Government Moves to Revive Idle Agro-Processing Equipment at Kaberamaido Technical Institute

EDUCATION

Kampala,Uganda-Government has pledged to address staffing and infrastructure gaps that have left multi-million-shilling agro-processing equipment at Kaberamaido Technical Institute (KTI) largely unused.

The commitment follows concerns raised in Parliament by Kaberamaido District Woman Member of Parliament, Hon. Amongin Jane Frances Okili, who questioned why expensive equipment procured to strengthen skills training at the institute has not been fully operationalised.

Minister of State for Education and Sports, Hon. Peter Ogwang, acknowledged that KTI is equipped with modern agro-processing machinery but said inadequate staffing has been a major obstacle to putting the equipment to full use.

Ogwang told Parliament that the Ministry is working to secure the necessary wage bill to recruit qualified instructors capable of operating and teaching students using the equipment.

He further assured Amongin that the Ministry would work closely with her to resolve the challenges affecting the institute. He said officials from the Ministry, including the Commissioner in charge of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), would visit KTI to assess the situation and identify practical solutions.

The concerns were raised after Amongin demanded an explanation over the continued idling of high-value agro-processing machinery procured in 2021 under the Uganda Skills Development Project (USDP), with support from the World Bank.

According to the legislator, the situation goes beyond staffing, with some of the planned agro-processing plants reportedly lacking the structures required to house and operate the equipment.

Amongin warned that leaving the machinery unused risks wasting a major public investment intended to equip young people with practical skills and promote value addition in the agricultural sector.

She called for the completion of the necessary infrastructure and deployment of qualified personnel, arguing that fully operationalising KTI would boost technical and vocational education, create employment opportunities and strengthen agro-processing in the Teso Sub-region.

The legislator also wants KTI developed into a Centre of Excellence in agro-processing, serving learners and communities across the wider Teso region.

The Government's response now raises expectations that long-standing infrastructure and staffing gaps at the institute could soon be addressed, allowing the equipment to serve its intended purpose of training skilled manpower and supporting agricultural value addition.