Parliament has this afternoon paid tribute to the late Professor William Senteza Kajubi, a politician, educationist and administrator who died on Tuesday aged 86.
Legislators paid glowing tribute to Kajubi, the former vice chancellor of Makerere and Nkumba universities. His death comes as Uganda prepares to commemorate 50 years of independence from the British colonial rule.
Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga said she was saddened by Kajubi’s death which comes just three weeks after the passing of another nationalist, Professor George Wilberforce Kakoma, the composer of the national anthem.
In a motion moved by Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi, parliament recognized Professor Kajubi’s contribution in education and conveyed its condolences to the bereaved family. Mbabazi noted that it was a loss for Uganda, describing the fallen scholar as one of the most famous educationists due to the reforms made in Uganda’s education sector.
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Rosemary Sseninde, the Wakiso Woman MP described Kajubi as a genius who came to aid the education sector that had seen various problems leading to unemployment in Uganda.
Rubaga South MP Ken Lukyamuzi praised the fallen professor as a great orator, communicator and educationist who deserved to be the president of Uganda because he was able to relate well with both the old and young. Quoting the words of former US president John F Kennedy, Lukyamuzi said Kajubi was one of the few people asked don’t ask what the country can do for them but what they can do for their country.
Sebuliba Mutumba, the DP whip in parliament noted that as a politician, Kajubi was humble, humorous and without political intrigue. Mutumba noted that when he lost his Kyadondo North parliamentary seat in 1996, Kajubi did not whine but accepted defeat honorably. Kajubi had represented the area in the Constituent Assembly.
Government is footing the bill for the burial of Prof. Ssenteza Kajubi who will be buried on Saturday.
Born in 1926, Kajubi’s name is written all over the education sector in Uganda for over 60 years, starting as a geography teacher at Kings College Budo in the 1950s. He was a teacher, educator, policy advisor and administrator.
In 1964, Kajubi left Budo and joined Makerere University an institution he later twice headed as vice chancellor, from 1977 to 1979 and 1990 to 1993. He later moved to Nkumba University, becoming its first vice chancellor from 1994 till he retired in 2008.
In 1963, he was a member of the Uganda Education Commission, before serving as a member of the Education Commission that resulted into the 1970 Education Act.
In 1987, Professor Kajubi chaired the Education Policy Review Commission, which authored what later came to known as the Kajubi Report. Government turned the report into a “White Paper” on reforming the education sector. In the report, Kajubi proposed, among others, that female students joining public universities be given an additional 1.5 points to address the gender imbalance at the higher levels of education. He also asked government to consider making vocational and technical education an integral part of the education system to fight youth unemployment.
