Big Story! Kabale & Mbarara Universities In Hot Crisis Over NCHE Breaches, Expired Courses

By Our Reporter

Parliament has raised fresh concerns about the quality of education in public universities, following revelations that Kabale University admitted hundreds of students beyond its approved capacity and that Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) has been teaching expired courses.

The concerns were captured in a new report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), presented to Parliament on September 9, 2025, by Vice Chairperson Gorreth Namugga. The report is based on the Auditor General’s review of public universities and tertiary institutions for the year ending December 2024.

According to Auditor General Edward Akol, all programs at Kabale University were duly accredited, but 12 of them admitted 628 students beyond the enrolment limits approved by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

“The Committee observed that admitting students beyond NCHE’s prescribed numbers risks straining the available infrastructure and resources, which could compromise teaching quality and learning outcomes,” Namugga told Parliament.

Kabale University management defended its actions, citing overwhelming demand and revealing that it had already applied to NCHE to vary the enrolment limits. Parliament, however, directed the institution to strictly adhere to accreditation terms or formally seek revisions to accommodate the growing numbers.

Meanwhile, PAC faulted MUST for conducting lectures in 37 expired programs that had not been revalidated by NCHE. Although the university had submitted requests for renewal, the Auditor General said it was unclear whether NCHE had completed the review process because no response had been availed.

PAC warned that offering unaccredited programs undermines educational standards and risks rendering students’ academic awards invalid. Parliament called for expedited engagement between MUST and NCHE to ensure the affected courses are revalidated without further delay.

In addition to accreditation issues, the report cited prolonged delays in completing MUST’s UGX 8.39 billion Faculty of Computing and Informatics, whose construction was awarded to the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC). The project, which was meant to take 18 months, had stalled at 95 percent completion by August 2024 — four years past the original deadline.

PAC also noted that the university owes NEC UGX 6.18 billion in arrears, which have remained outstanding for four years and were not budgeted for during the review period. NEC has since withheld handover of the building, exacerbating the university’s infrastructure challenges.

“The Committee recommends that government should provide the requisite funds to settle the arrears and complete the project,” Namugga said, warning that the delays could invite litigation, escalate costs, and place further strain on limited learning facilities.

Parliament has tasked the Ministry of Education and Sports, together with NCHE, to strengthen supervision of public universities to ensure compliance with enrolment and accreditation standards, and to protect students from the risk of wasted years and invalid qualifications.