About Muni University
Historically, the quest for a public university in West Nile can be traced back to the 1970s when initial attempts by government to establish a public university in the region were hindered by the country’s turbulent past wars. The desire for a government supported university in the West Nile region continued to be expressed in various fora, both within and outside the region.
On 11th January 2007, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the President of the Republic of Uganda met with a delegation of elders from the West Nile Region at his country home in Rwakitura, and the issue of a Public University in the region was brought to his attention in the memorandum presented to him.
The President appreciated the request for a public University for the West Nile region and gave a go-ahead for the idea. He advised and tasked the leaders from the region to decide on good professional courses to be pursued at this institution of higher learning. The President’s positive gesture towards a university establishment in the West Nile region was followed by a number of consultative meetings held in Arua and in Kampala.
Another factor considered was the recurrence of epidemics like bubonic plague, meningitis, foot and mouth diseases, and hepatitis because of its vulnerable geographical boarder with the Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which have undergone years of civil wars and non functional governments.
These key constraints undermine the economic progress and access to higher education by a large majority of the youth from the region and require urgent redressing. Other factors that reinforce the rationale for an institution of higher learning for West Nile region include the large catchment population of over 50 million (both within and without Uganda) and the ready availability of the basic infrastructures in the existing educational institutions in the region that would provide the launch pad.