Persons living with disabilities (PWDs) have asked the government to increase admission slots to public universities from the current 64 to 320.They are arguing that the existing allocation no longer reflects the growing number of learners with disabilities in Uganda.
David Nangosi, Program Officer at the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), noted that many students with disabilities attain the required two principal passes at A-Level but miss out on government sponsorship due to the limited number of available slots.”Initially, the affirmative action programme largely benefited students joining Makerere and Kyambogo universities, but today public universities have increased to include institutions such as Gulu University, Muni University, Lira University, and others.
This growth should be matched with an increase in admission opportunities for students with disabilities,” Nangosi said. QThe demand is contained in the National Disability Manifesto 2026–2031 and was highlighted during a stakeholder engagement meeting in Mbale city, organized by NUDIPU to popularize the manifesto.
Nangosi says the proposed increase is necessary because the population of persons with disabilities has continued to rise over the years, while the number of public universities benefiting from the affirmative action scheme has also expanded.
“Uganda’s disability prevalence increased from 12.4 percent in the 2014 National Population Census to 13.2 percent in the 2024 census” The education demands form part of a broader agenda contained in the National Disability Manifesto 2026–2031, which also addresses social protection, employment, healthcare, access to justice, and political participation.