St Lawrence Creamland Campus, once a beacon of academic prestige and architectural elegance, has officially closed its doors, Campus Bee has learned. The closure comes eight years after the passing of its visionary founder, Prof Lawrence Mukiibi.
The once-vibrant A-Level campus, tucked in the hills of Nabbingo along the Kampala–Masaka highway, has reportedly been non-operational for several months. Sources close to the school say the shutdown was quietly executed by school authorities due to dwindling student numbers and deteriorating academic standards.
Opened in the mid-1990s, Creamland stood out with its signature St Lawrence style — extravagant buildings, manicured lawns, and a bold, unapologetic flair. At its peak, it attracted hundreds of students, particularly from neighbouring countries like Rwanda, Kenya, and South Sudan.
But things fell apart.
At the time of closure, one former student revealed the campus had fewer than 20 students. These have since been absorbed by other campuses under the St Lawrence Schools and Colleges umbrella.
What Went Wrong?
Several factors led to Creamland’s demise.
First, the government’s aggressive push for Science subjects drastically impacted the school’s traditional Arts-heavy curriculum. As national focus shifted, Arts-based institutions like Creamland struggled to attract numbers.
Second, as academic standards declined, many foreign students who had long propped up the school’s enrollment stopped coming. The emergence of newer, better-equipped private schools further intensified the competition.
Third, Creamland bled talent. Teachers left — some to start their own schools — and took students with them. Among them was Irene Lunkuse Mutebi, a popular and influential teacher who reportedly pulled a sizable number of learners when she branched out.
Efforts to get a comment from Justine Tulina, the current Rector and daughter of the late Prof Mukiibi, were unsuccessful. Multiple calls went unanswered.
Some old boys and girls (OBs/OGs) have expressed frustration with her leadership, describing Tulina as distant and combative — a stark contrast to her father’s hands-on, charismatic style.
Last year, for the first time ever, none of the St Lawrence students were admitted to Makerere University on government sponsorship — a low point that many say symbolized the school’s downward spiral.
The closure of Creamland marks a sobering moment for a brand that once dominated Uganda’s private education sector. Whether this signals broader troubles for the St Lawrence empire remains to be seen. But for now, Creamland is no more — a fallen giant in Uganda’s educational history.
