2,000 police officers to guard Makerere lecture rooms

Makerere University management has resolved to deploy 2,000 police officers to secure its 1,000 lecture rooms for students and lecturers eager to resume studies despite the strike.
The decision was made during a management meeting on Wednesday that students who are not participating in the strike and want to attend lectures should be guarded as one of the measures to defuse the riots.
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Vice Chancellor, yesterday confirmed the deployment.

He said the university has 10 colleges with more than 1,000 lecture rooms and all of them will have police officers to guard the students and the lecturers.
“Those disciplined students who want to attend lecturers will be guarded by police officers. Some few students have been beating their colleagues who were found in class. Those who will be caught doing this again will be dealt with,” Prof Nawangwe said in a telephone interview.

Students went on strike last week demanding abolition of the policy that provides for a 15 per cent increment on tuition fees.
Since last week, the university has been a scene of violence as striking students were engaged in running battles with police and the military, causing destruction of property and business.
However, the environment at campus was relatively calm yesterday amid police deployment.

Asked whether the university would bear the cost of the deployment, Prof Nawangwe said police is a government institution and must perform its statutory duties free of charge.
The management also resolved that the examinations, which are scheduled to start on November 18, will not be extended despite the strike.

“Examinations will commence as planned on November 18 and there will be no extension of semester. Management wishes to thank the students and lecturers who continued with normal activities despite the isolated disruption,” Prof Nawangwe said.
Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) spokesperson Patrick Onyango said they had already deployed two officers at every lecture room.
“We have already implemented the management resolutions. Our officers are already on the ground. We are seeing what our students are being taught and our officers are also learning through the windows,” Mr Onyango said, adding that they have enough manpower to do the job.
The deployment brings the total operational force at the university to at least 2,000 officers.

The university management also agreed to support the University Council resolution to maintain the 15 per cent increment on tuition but remove it from functional fees.
The University Council sat in an emergency meeting on Tuesday and agreed to halt 15 per cent increase on functional fees, but maintain it on tuition.

The students’ leadership has since rejected the Council resolution, insisting the increment should be scrapped on all fees.
Prof Nawangwe said the nine students, who were suspended over the strike, will soon be summoned by the university students disciplinary committee.
The vice chairperson of Makerere University Academic Staff Association, Mr Edward Mwavu, said the deployment will cause intimidation.
“Management thinks that deploying police officers is the best way, but that is their choice. However, learning at the university must be conducted in a comfortable environment because by the presence of police, students see tear gas,” Mr Mwavu said.

Students condemn deployment

Speaker of the Guild Representative Council (student parliament) Jackson Mayambala said there was no justification for police deployment. “We condemn the acts of management deploying at our lecture rooms. It was not in our circular that the university could deploy in our lectures rooms,” Mr Mayambala said. He said students would not be intimidated by the deployment or the management’s resolve not to extend the examination dates.

Privatise Makerere if you can’t fund it - don

Prof Augustine Niwagaba of Makerere School of Economics has asked President Museveni to declare the university a private institution if government cannot finance its operations.
Speaking during the third-annual Legislature Sector Performance review at Hotel Africana in Kampala yesterday, Prof Niwagaba said the ongoing strike over fees increment at the campus is not a new development.
“You go to Parliament, tell government [that] you just fund Makerere, either declare it a private university or take it as a public university,” he told Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.

“The problem in Makerere, Madam Speaker, is financing of public universities. You can remove [Vice Chancellor Prof Barnabus] Nawangwe and put Niwagaba, you can change Niwagaba and put Rebecca Kadaga, and you can go up to heaven. Without funding public universities in Uganda, everyone will have the same problem,” Prof Niwagaba said.

Challenges
The university, despite its public status, is largely occupied by students on private sponsorship. Of the estimated 30,482 learners, about 20,391 are private.
In most cases, the university has faced funding challenges mainly caused by delayed remission from government.
For instance, its Ministerial Policy Statement for the financial year 2019/20 states: “Eighty-four (84) per cent of government subvention support to Makerere University is contribution towards employee costs, wage Shs146.37b and NSSF Shs14.637b as part of non-wage recurrent,” reads the statement.

“The university, therefore, has to rely on fees paid by private students and other miscellaneous revenue for its operations,” the statement adds.
The university also acknowledged that strikes have been caused by delayed issuance of academic transcripts and poor remuneration of staff.

PM tasks council to resolve crisis

Manwhile, the Prime Minister, Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, has tasked Makerere University Council and administration to immediately resolve the stand-off between them and the striking students.
Mr Julius Muchunguzi, the communications adviser of Dr Rugunda, said his boss called the university officials to give him a comprehensive brief about what they (officials) are doing to calm the students and to restore peace on the campus.
“Dr Rugunda was yesterday briefed on the context of the unrest at Makerere and they discussed measures of ensuring normalcy on campus to ensure that students return to classes,” Mr Muchunguzi said in a telephone interview.

“He asked the university management to also find solutions for the unrest and also inquired on what measures can be done by government to ensure calm,” he added.
Dr Rugunda held a meeting with the University Council chairperson, Ms Lorna Magara, the Vice Chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, and other staff.

MPs tell government to bear responsibility

Relatedly, MPs on Thursday accused government of preferring to use coercion and intimidation instead of addressing the grievances of striking Makerere University students.

Following a submission by the State Minister for Higher Education, Mr John Muyingo, the legislators accused government of being insensitive to genuine concerns of the students and other stakeholders.
Mr Mathias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality, DP), said Makerere is a public institution and whatever it does should provide for the public good for which government is responsible.
Ms Angeline Osegge (Soroti Woman, FDC) said government was being dishonest.

“The ministry should be honest with the weaknesses at Makerere and face it. There should be a general policy applicable to all public universities,” Ms Osegge said.
The MPs also accused government of being insensitive to the plight of Ugandans of humble means who seek higher education.
Ms Anna Adeke (National Youth, Ind), blamed the unrest at Makerere on bad governance at the university.

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