Mak tuition must fall: scores suspended as students torch Ex-Guild President’s property

By Richard Kintu

Ugly scenes continue to rock Makerere University following the violent protests over the 15% tuition increment.

A day after Guild President Julius Kateregga spoke with President Museveni; the riots have taken even an uglier turn despite an anticipated cessation of hostilities between the striking students and security agencies that included the military. The lull had been anticipated following a directive from President Museveni, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, ordering the military police off the university precincts. The directive came on the heels of ugly images that showed the errant armed personnel indiscriminately thumping students with reckless abandon as they aimed to fish out the perceived ringleaders of the strike that began last week.

Television footage that has since gone viral and even captured by international media showed police breaking into halls of residence and pouncing on disabled students who were using the same halls as their last lines of defence, given their physical incapacitations.

The heart-wrecking images drew immense public ire thus forcing the President to order the military withdrawal.

On Monday, the university administrators summoned student leaders for amicable roundtable talks but the talks aborted after the students accused the University of using the chance to instead lecture them on the hardline stance regarding the tuition increment. On learning that the university was not about to compromise on its tuition policy, the students turned rowdy and even held the administrators hostage for a few minutes. The students were also angry that media houses like NTV that seemed to report about the university issues in their favor had been barred from the meeting. On the contrary, NBS TV’s Canary Mugume had been allowed access but was driven out of the meeting by angry students who accused him of skewed reporting on government’s side, which the students said exposed many of their colleagues to both government and university repression.

The students were later to escape from the Main Building through the windows after learning that the police were hell-bent on arresting them.

Former GP Papa Were property torched

Following Monday’s flopped meeting, President Museveni ordered that the university administration to negotiate with the students after he spoke with the Guild President Julius Kateregga. On government’s side, the President also summoned the NRM Caucus to talk matters Makerere University after general consensus that the strike was courting nasty PR for the NRM government.

The meeting however flopped, with the university standing its ground in respect to the increment. This was on grounds that the tuition policy was passed with the blessing of a select committee of student representatives, meaning it is hypocritical for the students to claim they weren’t consulted. This argument further infuriated the students, with many taking to various whatsapp groups created for updates on the strike, to begin an operation to shame, isolate and deal with the students that were part of the group that passed the policy. Referring to them as traitors, students claimed that the so-called ad hoc committee was ‘bribed’ to condemn others to the burdensome policy.

Soon, a list of the so-called traitors was published and circulated on social media platforms and these include; Ex-guild president Papa Were Salim (Government) CoVAB; Isaac Kwagala (Government) Law school, Obedgiu Samuel (Government) CAES, , Ssewalya Simon Peter (Private) Law School and Bandola Polly (Government) Medical School and Chair of the committee. Others were Kamukama Frank, (Government) Medical School and Marion Kirabo (Private) Law School who, however, was said to have offered a minority report objecting to the report.

The passing of this list coincided with an announcement in which the Kateregga-led guild government summoned students to converge at the University Freedom Square for a ‘debriefing’ by the student leaders. This was after it was agreed that lack of general assemblies involving all students is the cause of a seeming communication gap between the students’ body and the university policies as leaders have no avenue of relaying feedback to their subordinates.

The much publicized and anticipated general assembly however flopped after police barred the students from accessing the Freedom Square. Despite the police only letting in students with IDs, the students later turned rowdy, storming the library where they disrupted colleagues that were reading for the upcoming exams that are just around the corner.

Police was later forced to fire teargas in the library after the students there were forced to join those striking.

By close of today however, a list of students purportedly suspended for leading the strike had been published. It read as follows:

‘In light of the recent student unrests and protests against the Fees Policy, Management has taken disciplinary action against some students.

The following have been suspended and others warned. Affected students are requested to collect their letters from the Office of the Dean of Students

Suspended Students

1.    Mr. Frank Bwambale

Reg. No: 16/U/4500/PS

Bachelor Journalism and Communication

School of Languages, Literature and Communication

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

2.    Ms. Saasiraabo Siperia

Reg. No: 17/U/9897/EVE

Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

School of Pyschology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

3.    Mr. Rogers Mbajjo Ssebiraalo

Reg. No: 13/U/13785/EVE

Bachelor of Quantitative Economics

School of Statistics and Planning

College of Business and Management Sciences

4.    Mr. Derrick Ojambo Wabwire

Reg. No: 16/U/0825/EVE

Bachelor of Records and Archives Management

East African School of Library and Information Science

College of Computing and Information Sciences

5.    Mr. Musiri David

Reg. No: 17/U/6676/EXT

Bachelor Commerce (External)

