Karamoja's Peace, technology university construction starts in Kotido

KOTIDO - The Kotido Catholic Diocese has broken ground for the construction of a multi-billion Peace and Technology University, which it says symbolises peace, education and national unity in the Karamoja sub-region.

Karamoja Peace and Technology University – KAPATU, the state-of-the-art infrastructure will be constructed on 25 acres in Losilang Catholic Parish, North of Kotido municipality, some 10km to the diocesan offices.

The university project that underscores national importance has so far attracted a shilling 180 billion funding from the Government of Uganda, being approved by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.

Among others, development partners and the catholic association of lawyers, who are key in the establishment of the university, have also solicited funds for the facility.

According to David Pulkol, a political analyst, the establishment of the peace and technology university is a journey rooted in a struggle preserved within the cultural defiance dubbed: The burying of the Pen, in the early 1940s in Karamoja.

He says the elders in Moroto and Kotido symbolically buried a pen to reject education, declaring it a curse on their land.

“For decades, the act defined Karamoja’s isolation from Uganda’s mainstream educational and political life,” Pulkol noted, adding that half a century later, the peaceful climate ushered in by the Movement government unearthed the pen, setting children free to go to school.

He further said the ceremony performed in 1995 [unearthing the pen] reversed the curse, the reason today 'we are seeing more graduates in Karamoja and the establishment of higher institutions of learning in the region'.

Pulkol says thousands of youths have joined the formal education system, and children of herders are now professionals.

“Unveiling KAPATU marks the end of several decades of transformation from rejection to rediscovery,” he noted, adding that the children of Karamoja are now set to study, innovate and lead from the ground their ancestors once rejected education.

Presiding over the event on November 23, 2025, on behalf of Government, former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi said the Movement government had a dream for Karamoja, which it is fulfilling.

The Bishop of Moroto Diocese, Damiano Guzzetti, being dressed in the traditional Karimojong sheet at the event during the unveiling of the university project in Kotido district. (Credit: Olandason Wanyama)

“We also committed to correct all the injustices in the region,” he noted, adding that education is the most important tool for Karamoja today.

Therefore, the establishment of KAPATU is an initiative that will build Karamoja’s stronghold for peace, according to Mbabazi.

“It holds an immense human capital and a huge potential for natural resources,” Mbabazi said, adding that the area faces lots of challenges that need to be addressed.

He identified issues like climate change vulnerabilities, lack of infrastructure and poor service delivery, saying KAPATU has been designed to match the government's poverty alleviation initiative, the Parish Development Model (PDM).

“The university is not a mere institution of learning but a beacon of peace with inclusive development," Mbabazi noted that the KAPATU will drive the improvement of life, strengthen peace and social stability in the sub-region.

“So, ladies and gentlemen, a movement's historical leader feels he has to be here to unveil the university establishment in Karamoja,” he said, adding that it’s with great pride to witness the development.

Mbabazi registered his deep appreciation to all the partners, government and individuals involved in the establishment of the Karamoja Peace and Technology University.

The bishop of Kotido diocese, Dominic Eibu, thanked the Catholic Lawyers Association for the great work in ensuring KAPATU dreams come true.

He congratulated the Government for ending insecurity in Karamoja, but our cry is the bad roads.

The event was attended by several Karamoja Members of Parliament, ministers, religious and local leaders.

Others included development partners, investors and a number of delegates from neighbouring Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia.