Makerere University shuns strike, Kyambogo staff vanish with keys
A lecture takes new students of Makerere university through orientation yesterday. The strike called by the association of teaching and non-teaching staff of all the public universities yesterday appeared to fail after some employees reported for work. PHOTO BY DAVID LUBOWA
The industrial action has taken a new twist after some staff reported for work yesterday contrary to an agreed position.
A strike proclaimed by the association of teaching and non-teaching staff of all the public universities yesterday appeared to fail after employees at Makerere, Uganda’s largest public university, reported for work.
At Kyambogo University, roughly 9 kilometres away, some wardens and custodians of halls of residence disappeared with office keys, prompting Students’ Guild leaders and 100 mentors to receive first-time students nicknamed “freshers”.
The administrative action attracted immediate rebuke from Prof Eli Katunguka, the Kyambogo University vice chancellor, who said: “No one is supposed to leave with the university keys because they are our property. I am going to follow up today and ensure that all the staff who left with our keys return them.”
Students on the campus, could be seen receiving and conducting guided tours for newcomers as part of their orientation at the institution.
Mr Jonathan Tundulu, the Kyambogo University guild president, yesterday said they had since last Saturday received and processed thousands out of the varsity’s 25,000-plus students.
“All the non-teaching staff who are responsible for welcoming the new students are not in their offices,” he said, adding “So, as the students’ leadership, we could not just sit and watch.”
Activities at Busitema University in eastern Uganda, work was reportedly paralysed, with reported slowdown in administration.
Mbarara University of Science and Technology, a government university in western Uganda, will open on August 13.
It remains unclear if its employees will join colleagues in the industrial action triggered by the government’s offer of Shs15b in this financial year’s budget instead of the expected Shs150b to clear salary arrears.
The public universities’ staff said they wanted the full amount since this is the last year they agreed to achieve salary enhancement, which would see a professor’s monthly pay jump from Shs9.5m to Shs15m.
Education ministry Permanent Secretary, Mr Alex Kakooza, said they had not anticipated that the staff would reject the Shs15b offer and a final call on how to resolve the standoff will be made by line minister, Ms Janet Museveni, also the First Lady.
We were unable to establish whether employees of other public universities such as Gulu and Muni universities in northern Uganda and West Nile sub-region were participating in the strike.
However, Makerere UniverVice Chancellor Prof Barnabas Nawangwe declared the industrial action “illegal” and warned any participating staff of sanction. All operations progressed normally throughout the weekend and yesterday.
The chairperson of the Forum for Academic Staff in Public Universities, Dr Grace Lubaale, yesterday said they await a meeting with the Education minister over their money before deciding whether or not to return to class.
