Why Kabale RDC Closes School closed over ownership wrangles
By Moses Agaba
Authorities in Kabale led by the office of the Resident District Commissioner –RDC has ordered for the immediate closure of Harambe-Kaharo High School in Kaharo Sub County until further notice following the escalation of a dispute over ownership between Diocese of Kigezi and the community.
Godfrey Nyakahuma the Kabale RDC says that after the disagreement security repeatedly intervened to investigate and reconcile the two parties, Sirikale dodged them and refused to cooperate adding that his office decided that the school should shut operations until further notice.
“My office has on several times tried to reconcile the parties that are the church, Sirikale and the community but all in vain as security we have resolved that the school be closed until further notice when the issues are resolved”. Said Nyakahuma.
Wilson Tumwesigye, the Kaharo sub county LC3 chairperson
These wrangles have greatly affected the students, parents as well as teachers,” said.
Tumwesigye says that if there is not reconciliation between the two parties, it will be unfortunate that late Sutherland’s dream of extending education survives in the area not achieved.
Parents and students at the school have said they feel challenged over the ongoing wrangle.
Harambe-Kaharo High School is located on a hill top 14 kilometres before Kabale town on Mbarara-Kabale road that was constructed as a secondary school for orphans to help them get education by a Scotland-based voluntary organization, Harambee Educational Fund (HEF) administered in Uganda by a Scottish national, Hector Sutherland.
After running the school for close to 23 years in 2020 Hector flew back to Scotland in 2020, but he handed over the project to Diocese of Kigezi and Ronald Sirikale Hector to run it. In the process, Sirikali was chosen by both parents and church to act as chairman board of governors. In 2021 Sutherland passed away in his home country of Scotland died.
However, a wrangle over ownership has since risen up between the Diocese of Kigezi and Ronald Sirikale Hector whom both are claiming to the ownership of the school.
Genesis of the wrangles
Disagreement between the Diocese of Kigezi and Ronald Sirikale Hector in 2023 after Sirikale claimed full responsibility for the school structures and that land where the school is. Despite the church owning land titles where the school is located and other documents where Sutherland asserted that the school be taken over by church and community, Sirikale stuck to his claims that he is the sole rightful owner
Diocese of Kigezi speaks out….
Rev. Canon Milton Nkurunungi, the Diocese of Kigezi Diocesan secretary says, as the church they have been trying to reach out to Ronald Sirikale so that the internal management wrangles between him and the school management a he claims to the ownership of the school so that the issues can be resolved but Sirikale would not turn up.
Rev. Nkurunungi says that the church has got a land tittle which indicates that they are the right owners of the school.
Efforts to get a comment from Sirikale were futile as his phone was busy for all the time it was contacted
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