Kabalega Old Boys commission monument and gate to revive school’s glory
The Kabalega Secondary School Old Boys’ Association (KASSOBA) on 10 October 2026 commissioned the Kabalega monument and a red gate worth over UGX 100 million at Kabalega Secondary School, in a push to restore the school’s standing.
The projects were commissioned during a retreat focused on infrastructure development and increased student enrolment. Guests included Buruli county MP Alled Akugizibwe, the chief guest, Right Reverend Joshua Kugonza, the Bishop of Masindi Kitara Diocese, Bugahya constituency MP Pius Wakabi, KASSOBA members and school staff.
Akugizibwe, who studied at the school from 2001 to 2004, said Kabalega faces low enrolment and dilapidated buildings. He said the school once had more than 2,000 students and now has 583.
He said government’s U-Learn programme, designed to refurbish and rehabilitate traditional schools, is at the architectural design stage. Implementation is expected to start between January and February 2027, and Kabalega is among the first 20 schools to benefit, he said.
He thanked the old boys for building the red gate and for supporting sports and other projects, including the library and a water tank.
“With a school, the only thing that can always bail it out is performance thus quality bringing the quantity,” Akugizibwe said.
He said results week is the hardest for KASSOBA members and urged headteacher Jackson Katusiime and his team to deliver. The old boys, he said, can work on the hardware, while the software is for the teaching staff. He asked members to support one another, bring their children to study at the school, and make use of the headteacher while they are still able. He also invited them to a dinner at Kabalega Resort Hotel to expand their networks.
KASSOBA national chairperson Ibrahim Magemeso, who studied at the school from 1998 to 2001, said it was built in 1959 and some buildings are as old as the school itself. He appealed to government to implement U-Learn so the structures can be renovated.
Magemeso said dilapidated buildings discourage parents from enrolling their children. He also cited understaffing, saying the school operates at less than 40 percent of government staffing levels. Most teachers are paid privately, which demotivates them, and posts left vacant by retirements, transfers and promotions need replacing, he said. He appealed to government to intervene.
He said the old boys have supported the school through career guidance talks with students, benchmarking visits for teachers to other schools, renovating and restocking the library, buying computers and installing a solar powered water supply. They are now working on a perimeter wall for security and a school kitchen.
Bishop Kugonza thanked the old boys for their commitment to the school, blessed the institution and prayed that everyone who passes through its gate would leave transformed.
