SOROTI, Uganda — Soroti University has temporarily closed its newly commissioned main gate after defects caused granite or stone cladding to detach and fall from the gate arch, raising safety concerns at the public university.
In a memo dated Oct. 14, 2026, the university’s Deputy Chief of Estates informed staff, students, visitors and other road users that the gate had developed defects that posed a “significant risk to human life and property.”
The university said the gate has been closed to all pedestrian and vehicular traffic with immediate effect to allow the contractor to carry out remedial works. It will only be reopened after the defects have been corrected and the university’s technical personnel confirm that the structure is safe.
The closure comes just weeks after the university commissioned the Shs 1.2 billion gate on Sept. 25, 2026, following the completion of the project earlier in the year.
The project was executed by the National Housing and Construction Company Limited, with construction running from Sept. 28, 2025, to May 15, 2026. The project was funded by the Government of Uganda.
The gate was designed as more than an entrance. It includes a 60 metre wall fence, a security house with a detention room, 13 CCTV cameras, solar power systems, monitoring screens, computers, walkways and gate control facilities.
It also includes provisions for persons with disabilities, a 24 hour surveillance system, an independent solar power system and dedicated telephone facilities.
The university’s Deputy Chief Estates Officer, Eng. Paul Anguria, previously described the project as a modern entrance intended to improve security and control the movement of vehicles and pedestrians while adding to the university’s architectural identity.
The project was initially expected to take six months, although the university said election related issues contributed to delays. At the time of commissioning, university officials said about Shs 1.1 billion had been paid, with the remaining balance due after the contractor addressed identified defects.
The handover also began a six month defects liability period, under which defects identified during the specified period are to be addressed as part of the project’s contractual arrangements.
The emergence of defects involving the gate’s stone cladding has now put the facility back under remedial works less than a month after its commissioning.
For now, the university has directed all users to use the previous alternative access route while the main gate remains closed.
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