Victoria University has unveiled plans for a new purpose-built campus in Naguru, Kampala, with construction expected to start this year. The project could mark the largest physical expansion in the institution’s history.
The architectural designs were shared on X by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Prof Lawrence Muganga. They depict a modern, spacious campus in one of Kampala’s established residential and commercial areas.
While presenting the designs, Muganga acknowledged that their polished appearance might lead some people to believe they had been generated using artificial intelligence.
“At first glance, you might think someone got a little too creative with AI,” he wrote.
However, he clarified that the images were genuine representations of the planned development and confirmed that the project was moving towards the construction stage.
“But no, these are the actual design impressions of the upcoming Victoria University campus in the heart of Kampala, Naguru to be exact,” Muganga said, adding that construction would begin this year.
The university has not yet revealed the estimated cost of the project, its financing arrangements, the planned construction phases or the expected completion date.
Victoria University is owned by the Ruparelia Group, which acquired the institution in 2013 and has investments across real estate, hospitality and education. The group’s backing may help support the development, although the university has not publicly committed to a specific timeline for completing the campus.
The institution currently operates from Victoria Towers at 1–13 Jinja Road in Kampala’s central business district. While the location offers proximity to the city’s commercial centre, the high-rise setting presents limitations when it comes to expanding laboratories, recreation areas and other student facilities.
The proposed Naguru campus is expected to offer more space for classrooms, laboratories, research activities and student amenities that may be difficult to accommodate at the existing premises.
The planned expansion comes as the university reports significant growth in student numbers. According to the institution, enrolment has increased to approximately 6,000 students from fewer than 200 during an earlier phase of its expansion. These figures have not been independently verified.
Victoria University attributes the growth to an expanded range of academic programmes and an increased emphasis on practical training, technology-driven education and work-integrated learning. The institution has also highlighted its use of digital learning methods and artificial intelligence in teaching.
Established in the early 2010s, the university obtained chartered status in 2022, strengthening its institutional standing and capacity to offer advanced academic programmes.
The Naguru development was previously identified in the university’s five-year strategic plan as part of efforts to advance research, innovation, entrepreneurship and digitally supported learning. The newly released designs offer a clearer picture of how those ambitions could translate into a physical campus.
If completed broadly as envisioned, the project would transform Victoria University from a relatively compact institution in Kampala’s busy city centre into a larger campus in Naguru.
However, the scale and pace of the development will become clearer once the university announces the project’s cost, funding model and construction schedule.
