Government takes over, renames Busoga University

Cabinet has approved the takeover of Busoga University to run it as a public university, the first in Busoga subregion.

The university will also have its name changed to Iganga University.

The decision moves a long-delayed government takeover closer to completion, although Parliament must still approve the new university.

ICT and National Guidance minister Justine Kasule Lumumba announced the decision on Tuesday following Cabinet’s meeting on Monday, October 5, 2026.

“After discussing the proposal to establish Busoga University as a public university, the cabinet decided to name it Iganga University,” Lumumba said.

She said Cabinet had authorised the Ministry of Education and Sports to work with the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to prepare the legal instrument needed to establish it. The education ministry will then seek Parliament’s approval.

The planned university will extend beyond the former main campus in Iganga. Lumumba said Namasagali would become a constituent college with a focus on marine and fisheries studies.

“But also the university will include all other inherited campuses in the region,” she said. “Busoga University had campuses in Bugiri, Namutumba, Bugabula and Jinja. All these will be incorporated because the land has already been handed over to the government.”

The Ministry of Finance has been tasked with providing Shs89.998 billion to establish Iganga University and enable it to begin operating, Lumumba said. She gave no opening date.

Busoga University opened in 1999 as a private institution founded by the Church of Uganda, with its main campus in Iganga. 

The National Council for Higher Education revoked its licence on November 27, 2017. The regulator cited concerns that included inadequate qualified staff and the teaching of unaccredited courses. 

The government began pursuing a takeover after the licence was revoked, but the process faced delays over land, liabilities and the steps required to reopen the institution. 

The Church of Uganda formally handed it over to the Ministry of Education and Sports in December 2024. That handover included a 215.4-acre land title and an agreement covering its assets and liabilities. 

At the handover, Education Minister Janet Museveni said the government would improve the infrastructure to meet university standards. She also said Shs7.05 billion of the institution’s Shs15.2 billion in verified liabilities remained unpaid at the time.