School of Distance and Lifelong Learning

College of Education and External Studies

6.    Mr. Kyeyune Ivan

Reg. No: 15/U/6923/EVE

Bachelor Arts (Social Sciences)

School of Social Sciences

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

7.    Mr. Mutatina Seiz

Reg. No: 18/U/12706/EVE

Bachelor of Commerce

School of Business

College of Business and Management Sciences

8.    Mr. Dhabona Job

Reg. No: 16/U/20548/EVE

Bachelor of Community Psychology

School of Psychology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

9.    Mr. Ssenoga Simon

Reg. No: 11/U/7531/PS

Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

School of Psychology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Warned Students

1.    Ms. Kirabo Marion

Reg. No: 16/U/6085/PS

Bachelor of Laws

School of Law

2.    Ms. Namiiro Sarah Aminah

Reg.No: 16/U/891

Bachelor of Conservation Forestry and Product Technology

School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

3.    Ms. Mariam Kyomugasho Mugisha

Reg. No: 17/U/6327/PS

Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Geoscience and Production

School of Physical Sciences

College of Natural Sciences

4.    Ms. Annah Ashaba

Reg. No: 17/U/2983/PS

Bachelor of Arts with Education

School of Education

College of Education and External Studies

5.    Mr. Rodney Kiggundu

Reg. No: 17/U/5111/PS

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

School of Computing and Information Technology

College of Computing and Information Sciences

6.    Ms. Omunyokol Lydia

Reg. No: 19/U/17795/PS

Bachelor of Arts with Education

School of Education

College of Education and External Studies

7.    Ms. Judith Nalukwago

Reg. No: 16/U/860

Bachelor of Dental Surgery

School of Health Sciences

College of Health Sciences

8.    Ms. Musiimenta Anitah

Reg. No: 17/U/6653/EVE

Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

School of Psychology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

9.    Ms. Mwesigwa Peninnah Balambi

Reg. No: 16/U/7948/PS

Bachelor of Environmental and Geographical Sciences

School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

10.    Ms. Nyangoma Pamerah

Reg. No: 18/U/24171/PS

Bachelor of Arts with Education

School of Education

College of Education and External Studies

11.    Ms. Elith Nabimanya

Reg. No: 16/U/774

Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering)

School of Engineering

College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology

12.    Mr. Benjamin Ahikiriza

Reg.No: 15/U/2881/PS

Bachelor of Laws

School of Law

13.    Mr. Sserwadda Isaiah

Reg. No: 17/U/10299/PS

Bachelor of Commerce

School of Business

College of Business and Management Sciences

14.    Mr. Nyinamanyonyi Marvin

Reg. No: 16/U/10655/PS

Bachelor of Industrial and Fine Arts

Margaret Trowel School of Industrial and Fine Arts

College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology

15.    Mr. Kayondo Vicent

Reg. No: 18/U/636

Bachelor of Science – Biological

School of Bio-Sciences

College of Natural Sciences

16.    Mr. Ouma Epaphrus

Reg. No: 18/U/19742/PS

Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences)

School of Social Sciences

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

17.    Mr. Tumusiime Joseph

Reg. No: 16/U/12009/EVE

Bachelor of Arts (Social Sciences)

School of Social Sciences

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

18.    Mr. Babirye Nicky Namisi

Reg. No: 18/U/22925/PS

Bachelor of Library and Information Sciences

College of Computing and Information Sciences

19.    Mr. Mutangana Tyson

Reg. No: 17/U/1826

Bachelor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology

School of Psychology

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

20.    Mr. Mutagubya Allan

Reg. No: 2018/HD13/1875U

Master of Science in Zoology

School of Bio-Sciences

College of Natural Sciences

21.    Mr. Agaba Derrick

Reg. No: 16/U/2817/PS

Bachelor of Arts in Development Economics

School of Economics

College of Business and Management Sciences

22.    Mr. Oreret Erasmus

Reg. No: 17/U/1035

Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Health and Management

School of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and BioSecurity

College of Vet Medicine, Animal Resources and BioSecurity

23.    Mr. Omoit Elvis

Reg. No: 16/U/1044

Bachelor of Conservation Forestry and Production Technology

School of Forestry, Environmental and Geographical Sciences

College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

24.    Mr. Ayebazibwe Edgar

Reg. No: 19/U/16266/PS

Bachelor of Development Studies

School of Liberal and Performing Arts

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

25.    Mr. Waswa Ronald

Reg. No: 16/U/1883

Bachelor of Science in Medical Radiography

School of Medicine

College of Health Sciences

26.    Mr. Bukenya Lukman

Reg. No: 2019/HD05/25263U

Master of Science in Data Communication and Software Engineering

School of Computing and Information Technology

College of Computing and Information Sciences

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