Chaos rocks Kyambogo as students protest fees increment
Prof Eli Katugunka, the university vice chancellor, said many students are placed upcountry and the cost of maintaining them is becoming too high hence council’s decision to hike the fee to cover the expenses. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Prof Eli Katugunka, the university vice chancellor, said many students are placed upcountry and the cost of maintaining them is becoming too high hence council’s decision to hike the fee to cover the expenses. He said the new fee applies to students who joined in the 2018/2019 academic year.
Kampala. Tear gas and rubber bullets yesterday rocked Kyambogo University as students protested the increment of tuition fees by the university management.
According to an inside source who preferred anonymity, the university management increased fees for internship, field practice and late registration.
The source also said the university plans to hike their tuition fees by 10 per cent for all the courses.
Mr German Amanya, the Kyambogo guild president, said the university increased internship fees from Shs100,000 to Shs250,000, which applies to all students.
He said late registration is now Shs100,000, from Shs50,000.
According to Mr Amanya, continuing students have their admission letters indicating specific fees they are supposed to pay throughout their stay on campus, hence imposing on them an increment is illegal.
“We have entry instructions that govern our stay at Kyambogo, if you do a course of three years, then whatever they give you when you are joining will take you for three years. If something new is coming, then it should be communicated and must apply to only new students, I call this an illegality,” Mr Amanya said in a telephone interview.
He said students want justification as to why management wants to hike tuition fees. He, however, quickly added that with the current economic situation in the country, an increment is inevitable.
VC SPEAKS OUT
Prof Eli Katugunka, the university vice chancellor, said many students are placed upcountry and the cost of maintaining them is becoming too high hence council’s decision to hike the fee to cover the expenses. He said the new fee applies to students who joined in the 2018/2019 academic year.
