“You are charging a lot of fees and discouraging many from joining this school because of unnecessary charges. You charge students for sanitation, capital development, and some of these must stop,” Nambooze told the management.
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“We want you to honour God, but you must follow the law.”
This was the stern message from Public Accounts Committee (Local Government) chairperson Betty Nambooze to the management of Trinity College Nabbingo as MPs questioned the construction of a new chapel estimated to cost sh6.9bn.
Nambooze made the remarks on Monday afternoon when the committee visited the school to follow up on queries raised in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/25 financial year.
The MPs were particularly concerned that the chapel being constructed appeared different from the project described in the Auditor General’s report, which referred to the expansion of an existing structure.
“In the report, you requested an expansion, yet we see a completely new church. We want you to honour God, but you must follow the law. Why did you build a new church when the report said you were going to expand? Where is the old church that was supposed to be expanded?” Nambooze asked.
The committee’s visit came shortly after MPs conducted an impromptu inspection of Kawempe Muslim Secondary School, also as part of their follow-up on issues raised in the Auditor General’s report.
At Trinity College Nabbingo, the MPs initially found the headteacher, Immaculate Lwanga Nassozi, away from her office. School officials said she was attending to another engagement.
The absence of the headteacher did not stop the committee from starting its work. The MPs toured some of the school projects highlighted in the Auditor General’s report as they waited for Lwanga to return.
The chapel immediately attracted their attention.
The school bursar, Dan Paul Muyanja, explained that the existing chapel had become too small to accommodate the growing number of students.
He said consultants who assessed the structure advised the school that demolishing it and constructing a new chapel would be more appropriate than expanding the old one.
“We followed the law in the construction. We informed the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Finance and the Archbishop because we had been advised that the old structure was not fit for expansion,” Muyanja told the MPs.
According to school officials, the original project was estimated to cost about sh2 billion. The new chapel, however, is now projected to cost sh6.9bn and is expected to be completed in 2027.
When Lwanga later arrived at the school, the committee held a formal meeting with the management and continued questioning the chapel project, as well as other issues contained in the Auditor General’s report.
Nambooze questioned whether the cost of the new chapel could eventually force the school to increase tuition and other charges paid by parents.
“Won’t this new chapel cause an increase in the school fees?” she asked.
Lwanga assured the committee that the project would not lead to an increase in school fees, saying the institution had other sources of funding, including support from donors and friends of the school.
“We assure you that the fees won’t increase because of the church, because we have other avenues like donors and friends. Besides, we shall be organising a fundraising event for the above,” she said.
However, Nambooze also criticised the school management over what she described as excessive and unnecessary charges imposed on students.
“You are charging a lot of fees and discouraging many from joining this school because of unnecessary charges. You charge students for sanitation, capital development, and some of these must stop,” Nambooze told the management.
Lwanga said most of the charges had been approved by the school’s Board of Governors before she became headteacher.
“All charges were passed by the BOG even before I came. I have little to do with some of them, but they are all necessary,” she said.
The committee also raised concerns over asbestos roofing on some of the school’s buildings.
The Auditor General’s report had identified structures with asbestos roofing and recommended that the hazardous material be removed.
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MPs questioned why the school had not prioritised the removal of the asbestos, given the health risks associated with exposure to the material.
“You still have structures that have asbestos, and you know very well that this is dangerous. Why not make this a priority matter?” the MPs asked.
Lwanga said the school had sought government assistance to replace the asbestos roofs.
She told the committee that Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja had promised to provide the school with iron sheets, but the materials had not been delivered despite the school writing to her office.
The school management presented correspondence on the matter to the committee, which subsequently referred the issue to the Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurances for follow-up.
Trinity College Nabbingo currently has about 2,380 students. According to figures presented to the committee, each student pays sh2.075m in school fees.
