Muni University is seeking an additional 700 acres of land to support its expansion, citing inadequate infrastructure amid a growing student population. The university has formally petitioned Arua City Council for allocation of the extra land. The request comes at a time when the institution is grappling with limited space for physical development.
Currently, the university’s main campus, located on Muni Hill, occupies 130 acres of land donated by the defunct National Teachers College Muni. University authorities say the land is grossly insufficient to accommodate the institution’s long-term infrastructural needs.
While presenting the petition before Arua City Council on Monday afternoon, the Vice Chancellor of Muni University, Associate Professor Simon Anguma Katrini, said the additional land is critical for the establishment of new academic and research facilities required for a modern, competitive, and internationally recognised university.
According to Anguma, the land will host eight new faculties, including a medical school, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management, Faculty of Law, and Faculty of Social Services, among others. He noted that the expansion aligns with the university’s long-term development aspirations.
For several years, university management has targeted land occupied by the Arua Central Forest Reserve, commonly known as Barifa Forest. However, plans to degazette the forest stalled in 2013 after Parliament deferred the process, citing procedural loopholes in the approval.Godfrey Anguyo, the councillor for Ayivu Division North, attributed the failed degazettement of Barifa Forest to selfish interests within government.
James Adia, the councilor for Ayivu Central, said Arua City Council must reinitiate the degazettement process if Muni University is to acquire additional land adjacent to its main campus at Barifa Forest.
Doreen Onyiru, the female youth councilor, appealed to government to reconsider the degazettement of Barifa Forest, noting that it is the only available land close to the university.
However, Arua City Mayor Sam Wadri Nyakua advised that the petition for additional land be referred to the Committee of Production and Natural Resources for further scrutiny. The proposal was seconded by Arua City Council Speaker Teddy Yeko.
Muni University was established in 2013 through an Act of Parliament under Statutory Instrument No. 31. Over the years, the institution has grown from one faculty to six operational faculties, offering a total of 34 academic programmes. According to figures from the Academic Registrar, the current student enrolment stands at 3,143 students.
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