27 Jul 2026

Naming a building after someone who made a key development is a common way to honour and recognise their work.

It honours their legacy, preserves history and inspires the community. To recognise a major philanthropic act of the Kengalogile family who gave a chunk of land to the University of Botswana(UB) to establish its Okavango Research Institute, the university management has pledged to name one of the institution’s buildings Kengalogile.

The UB Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris made the pledge in response to a call by Minister of Higher Education, Mr Prince Maele for the university to consider doing so. Minister Maele had highlighted that the family’s generosity was proof of their belief that education was an enduring investment they could make.

The minister, who made the plea during the tombstone unveiling of the two Kengalogile ancestors, Mr Piet and Ms Yarubi Kengalogile born in the late 1800s and buried at ORI premises in 1955 and 1969, said by naming one of the university’s buildings bearing the Kengalogile name would be a significant acknowledgement and recognition that indeed behind every institution were people whose generosity and vision had made it possible.

During the transfer of land, the university committed itself to erecting permanent tombstones in honour of the two family members. From scholarships and libraries to laboratories and research centres, Mr Maele said philanthropy had shaped institutions whose discoveries continued to transform humanity.

However, Prof. Norris conceded to the plea, noting that they would start by offering two scholarships to two members of the family who had completed their Form 5 and had done well in their Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE).

“As the university, we will take the responsibility of their full sponsorship until they finish their studies at our facility,” he announced.

He appreciated that the family’s generosity had indeed become part of the country’s history and future generations would know that one family’s sacrifice had helped establish an institution whose work continues to protect one of the world’s most precious ecosystem.

Chairperson of the University of Botswana Council, Dr Daniel Tau also thanked the Kengalogile family’s generosity saying their vision had demonstrated what could be achieved when communities and national institutions worked together towards a shared purpose.

He said their contribution reflected precisely the same spirit that carried the University of Botswana into existence, when Batswana joined forces and contributed towards its establishment.

The gathering learnt that initially, it was named the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland and along the way, Lesotho withdrew from the regional agreement through a unilateral nationalisation of the Roma campus prompted by student unrest and political tensions over resource allocation and administration.

Dr Tau also recalled that the fallout resulted in students from Botswana being forced to withdraw, which accelerated the dissolution of the regional partnership, resulting in separate national universities.

Dr Tau also highlighted that currently, the University of Botswana was actively transforming into a high performing institution with the vision of becoming a distinctive centre of academic excellence in Africa and globally by 2029.

He said the Kengalogile family had laid a strong foundation by availing land that positioned ORI as a globally recognised centre of excellence in conservation and environmental research.

Member of Parliament for Maun North, Mr Dumelang Saleshando also stated that the family valued the importance of education and had put the Ngamiland region on the map hence honouring them was a welcome development. ENDS