OPM sends aid to starving university students
Some of the Kyambogo University students who received relief food on May 13, 2020. PHOTO BY KELVIN ATUHAIRE
In bid to save students who are starving in hostels, the Office of the Prime Minister has decided to categorise them as vulnerable and has given them relief food.
According to Mr Moses Kidega, the secretary for the national affairs under the Uganda National Student’s Association, a team of three student leaders had a meeting with the prime minister on Tuesday to lobby for food.
“Our meeting with the prime minister was successful. We went there to ask for relief food to take to the students who were starving back in hostels and rentals around various universities,” Mr Kidega said.
Mr Kidega added that the trio was given 500 kiliogrammes of rice, beans and posho, 500 bars of soap and 300 packets of sanitary towels. 200 bags of rice, posho, and beans, 5 boxes of soap, and 150 packets of sanitary towels were distributed to Kyambogo University and 300 bags of rice, beans, posho together with soap and sanitary pads were taken to Makerere University.
However, Ms Hellen Ninsiima, the vice president for both Kyambogo University, says they were overwhelmed by the number of students that turned up for the distribution.
“We had initially planned for 10kgs for each student but we were surprised by the large number of students that turned up. So we decided to cut it to 5kgs of food, one bar of soap and at least two packets of sanitary towels,” Ms Ninsiima said.
Ms Ninsiima added that on their initial list, they had a total of 350 students from Kyambogo who had registered but another 200 students did not get food.
“For these 200 students whom we have now registered, we are going to see a way to get more food from the Office of the Prime Minister,” she said.
The chairperson of UCU Students Electoral Commission, Mr Boss John Bosco, who is also leading the campaign at the university to solicit food, said they had received donations, from the Church of Uganda which was going to cater for 100 students in Mukono, and had not yet received the food from OPM.
“The only food that we have got so far is from church of Uganda which will cater for about 100 students. The one for the prime minister we have not yet received it but probably if we get it, it can cater for the remaining number of students,” Mr. John Bosco said.
