After four years of waiting, government is finally set to roll out the construction of the John Kale Memorial Institute of Science and Technology in memory of the Late John Kale, who strongly fought for independence of African countries.
President Yoweri Museveni in 2012 during Uganda’s Golden Jubilee Celebrations, pledged to establish the institute in Kisoro in Memory of late John Kalekezi who is also father of the current Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura.
During the October 2014 Police Centenary celebrations at the Kololo Independence Grounds in Kampala, Museveni said the Gen Kayihura had taken in the footsteps of his father in the fight against injustices and crime.
Robert Oceng, the Commissioner Higher Education in the Ministry of Education, revealed the latest development on Thursday during a district stakeholders meeting at the Kisoro District headquarters.
Oceng said the institute will initially be established on about 50 hectares of land of Rwivovo in Nyakabande sub-county, Kisoro district.
Government he said, has already earmarked Shs1 billion for the commencement of the project.
“Even though we need about 300 hectares of land, only 50 hectares have so far been obtained, and we shall start with that,” said the commissioner.
“This Ministry is going to work to get us more land; the project will be implemented in phase and we anticipate may take about three years.”
According to Oceng, the institute will provide standardized education especially in Science and technology, Pan-Africanism, engineering among others.
George Kwizera, the Kisoro district secretary land board assured the Ministry of Education officials that more land is readily available for the project.
He said district was ready to give out the land currently being used as a transit camp for refugees and another portion which is now a cattle market.
Arch Design Ltd, a Kampala based engineering company will next week start surveying the place where the institution will be set up.
Idah Mugenga The Kisoro district Secretary for Education said that the institute would benefit the people of Kisoro as well as those from from the neighboring countries by equipping the youths will important skills.
John Kale died in a plane crash on August 17, 1960 at Kiev, Ukraine, on his way to Moscow, in the then Soviet Union.
At the time of his death, Kale was based in Cairo, Egypt, where he served as Foreign Secretary of the Uganda National Congress (UNC), and one of the permanent secretaries of the Afro-Asian People’s Solidarity Organization.