Another fire outbreak at Makerere University Main Building

A second fire has broken out at the Makerere University Main Building, gutting offices which the September 20 early morning one had not hugely affected.

The western wing of the building has been affected by the second fire.

The fire, reported minutes after President Yoweri Museveni’s Coronavirus Address, burnt the Council Room.

About Makerere University Main Building (Ivory Tower)

The main building is Makerere’s most recognizable structure. Undoubtedly the face of the university, the building is also a UNESCO heritage site.

 According to the British Hansard, HC Deb 18 October 1944 vol 403 c2360, the building was completed under the leadership of Mr. George C. Turner, Principal, Makerere College (1939-46).

Earlier in 1938, the Duke of Gloucester, representing His Majesty King George VI had cut the first sod for the construction of the building on 3rd November.

It was constructed with funds from the Colonial Development bourse. The building’s construction was greatly delayed by a scarcity of resources to purchase materials as Britain and her allies grappled with the expenses of World War II. As a result, some of the carpentry work had to be done on-site at the Technical College.

The Principal then focused on turning Makerere into a University College and establishing buildings.

As a result both the St. Francis and St. Augustine Chapels were completed in the same year 1941 and by 1944, plans for the establishment of a School of Civil Engineering at Makerere were already being discussed by the British House of Commons.