Students resist as Makerere bans motorists at campus

A decision by Makerere University administration to bar access of public commuter taxis and boda bodas to the institution, has rubbed students the wrong way, raising tension on campus.
For two days, police have been deployed around the institution as students, angered by the move, threatened to strike.

The guidelines, according to Ms Rita Namisango, the instituiton’s public relations officer, require that taxis, boda bodas and hostel shuttles stop at the three gates and should not enter the campus.

Security concern
“As an institution, we are concerned about the security of our students and staff. In line with this, one of the security measures agreed upon during the university security meeting was to restrict the access by boda boda operators to the campus,” she said in a statement.
But the student community is opposed to the new regulation and threatened to demonstrate if the institution does not reconsider its stand.

The university guild president, Mr Shaban Senkubuge, said the strike was called off on Tuesday after the management requested to meet student the leaders over the matter.
However, he claims the meeting did not yield positive results when the university rejected the students’ demands.

Mr Senkubuge said among the proposals the university has rejected is the use of university buses to transport students to their different faculties within campus. “The strike is on. We are still holding our position as a student body. The university is big and we need taxis, motor cycles and hostel shuttles to ease transport,” Mr Senkubunge said yesterday.

But Mr Cyriaco Kabagambe, the students’ dean, yesterday said they are still in negotiations with stakeholders and hoped they would understand the university’s position. “Following the July/11 bombing, it was agreed a to take precautionary action,” Mr Kabagambe said in an interview yesterday.

“We are negotiating with the students to understand why it is important to restrict movement of unknown people and vehicles within the university,” he added.

Check-ups
However, some students claim there is inequality since some cars are allowed access to the university without undergoing check- up. A police officer at the university main gate who preferred anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the press, said they will allow in cars with stickers after the university has finalised its plans on the issue.