Today in History; November 12, 1961

The offices of the Ministry of Education, including the Higher Education Officer and his staff moved from Nakivubo Place into the Parliamentary Building in Kampala.

To make room for them, the Schools Inspectorate and Factories Inspectorate of the Labour Department were transferred from the Parliamentary building to Nakivubo Place. 

 

These moves were designed to facilitate the reorganization of the separate Ministry and Department of Education into a single fully integrated ministry ahead of Uganda’s independence.

 

Britain announced on October 9th 1961 it would grant Uganda independence in a year’s time on October, 9th 1962.

 

Kampala Sheraton Hotel was called Apollo Hotel when it was inaugurated on March 24th, 1965 by the then Prime Minister Apollo Milton Obote. The hotel was renamed Kampala International Hotel when Obote was overthrown in a military coup by Idi Amin in 1971. Midroc, a Middle East investor leased the hotel from government and won a franchise from Sheraton Hotels and Resorts to use the Sheraton name.
 

Musicians from Uganda, who were in Britain to accompany Ugandan dancers taking part in the Commonwealth Arts Festival, gave an open air performance at a large lunch time crowd in Trafalgar Square.

The musicians and dancers in addition to giving a performance at London’s famous Albert Hall appeared on television and were seen by millions of people throughout the country.
 

The festival brought together 1,500 artists from all parts of the Commonwealth, and the occasion was the first of its kind in Britain; all the arts, drama, music, national and folk dancing, painting and sculpture were represented in the four cities where the festival was being held