Ssewungu Counts on Gov’t Handwriting Expert to Defend 46-Vote Election Victory

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has criticised the government’s education policies, saying parents across Uganda continue to bear a heavy financial burden as schools reopen for the third term.

 

FDC Vice Chairperson Robert Centenary said inadequate government funding and low capitation grants have left parents paying for expenses that should be met through public education financing.

 

“Parents are continuing to shoulder costs that should ordinarily be covered by government,” Centenary said, arguing that the situation undermines efforts to make education accessible to all Ugandan children.

According to the FDC, insufficient funding is affecting the ability of public schools to provide adequate learning facilities, teaching materials and other essential services.

Centenary also raised concerns over whether the government has sufficient capacity to absorb Uganda’s rapidly growing school-age population.

 

He noted that government owns only about 29 percent of primary schools and 27 percent of secondary schools, leaving a significant proportion of the country’s education infrastructure in the hands of private providers.

The opposition party said the figures raise questions about the government’s preparedness to guarantee affordable education, particularly for families struggling to meet school-related expenses.

 

The FDC also accused the government of failing to fulfil several promises aimed at improving the learning environment.

Among the issues raised by the party are commitments to improve school infrastructure, provide free sanitary pads for schoolgirls and introduce school feeding programmes.

 

The party argues that the continued failure to implement such programmes disproportionately affects children from low-income households and could contribute to absenteeism and school dropouts.

 

The FDC has called for increased public investment in education, saying government should prioritise adequate financing of schools rather than transferring more costs to parents.

 

MEANWHILE ,FDC has rejected a proposal to develop Kampala’s Constitutional Square into an eco-friendly hotel and shopping mall.

Centenary described the proposal as “ill-conceived and unpatriotic,” arguing that the site is a protected National Cultural Monument and should remain public land.

 

“We cannot allow one of Kampala’s important public spaces and cultural sites to be turned into a commercial property,” Centenary said.

 

Centenary warned that commercial development of the square would further reduce Kampala’s already limited green and open public spaces.

 

He urged the Kampala Minister and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) officials to block any attempt to transfer or lease the land to private developers.

 

Centenary warned that the FDC would consider legal action if the site is alienated.

 

Constitutional Square is one of Kampala’s recognised public spaces and has historically been used for public gatherings and civic activities. The debate over its future comes amid wider concerns about the availability of green spaces and public land in Uganda’s rapidly expanding capital.

 

The proposed development has also raised broader questions about how public land and cultural heritage sites should be managed, particularly where commercial interests conflict with public access and conservation.