History of the School

Busoga College Mwiri, also known as ‘Mwiri’, is a boarding school located in Jinja District, Uganda. It has a rich history as the sixth oldest school in the country, following Mengo SS (1895), Namilyango College (1902), Gayaza High School (1905), Kings College Buddo (1906), and St Mary’s College Kisubi (1906). The school was founded in January 1911 by Basoga princes who had studied at Kings College Buddo and the Church Missionary Society, a group of Anglican missionaries.

The princes had a vision of establishing a school in their homeland of Busoga, so Yosiya Nadiope, one of the prominent princes and the great-grandfather of the current Kyabazinga, generously provided land in present-day Kamuli. This land became the site for the school, initially known as Balangira High School. Yosiya, who was the first Christian convert in Busoga and a potential future King of Busoga, tragically passed away at the young age of 23, just two years after the school’s establishment in 1913. Reverend W. B. Gill served as the first Headmaster of the school until 1920.

 

In 1920, Reverend A. Harry Brewer took over as the second Headmaster, serving for a decade until 1930. During his tenure, he worked tirelessly to relocate the school from the swampy and unhealthy Kamuli site to a healthier location on Mwiri Hill, overlooking Lake Victoria. Unfortunately, Reverend Brewer succumbed to black water fever before he could see this vision come to fruition. Nevertheless, under his leadership, the school opened its doors to students from all backgrounds, and in the 1930s, it was officially renamed Busoga High School.

In 1930, Charles Girling led a group of 400 men in clearing Mwiri Hill, which Basoga people traditionally referred to as “Muyiri.” The government covered half of the construction costs, while the Basoga Chiefs contributed 10% of the funds. Meanwhile, as the current school structure on the hill was being built, Busoga College Mwiri temporarily operated from Kings College Buddo between 1930 and 1933.