City High School in crisis
THE fate of 1,200 students of City High School in Kololo is uncertain following the High Court order to attach the school property, including the land. The order follows a civil suit case, filed by Minister of Agriculture Hilary Onek against the registered trustees of the Parents Association of Kamp
By Nicholas Kajoba
THE fate of 1,200 students of City High School in Kololo is uncertain following the High Court order to attach the school property, including the land. The order follows a civil suit case, filed by Minister of Agriculture Hilary Onek against the registered trustees of the Parents Association of Kampala on August 16.
Its members sold half an acre of land at the cost of sh200m last year to Onek, but did not surrender the land title, prompting him to sue the school.
Court bailiff Gordon Twinamatsiko served the school authorities with a notice of attachment of schools properties and land if they fail to clear sh500m as compensation for the minister before Sunday. The new term begins on Monday September 17.
The affected parents and PTA (Parents-Teachers Association) members held an emergency meeting on Wednesday at the school to accuse the current president of the Trustees, Darlington Opwonya, for conniving with other members to sell part of the school land.
They have since passed a resolution through the school lawyers, blocking the attachment of the school property.
“The trustee members decided to sell the land without our knowledge. Now all the school property is to be sold within a week,†Herbert Maziga, a parent, said.
“The board sold the school property without authority and quorum. Even the money accrued from the sale never reached the school account,†said the headmistress, Clare Nduhuura.
She added that the school had increased the school fees by sh24,000 in order to renew the lease, that had expired in 2004.
“We have all collected the money (sh50m) that Kampala City Council (KCC) wanted for renewing our land lease,†she said.
However, Opwonya advised the parents and board members to let the piece of land go because it was sold legally.
“The land was sold legally to Onek after paying the board sh200m. We needed that money to get the land lease of the school from the KCC because it had expired a long time ago.â€
Opwoya noted that they had already renewed the land lease and were ready to account for the funds.
THE fate of 1,200 students of City High School in Kololo is uncertain following the High Court order to attach the school property, including the land. The order follows a civil suit case, filed by Minister of Agriculture Hilary Onek against the registered trustees of the Parents Association of Kampala on August 16.
Its members sold half an acre of land at the cost of sh200m last year to Onek, but did not surrender the land title, prompting him to sue the school.
Court bailiff Gordon Twinamatsiko served the school authorities with a notice of attachment of schools properties and land if they fail to clear sh500m as compensation for the minister before Sunday. The new term begins on Monday September 17.
The affected parents and PTA (Parents-Teachers Association) members held an emergency meeting on Wednesday at the school to accuse the current president of the Trustees, Darlington Opwonya, for conniving with other members to sell part of the school land.
They have since passed a resolution through the school lawyers, blocking the attachment of the school property.
“The trustee members decided to sell the land without our knowledge. Now all the school property is to be sold within a week,†Herbert Maziga, a parent, said.
“The board sold the school property without authority and quorum. Even the money accrued from the sale never reached the school account,†said the headmistress, Clare Nduhuura.
She added that the school had increased the school fees by sh24,000 in order to renew the lease, that had expired in 2004.
“We have all collected the money (sh50m) that Kampala City Council (KCC) wanted for renewing our land lease,†she said.
However, Opwonya advised the parents and board members to let the piece of land go because it was sold legally.
“The land was sold legally to Onek after paying the board sh200m. We needed that money to get the land lease of the school from the KCC because it had expired a long time ago.â€
Opwoya noted that they had already renewed the land lease and were ready to account for the funds.