Accreditation Hurdles

Members of Parliament on the Education and Sports Committee have vowed to support the creation of Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU), even as the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) highlights compliance issues.

During a Thursday meeting at Parliament, NCHE Executive Director Prof. Mary Okwakol explained that the initiative, started by the Catholic Church, has stalled because it fails to adhere to accreditation rules under the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act. She noted that private entities cannot directly convert to public universities and criticized the proposed governance setup.

Okwakol emphasized the need to follow procedures, mentioning briefings sent to the President and Vice-President, but lamented that KAPATU promoters have not heeded NCHE guidance.

MPs like Abim District Woman Representative Hon. Janet Okori-Moe voiced strong backing, pointing to top-level political support and the university’s role in boosting education, peace, and development in Karamoja. Committee Chair Hon. James Kubeketerya called the proposal timely and urged resolving formalities without delay.

Kubeketerya assigned Hon. Okori-Moe and IK County MP Hon. Hillary Lokwang to liaise with regional leaders and KAPATU backers for alignment. He directed prioritizing these issues in upcoming talks with the Education Ministry during 2026/2027 budget reviews and pushing for legal reforms to address overlaps in education acts.

The committee will engage ministry officials on Friday as part of ongoing policy statement scrutiny.

Source: Parliament of Uganda