A section of parents of St Mary’s College Kisubi have petitioned the Inspectorate of Government (IGG) to investigate the appointment of Bro. Simon Mpanga, who was recently posted to the 117-year-old institute.

St. Mary’s College Kisubi is a private, boarding middle and high school located in Wakiso District in the Central Region of Uganda. Established in 1906, it has a population of 1,400 students.

In a strongly worded petition seen by this publication, the concerned parents accuse the headmaster of among other ills, grand theft, being a con act and being part of a tribal-oriented cartel that is hell-bent on defying the Ministry of Education’s choice for headmaster.

“We got interested in the goings on at SMACK once it came to might that a cartel of Baganda hell bent on seeing their colleague Bro. Simon Mpanga appointed the HM.  The cartel is headed by Dr. Kasozi Mulindwa of Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and the school lawyer and former PTA chairman, a one Kaaya,” the petition reads in part.

They detail that attempts by the Superior Provincial, Brother Casio to thwart Brother Mpanga’s appointment for being a renowned embarrassment in the circles of Brothers hit a dead end.

“The cartel used their relationship with Archbishop Ssemwogerere to arm twist the ministry into playing the religious card yet they are tribalists hellbent on having one of their own eat with them,” they complain.

Why Bro. Mpanga is the wrong choice.

In their petition, they accuse Bro. Mpanga of conniving to obtain money from a section of individuals by false pretense.

“ He borrowed shs3 million from an illiterate individual who mysteriously died three weeks after he demanded for his money.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, he conned Kabojja School of shs11 million, as confirmed by Bro. Godfrey Lutaaya,” they write.

They also single out a litany of many other cases involving money swindling that hang heavily on his neck.

For instance,  they write that while at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School Rubaga, he was physically assaulted by students after their money for a party went missing, he also recently purchased beds from local welders  for the students at a cost of sh200,000 but instead billed the school sh450,000 for each decker.

In a more damning indictment, they accuse Bro. Mpanga and Dr. Kasozi Mulindwa of withdrawing over shs500 million of college funds between December 23, 2022 under the guise of construction and repairs.

“To justify the expenditures, they went as far as painting trenches and manhole covers. There is need for an urgent value for money audit” they reckon, adding that similar transgressions saw him chased at Kasasa by the then headmaster Bro. Lubwama Tony.

Poor management is his forte  

The complainants also find fault with Bro. Mpanga’s management style.

“He has no track record of any successful management to qualify him to be headmaster of SMACK. To place him in charge is a very big mistake,” they state.

They claim that he has ignored traditional structures he found in the school and chosen to only work with three people who are his stooges.  He has failed to come up with a budget to run the school and his preferred style of management is through intimidation.

“He has promised to ensure a purge on all staff brought in or thought to be loyal to the former Headmaster.  He also influenced the election of the current head prefect as he insisted it had to be a Muganda. He never sits in the office and is always out transacting deals,” they say.

They also accuse him of ringfencing any juicy deal in the school. For instance, the recent S1 admissions were solely handed by him.

“Not even the DOS nor the committee that handles admissions were involved. In the recent S5 admissions, a mere messenger, Francis Kasozi was in charge of allocating subject combinations of students,” they say

They also say that despite knowing that the school is overcrowded with ancient structures, he recently admitted 550 students to senior one and 120 in senior five, a record in the school.

He personally involves in the minutest of purchases for the school. Case in point, he is the designated supplier of matooke, fish, fruits and vegetables. His has side stepped the school’s contracted suppliers and as a result, spends more time in the market than at school.

The parents also have a dossier on him. They say despite his vows to celibacy, he is a known womanizer who stealthily takes women to his residence under the blanket of darkness.

“He impregnated a tea girl called Teddy. She used to cook for the brothers. He caused her to be chased away and has since abandoned her to her own devices. Kisubi is owned by Brothers of Christian Instruction but Mpanga represents Christian destruction,” they say.

When we contacted the IGG’s spokesperson, she confirmed receipt of the said petition last week (10^th March, 2023).  She said they would give a detailed comment after perusing the file to corroborate the complaints.

Teachers and students from various primary and secondary schools have been equipped with knowledge on relevance of mental health in schools.

This was during the first inter-school dialogue on mental health held at Hana International School on March 10th, 2023.

Peace Busingye, the principal education officer in the department of guidance and counselling of Ministry of education and sports, urged learners to always open up whenever they are challenged so that they are helped.

“We urge you learners where you have a challenge to please come out and talk. As Ministry of education we are happy that learners even from primary can come up and speak about mental health,” she said.

Busingye also called upon teachers to always know the genesis of challenges learners face before judging and punishing them.

Rev. Nathan Mugalu Balirwana, a priest and counselling psychologist advised teachers to maintain a good sexual life, avoid engaging in relationships with minors and/or inferiors.

Balirwana noted that some teachers and learners use drugs to cope up with pressure. For instance, he says some teachers use energy boosters and alcohol to be able to mark thousands of scripts.

Balirwana also advised female teachers to desist from comparing themselves with learners as this makes them develop biases towards learners who seem to be more prettier than they are.

Kahundr Shamsa Marian, prefect in charge of ethics and Intergrity at Lowell girls school advised fellow students to engage in productive activities and always open up.

“Having suffered from mental health issue. I do support mental health because it affected me as a leader…I found multiple ways of relieving my stress such as writing poetry. I got someone to speak to; when you get someone to speak to it reduces your depression and anxiety, “she said.

The inter-school dialogue on mental health was organised under the theme: Relevance of mental health in schools.

Former Prime Minister and current special envoy for special duties in the office of president Museveni Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda has been officially installed as the third Chancellor of Gulu University.

Vice President Jessica Alupo who is also the Chancellor at St Lawrence University presided over the installation Rugunda as Chancellor.

The installation was on Friday February 24th, 2023 during Gulu University’s 18th graduation ceremony. Rugunda succeeds Prof. Frederick Kayanja.

After being installed as Chancellor, Rugunda conferred academic awards to 1,270 students. 1,060 of these were bachelor’s degrees, 67 Masters, 130 Postgraduate diplomas, 8 diplomas and five doctorates.

Rugunda promised to build onto the achievements and foundation of his predecessors in order to further develop Gulu University.

“We will build on your achievement and on the foundation that you have played in order to collectively take Gulu University to a greater height,” Rugunda said.

Ruhakana Rugunda’s installation as Chancellor Gulu University came a day after Jessica Alupo being installed as the Chancellor at St Lawrence University.

Prof. George Ladaah Openjuru was also installed as the Vice Chancellor for his second term.