District chair warns Mukono headteachers against poor performance
“During my reign as the district chairperson 10 years ago, I promoted classroom teachers to positions of school heads and demoted headteachers back to classroom teachers on the basis of results presented by an individual,” he said on Saturday.
Francis Lukooya Mukoome (L), the Mukono district chairperson, addressing the parents, teachers and pupils of Kawuku Boarding Primary School during dedication prayers for Primary Seven candidates on October 17, 2026. (Credit: Henry Nsubuga)
MUKONO - Mukono district chairperson Francis Lukooya Mukoome has warned to crack the whip on headteachers who will fail to produce at least one first grade in the forthcoming Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE).
He said such dismal performance could lead to demotions, in a revival of the performance-based approach from his previous tenure.
“During my reign as the district chairperson 10 years ago, I promoted classroom teachers to positions of school heads and demoted headteachers back to classroom teachers on the basis of results presented by an individual,” he said on Saturday.
This was during dedication prayers for Primary Seven candidates at Kawuku Boarding Primary School in Kawuku village in Mukono.
The district leader said complacency had since crept into school leadership in Mukono, hence the need for action to revive the district's performance.
He commended Kawuku Boarding Primary School for being an example of how effective leadership and commitment can deliver good results, despite a school's location in a rural, remote area.
"Despite the fact that this school is deep in the village, it has consistently been among the best schools in the district, competing with private schools in town."
Lukooya promoted Fredrick Kabonge from a classroom teacher to lead the school primarily because of his performance and urged others to see it as a lesson on the dividends of hard work and commitment.
“My team, together with security, is on the ground. We recently arrested a headteacher who had registered private students as government candidates to sit for PLE.
“Imagine charging parents UNEB fees and then registering the candidates under the Universal Primary Education (UPE) programme, through which the government pays their examination fees. That is illegal, and those involved should take this as a warning."
Fredrick Kabonge, the Kawuku Boarding Primary School headteacher, delivering his address during the function. (Credit: Henry Nsubuga)
Children and phones
Earlier, the chairperson of the House of Clergy in Mukono Diocese, Rev. Edward Muyomba, cautioned parents against giving children unrestricted access to smartphones, warning that they could expose them to sexual content and other harmful material.
“You cannot know what your children are watching when you leave them with smartphones. I was happy when I heard that France had limited children below 17 years from accessing smartphones. It is high time Uganda borrowed a leaf."
Muyomba also criticised parents who report headteachers to resident district commissioners (RDCs) local government minister, Balaam Barugahara, over school feeding charges.
The reverend defended reasonable contributions towards pupils' meals, saying inadequate feeding at school could expose children to health complications and undermine their learning.
He said the Church of Uganda bishops in Buganda had agreed that parents with children in church-owned schools should pay lunch fees or seek alternative schools if they were unwilling to meet the requirement.
“We have seen children develop life-threatening illnesses just because of spending days at school hungry. The Church cannot allow that to continue when we are just looking on."
School seeks facilities
In his report, headteacher Kabonge outlined several challenges affecting the school's operations, including the lack of a library, inadequate desks and the absence of a main hall amid rising enrolment.
He said the school's population had increased from 300 pupils when he was posted there in 2020 to 840.
In response, Lukooya pledged to construct a multipurpose hall at the school in the next financial year.
He also donated 200 hand hoes to the school and promised to deliver computers to help pupils acquire basic computer skills.
The dedication ceremony featured performances by pupils, who entertained parents and other guests with songs, dances and poems.