STRIKE AT MAKERERE UNIVERSITY KAMPALA.

The strike which began yesterday in the Havard of Africa is said to be caused by the government and the university administration trying to implement what students termed as draconian policies.

 Just in the listings, I have well explained the policies which are causing the current unrest at the university.

1. The burning of meals in all university halls of residents. This is said to be one of the basic reasons for the strike and government sponsored students have raised a complaint on the amount of money the government pays them for meals per day, an amount which is about 1.5 USD. This meals have been supporting privately sponsored students who can not afford to eat from expensive restaurants in Kikoni and Kikumi-Kikumi.

2. The transfer of some courses from the main university to other local universities like Kyambogo university raised alarms in the school of business and social sciences. The administration claimed that they are doing this to make Makerere a center of excellence as far as scientific research is concerned. These courses include all the courses of the school of business and all courses at the school of social sciences.

3. The university wants to privatise the halls of residents and students raised complaints that these moves will make them be charged very expensively by greedy investors and yet they don't even have the money to pay them.

4. The student's tuition fees raised for some courses. These move affected most of the courses in the school of health sciences where bachelor of science in pharmacy now goes for 2000000 Uganda shillings for a semester without functional fees, meals,upkeep and accommodation. This is a big challenge to parents and students as stated by the university guild president H.E Papa Were Salim.

These challenges then caused students to stage up a fight and began with what they termed as bloody monday. In which they battled up with the police and over 96 students were arrested yesterday including the guild president himself. They were released at 9 pm and then later put up a bloody Tuesday plan since the university administration did not react to their demands.

The strike leader of bloody Tuesday Wanyera Simon a third year student also known as the revolutionary son was spotted lighting a fire on Monday inciting students for Tuesday since the university did not respond to their demand after the Monday fight. Today, the police was spotted boycotting the university halls of residence like Lumumba and arresting all the participants of the strike. The ring leader was being hunted for by four policemen seen entering Lumumba hall but one of his friends alerted him and told him to take refuge. This is my report from Makerere university.
Apil simon
Petroleum engineer and an entrepreneur.