Alex Ruhunda is the director of Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC), a local NGO operating in Rwenzori sub-region for community development. The Independent’s Mubatsi Asinja Habati spoke to him:

How did KRC start?

The idea of starting KRC was hatched after we finished university. This was through my interaction with community leaders. We thought we needed meaningful debates. On the ground we needed to engage with leaders during holidays. At first, we even thought of starting a school but we found out that if we began a school what about other issues which could be very important. That’s how the research centre began.

Thirteen years down the road, Kabarole Research and Resource Centre (KRC) is today nearly a household name in the five districts of Kabarole, Kasese, Kamwenge, Bundibugyo and Kyenjojo which cover the Rwenzori region. Established in July 1996 by a team of five young fresh university graduates, KRC is a local research NGO in the Rwenzori sub-region that empowers local communities to interact with their leaders.

KRC began as a conflict resolution centre through research to inform the communities better about peaceful resolution of conflict in the region following the ADF insurgence. It moved to tackle issues of human rights, reproductive health, agribusiness, microfinance, and networking with civil society organisations (CSOs) to address matters affecting the region. Today nine CSOs trace their origin from KRC.