By Spy Uganda
Maj General Kayanja Muhanga, who is now in the jungles of DRC commanding Operation Shuja to ‘bring peace’ there, leftover 400 vulnerable, poor students of Nyamirima Village School in Kabarole District unpeaceful.
Nyamirima School was founded by a non-profit organization known as St Benedict Development Foundation and mainly relies on donator friends from Germany. It was started about 10 years to benefit school going children whose parents/ guardians died or were very poor that they can’t support their children.
Now, these children in Gen Muhanga’s community can hardly access their school after the mighty, powerful General closed their only route to school. The school has classes from pre-primary up to S4, meaning that even those youngest kids have to walk a long distance which would be helped by Bodas to attend school.
Muhanga accuses the school of causing health hazards to his family members because trucks have raised a lot of dust as they transport materials to the school, among other cars that go to the school to drop students or pick them. He also says such movements have put his security, being a general into catch 24/7 as he may not know among the cars moving around who is coming to harm him or genuinely going to school. So the only option he has so far left for the school students is to walk to school, whose distance from the road-block he has mounted is about 2kms.
“He gave the school only two weeks to find an alternative route, but before they could end, one morning they found an army road-block going to school. One has to walk there, no cars are allowed so far and even this pedestrian path is temporary, he closing it soon,” an area councillor who preferred anonymity for fear of the general going after him told this reporter. “Otamugamba nyabura aiwe nti ninyowe atanyita. Kunu ogu aine maani maingi tumutiina itweena. Ayepanka muno” (loosely translated as “Don’t tell him my identity, he will come after me. We fear him all here because of his might. He’s always arrogant” the councillor told our reporter.
Meanwhile, an interesting beat here is the fact that Gen Muhanga also passes through other people’s lands to access his but, according to this councillor, they fear to do to him the same as he has done to the school. “First of all, General found this school by the time he bought his land. It started before he came here and we’re using that road. Secondly, he also passes through other people’s land to access his. They include Munyema, Kaahwa, Joan among others. If he’s doing this to the school, what if they also denied him access, where will he pass?” Queried the area councillor.
The councilor said the school has benefited the locals to educate their children, he would expect the General to instead add value in such public goods.
“This is to formally inform you of my intention to close the road to your school that passes in my land.
I have seriously considered my security as a serving General in the UPDF due to the prevailing threats.
I also want to fully utilize this land to the benefit of my people. The dust that your vehicles transporting materials is causing health hazards to my family and visitors.
By this notification therefore, I give the school a period of two (02) weeks to have repaired the road you initially used to construct your school. Your cooperation in this regard is highly appreciated,” Muhanga’s letter partially reads.
The school Headteacher declined to comment on the matter for fear of the unknown.
By press time, Gen Muhanga’s known phone number 07…..787 was off, when we tried to get his comment on the same.
