Lira, Uganda | The Principal of Uganda Technical College (UTC) Lira, Jacob Akunobere, has called on government to address critical infrastructure and equipment gaps at the institution despite its designation as a national centre of excellence in road construction and maintenance.
Akunobere made the appeal on Saturday during the pass-out ceremony for students who completed a week-long patriotism training at the college in Lira City.
The training, which ran from March 1 to March 7, attracted 980 students drawn from ICT, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Architecture, Water Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering programmes.
Akunobere said the institution still lacks key equipment necessary for effective training in road construction and maintenance. These include a low-bed truck for transporting heavy road construction machinery, a tyre roller, and an asphalt paver for tarmacking roads.
He noted that acquiring the equipment would enable the college to operate as a fully-fledged training and demonstration centre for road construction works in the country.
The principal also raised concern about incomplete renovation of the institution’s infrastructure, revealing that some old buildings at the back of the campus still have asbestos roofing, which is hazardous to human health and requires urgent replacement.
Akunobere further said the institution faces security challenges because most parts of its vast land measuring about 60 hectares remain unfenced.
He revealed that the college has so far fenced about 300 metres using funds from the Real Life Projects (RLP) programme under the Ministry of Education and Sports Uganda.
However, he appealed for additional funding to complete the perimeter fence or alternatively for government to provide a brick-making machine so that students can produce bricks and construct the fence as part of their practical training.
Responding to the request, Government Chief Whip and Ajuri County MP Denis Hamson Obua advised the college administration to clearly indicate that they have the human resource capable of undertaking such construction works.
Obua said since the institution already has skilled students, government would only need to provide materials such as sand and cement while the students handle the construction works.
He cited the example of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who oversaw the construction and beautification of the military headquarters in Mbuya using the UPDF Engineering Brigade instead of private contractors.
Obua also used the occasion to emphasise the importance of patriotism among Ugandans. He traced the country’s political history since independence in 1962 and highlighted the development, peace, and stability achieved under the leadership of Yoweri Kaguta Museveni since 1986.
He said the Lango subregion has benefited from several government projects, including the establishment of Lira University and the construction of Akii-Bua Stadium.
Obua also encouraged young people to take advantage of government wealth creation initiatives such as the Parish Development Model and EMYOOGA.
Meanwhile, Lira City East Division Deputy Resident City Commissioner Steven Odongo, who represented Resident City Commissioner Lawrence Egole, said patriotism training helps citizens understand Uganda’s history from the colonial period through independence to the coming of the National Resistance Army government in 1986.
He noted that patriotism programmes help strengthen national consciousness, promote unity, and encourage citizens to support government development initiatives.
Of the 980 participants who completed the training, 785 were male and 195 female, including 17 Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).
However, the students cited several challenges during the training, including language barriers due to limited understanding of Kiswahili, the short training period, weather disruptions, and the absence of a standing patriotism club at the institution.
