By Dan Wandera — Originally published in Daily Monitor, December 2025
Residents of Nakitoma village in Nakasongola District have a reason to celebrate. A brand-new community primary school, built in honour of the late Samuel Frobisher Owor — the second African ever nominated as Rotary International President — has been commissioned and handed over to the community.
What the School Offers
The facility is far from a bare-bones structure. It comes fully equipped with seven classrooms, a kitchen, and six-stance Ecological Sanitation (Ecosan) toilets, which are specifically designed to withstand the flooding that has long plagued the area and destroyed infrastructure in the past. A water harvesting system is also in place, making the school a model facility for the district.
Why This Matters for the Community
For many families in Nakitoma, the biggest barrier to education has been distance. Children — particularly girls — have faced safety risks trekking long distances to reach the nearest school. Local leaders and parents have welcomed the development as a turning point, noting that the school will eliminate those risks and keep more children, especially girls, safely in education.
Godfrey Muwonge Lutalo, the LC3 Chairperson for Nakitoma Subcounty, praised the project, highlighting that climate-related flood damage to sanitation facilities has been a persistent problem in the area — one that the new Ecosan toilets are engineered to address.
The Rotary Connection
The project was conceived in 2019 by the Kampala East Rotary Club as a legacy tribute to Rotarian Sam Frobisher Owor, who was named Rotary International President Elect in 2017. The Rotary Foundation approved a global grant of approximately Shs 230 million (around USD 62,323) to fund construction. Additional support came from the Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville, District 6860, in the United States, though the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic before finally being completed.
A Model for Rural Education in Uganda
Nakasongola District Education Officer Sam Mbangire described the school as a model institution, pointing to its combination of well-built classrooms, a functional kitchen, climate-resilient sanitation, and water harvesting as features that set it apart from many rural schools in Uganda. Community members have called on government and local leaders to continue supporting the school so it can sustain and grow the educational gains it promises to deliver.
For a subcounty long battered by climate change and limited infrastructure, this school represents more than just classrooms — it is a signal that lasting, community-centred investment can make a real difference.
Source: School facility excites Nakasongola’s climate change battered sub-county — Daily Monitor