Kyambogo University to Operate Without Lecturers Over UGX 6.7 Billion Debt

(Kampala) – Uganda’s academic powerhouse, Kyambogo University, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The venerable institution, home to countless ambitious minds, is set to trim its staff of part time lecturers thanks to a staggering UGX 6.7 billion debt hanging over its head like a heavy cloud ready to rain down salary arrears.
In typical Ugandan fashion, it is not just the lecturers sweating over this; Parliament, the education ministry, and every village elder with a radio is also in on the drama.
The university management, like a farmer who planted but forgot to harvest, admitted their blunder in a report delivered to Parliament. They humbly explained that their “granaries” (read: bank accounts) are empty. The honorable Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu, our Minister of Primary Education, was the unfortunate bearer of this bad news. The revelation was triggered by concerns raised by Margaret Rwabushaija (Workers MP), who seemed quite puzzled by the university’s decision to halt payments to parttime lecturers while the debts continued to pile up like unpaid dowry.
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There’s something about Kyambogo University’s new plan that reminds one of a typical Ugandan village meeting where the elders decide to build a borehole without bothering to count the cost. The University has decided that the solution to its UGX 6.7 billion debt to part time lecturers is… to fire them. Fire the people you owe money to, and then maybe the debt will vanish into thin air like a stubborn cloud over Lake Victoria.
Dr. Kaducu, in her best effort to sound serious, explained to Parliament that Kyambogo’s wage bill stands at UGX 67.17 billion, a figure that might sound impressive until you realize the cost establishment is a staggering UGX 191.3 billion. That is like planning a wedding at Speke Resort Munyonyo with a budget fit for a goat roast at your uncle’s banana plantation in Bushenyi. With only 35% of the required staffing levels covered, Kyambogo’s academic halls are emptier than a dance floor after a terrible DJ set.
Like many things in Uganda, the issue traces back to budget cuts. COVID-19 certainly didn’t help—Kyambogo ran through two academic years in one financial year, which left their budget gasping for breath. Add to that a UGX 2.6 billion cut in the 2023/2024 budget for allowances, and you begin to see why part time lecturers might feel like they have been served a plate of Matooke without any groundnuts.
The university’s non wage budget is like that auntie who promises to bring you a gift from Kampala but always arrives empty handed. This time around, Kyambogo received a paltry UGX 149 million for the quarter. After spending UGX 52 million on utilities (because electricity doesn’t pay for itself) and UGX 97 million on other expenses, there wasn’t even enough left to cover part time teaching arrears.
Item
Amount (UGX)
Total Quarterly Budget
149 million
Spent on Utilities
52 million
Other Expenses
97 million
Left for Teaching Arrears
0 million
Faced with this mess, Kyambogo University has come up with a genius solution: fire some of the part time lecturers. Apparently, in the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year, those part timers who didn’t meet the job requirements were shown the door faster than a Kampala taxi clears out when a traffic officer shows up. But let’s be real, the decision wasn’t really about qualifications—it was about survival.
Dr. Kaducu hinted at the university’s desperate balancing act: “We have asked the vice chancellor to focus on paying those who have had arrears for a long time. Maybe next year, we will get enough funds to pay everyone.” That is the government’s version of “let us hope for rain,” a common phrase every farmer in Soroti knows all too well.
Of course, some MPs were not too thrilled about this debt dodging project. Charles Bakkabulindi (Workers MP, NRM) was quick to point out that these lecturers have families to feed. After all, even in Uganda, you can’t pay school fees with a promise or buy a Rolex with good intentions.
Abed Bwanika (Kimaanya-Kabonera Division, NUP) was NOT buying the excuse either. With the university operating at a staffing level of 30%, he questioned the quality of education students are receiving: “To get a degree, you need lecturers, not just chalk and blackboards.” He even called for an audit of the university’s finances, though Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa was quick to point out that audits are expensive. Maybe Kyambogo could pay for one if they were NOT so busy not paying their lecturers.
The debate didn’t stop there. MP Emmanuel Ongiertho (Jonam County, FDC) brought up that staffing woes are not limited to Kyambogo. He mentioned other universities and tertiary institutions in Uganda where the teaching staff numbers are lower than the number of boda bodas outside a football match at Wankulukuku Stadium. At 25% staffing levels, these universities are left as barren as a maize field without fertilizer.
As the Parliament debated, one thing became clear: Uganda’s higher education system is in desperate need of an overhaul. But for now, Kyambogo University is hoping that firing a few part time lecturers will somehow make the UGX 6.7 billion debt go away. In the meantime, students might want to pray for divine intervention—or at least hope that next semester’s lecturers don’t get fired mid lecture.