Karamoja University Boss Saverino Twinobusingye Fires Back at NCHE ED Prof Okwakol Over Project Stalling Claims

Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU) Limited has fired back at  Prof. Mary J. N. Okwakol, the Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), over her claims that the university project had stalled.

In her remarks while appearing before the Sectoral Committee on Education in Parliament on April 09, 2026, Prof Okwakol claimed that the KAPATU project had stalled due to its failure to meet accreditation guidelines and governance standards.

Through its third university vice president and council chairperson Saverino Twinobusingye, KAPATU has trashed Okwakol’s claims terming them “false.”

Twinobusingye offered a detailed clarification to the public regarding KAPATU.

Undermining KAPATU’s Progress?

Twinobusingye and other promoters of KAPATU have strongly condemned these allegations, which they suggest are part of a coordinated effort to disrupt the establishment of the first university in Karamoja.

KAPATU asserts that these false statements are part of a broader agenda by some factions within NCHE, the Ministry of Education, and the Attorney General’s Chambers to hinder the project’s development.

“The promoters of KAPATU take very strong exception to the false allegations that are deliberately designed to mislead HE the President of Uganda, Parliament, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and all stakeholders,” write Twinobusingye.

“The false allegations by the ED NCHE fit in a deliberately calculated pattern of distortion by some actors within NCHE, MoES and Attorney General’s Chambers which we are sure are aimed at failing all efforts towards the realization of the first ever university in Karamoja Region.”

KAPATU has now reassured the public that the university is in full compliance with Uganda’s legal requirements for establishing a university, as specified in the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act.

The university was granted a Letter of Interim Authority by NCHE on 19th April 2024, which outlined four specific conditions for progress: mobilizing funds, securing infrastructure, organizing academic and administrative systems, and advancing the development of the university.

Twinobusingye on KAPATU’s Progress and Dedication

Contrary to Prof. Okwakol’s claims, Twinobusingye says that KAPATU has not only met but surpassed all the requirements set by NCHE.

The project has secured significant funding, including UGX 30 billion from President Museveni and EUR 300 million (approximately UGX 1.2 trillion) from international development partners.

These funds, Twinobusingye says, will support the construction of the university’s infrastructure and also provide water to the entire Karamoja region.

He further noted that the physical infrastructure of the university is already underway, with a fully operational library, office spaces, lecture halls, staff accommodation, and a police post already in place.

Over 150 acres of land have been secured for future development, and the new administration block is 42% complete, funded in part by the UGX 30 billion donation from President Museveni, the university Council chairperson further noted.

On KAPATU’s Dedication to Legal and Religious Principles

The promoters of KAPATU also reject claims regarding the university’s governance structure. The Catholic Dioceses of Kotido and Moroto, who are the founders of KAPATU, have every legal right to establish and manage the university, continued Twinobusingye.

He added that the church’s involvement in founding KAPATU is based on Canon Law, which empowers the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church to establish universities within their dioceses.

Additionally, Twinobusingye further explained, the appointments of H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni as Founding Chancellor and H.E. Maj. Jessica Rose Epel Alupo as Founding Deputy Chancellor were made in accordance with the NRA’s 10-Point Program, and there are no legal obstacles to these appointments.

KAPATU’s Call for Fairness and Support

KAPATU has now urged the National Council for Higher Education and all stakeholders to act in good faith and support the creation of a university that will bring lasting development to the Karamoja region.

Twinobusingye insists that the university’s establishment is progressing smoothly, and the promoters are committed to fulfilling all the necessary requirements to secure the Provisional Licence and full accreditation.

Twinobusingye and fellow promoters of the KAPATU project are strongly convinced that the project is a historic and noble endeavor that will not only transform the educational landscape of Karamoja but also provide invaluable opportunities for the entire nation.

KAPATU’s full statement is below:

A RESPONSE BY KAPATU TO THE STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ON 9TH APRIL 2026, BEFORE THE SECTORAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA

Kampala, 13th April 2026—Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU) Limited’s attention has been drawn to statements made by Prof. Mary J. N. Okwakol, Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education, while appearing before the Sectoral Committee on Education, Parliament of Uganda on 9th April 2026.

According to the official social media (Twitter/X) handle and website of the Parliament of Uganda, Prof. Okwakol informed the committee that “the KAPATU Project had stalled after failing to meet accreditation guidelines, because the proposed governance structures fall short of the legal requirements set by the council; that KAPATU, a Catholic church founded initiative is seeking public university status; that the structure of the Catholic Church as a foundation body is not permitted; and that the initiators of KAPATU resisted NCHE’s advice to apply for a private university status.”

Therefore, KAPATU hereby clarifies as follows:

1. The promoters of KAPATU take very strong exception to these false allegations that are deliberately designed to mislead H.E. the President of Uganda, Parliament, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and all stakeholders.
2. The false allegations by the ED NCHE fit in a deliberately calculated pattern of distortion by some actors within NCHE, MoES, and Attorney General’s Chambers which we are sure are aimed at failing all efforts towards the realisation of the first ever university in Karamoja Region.
3. The establishment of KAPATU is in strict compliance with the provisions of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act Cap 262. Specifically, the promoters have fully complied with the conditions set out in the Letter of Interim Authority which was issued by NCHE on 19th April 2024.

The Letter of Interim Authority required the promoters of KAPATU to do four specific things namely:

1. Mobilise funds;
2. Acquire requisite infrastructures and academic facilities;

iii. Organise academic and administrative human infrastructures;

1. Do any other thing that may further the development of the proposed university to maturity.
2. The Promoters of KAPATU have fully complied with all the requirements in the Letter of Interim Authority as outlined above.

For avoidance of doubt, the promoters have mobilised enough funds. For example H.E. the President has donated UGX 30 billion; the promoters have mobilised international development partners with EUR 300 million (UGX 1.2 trillion) to invest in KAPATU for provision of water for the entire Karamoja region and the entire university infrastructure immediately the provisional licence is granted; the promoters have availed sufficient physical infrastructure for immediate opening of the university, including a well-resourced functional library with both physical and electronic resources; offices, lecture halls, accommodation for staff, a police post and electronic surveillance systems for security of persons and property, fast internet connectivity, water and electricity, the new administration block currently at 42% completion and funded from the partial release of UGX 10 billion out of the UGX 30 billion provided by H.E. the President; more than 150 acres of land for university development and expansion.

This by far exceeds the minimum requirements set out under Section 101 of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act, Cap 262 for establishment of a private university. As a matter of fact, no university in Uganda has ever started with these resources.

5. KAPATU applied for a Provisional Licence on 27th October 2025; has been vetted and a team sent by NCHE has verified that all requirements for issuance of the licence were in place and the findings from the verification report were presented to KAPATU Promoters.

Therefore, for the ED NCHE to state that KAPATU has failed to comply before the NCHE Council sits to consider the application, is a deliberate effort to bias members of the Council against KAPATU’s application.

6. It is a fact that the Catholic Dioceses of Kotido and Moroto together with the Catholic Lawyers Society International are the initiators of KAPATU. It is also a fact that the Letters of Interim Authority are issued to private institutions under the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act. It is also a fact that KAPATU applied for a Provisional Licence as a private institution, has been vetted and verified by NCHE.

It is therefore disingenuous for Prof. Mary J. N. Okwakol to state before Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, that KAPATU has refused to become a private institution.

7. Section 27(m) of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act permits the Catholic Church to participate in founding a university. It is therefore wrong for ED NCHE to suggest that the Catholic Church is prohibited by law from participating as a foundation body.
8. The promoters also hereby clarify that the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church derives authority from the Code of Canon Law, as provided in Canons 381, 391, 393, 800, 807, 1254, 1279, 1310 of the code of Canon Law. These provisions vest in the Bishop jurisdiction to act for and on behalf of the Diocese and the Church as regards matters of administration, higher education and management of property.

In specific reference to university education, the Bishop has jurisdiction to establish a university in his diocese. This is specifically provided for in Canon 807 of the code of Canon Law to the effect that:

“The Church has a right to establish and govern a university for the purpose of deepening culture and fuller development of the human person and to assist the church’s mission and teaching.” Therefore, the decision by the Ordinaries of Kotido and Moroto Catholic Dioceses, to establish KAPATU is fully within their jurisdiction to do so. More so, this is consistent with our Constitution that permits Canon Law as part of Uganda’s jurisprudence.

9. The Governance Structure of KAPATU: Regarding the Governance Structure, the promoters wish to draw attention to a letter that the ED NCHE wrote to the University President and copied to H.E the President and H.E the Vice President, among others, Ref: NCHE/GR/78 dated 13th November 2025, in which she alleges that H.E. Gen.Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda and H.E. Maj. Jessica Rose Epel Alupo, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda are conflicted in accepting to be the Founding Chancellor and Founding Deputy Chancellor of KAPATU respectively. The promoters of KAPATU would like to state as follows:
10. H.E. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and H.E. Maj. Jessica Rose Epel Alupo hold positions of Founding Chancellor and Founding Deputy Chancellor by virtue of point 8(2)(b) of the NRA 10-Point Program, by reason of their roles during the NRA Liberation Struggle and by the fact that they are part of the KAPATU founding thought processes. These positions and the persons holding them are non-substitutable.
11. The appointment process that put them into the above positions was by organisations outside the jurisdiction of NCHE and this position is irrevocable.

iii. There is no legal impediment to the appointments in (i) and (ii) herein above under any law.

Twinobusingye Severino

President, Catholic Lawyers Society International

3rd University Vice President and Chair Council, KAPATU

 

A few years ago, NCHE and universities were in a war of words after universities were found to be teaching expired courses. (See Details Here and There).

You can see the list of Uganda’s top 65 universities and institutes in 2026 HERE.