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Kotido, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leaders in the Karamoja sub region are optimistic that the establishment of Karamoja Peace and Technology University in Kotido district will address the challenges of insecurity and hunger in the region.
On Friday, the Vice President Maj. Jessica Alupo launched the construction of Karamoja Peace and Technology University in Kotido district to foster Peace and Education in the Great Lakes region.
The University is being established in Losilang Ward, Kotido Municipality, Kotido district, Karamoja sub region in Eastern Uganda.
It is spearheaded by Kotido Catholic Diocese led by Bishop Rt. Rev Dominic Eibu and the Catholic Lawyers Society International.
The university that is expected to commence work next year will offer courses such as Computer Science and Applied Technology, Oil, Gas and Metals Industry, Education ,Peace and Security Studies, Environment, Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Health Sciences, Business and Entrepreneurship and Law among others.
However, the development has created excitement among the leaders who have committed to commence the mobilization of students to enroll in the university.
According to the leaders, the establishment of the university is going to build capacity of the youth, women and community-based peace infrastructure to promote harmony, security, and stability in the region
Peter Abraham Loiki, the Member of Parliament for Jie County in Kotido district noted that every development requires peace and security but nobody has ever paid attention to the Karamoja situation.
Loiki said that the government has failed to investigate why insecurity is still persisting in the region despite heavy military deployment.
Loiki said he has welcomed the university because it will help to carry out research and possible solutions into the insecurity and hunger crisis in the region.
Loiki observed that there are gaps which have made the recycling of insecurity and rearmament of cattle rustlers yet there is a fully facilitated disarmament exercise ongoing.
Paul Komol Lotee, the LCV Chairperson of Kotido district says there is a need for a forceful free education for the children of Karamoja at all levels of education.
Lotee said the introduction of the University to Kotido is a game changer to solve the problem of Karimojong thinking that a cow is the only source of wealth.
He said that as leaders in the region, they are already mobilizing children from the primary level to embrace education so that by the time they reach secondary level all their minds focused on pursuing courses in the next level.
Lotee said that the establishment of a university in Karamoja will also reduce the costs of studies in the institutions outside the region.
Meri Jino, the LCV Chairperson Kaabong noted that the loss of livestock to the cattle raiders has left the community in extreme poverty.
Jino said although the development partners have established the University in the region, they need the government to support all the children in Karamoja with free boarding school education to be able to feed the university.
Jino revealed that education would help to cut the chain and recruitment of young children into warrior hood to terrorize the communities.
He observed that the university is more likely to face hardships in attracting the learners if education is not made easy for both primary and secondary education.
Jino said that there is currently a huge number of learners who have dropped out of school because their families cannot afford to pay school fees.
Peter Irar Abraham, the Mayor of Kotido municipality, appealed to the government to offer total support to the university in terms of infrastructure bursaries to Karimojong students who cannot afford the education.
Irar also noted that the students in Karamoja have faced a lot of challenges travelling long distances to pursue courses of their interest in distant institutions.
He said they are willing to support the university to attract learners by mobilizing all the learners across the region to join the University for the Development of the region.
Faith Igira, s student at Kotido secondary school said that the university has motivated her to complete her form six level.
Igira said for them as girls, they know after secondary education it is marriage next because their parents cannot afford to pay the distant university tuition fees and other utilities at school.
She appealed to the movement to consider addressing the issues of insecurity and contract good roads so that to attract more learners from outside the region.
James Menya, another student said that the university is going to fulfill his dream of becoming the Information technology expert in the region.
Joseph Lomongin, the Chief Administrative Officer for Kotido district said that the Christian university has come at the time when they gave out the former primary teachers college for the establishment of Gulu University.
Lomongin noted that the district has so far two universities which he is optimistic will improve the economy of the people around Kotido.
He said they are already mobilizing the communities to start developing business ideas and to construct more houses which the students can rent to boost their economy.
Lomongin also revealed that the two universities are also going to address the challenge of high illiteracy rates that is currently standing at 26 percent.
Soverino Twinobusingye, the President of Catholic Lawyers Society international said that in the faculty of peace and security studies, their first students will be warriors and Karachunas.
He noted that in the faculty of agriculture and environmental sciences, they plan to set up large scale scientific agricultural farms in Karamoja sub region and turn it into a green land and world food basket.
He said that the university will serve communities across the international borders of Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I have represented H.E @KagutaMuseveni to lay a foundation stone for the Peace and Technology University in Karamoja.While there,I gave @GovUganda re-assurances of amnesty to reformed youth who voluntarily returned a gun that was used to kill 02 UPDF soldiers in Kotido last week. pic.twitter.com/Vhgkije1Oa
— Vice President Jessica Alupo (@jessica_alupo) July 28, 2023
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