Parliament approves land sublease for Kabale University medical school expansion

KAMPALA - Parliament has passed a motion authorising Kabale Regional Referral Hospital (RRH) to sublease five acres of its land to Kabale University.

According to health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, the Thursday, July 31, 2025, mover of the motion, Kabale University formally requested the sublease on August 8, 2022, seeking to expand its teaching space for the Faculty of Medicine.

Aceng further informed the House that the Kabale Regional Referral Hospital Management Board, during its sixth sitting held on September 16, 2022, approved the university's request to allocate five acres for this purpose.

The planned expansion will include the construction of theatres for surgeries, specialist clinics and patient wards for oncology, neurology, and orthopaedic surgery, as well as lecture theatres aimed at establishing a fully-fledged medical school at Kabale University.

“Recognising that Kabale University secured initial funding of three (3) billion Uganda Shillings for the desired medical school expansion from the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Finance in FY 2022/23,” she stated.

Eyebrows raised

However, as has been the case in recent days, every land transaction has been met with suspicion. Kwania MP Tony Ayoo (NRM) acknowledged that the proximity of the two institutions is beneficial and would greatly support healthcare in the country, and there is a need for a fact-finding mission.

“The framers of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 2015 had realised that land is of high value and any piece of land in the country that is going to be disposed or sub-leased must be known by the whole country and Parliament. I want to know whether we have done due diligence as Parliament. Good enough, we now have the committee of land,” Ayoo inquired.

“Because we can sit here and approve. Then you find there, they were talking of five acres and yet the ministers of health and education might not be aware. And yet it is ten acres and some people have apportioned it for themselves,” he added.

Despite Speaker Anita Annet Among’s assurance that this had been handled at the multi-sectoral level, this did little to calm lawmakers.

“When the health committee had a visit to the hospital, the board and management raised a pertinent issue related to land grabbing. Especially in the northern parts of the hospital. Would it be procedurally right for the honourable minister to allay the anxiety of this that the land is safe?” Dr George Didi Bhoka (Obongi county, Independent) was raised.
Adding that it makes little sense for the same hospital, which is losing land to land grabbers, to be giving away acres.

“Honourable members, let’s not mix issues. What the Honourable Minister is asking for is subleasing five acres. On the issue of grabbing lands, I don’t think the minister is the minister of lands,” Speaker Among ruled.